Negligent posted:

and i VOTE

Negligent posted:

and i VOTE

MysticalMachineGun posted:

Is the entire news media blind or do they not understand that the Libs attacking the Greens and Labor forming a parliament is hypocrisy of the highest order?

They're called the loving Coalition, for gently caress's sake. THEY'RE ALWAYS FORMING GOVERNMENT WITH TWO PARTIES.

Anidav posted:

Negligent is going to split and

quote:

Chris Rogers in favour of helmets being made compulsory NEWS LIMITED APRIL 30, 2016 12:00AM Peter Lalor Senior sports writer

The review into the death of ­Phillip Hughes will see Australian cricket follow England’s lead and make helmets compulsory for batsmen — a move backed by ­veteran Chris Rogers, who sustained two severe blows in recent seasons.

Cricket Australia last May commissioned an independent report into the circumstances surrounding Hughes’ death from Victorian QC David Curtain. It was delivered last year and is understood to recommend mandatory helmet use. At the ­moment it is not compulsory for batsmen to wear helmets but if they do, they must meet new British safety standards. The new helmets have a fixed grille and lower rim and are a response to a number of injuries from the ball forcing its way through the gap between visor and grille. It is not known if Curtain has recommended the stem guards which were introduced in response to Hughes’ death be mandatory. CA has had the report since late last year but not released its findings.

Batsmen have found the new helmets hard to adjust to as the grille is in their line of sight. ­England captain Alastair Cook led a silent protest by refusing to wear the new model at the start of the county season despite warnings from the board. Rogers believes the Masuri helmet, which meets the new standards, saved him from more serious injury when he was struck during the Lord’s Test in 2015. “It’s a tough one,” Rogers told AAP. “Some guys feel comfortable in a certain helmet but I think the need to get the protection right is paramount. If that means you have to wear a certain helmet then I’m a big believer that you have to.”

Michael Clarke and a number of other Australian Test players were slow to adapt to the new helmets before they were made mandatory.

The lower rim at the back is reportedly uncomfortable and the stem guards even more so. Brad Haddin had Shane Watson take them off his helmet during a BBL game because they were annoying him. “I know there’s a comfort level to it, but things like that if it’s available and it’s protecting that area, and obviously with what we’ve seen, it’s a very dangerous area,” Rogers said. “If it’s available, why not wear it?” CA had to adjust its regulations when it found that the new helmets were irritating wicket­keepers when they crouch behind the stumps as the bowler moves in to deliver the ball. Rogers was struck on the back of the helmet while fielding in close at Brisbane in 2014 one month after Hughes’ death and said later it made him contemplate retirement. He missed two Tests with concussion in the West Indies in June last season after being struck during a net session. The opening batsmen then had to retire hurt and was taken for scans after another blow caused him to have dizzy spells during the Lord’s Test.

There are rising concerns about the danger to fielders, bowlers, fielding coaches and umpires in the modern game with batsmen using massive bats, particularly in the T20 forms. Umpire Gerard Abood wore a helmet during the last BBL season and fielding coaches have taken to wearing them during training ­sessions. A number of former players came out in support of Cook’s protest. Geoffrey Boycott said it was “bureaucracy gone mad” and ­England all-rounder Ravi Bopara also expressed concerns. “I understand where Cookie’s coming from,” Bopara said. “But it is difficult for players to change helmets like that, because you (get) so used to wearing a certain helmet which you’re comfortable with — and you have your visor as wide as you want it. “But the problem with the new helmets is you can’t move the ­visors — you’ve just got to look at the hole that’s there. Sometimes, that bar that goes across can get in the way.”

SynthOrange posted:

lol the Nats arent a party

They're more of a tumor

Skellybones posted:

I wonder what would happen if the Nationals just quietly dissolved.

quote:

Centrelink's top boss has conceded that internal mistakes led to the huge Youth Allowance debacle of recent months that had hundreds of thousands of young people denied their benefits for up to four months.
The acting chief of the giant Department of Human Services, which runs the welfare agency, gave a frank account to a Senate committee of what went wrong, accepted responsibility and vowed to do better.

The evidence of acting departmental secretary Grant Tidswell marked a dramatic departure from the line previously maintained by DHS and its minister, that an unforeseen surge in applications for Youth Allowance caused the system to break down.

Mr Tidswell, acting in the role while permanent boss Kathryn Campbell took time off for reservist military service, also confirmed that the Youth Allowance workload this year was "approximately similar to what we've had in previous years".
The acting secretary also took responsibility for the decision to migrate to a new operating system to process claims at a time when a "peak and a bubble" was expected.

But there would be no independent inquiry into what went wrong.

