Auspol January 2017: relentless incoherence and incompetence.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol January 2017: relentless incoherence and incompetence.

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Magog posted:

I know what they meant but

I mean, they have stupid beards and hats so they are basically Muslims, right?

# ¿ Jan 4, 2017 16:42

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 07:47

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Just imagine the outrage if those reports showed a more detailed breakdown of the expenses. I wonder what the drink charge for the flights/hotels are.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2017 15:21

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Magog posted:

After waiting 3 months to get Newstart I got a job a week before my first payment. I expect to receive a letter from Centrelink any day now.

Make up a bunch of fake pay slips that show you earned $1m in the time you've been on it and see what they do.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2017 13:01

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

What are some really marginal LNP seats that would benefit from a thorough examination of their claimed expenses?

# ¿ Jan 12, 2017 04:17

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

So if we threaten them enough they'll put it back up, yeah?

# ¿ Jan 17, 2017 01:50

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Australian culture: A bunch of dickheads being dickheads.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2017 09:43

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Rougey posted:

Witnesses also claimed he was shouting "the government is after me" when doing doughnuts earlier.

Early reports that the cops had been chasing/monitoring him via the air for quite a while so he wasn't exactly wrong.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2017 06:09

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

open24hours posted:

Mr Sukkar said the government would not countenance changes to negative gearing, but voters could expect a "big, multifaceted approach" that could extend to "serious tax reform" in co-operation with the states.

So this means they'll just give developers massive tax cuts. Cause if you aren't going to get rid of negative gearing or capital gains tax deductions then that's pretty much the only option.

LOL @ calls to increase supply when half the poo poo they are building these days will become unlivable in 10 years:

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/collapsed-ceilings-and-stalactites-the-pointy-end-of-victorias-faulty-building-crisis-20170119-gtuyet.html posted:

Victoria's faulty and leaky buildings will be probed in a government inquiry, amid revelations apartment ceilings have suddenly collapsed and stalactites have been discovered in multi-storey complexes.

Some of Melbourne's poorly built towers were exposed when a major rainstorm hit the city last month, leading to a shortage of mould dehumidifiers and other drying equipment.

More than 25 millimetres of rain drenched Melbourne suburbs in 30 minutes when the storm hit on December 29.

Up to 30 centimetres of flooding was reported at some new apartments when litres of water leaked into roofs, pooled among the insulation and crashed through ceilings, rectification teams reported.

The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has announced it is holding an inquiry to determine if there are "systematic problems" with the standard of building and plumbing work across the state.

It follows an ongoing investigation by Fairfax Media exposing residential buildings in Victoria so poorly constructed they are dangerous, or are likely to fall prematurely derelict.

It also came to light that stalactites are considered "common" in the basement of new residential buildings � with the formations evidence of slow and persistent leaks from upper storeys, often caused by inadequate waterproofing of gardens or bathrooms.

"It's essentially like body cancer, in that you have to cut out the affected area of concrete or the cancer will keep on spreading," said Sahil Bhasin, the national general manager of Roscon, a company that specialises in identifying building defects.

Roscon received 170 call-outs in the wake of the December 29 rain storm, including ceiling collapses in Taylors Lakes, St Kilda, South Morang, Kingsbury and Macleod, where owners were met with a wave of water when they opened their front doors.

In Greensborough, all 20 units in one apartment complex were flooded and the water leached out into the corridor, the flooding so deep the footsteps of the residents walking to their units sent ripples along the carpet.

The VBA's chief executive, Prue Digby, has acknowledged that substandard waterproofing is a "possible systemic issue" in Victoria.

Foreshadowing what could be in store locally, New Zealand has experienced a leaky building crisis with an estimated cost to the nation's economy of more than $11 billion.

David Pockett, a specialist in plumbing defect insurance claims, said Victoria could also be sitting on a multi-billion-dollar problem, describing the situation as a "huge public scandal".

"You're talking billions in long-term costs, because people's homes are going to be prematurely destroyed by water," he said.

"Houses that should be lasting 50 years are going to last 10. It's just insane."

Mr Pockett said there had been a widespread failure to enforce Australian standards around gutters and drains, resulting in rainwater overflowing into roof spaces and flooding homes.

He said owners were being left many thousands of dollars out of pocket, as many insurers refused to cover flood damage caused by defective materials or workmanship.

Though for many homeowners, headaches like this are just start of a much bigger nightmare, with protracted legal disputes leaving them traumatised and financially crippled.

In Abbotsford, retiree Julie Gaffney has become the reluctant owner of a luxury apartment since declared "not fit for purpose".

Ms Gaffney said the home flooded fives times between July 2013, when she moved in, and May 2015. She stepped out of bed one morning and was shocked to find her feet soaked in water.

"I just thought 'my God'," she said.

"The water was an inch and a half deep across the whole bedroom floor. It squelched as you walked on it.

Building regulation experts du Chateau Chun inspected Ms Gaffney's apartment at her request and concluded the unit was not constructed according to the building permit or the requirements of the Building Code of Australia, with water likely leaking through two walls not adequately waterproofed.

