NPR Journalizard posted:

This will not result in the status quo. Racist fuckwits are going to use it as an excuse to be even more overtly racist fuckwits.

Eediot Jedi posted:

But then they'll want to watch the movie

Elissimpark posted:

WA had the chance to secede in 1933 and hosed it up.

SecretOfSteel posted:

You know what, I'm just going to replace Harry Potter with Paul Jennings.

Bucky Fullminster posted:

I remember a couple of short stories that kind of freaked me out, including one where someone was raised in a house where words meant the opposite, and then it was burning down, and someone asked if there was anyone in there, and they answered "no".

And another one about a guy who's neck was permanently stuck looking up, cos they lived in a hole for a long time, and the character only realises who it is at the end as they wander away in the moonlight.

Are they Paul Jennings? Do they ring any bells for anyone else?

Recoome posted:

Hope the progressive no voters are loving the progress that has been made since voting no

hooman posted:

None of us here genuinely believe that progressive no voters are responsible for this shitshow.

We're just giving them poo poo over their utter failure to foresee the extremely predictable consequences of the no vote. Because they were powerfully smug in their holier than thou preaching and have been proven to be both wrong and dumb.

Bald Stalin posted:

OP is incredibly upset that they can't feel good about all the hard work they put into voting and eating a sausage.

Recoome posted:

E: I’m editing out this dumb quip because you post about it and it’s not really that funny.

Also just own your No vote my person. This is exactly what you wanted when you voted No. No need to get defensive, you exercised your democratic right and you should be proud of the consequences.

Bucky Fullminster posted:

Can you see that your progressive No vote actually amounted to telling indigenous people "No, I don't think we should be listening to you particularly"?

quote:

"I understood that I was voting to harm people."

Lid posted:

NSW has already essentially binned theirs, QLD has binned theirs, theres no political will to do it as theres empircal evidence people simply do not care enough about it.

hooman posted:

Citation extremely needed.

Seemlar posted:

Just want to double check here, what was step two of the Statement from the Heart

Recoome posted:

Yes well we can fart and chew gum at the same time. It’s just outrageously poo poo that a bunch of collaborators wanted to feel that they kept their moral purity or whatever and supported Dutton (lmao)

hambeet posted:

hmmm i don't think he wants to get those dutton supporters on side though?

like he's been pretty clear about that.

Recoome posted:

Bucky Fullminster posted:

I specifically said “what it amounted to”, and if you stopped reflexively reaching for insults like “huffing solvents” you might be able to appreciate the difference between that and whatever you think “it means”.

alf_pogs posted:

I don't think anyone sincerely thinks you're a Dutton supporter.

it's just funny to point out that on one day, for one weird blip, on one particular issue, when it actually might have mattered even if in the most miniscule, patronising way, your goals aligned entirely with his

GrandTheftAutism posted:

I'm not a Dutton supporter, I despise the man and the party he leads. Dutton was against the Voice because he's a racist, socially regressive pile of poo poo. I was against the Voice for reasons stated above that the echo chamber in this thread keep trying to twist into something else. We are not the same.

Bucky Fullminster posted:

My original question was simple. Can you see that your vote AMOUNTED to telling the indigenous community “nah, not interested in your voice”.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

it was an absolute model country

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

The school to military industrial complex pipeline

Recoome posted:

This is the future the Progressive No wanted!!

Mola Yam posted:

voting progressive no on the "are disabled people actually 'people'?" referendum

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

I heard they're planning to drastically reduce support for autistic people

Recoome posted:

Are progressive No voters useful idiots or collaborators? Just trying to understand here because it does seem that the progressive No either willingly or naively leaned into far right propaganda.

Recoome posted:

I just want to circle back to this (nice av btw) - the ideal world would be that people would be able to get the support they need whether it qualifies for the NDIS or not. The big issue being that everything not NDIS effectively got turfed so it'd be amazing if this was reversed somewhat but again not holding out a whole stack of hope for the ALP not to gently caress it up.

trunkh posted:

Really, none of the action around indefinite detention matters for Labor. They have already lost because they have nothing to show that has had an impact around the cost of living or housing.

