Auspol March: Trump for Prime Minister, Clive Palmer for Deputy

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol March: Trump for Prime Minister, Clive Palmer for Deputy

«‹›79 »

Seagull: Oct 9, 2012; give me a chip

Jumpingmanjim posted:

https://twitter.com/leighsales/status/714656431190900737

is he going on just to have his weekly sook or what

# ? Mar 29, 2016 07:00

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 10:48

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

He is announcing his new political party.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 07:11

NPR Journalizard: Feb 14, 2008

Jumpingmanjim posted:

He is announcing his new political party.

Which I think is brilliant. It will split the conservative vote, and it will most likely result in him not being elected because he got in on the Liberal vote, not the Cory Bernardi vote.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 07:14

Magog: Jan 9, 2010

Sydney's always going to out-do you Melbourne, sorry.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/thousands-of-empty-homes-adding-to-sydneys-housing-crisis-experts-say-20160323-gnpc52.html posted:

Thousands of empty homes adding to Sydney's housing crisis, experts say

Sydney's housing affordability crisis is being artificially inflated by up to 90,000 properties standing empty in some of the city's most desirable suburbs, experts say.

Vacant properties were among the "perverse outcomes" of tax incentives that encouraged some investors to favour capital growth over rental returns, according to the analysis by the UNSW's City Futures Research Centre.

"Leaving housing empty is both profitable and subsidised by government," researchers Bill Randolph and Laurence Troy said. "This is taxation lunacy and a national scandal."

According to 2011 census, in Sydney's "emptiest" neighbourhood of the CBD, Haymarket and The Rocks, one in seven dwellings was vacant.

Close behind were Manly-Fairlight, Potts Point-Woolloomooloo, Darlinghurst and Neutral Bay - Kirribilli, which all had vacancy levels above 13 per cent. These neighbourhoods, together with central Sydney, account for nearly 7200 empty homes.

The analysis of the 90,000 unoccupied dwellings across metropolitan Sydney compared the number of empty homes in a suburb against the rate of return investors made by renting out a property.

It found that properties in neighbourhoods with lower rental yields and higher expected capital gains were more likely to be unoccupied.

Gordon-Killara on the north shore had the highest share of vacant apartments, with more than one in six unoccupied on Census night.

By contrast, only one in 42 dwellings (2.4 per cent) in Green Valley-Cecil Hills, in Sydney's west, was unoccupied.

The results suggested property investors in some of Sydney's most sought-after areas were focusing on growing the value of their properties, with losses offset by tax incentives such as negative gearing and capital gains concessions.

This could leave investors indifferent to whether the dwellings were occupied, Dr Troy and Professor Randolph said.

"If you choose to accept that there is a housing shortage in Sydney, then the sheer scale and location of these figures strongly suggest that this is an artificially produced scarcity," they said.

The effect of this, they added, was to limit the availability of housing where it was most wanted.

The trend was likely to have become more pronounced since 2011, "as more housing is being delivered precisely in the locations where there appears to be a concentration of homes standing empty".

Apartments in neighbourhoods with lower rental yields (about two per cent) were 2.5 times more likely to be unoccupied than those in neighbourhoods with rental yields of 6 per cent or higher.

Houses were more than twice as likely to be unoccupied.

Grattan Institute chief executive John Daley said anecdotally there had been an increase in overseas buyers, some of whom may be less concerned about leaving a property vacant.

But he cautioned that there could be a number of reasons for recording a property as unoccupied in the Census, such as the dwelling being between owners or tenants.

"Even if your rental return is 1.5 per cent, it's tough to believe it's not better than nothing," Mr Daley said.

Nevertheless, a similar trend of "speculative vacancies" has been documented in Melbourne by think tank Prosper Australia, which based its assessment on abnormally low water usage.

Almost 83,000 properties, or 4.8 per cent of Melbourne's total housing stock, appeared to be unused based on water usage of less than 50 litres a day � including up to 19 per cent of investor-owned property, the December report found.

Chris Johnson, the chief executive of developer lobby group the Urban Taskforce, said the Census findings likely reflected the fact that those at the higher end of the market had the luxury of keeping their property empty for part of the time.

"The supply issue is actually about affordability," he said. "You can well say there are a whole lot of $2 million apartments that aren't fully used at the moment ...but people just don't have the money to be able to move into that sort of apartment."

