Anidav posted:

See, they're loving cowards, the page blocks me from directly linking to specifically that story.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/37145819/warehouse-full-of-baby-formula-meant-for-export-found/

Here.

They've disabled direct linking to the story on facebook.

Anidav posted:

Tarantula posted:

Dear LNP and ALP, go gently caress yourself.
Best regards, north QLD. (looking forward to brownouts/blackouts this coming summer)

Anidav posted:

Power prices on the rise in the sunshine state

How... Do... We.... Bring... It... Down

Build more coal!

Don Dongington posted:

https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/warehouses-full-with-baby-formula-stockpiled-to-send-to-china-ng-b88604764z

Wade through the dogwhistle racism for a moment, to the last sentence:


Yeah, these people are paying other people cash in hand (tax free), probably a few dollars a tin to buy out entire supermarkets, and sending livegiving baby formula over the sea where it's being sold for $75 a unit, where it is also not generating tax revenue.

Explain how this is boosting the economy again? If the supply was meeting the demand (and resulting in greater revenue for the supermarket and supplier), then people wouldn't be complaining about the inability to get baby formula. Oh yeah baby formula doesn't even have a GST component, so allowing this activity is literally doing nothing for the economy, or tax revenue, and causing big problems for parents.

Fair enough, this isn't the ACCC's problem - but the federal govt could probably pull their finger out of their collective rear end in a top hat on this one.

rapeface posted:

Yeah, it's a definite problem, though from what I understand, but shortages are usually local at isolated times. My sister actually drove around to different shops checking for formula lol. Restricted purchases per person make sense, as does maybe some kind of export tax/restriction? I remember when I went to Guangzhou years ago that there was already a big sign about restrictions on how much you could take into the country per person.

Anyway, here's conversation with the news:






The Facebook comments were racist as gently caress, but most of the worst poo poo has been deleted and non shitheads actually spoke out against it: https://m.facebook.com/coles/posts/1586256288105047

quote:

An analysis of a week's worth of media coverage of the postal survey debate reveals the "no" side is getting much more attention than the "yes" side.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday it has now sent approximately 10 million of the 16 million postal survey forms, which ask whether the law should be changed to allow two people of the same sex to marry. Campaigns for and against are in full flight.

Both sides are seeking the underdog status, with the "no" side often claiming it can't get an airing in the media. But that claim is not borne out by data.

Data provided to BuzzFeed News by media monitoring and analysis company Streem found that across 4,334 news stories in print, online and on TV and radio from September 10 to 17, the "no" campaign was mentioned in the media almost four times as much as the "yes" campaign.

In that period, the "no" side held its campaign launch in Sydney, and had a speech at the National Press Club, however just days prior, there was a large "yes" rally in Sydney, attended by opposition leader Bill Shorten, and a Liberal and Nationals for Yes event attended by prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The sentiment in news articles, Streem found, was overwhelmingly neutral (about nine in every 10 stories), with the remainder evenly split between positive and negative in tone towards same-sex marriage.

Using data collected from its Vote Compass project during the federal election last year, the ABC reported that Queensland was most opposed to same-sex marriage, with five of its electorates recording the lowest support for same-sex marriage in Australia.

That analysis appears to be confirmed by Streem's own data.

Streem can analyse postcode-by-postcode viewing of articles online. According to its data Queenslanders are the least engaged in the debate, making up just 6.1% of the viewing audience, while making up close to 20% of the Australian population.

When Queenslanders read about the same-sex marriage postal survey, 63% of the articles were considered negative in tone, as being opposed to same-sex marriage. The areas of Queensland that were reading the most negative articles were postcodes including Logan, Calamvale, Runcorn, Beenleigh and Meadowbrook.

The suburbs most engaging with positive stories about same-sex marriage are all based in New South Wales and Victoria, including Newtown, the Sydney CBD, St Kilda, Southbank and Double Bay.