Labor's human services spokesman Doug Cameron remained unhappy, telling the DHS officials that their reaction to their own "stuff-up" was "unacceptable" and called for an independent inquiry into the saga.
The backlog for payment claims was now back to normal level, Mr Tidswell said, after it peaked at about 92,000 in March, several weeks into the first term of the academic year, causing widespread hardship and distress to students and their families.

Centrelink appointed a special national manager to manage the student payment crisis through a command centre – a similar reaction to the Brisbane floods emergency in 2011 – and drafted in at least 650 extra staff to try to cope with what was described as the agency's worst customer service crisis.
Centrelink and its political boss, Minister for Human Services Alan Tudge, repeatedly said the delays were caused by "unprecedented" demand for student payments this year after nearly 250,000 young people lodged claims.

But Mr Tidswell told Senate estimates committee late on Friday night that the department's hierarchy made key mistakes in trying to manage the annual rush of students and would-be students claiming benefits.

"We got caught out in terms of some backlog, particularly around March and thereabouts," the acting secretary told the committee.
"We've put a considerable number of extra staff on and we should have done that earlier and that was our mistake, we didn't take the right action early enough.
"We've taken that action."
"There'll be no external inquiry but we will be having conversations at the executive table about making sure that we don't allow this to happen again."

Mr Tidswell said the large numbers of applications early in the year always presented problems but conceded the department's responses could have been better.

"We're now below the figures we had this time last year, every year there's this peak and bubble because students enter the system," he said.
"We've got a lot of work we have to do, about 44 per cent of all the claims we process turn out to be invalid.
"We get people trying to get Youth Allowance, we get a whole lot of other claims come to us that are incomplete and so it's challenging for us to keep on top of that workload but we have been making great inroads into the volume and the number at hand and we're back to where we need to be at this stage."

Anidav posted:

So an LNP MP admitted on QnA that she owns a 6 thousand dollar toaster.

Halo14 posted:

No she was using the $6,000 toaster that a small business owner purchased as an example of how the tax break for small business helps the economy.

Halo14 posted:

No she was using the $6,000 toaster that a small business owner purchased as an example of how the tax break for small business helps the economy.

Ket posted:

How the hell can a toaster cost that much?


Oh, that makes more sense.

Those On My Left posted:

https://twitter.com/ABCNews24/status/729499548117131268

ssmagus posted:

Who the gently caress uses hommus as a sauce?

MysticalMachineGun posted:

They're called the loving Coalition, for gently caress's sake. THEY'RE ALWAYS FORMING GOVERNMENT WITH TWO PARTIES.

Anidav posted:

Also lol

Tony Abbott supporters are planning a "dangerous" boycott of the New South Wales marginal seat of Eden-Monaro as punishment for Liberal MP Dr Peter Hendy's role in ousting the former prime minister, sources say.

ewe2 posted:

if he wins

Anidav posted:

The way they treated that man who asked the question is disgusting. Who was that asshat who said he doesn't pay tax?

turdbucket posted:

On the subject of Centrelink. I can't find any information but if I started a degree in 2010 but dropped out due to sad brains and now want to return to uni as a mature age student to get a degree which will supposedly help me move up a bit in my industry (lol) will I able able to get Austudy?

I can't find any info but I'm sure I was told years ago that because I didn't complete my first degree they won't give me any assistance other than Newstart? If there is anywhere better to ask this let me know but Centrelink never pick up the phone and I need to work out what the gently caress i can do.

quote:

In case you missed it, someone called an election. And thus, today ABC 24-hour has Malcolm Turnbull, Barnaby Joyce, Richard Di Natale and Bill Shorten on a loop.

As a journalist, it’s my job to watch this circus, obsessively, and report on what happens. Long story short: Nothing is happening. At least nothing of substance. Yet.

All we’ve seen so far is slogans, spin and talking points, and the leaders of various parties tell us it’s ‘not about personalities, it’s about policies’. Which is a bloody good thing… because none of them have personalities that most of the rest of us are particularly interested in. Although, I’ll concede Di Natale’s repeated comments about ‘great big carbon emissions’ is pretty clever.

Turnbull chose Queensland to launch the government’s re-election campaign. Specifically, the markets at Rocklea… a semi-industrial suburb in the heart of Brisbane. Because innovation, and economy. And there’s nothing more innovative and economic than fruit and veg.

Shorten also headed to Queensland… a school in Cairns in the far north to be precise, to announce Aboriginal scholarships for the teaching profession. Because jobs.