But a proposal being developed by the NSW Federation of Housing Associations would see long-term vacant properties hit with higher council rates, as is done in parts of the UK.

"If you're not using the home as a place for people to live ... in this crisis I think it's reasonable that there's an extra charge on that property," said the federation's chief executive Wendy Hayhurst.

The additional revenue generated could be directed towards affordable housing, Ms Hayhurst said.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 07:24

EvilElmo: May 10, 2009

Jumpingmanjim posted:

He is announcing his new political party.

One thing that will be REALLY interesting to watch if a DD is called is the senate ticket order.

Who gets what number and who misses out. Someone who normally gets in will have to be lower on the ticket than they normally would be in a normal election. The fallout from that will be amusing for both majors and the Greens.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 07:29

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

I don't understand why Cory would make his own party unless Abbott and other creatures were expressing interest to join it.

That'd be an election to remember.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 08:28

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

He will call it the Democratic Liberal Party.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 08:30

Solemn Sloth: Jul 11, 2015; Baby you can shout at me,
But you can't need my eyes.

is "Liberal Party of Australia (no gays)" different enough to get through registration?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 08:32

AgentF: May 11, 2009

Off-topic but with all the expertise here I figure I'd ask.

Fiance's mum has been working in disabled care for a number of years now as a casual employee. She and the other casual employees were told that they were going to be moved to permanent employment and this was supposed to happen a few months ago but the employer kept delaying and it never really happened. Soon the casual employees' contracts will expire so the workplace is offering for them to re-interview for their jobs, but fiance's mum won't be available to do so because she'll be in hospital recovering from cancer surgery at that time, and the rumours amongst the staff is that this timing is intentional as a way of getting rid of her. As a mature-aged employee with some health issues we think she will have great difficulty finding another job, and without an income she will likely lose the house.

Does anyone know if there are protections for casual workers or an ombudsman that I should be speaking to? I heard there might be requirements where an employer has to make casual staff permanent if they've been working for a number of years and being rostered routinely as though they were permanent. Apparently there is a union that has been trying to organise the workplace and get permanent arrangements for the employees but I don't know if they're making much headway; apparently a number of months ago the employer told them that the casuals had all been made permanent and so the union stopped looking into it without even confirming with the employees themselves, and it turned out to be not true.

Any leads I could follow up would be greatly appreciated.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 08:40

gay picnic defence: Oct 5, 2009; I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS

# ? Mar 29, 2016 08:48

Stoca Zola: Jun 28, 2008

AgentF posted:

Any leads I could follow up would be greatly appreciated.

Is she working under an award? Maybe this one? Here's somewhere else that might be able to help: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/how-we-help-you/help-resolving-workplace-issues

# ? Mar 29, 2016 08:51

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Jumpingmanjim posted:

He is announcing his new political party.

Oh man, is this going to be another "Joh for PM" situation for the Liberals?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 09:07

MiniSune: Sep 16, 2003; Smart like Dodo!

You Am I posted:

Oh man, is this going to be another "Joh for PM" situation for the Liberals?

Would love to see the small l's and tories split. May end up with one decent party.

May.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 09:10

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

but which party would the ALP imitate then?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 09:12

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

I'd assumed Bernardi's stuff was just a follow-up to the Conservative Action Network stuff.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 09:12

gay picnic defence: Oct 5, 2009; I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS

Recoome posted:

but which party would the ALP imitate then?

They'd split into three, one for each of the liberal parties and one to try and win votes off the greens

# ? Mar 29, 2016 09:15

EvilElmo: May 10, 2009

So what was Corgi on about?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:02

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

So are we looking at a July 2 election or what? I've been meaning to volunteer for the Greens for ages and an election campaign seems like the time to do it.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:03

starkebn: May 18, 2004; "Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"

Malcolm said if the Senate didn't pass the ABCC bill he would call an early election. I don't think they've voted on it yet.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:06

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

EvilElmo posted:

So what was Corgi on about?

Nothing remotely interesting.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:08

EvilElmo: May 10, 2009

starkebn posted:

Malcolm said if the Senate didn't pass the ABCC bill he would call an early election. I don't think they've voted on it yet.

3 sitting weeks in the build up to the early May budget.

Who knows whats gonna happen. But my bet is it will be a DD election. Polling wont get better for them to run full term.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:12

gay picnic defence: Oct 5, 2009; I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS

EvilElmo posted:

So what was Corgi on about?