New South Wales residents are most engaged on the topic, making up 53.79% of all readers, followed by Victoria on 27.99%.

Fairfax and the ABC are publishing the most about same-sex marriage, and ABC News Breakfast talks the most about the issue, according to Streem.

The story that got the most attention was Shorten's call for Turnbull to take responsibility for mental health issues emanating from the postal survey process.

The highest days of audience engagement with the issue were on September 15 and 16, when former prime minister Tony Abbott's daughter Frances came out in support of same-sex marriage, in contrast to her father's hardline position against it.

Cleretic posted:

Thanks for confirming what we all thought, Buzzfeed.


https://www.buzzfeed.com/joshtaylor/silenced-the-no-side-is-getting-four-times-the-media?utm_term=.rtmb8aVmO

quote:

When Whistler Pride’s executive director and CEO Dean Nelson was growing up, the library served as a safe space for him; allowing him to escape into the pages of books.

But even that sense of safety wasn’t all-encompassing. One day, he opened an “early-1960s” encyclopedia to look up what it meant to be gay.

“Back then, it said that it was a mental illness,” he remembered. “When I read that, it was like, ‘well... I can’t let anybody know this.’ So that’s when the story began for me.”

But now, youth visiting the Whistler Public Library will have a visual reminder that they are free to be themselves thanks to a new set of rainbow crosswalks unveiled on Friday (Sept. 15).


The unveiling of the two new permanent installations — one located on Main Street in front of the library and another a few metres down the street — are now part of the Whistler’s cultural connector. The official opening of the brightly-coloured crosswalks, an easily-recognized symbol of inclusion and equality, comes one year after Nelson officially proposed the concept to municipal council. It received unanimous support.

While Whistler is the latest in a string of B.C. municipalities to adorn its streets with the rainbow crosswalks, it is the first ski resort in the province to do so. The rainbow crosswalks are appropriately timed as well, with 2017 marking the 25th anniversary of Whistler Pride and Ski Festival; a quarter-decade of celebrating inclusion and equality within Whistler.

“For me, the rainbow symbol is a reminder for all of humanity to live authentically, to love, to be compassionate,” Nelson said, to the crowd. “This colourful icon embraces the diversity in gender and sexuality. It is a spectrum, and each and every one of us is part of it. Allow these crosswalks to be a positive reminder to be the best we can be.”

A sizable crowd turned out to celebrate the crosswalks’ completion at the Friday afternoon ceremony, held under sunny skies. The Greater Vancouver Native Cultural Society was in attendance to perform the Two Spirit First Nations traditional down ceremony, with those taking part in the blessing releasing handfuls of down feathers, representing peace, love and unity, around the crosswalk. The ceremony, hosted by “The Unstoppable” Connie Smudge, was also attended by members of the local RCMP detachment, as well as Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy.

The crosswalks “represent all that Whistler is. Whistler is inclusive, it’s welcoming, it’s safe,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden, or as she was introduced during the ceremony, “the Queen of Whistler.” “This (crosswalk) has been some time in the making — things tend to move slowly sometimes — but I am so pleased that it’s here today. Every time we cross it, we’ll think of the values Whistler has.”

Whistler Secondary School student Payton McPhee also stepped up to the mic to provide a voice for youth in the community. “This is something I think Whistler has needed for a while,” he said. “It may be a small step in the right direction, but at least we’re moving in a direction that isn’t backwards. For some people, this may just be a colourful sidewalk, but it means so much more to me than that. These bright, beautiful sidewalks are just one of the pieces making Whistler a more loving, compassionate place to live.”

McPhee pointed out that it’s not always easy growing up in Whistler as a transgender youth. “It always seemed like people knew my story before I had the chance to tell it… School should not be an uncomfortable place to be. Neither should any place, for that matter. People should feel comfortable to be who they are wherever they go,” McPhee said.

“The first step is creating a community that believes in acceptance and respect for others, by doing things like creating resources and safe spaces to be or by painting crosswalks rainbow…” McPhee continued. “If there’s one thing I want these crosswalks to achieve, I hope they make at least one person feel a little less alone and a little more normal.”