And this is as far in as I got… Bill Shorten, in Cairns. After his press conference, I decided to take the rest of the afternoon off. Because instead of talking about Aboriginal education, Shorten rabbited on about not putting people smugglers back in business, Aussie kids, tax cuts, the top 1 per cent, Aussie kids, his ‘united Labor team’, Aussie kids, positive policies, and ‘clear, positive, practical policies’.

It actually doesn’t matter what a journalist asks Bill Shorten. The question could be, ‘Hey Bill, everyone thinks you’re an idiot. And by the way, your pants are on fire. What do you think about that?’

He’d still respond – through rictus grin – with a series of scripted, rehearsed, workshopped and focus group-tested half-zingers, all of which make him sound like the world’s most benign killer robot sent back from the future to bore us all to death.

Shorten reminds me of Kim Beazley. Or Kevin Rudd. Or Julia Gillard. Or Simon Crean. Or any host of Labor leader ghosts of elections past. With the exception of Mark Latham who was both real, and stunningly stupid.

Shorten appears to have forgotten that part of the reason Julia Gillard – once a vibrant, effusive public speaker – lost so much respect with the Australian populace was because when she became the PM, she transformed into a robot with a stick up her arse, whose every utterance sounded like it had been pre-recorded in a Paddington sound studio and released as part of a drawling beat poetry compilation CD.

In Shorten’s defence, ‘Zinger Bill’ appears to have been killed off for the next 55 days. This is obviously a good thing, and clearly a result of focus groups explain to Labor hacks that Bill Shorten is less funny than cancer. But his replacement is no better. Shorten’s spinners and minders have clearly made a decision to abandon the pointless three word sloganzingers, and keep things ‘serious but positive’ instead. Very, very positive. And clear. And practical. Whilst reminding everyone Tony Abbott was famous for three word slogans, which were nowhere near as funny as his. Or cancer.

In terms of significant things happening, nothing much did today. Except maybe that Labor chose day one to unveil their ‘Aboriginal affairs’ policy. For no apparent reason, because no amount of re-definition will erase the memories of half a million blackfellas, who easily recall Labor’s history of frenetic inaction. As for the rest of the nation… well they don’t much care. Which begs the question ‘why?’.

More significant, perhaps, is the scale of this monumental announcement to drag the mob into university campuses. $4.8 million over four years, to create 400 teaching scholarships. Wow. I think I speak on behalf of all Australians when I say, ‘That’s a surprisingly crappy policy with which to open an election campaign’.

Specifically, it’s $1.2 million a year, for the most impoverished (and unemployed) folk in the country, for arguably the most important area of life – education. In other words, it’s the perfect Labor Aboriginal affairs policy… all sizzle, no sausage… except that the sizzle is basically inaudible.

Seriously folks, does it get any more uninspiring than this? 400 scholarships for Aboriginal teachers over four years. That’s 100 a year, or broken down further, a dozen scholarships for each state and territory, every 12 months. Wow, how are they ever going to fill that many positions? Way to lift a people out of poverty, Bill.

Never mind the fact that innumerable scholarships already exist – at a state and federal level – to encourage Aboriginal people into teaching. Which is obviously a good thing – most important job in the world. But do you actually have anything interesting to say, Bill?

No? Well I do. Two words: NT intervention. Two more words: Jenny Macklin.

The Northern Territory intervention, conceived by the Libs, but voted for by Labor and then rolled out and extended for a decade under Gillard, actually oversaw a rapid decline in school attendance rates across the Northern Territory. Presumably your opening election campaign policy is aimed at undoing some of the damage you caused. Huzah for you. Maybe one of the gaggle of assembled journalists following Robot Bill could actually ask about that during tomorrow’s policy show and tell?

Your party’s six years of inaction and deceit in government cannot be un-spun with a two dollar shop policy about getting more blackfellas into teaching. It smells suspiciously like you and your faceless Aboriginal affairs spokesperson, Whateverhisnameis, cooked this little scheme up together on the back of a drink coaster at a Qantas Club, in between party strategy meetings on how to support the ‘boat turnbacks’ without looking like you’re supporting boat turnbacks.

How about a policy to actually get Aboriginal kids to school, given your past policies have driven them away? What about a policy to properly resource remote, regional and urban area schools? How about a policy to create employment in Aboriginal communities, so that once kids leave school they have something to do? Or has Twiggy Forrest been too busy to take your phone calls?

Here’s a crazy idea: How about a policy with substance, like one to reduce the record incarceration rates successive state Labor governments have presided over?

What about a policy to unpick the disastrous Indigenous Advancement Strategy conceived by Tony Abbott, and rolled out by some of the world’s most incompetent bureaucrats, to the destruction of countless Aboriginal-controlled organisations for the sole purpose of transferring Aboriginal earmarked funds to non-Indigenous hands.