He doesn't want to start a new party, just a socially conservative 'movement' to give what I assume he thinks is a silent majority a voice.

He also said he was a barometer for public opinion or something like that.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:14

The Before Times: Mar 8, 2014; Once upon a time, I would have thrown you halfway to the moon for a crack like that.

EvilElmo posted:

3 sitting weeks in the build up to the early May budget.

Who knows whats gonna happen. But my bet is it will be a DD election. Polling wont get better for them to run full term.

Pretty much. They want to use the ABCC stuff to paint Labor and Greens as being obstructionist and corrupt (clearly they're in the pocket of the corrupt unions if they don't want this essential* oversight!!!!!). If they wait until September then they can no longer use the ABCC as a wedge issue and polling will just get worse.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:40

Starshark: Dec 22, 2005; Doctor Rope

gay picnic defence posted:

He also said he was a barometer for public opinion or something like that.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:41

Brown Paper Bag: Nov 3, 2012

The ABCC is a strange base for an election campaign. The general public don't give a poo poo about it, and the Libs don't have a good track record campaigning on industrial relations .

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:54

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

It's not the basis for the campaign. They want to use it to present the Senate as unworkable, then pivot with the budget into general economic management.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:56

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

I literally cannot believe this has not been posted yet :gaben:

quote:

Federal Court finds Valve made misleading representations about consumer guarantees

29 March 2016
The Federal Court has found that Valve Corporation (Valve), through its online game distribution platform Steam, and its Steam website, engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations to Australian consumers about the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The Court found that Valve made the following false or misleading representations to consumers, in the terms and conditions contained in three versions of its Steam Subscriber Agreement and two versions of its Steam Refund Policy:

consumers were not entitled to a refund for digitally downloaded games purchased from Valve via the Steam website or Steam Client (in any circumstances);
Valve had excluded statutory guarantees and/or warranties that goods would be of acceptable quality; and
Valve had restricted or modified statutory guarantees and/or warranties of acceptable quality.
Justice Edelman concluded that making each of these representations involved conduct in Australia by Valve and that, in any event, Valve was carrying on business in Australia.

�The Federal Court�s decision reinforces that foreign based businesses selling goods and/or services to Australian consumers can be subject to Australian Consumer Law obligations, including the consumer guarantees,� ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

�In this case, Valve is a US company operating mainly outside Australia, but, in making representations to Australian consumers, the Federal Court has found that Valve engaged in conduct in Australia,� Mr Sims said. �It is also significant that the Court held that, in any case, based on the facts, Valve was carrying on business in Australia.�

�This is also the first time Courts have applied the extended definition of �goods� to include �computer software� in the ACL. It will provide greater certainty where digital goods are supplied to consumers through online platforms,� Mr Sims said.

�Consumer issues in the online marketplace are a priority for the ACCC and we will continue to take appropriate enforcement action to hold businesses accountable for breaches of the ACL."

A hearing on relief will be held on a date to be fixed by the Court.

Background
Valve is an entertainment software and technology company located in the United States of America. Valve owns and operates an online computer game distribution platform known as �Steam� that has over 125 million users worldwide, with approximately 2.2 million of those users being Australian consumers. In 2015, Valve�s revenue was reported at over $3 billion.

Valve sells digitally downloadable computer games through Steam to Australian consumers. It does not have physical retail stores in Australia and predominately operates from Washington State.

Digital gaming sales worldwide grew 8% from 2014 to 2015 and has become a $61 billion industry.

Under the Australian Consumer Law, all consumer goods or services come with automatic consumer guarantees that they are of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose for which they were sold. If they are not, consumers have a right to a remedy, which may include refund, repair or replacement in certain circumstances. These consumer rights cannot be excluded, restricted or modified.

To find out more about consumer guarantee rights, please visit: http://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees.

https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/federal-court-finds-valve-made-misleading-representations-about-consumer-guarantees

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:56

Starshark: Dec 22, 2005; Doctor Rope

I take it people tried to get refunds because Fallout 4 is so loving buggy?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 10:59

MysticalMachineGun: Apr 5, 2005

Jumpingmanjim posted:

I literally cannot believe this has not been posted yet

https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/federal-court-finds-valve-made-misleading-representations-about-consumer-guarantees

Wow, well done ACCC.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 11:11

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

wait till valve just geoblocks australia from steam

# ? Mar 29, 2016 11:39

gay picnic defence: Oct 5, 2009; I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS

Negligent posted:

wait till valve just geoblocks australia from steam

That's one way to solve the obesity crisis

# ? Mar 29, 2016 11:40

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Well good to see Cory chicken out again about starting a new conservative party. Kind of a waste of time having him on 730.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 11:50

Zenithe: Feb 25, 2013; _{Ask not to whom the Anidavatar belongs; it belongs to thee.}

Negligent posted:

wait till valve just geoblocks australia from steam

Piracy from previously paying customers?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 11:52

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

Brown Paper Bag posted:

The ABCC is a strange base for an election campaign. The general public don't give a poo poo about it, and the Libs don't have a good track record campaigning on industrial relations .

Doctor Spaceman posted:

It's not the basis for the campaign. They want to use it to present the Senate as unworkable, then pivot with the budget into general economic management.

Neither is a basis for a campaign. It's likely the confused narrative that arises from the first compounded by the second will be a millstone around the Liberals neck unless they can produce an amazing Budget and that's not going to happen. The public don't care about an unworkable Senate, it's actually doing its job. The economic argument is rather thin given the past 3 years. No, I think they're going to need a better idea than this. And then there's Tony. I don't have any hope this will sink them but it's going to hurt and further entrench the divisions in the party. Maybe then Cory will have the bottle to actually split.

Perhaps a full-on culture war campaign might do better, but not only isn't that Malcolm's style, it would really damage him.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 12:17

Cleretic: Feb 3, 2010; Ignore my posts!
I'm aggressively wrong about everything!

Starshark posted:

I take it people tried to get refunds because Fallout 4 is so loving buggy?

Possibly, but it's more likely stuff like that incident where GTAV was advertised as being on sale, when it was really the bundle with a bunch of cash for GTA Online; GTAV by itself was still at full price. There's been a few instances of that (and I think Fallout 4 might've been at the center of one) and while Valve certainly aren't directly at fault they really should be stepping in and knocking that down.

And unrelated to that, personally I don't like the argument of 'Fallout 4 was so loving buggy', because it was probably the most stable Bethesda game I've ever played. Every other part of that package is the worst thing they've ever done in my book, and it's one of maybe three games that I felt genuinely insulted by, but buggy? Surprisingly not.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 12:25

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

UNIVERSITY graduates may have to start paying their loans back sooner after a report revealed many students will never earn an income high enough to repay their HELP debts.
A Grattan Institute report has found that the government could claw back an extra $500 million a year, and even more over time, if it lowered the income threshold that students start repaying their loans.
At the moment students repay their Higher Education Loans Program (HELP) and VET FEE-HELP loans once they start earning $54,186.
If this was reduced to $42,000, this would immediately increase the number of people repaying their debt by 50 per cent.
The report�s author Andrew Norton suggests that the HELP (formerly known as HECS) program has become unsustainable and without change, the ballooning cost would put teaching and research at risk of cuts.
The annual bill for HELP loans has reached $7.8 billion and 20 per cent is considered �bad debt� that will never be repaid. In 2014/15, this equated to about $1.6 billion a year.
�Interest subsidies on outstanding debt add $200 million a year to HELP�s costs, but would be five times higher if interest rates return to previous levels,� Mr Norton said in a statement.
Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham acknowledged the problem when asked whether the government would consider the proposal.

�The costs to taxpayers of higher education have, over recent years, grown dramatically,� Mr Birmingham said in a statement to news.com.au.
This was partly driven by the removal of caps on the number of students allowed to study at public universities in 2012. The introduction of the �demand driven� system allowed more students to study at universities.
Mr Birmingham said taxpayer funding had increased by 59 per cent since 2009, compared to 29 per cent growth in nominal GDP over the same period of time.
�Funding of university students has, essentially, grown at twice the rate of the economy.�
The government is also considering collecting student debt from those who have died and leave estates worth more than $100,000.
�I welcome all ideas from the sector, experts and students on how to make university funding sustainable as I continue to consult widely on higher education reform,� Mr Birmingham said when asked about the reforms.
Mr Norton said a major cause of HELP�s problems was the growing proportion of graduates who work part-time.