Anidav posted:

Thousands of Queenslanders will have their Centrelink payments quarantined when a compulsory cashless welfare card is brought in next year.

The Federal Government will today confirm the controversial card will be rolled out across the Wide Bay region, including Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.

Under the scheme 80 per cent of a person's welfare income is quarantined on a debit-style card, which cannot be used on alcohol, gambling or to withdraw cash.

It will apply to people under the age of 35 who receive dole and parenting payments.

Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said the region had serious social problems the Government needed to address.

"We're concerned about the impacts on drugs, alcohol and gambling, particularly being used by families and children being neglected in the process," he said.

"At the end of the day it's not their money, it's taxpayers' money which is being provided for the basics — accommodation, food, transportation, education.

"Welfare is not provided to support an alcohol habit, a drug habit, a gambling habit."

Bundaberg, also known as the "dole capital of Australia", suffers from some of the country's highest unemployment rates.

The Government said 90 per cent of under 30s on unemployment benefits in the region had a parent who was also on welfare during the past 15 years.

Mr Tudge said he hoped the card would be an incentive for people to find work.

"Bundaberg and Hervey Bay has particularly high levels of youth unemployment and intergenerational welfare dependence… this is despite some jobs being available," he said.

"You can opt out of it [the card] by getting a job."

A similar welfare card is already in place at four remote sites across the country including Kununurra and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

Bundaberg will be the first urban area selected for the rollout of the card and the first site in Queensland.

About 6,700 people will be placed onto the card from the start of next year, for a 12-month arrangement, but other people can volunteer to be part of the scheme.

Zenithe posted:

If it was actually designed to shuffle people into employment (which it isn't) surely it would make more sense to do it in areas with low unemployment instead of the parts of QLD where there are no jobs.

edit. I'm pretty sure that the Fraser Coast has the highest youth unemployment in Australia

ModernMajorGeneral posted:

As much as it's probably just 'Australian media is poo poo' I wonder if there is an actual reason for this based on peoples' different reading habits (like supporters of same sex marriage wanting to click on anti SSM articles because they are consumed with rage and disgust, whereas opponents are more likely to seek out articles aligned with their views)

norp posted:

I have a relative that works at a coal power station.... he's had to accept a 25% pay cut with more hours.

quote:

Pumped hydro storage 'could make Australia run on renewable energy alone within 20 years' AM By Stephen Smiley and Caroline Winter Updated 13 minutes ago

Australia has the capacity to store up to 1,000 times more renewable energy than it could ever conceivably need, according to an analysis by researchers at the Australian National University (ANU).

Key points:

Investment in renewables will see an increased need for hydro storage, researchers say
Study found at least 22,000 suitable locations for pumped hydro sites
Researchers say Australia could transition to 100pc renewable energy in 20 years if just a few of those sites were built

ANU engineering professor Andrew Blakers has conducted a study looking into pumped hydro sites and has concluded that there are at least 22,000 suitable locations nationwide. Professor Blakers said if storage was built at just a tiny fraction of those places, Australia could transition to 100 per cent renewable power within two decades. "No matter where you are in Australia, you will find a good pumped hydro site not very far away from where you, or your wind or your solar farm is located," he said. "We only need to build about one or two dozen to support a 100 per cent-renewable electricity grid." Pumped hydro works by pumping water uphill between two connected reservoirs when power is plentiful, and dispatching power to the grid when demand is high or when wind and solar do not work.