What’s so confounding is that THIS is the policy Labor chose to open the batting with. Which should give you some idea of what’s to come, at least on the Aboriginal affairs front.

The early signs are that Labor’s main campaign strategy appears to be ‘underwhelm people with policies that will amount to nine-parts of bugger all, then just sit back and wait for the Libs to implode’. Which could well happen if someone re-inflates Tony Abbott… and one day in, that would obviously be my preference, notwithstanding the fact it would install a do-nothing Labor government in power. But at least it would make a 55-day election campaign interesting. Ah the Tony days… how fondly we all look back now.

On the good news front, July 2 is actually my birthday. I don’t normally celebrate my birthday, but this one spells the end of a 55-day election campaign starring Automaton Shorten.

It will be the happiest birthday of my life.

turdbucket posted:

On the subject of Centrelink. I can't find any information but if I started a degree in 2010 but dropped out due to sad brains and now want to return to uni as a mature age student to get a degree which will supposedly help me move up a bit in my industry (lol) will I able able to get Austudy?

I can't find any info but I'm sure I was told years ago that because I didn't complete my first degree they won't give me any assistance other than Newstart? If there is anywhere better to ask this let me know but Centrelink never pick up the phone and I need to work out what the gently caress i can do.

Amethyst posted:

quote:

Citi bans key Asian currencies from buying Aussie real estate

Citigroup has a confidential blacklist of foreign currencies it will no longer accept as payment for Australian real estate from overseas borrowers because of growing concerns about fraud and possible money laundering.

Matt Wood, head of the global bank's mortgage distribution, has written to mortgage brokers with a list of 12 currencies that it will accept and warned that all others are not negotiable.

Income earned in a foreign currency other than that of the applicants' nationality, with the exclusion of Australian citizens and permanent residents, will not be permitted for use in the assessment of their ability to pay.

"We want to continue to ensure we have a robust and healthy residential loan book catering to foreign buyers," a bank spokesman said. "We have excluded certain currencies to ensure we don't attract any increases in unwanted loan applications," he said.

Mr Wood, whose division deals with high net worth customers, many with global assert portfolios, is warning that a crackdown on overseas borrowing by competing Australian banks has triggered a spike in loan applications.

"Given increasing difficulty in confirming income from certain countries and to maintain a balanced portfolio without further erosion to our service proposition, we will only rely on (specified) currencies".

The bank's move follows competitors' tightening lending terms and conditions, freezing new loan applications, or withdrawing from the overseas borrowing market, which until recently was a coveted sector.

Some major Australian banks, including Westpac and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, are reviewing foreign loan applications amid concerns of systemic fraud.

ANZ has discovered loan applications with incomplete or missing documentation, such as pages removed from passports, and documents supporting overseas employment income from companies that could not be traced.
Crackdown on lending to foreigners

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Australia's fifth largest, has told more than 30 mortgage managers and thousands of brokers to immediately stop lending to foreign borrowers and exclude foreign-sourced income from local real estate deals.

Its move also follows a surge in applications in response to a tightening of lending terms and conditions by competitors.

Citigroup accounts for less than 1 per cent of the total Australian property market but has a high profile in Asia where it targets rich Asian, or foreign-based, investors seeking to diversify asset allocation.

The only foreign currencies it will now accept from overseas borrowers are the Canadian dollar, Danish kroner, European Union euro, Hong Kong dollar, Japanese yen, New Zealand dollar, Swedish kroner, Singaporean dollar, South Korean won, Swiss franc, UK sterling and US dollar.

Major Asian currencies, such as the Chinese yuan and Thai baht, are excluded.

Other exclusions include the Indian rupee, Indonesian rupiah, Malaysian ringit and Taiwan dollar.

In addition, Citigroup is refusing any loans that rely solely on rental income for repayment.

All new business must also have documentation translated into English and all foreign income from the 12 nominated currencies must be converted into the Australian dollar before being used in the capacity test calculator, which is used to assess borrowers' capacity to pay.

QUACKTASTIC posted:

Senor Tron posted:

It's based on the time you have been studying rather than time claiming Centrelink, which is a crazily stupid way of doing it.

It burned me, I dropped out of a five year degree a decade ago about halfway through because the combination of full time study and moving out of home and working lots took its toll. Back then I didn't even try applying for benefits because I wanted to earn my own way.

A few years later I decided to return to Uni doing a different three year course, this time I had learned my lesson and saved up some cash beforehand so that in combination with part time work and Austudy I would make it through the three years comfortably.

Cue getting 2/3 of the way through the degree and then getting kicked off Austudy meaning I had to work basically fulltime in final year of Uni.