�But most part-time jobs earn less than the current threshold,� Mr Norton said in a statement.
Adding to this problem is the fact that students completing courses at TAFE and other vocational courses are also now eligible for HELP loans, and these students are even less likely than university graduates to earn enough money to start repaying their loans.
The federal government planned to extend VET FEE-HELP to private colleges but there were reports this could be dropped.
However, when asked whether the plan would be dropped, Vocational Education and Skills Minister Scott Ryan said the Coalition would redesign the VET FEE-HELP scheme for 2017, following extensive consultation with the sector.
�We have already taken more than a dozen measures to crack down on vocational education providers who are flouting regulations and acting unethically,� Mr Ryan said in a statement.
�The VET FEE-HELP scheme, introduced by Labor, was demand driven, uncapped and had insufficient student protections in place.
�The original scheme opened the floodgates to shonky training providers and predatory brokers to take advantage of the system.�
He said the Coalition was committed to redesigning the VET FEE-HELP system to better serve the needs of all Australians.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 12:49

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

I WONDER WHAT THIS EARLY BUDGET WILL CONTAIN?

# ? Mar 29, 2016 12:49

Au Revoir Shosanna: Feb 17, 2011; i support this government and/or service

i am the silent majority ama

# ? Mar 29, 2016 12:50

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

Anidav posted:

UNIVERSITY graduates may have to start paying their loans back sooner after a report revealed many students will never earn an income high enough to repay their HELP debts.
A Grattan Institute report has found that the government could claw back an extra $500 million a year, and even more over time, if it lowered the income threshold that students start repaying their loans.
At the moment students repay their Higher Education Loans Program (HELP) and VET FEE-HELP loans once they start earning $54,186.
If this was reduced to $42,000, this would immediately increase the number of people repaying their debt by 50 per cent.
The report�s author Andrew Norton suggests that the HELP (formerly known as HECS) program has become unsustainable and without change, the ballooning cost would put teaching and research at risk of cuts.
The annual bill for HELP loans has reached $7.8 billion and 20 per cent is considered �bad debt� that will never be repaid. In 2014/15, this equated to about $1.6 billion a year.
�Interest subsidies on outstanding debt add $200 million a year to HELP�s costs, but would be five times higher if interest rates return to previous levels,� Mr Norton said in a statement.
Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham acknowledged the problem when asked whether the government would consider the proposal.

�The costs to taxpayers of higher education have, over recent years, grown dramatically,� Mr Birmingham said in a statement to news.com.au.
This was partly driven by the removal of caps on the number of students allowed to study at public universities in 2012. The introduction of the �demand driven� system allowed more students to study at universities.
Mr Birmingham said taxpayer funding had increased by 59 per cent since 2009, compared to 29 per cent growth in nominal GDP over the same period of time.
�Funding of university students has, essentially, grown at twice the rate of the economy.�
The government is also considering collecting student debt from those who have died and leave estates worth more than $100,000.
�I welcome all ideas from the sector, experts and students on how to make university funding sustainable as I continue to consult widely on higher education reform,� Mr Birmingham said when asked about the reforms.
Mr Norton said a major cause of HELP�s problems was the growing proportion of graduates who work part-time.

�But most part-time jobs earn less than the current threshold,� Mr Norton said in a statement.
Adding to this problem is the fact that students completing courses at TAFE and other vocational courses are also now eligible for HELP loans, and these students are even less likely than university graduates to earn enough money to start repaying their loans.
The federal government planned to extend VET FEE-HELP to private colleges but there were reports this could be dropped.
However, when asked whether the plan would be dropped, Vocational Education and Skills Minister Scott Ryan said the Coalition would redesign the VET FEE-HELP scheme for 2017, following extensive consultation with the sector.
�We have already taken more than a dozen measures to crack down on vocational education providers who are flouting regulations and acting unethically,� Mr Ryan said in a statement.
�The VET FEE-HELP scheme, introduced by Labor, was demand driven, uncapped and had insufficient student protections in place.
�The original scheme opened the floodgates to shonky training providers and predatory brokers to take advantage of the system.�
He said the Coalition was committed to redesigning the VET FEE-HELP system to better serve the needs of all Australians.

Gotta gently caress with those darn low-income earners.

Lifters and Leaners.

# ? Mar 29, 2016 13:07

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 10:48

Au Revoir Shosanna: Feb 17, 2011; i support this government and/or service

my notions of fairness are rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of equity and as such i would prefer to stomp on those less fortunate to increase my own perceived self worth, my value is directly relational to others

# ? Mar 29, 2016 13:15

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol March: Trump for Prime Minister, Clive Palmer for Deputy

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