It wasn't easy under Albo after all

thatbastardken posted:

about detainees? they lost a high court case and it turns out indefinite detention was illegal the whole time or some poo poo.

iajanus posted:

I'm amazed by the horror stories people tell about getting the NDIS because we had already managed to finally find an OT and speechy for our kid (and were just hoping to get some help with the cost), applied, filled in a form, did two pretty easy phone interviews and then got a frankly ridiculous amount of money over a two year period that is way more than we could ever spend and at no point were even asked how much we needed.

Like I'm sure there are plenty of absolute trash parts of the system around the country but jeez it's just whiplash with how easy it was here in Brisbane.

MysticalMachineGun posted:

Yeah we had to pay something like 1200 for the autism assessment but once we had that everything was free and relatively straightforward.

I do believe if SMG was 9 or 10 the assessment would be covered too? Not quite sure.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

Let's be honest, all those women are incredibly lucky he's a coward and never decided to turn up regardless of the catfishing

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

I would absolutely not say that protects us, if I'm honest

hooman posted:

~*~neoliberalism~*~

Gotta means test that disability support.

Fake Edit:
Someone please help me budget my economy is dying.
Buy less fighter jets.
No.

Eediot Jedi posted:

Have you lot read anything yourselves or are you just reacting to each others takes?

Earlier on Thursday, People with Disability Australia president Nicole Lee described the report as a "positive step" forward, but said advocates still needed to "work through the nuance of the details".

She welcomed discussion around increased foundational supports for all people living with disability, and said focusing on level of impairment was crucial.

"We're not necessarily the product of a diagnosis, it's more around how that disability interacts with your day-to-day … functioning," Ms Lee said.

Non Compos Mentis posted:

whats that chemical thats made by mixing sulphuric acid with something else, the one that eats its way through anything carbon

paint that on his crotch

Jezza of OZPOS posted:

iirc its sulphuric and hydrochloric acid

quote:

Communities are trying to chase pokies out of Australian towns. Their victories are inspiring others
The fight against gambling giants taking over venues is empowering locals to protect their neighbourhoods – even ripping machines from the walls

They gathered in their dozens inside an Alice Springs pub. Knowing the odds were against them, they belted out a rallying cry made famous from a song by Australian band The Whitlams: “Blow up the pokies and drag them away.”
The Sydney-based hospitality giant, Iris Capital, had just spent $50m buying some of the town’s biggest pubs and hotels. It already owned the casino and its more than 300 poker machines, but wasted no time applying for 60 more at its four new venues.
Like in many communities across the country, the fight against pokies fell to volunteers.
From regional Victoria to the Byron Bay hinterland, these groups oppose multimillion dollar investments in their spare time. Some have influenced dozens of publicans, who are now ripping machines from the walls.

It was a group of social workers, activists, young families and professionals who led the fight in Alice Springs from July last year, and sang The Whitlams song the following month.

Their community already had three times the national average of poker machines per adult. Officially, the town – with a population of 25,000 – lost almost $14m to pokies last year – an amount that doesn’t include losses lost at its casino, which is considered commercial in confidence.
“It all started on WhatsApp,” says Emma Buckley Lennox, a lawyer who volunteers for the No Pokies in Mparntwe group. Mparntwe is the Arrente name for Alice Springs.

“We believed that any additional poker machine – so close to communities that are vulnerable – was ultimately extremely harmful. As locals, we all knew this town had its share of social problems.”

Within days of forming, the group had more than 700 people backing submissions to the gaming minister. They set up market stalls, walked the streets, hosted speaking events and screenings of the anti-pokies documentary KaChing!, and worked with choirs and local media to generate awareness.
A month after the choir protest, the Northern Territory government announced a nine-month moratorium on all new poker machine applications and would later thank the group for its advocacy.