However the builder, Hamilton Marino, denies there was a breach of the building code. Director Fred McKenzie said in a statement "the building has been designed and constructed in accordance with the BCA and this has been verified by independent consultants".

"We have investigated the defect upon being notified of it and have put together a solution for it to be rectified," he said.

"We have been denied access to attend to the defect for reasons unknown to us and the owner has decided to go to VCAT."

Ms Gaffney has recently been hospitalised with a severe a respiratory illness, and believes the toxic mould may have worsened her existing asthma, although the mould connection has not been investigated or proven by experts.

"For most of the time I was living in the apartment, I was waking up in the middle of the night coughing, scratching and wanting to pull my nose off," she said.

Ms Gaffney and a neighbour are now taking the builder and developer, Trenerry Property Group director Robert Dicintio, to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

They are seeking more than $240,000 in compensation, including for lost rent and damage to valuable books, some originally owned by Ms Gaffney's late husband.

Developer Robert Dicintio said he couldn't comment because he did not want to prejudice the planning tribunal case. "But all parties are participating in the legal process and I'm sure a suitable outcome will be achieved," he said.

There was a 44 per cent increase in building complaints made to the VBA last financial year, an increase the regulator attributes to its "raised profile" following an $117,000 advertising campaign.

The VBA's inquiry into failures in domestic buildings is due to be completed by August but chief executive Prue Digby said the community should have confidence in the majority of building work in Victoria.

"Victorians should expect that buildings will be built to the required standards, unfortunately for some consumers things can and do go wrong. The VBA will continue to address issues of poor workmanship and improve outcomes for building consumers," she said.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 01:13

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

speaking of which:

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/combustible-cladding-to-be-stripped-off-lacrosse-docklands-tower-20170116-gtslcj.html

That poo poo is probably so prevalent that the buildings that don't flood will burn. Some will do both.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 01:26

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

norp posted:

The sad thing is that because existing housing is a non productive investment it would be a significant economic stimulus to remove the tax incentives associated with it.

And the cheaper houses are for owner occupiers the more money they have to spend on other stuff.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 02:25

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Watch them push for deregulation of state planning systems while giving take breaks to developers.

Then watch it not work and the quality of housing fall even further.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2017 13:09

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

ungulateman posted:

yeah i'm really loving confused by that bill leak cartoon, you have to read it really obtusely for it to not be critical of australia day???

I didn't even realise it was a Leak until Whiskey pointed it out.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2017 01:03

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Matthew Guy is a corrupt sack of poo poo.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2017 06:51

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Solemn Sloth posted:

Next years campaign is going to be fun if they don't replace him before then

If Labor hasn't figured out how to paint his as incredibly incompetent or corrupt by the next election then Vic Labor is as stupid as The Greens Renewal. Between the Fishermans bend rezoning, Ventnor and whatever else he has in his closet it can't be that loving hard can it?

You Am I posted:

It's only his cheerleaders in the Herald Sun that try to make him look good that's kept him as leader. Otherwise Dandrews is the man, no matter how much Murdoch and the State and Federal Liberal Parties hate him.

Yeah, Andrews has far surpassed my expectations of a Labor run government. The only real slip up he's made is the whole CFA thing which was probably a lose/lose for him no matter what he did. (and the kids in adult jail thing but most idiots probably have no issue with that).

The LNP will almost certainly push a law and order 'tough on crime' campaign given the current crap show going on but it shouldn't be too hard for Andrews to do something similar while also having other things to work with. Unlike the Libs at least he can point to a bunch of stuff that he's done or is in the process of doing since he got in. A MCG/Richmond station development seems like an easy sell for the next election. More level crossing removals would probably work as well.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2017 08:27

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

CFA thing wasn't even a slip-up of policy, it was just fuckwits trying to drum up a non-existant issue. It even backfired on them. A whole bunch of the volunteers in the integrated stations changed over to the MFB.

Yeah, fair enough. I was thinking more from a media/public perception point of view. It was probably never going to play out well no matter what he did. He's either going to be portrayed as screwing the MFB or the CFA. Wouldn't surprise me if they just decided to get it out of the way early enough that people will have forgotten about it by the next election.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2017 08:50

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Solemn Sloth posted:

I'd be almost surprised if Labor doesn't get close to double digit swings in most of the seats that have already had LXR projects completed.

What about potential fallout from -~*Skyrail*~- ?

# ¿ Jan 27, 2017 10:33

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Solemn Sloth posted:

I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that the level of opposition to Skyrail is actually a massive media beatup

WHAT!?

It would be nice if they did some high quality community consultation prior to making the decisions (the stuff I've read about the initial projects was that it was pretty much all for show). But even then there would probably still be a bunch of people kicking up a stink about it.

I'm very interested to see how well they utilize the spaces under the sections of elevated rail. If they can make some high quality public spaces with the community's needs taken into account it could be a big plus. It'd be a real shame if they didn't capitalise on the opportunity.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2017 12:52

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 07:47

Periphery: Jul 27, 2003; ...

Making homeless people criminals is clearly going to solve all their problems and be a benefit to society.

# ¿ Feb 1, 2017 05:02

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol January 2017: relentless incoherence and incompetence.