ANU engineering research fellow Matthew Stocks said a typical pumped hydro facility could deliver maximum power for between five hours and one full day. The power could be quickly dispatched to the grid, when needed. "It can go from zero to full power in about one minute," Dr Stocks said. The technology behind pumped hydro is not new — a facility was opened in the 1970s at the Tumut 3 Power Station at Talbingo in New South Wales. Pumped hydro is also widespread in Europe, especially in the alpine parts of Italy, Germany and France, and in Scandinavian countries like Norway. It is also widely used in Japan and the United States. Professor Blakers said as investment in renewable sources of energy like wind and solar increases in Australia, the need for pumped hydro storage would grow. "We have so little solar and wind in the system at the moment that we don't need the storage," he said. "Maybe now South Australia, at 50 per cent wind and solar PV, is just getting to the stage where it does need either strong interconnection or a pumped hydro or both. "But the other states will catch up and will be at the 50 per cent level by the early 2020s I think, so they also need to start planning with pumped hydro now."

'Australia could be fully electrified within two decades'

For the report, Professor Blakers, Dr Stocks and their colleagues looked closely at tens of thousands of sites Australia-wide. They found the greatest density of pumped hydro storage sites was in New South Wales, where they estimated there was potential to build 29,000 gigawatt hours' worth of storage capacity across 8,600 sites. In Victoria they estimated there were 4,400 potentially suitable sites capable of storing 11,000 gigawatt hours' capacity, while Tasmania could theoretically support 2,050 sites, adding 6,000 gigawatt hours' of storage. "The Great Dividing Range is the best place," Professor Blakers said. "All the way from North Queensland down to near Melbourne has thousands and thousands of sites." Professor Blakers said if pumped hydro storage facilities were built at just a handful of sites spread out nationwide, Australia could run on renewables alone. "Pumped hydro, high-voltage DC interconnectors between the states, solar photovoltaics, wind, batteries and demand management can do the whole job," he said. "Not just the whole job for electricity, but the whole job for energy — electrify land transport, electrify heating and cooling and you could make 75 per cent cuts in Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. "And I think this is going to happen over the next 15 or 20 years."

Major expansion of hydro storage: Frydenberg (Own goal? He has a finacial involvement

The ANU researchers' work was funded by a $500,000 grant made by the Federal Government's Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). ARENA is itself already funding feasibility studies into pumped hydro storage in Tasmania, and in the Upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia and Kidston in north Queensland. ARENA's CEO Ivor Frischknecht said while additional research was now needed into the 22,000 sites identified by the study, the message was clear — Australia could have 100 per cent renewable power. "There's no question that wind and solar investment are going to keep going," he said. "The challenge is to ensure that we end up with a reliable system that is also affordable, and that's where this study comes in. This study shows that it would be relatively affordable to run the entire system on wind, solar and pumped hydro."

In a statement to AM, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg welcomed the study's findings.

He said the Government was already delivering a "major expansion" of the Snowy Hydro scheme and cited the on-going feasibility studies in Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. The Minister also indicated that the Government was working on a "new priority funding round for large scale storage and other flexible capacity projects including pumped hydro".

rapeface posted:

lol did you seriously buy me an avatar/title for wanting to call attention to overlooking dog-whistle racism and having a name that hasn't been changed in 10 years

Cartoon posted:

Remember what was said to be impossible during the renewable energy debate? In less than the time it would take to build a nuclear plant:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-21/pumped-hydro-renewable-energy-sites-australia-anu-research/8966530

Big Willy Style posted:

It's this.

I work at a university who have some courses conducted in China. We gave those students testamurs in English and Mandarin but the students kicked up a stink because they viewed having Chinese on their graduation documents as inferior because people might not think it is an Australian degree.

rapeface posted:

lol did you seriously buy me an avatar/title for wanting to call attention to overlooking dog-whistle racism and having a name that hasn't been changed in 10 years

MysticalMachineGun posted:

I really enjoyed this guy from ANU being on ABC News this morning - he kept reiterating the main point rather than waffling which is something the right wingers are good at. He kept pushing that 22 000 number so hopefully it got through to some people.

You Am I posted:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-21/malcolm-roberts-challenges-dual-citizenship-in-high-court/8966572

Malcolm Roberts sends an email to a non-existent email address about his British citizenship, wonders why he doesn't get a response