Buckley Lennox says the decision was “absolutely” due to the group’s campaigning. “It was a huge win for us,” she says.

The group kept campaigning. They surveyed 800 locals and 200 tourists and found almost all were opposed to pokies in the town. Just days after the survey was released, the government announced it was cutting the cap on poker machines from 1,699 to 1,659, which meant only 20 more were available.
Iris subsequently withdrew its application for 40 poker machines at two venues, the Mercure and Uncles, which did not have pre-existing machines. Iris Capital was contacted for comment but did not respond.

Asta Hill, another lawyer involved in the campaign, says the fight was “exhilarating” and “empowering”.

“From a grassroots campaigning perspective, we faced a perfect adversary,” Hill says.

Iris was, however, granted 20 more machines at the Todd Tavern and Gap View Hotel. The community campaigners are fighting this in the courts with the assistance of law firm Maurice Blackburn.

‘It was a done deal’
At around the time the NT government announced the moratorium on new poker machines, residents in Bangalow, a small hinterland town near Byron Bay, were concerned their struggling local bowling club was about to be swallowed by a Sydney-based pokies giant, Norths. So they phoned a friend.

In 2007, George Catsi ripped the poker machines out of his Petersham Bowling Club in Sydney’s inner west and ever since he’s fielded calls for help from community leaders and clubs wanting to do the same.

“We felt very uncomfortable at the time and we just literally turned them off at the wall,” Catsi says. “We said, ‘we are not going to do this any more, we’re going to build a business’.”

Catsi agreed to speak to those in Bangalow about how their bowling club could get out of financial strife – without more pokies and without Norths. Hundreds packed into a small room, where he was interviewed by the former ABC presenter Kerry O’Brien.

“There was a real split in the community and a huge tussle. Some wanted autonomy and they were very concerned about the poker machine aspect of the merger,” Catsi says. “I suggested they don’t merge. They said they had to patch their roof, I said: ‘just work it off, sell some of your existing machines’.”

One of the community campaign’s leaders was Prof Linda Hancock, a gambling expert with decades of experience at Deakin University. Hancock, who lived nearby at Brunswick Heads, felt emboldened by Catsi’s speech.

“Nobody wanted a gambling-intensive venue. Although the memorandum of understanding said they would only increase the number of machines … to 12, that would only be for a period of time,” Hancock says.

Campaign badges were made. Media appearances secured. Some support was received from local politicians. But ultimately, the campaign failed. The merger with Norths was approved, 289 votes to 192.

“By the time the no campaign was able to marshal itself together, it was a done deal,” Hancock says.

She describes it as a “well-practised takeover method”.

The Bowlo’s general manager, Chris Masters, says most members were “primarily concerned with securing their future above all else”. He says poker machines would increase from four to 10 within a year, before being capped at 15.

“A ‘well-practised takeover method’ is not an accurate depiction of the collaborative, transparent, process undertaken,” Masters says.

“The amalgamation has not only seen this fantastic community hub protected for the benefit of the local neighbourhood, but it has also had tens of thousands of dollars invested in it over the first five months operating as a Norths Collective venue.”

But one local resident, Holly Burns, who was part of the campaign to ‘Keep the Bowlo Local’, worries about more pokies coming to the region.

“Addiction is a big deal in this area,” Burns said. “If it’s not ice, it’s pokies. This area is paradise, but it’s also addict paradise.”

‘David and Goliath’ battle
In the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Caulfield, another campaign is trying to block a new venue with poker machines – this time on crown land.

The Melbourne Racing Club, which leases the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve and has a licence for 105 poker machines, wants to create a new entertainment venue roughly 200 metres away.
Jane Karslake, a local resident and former union organiser, is leading a campaign against the venue – which she describes as a David and Goliath battle – and has launched an online petition to be sent to the state planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny.

“As a community, we are saying there are enough gaming venues in our immediate facility and this one will be much more prominent,” Karslake says.
“It’s going to be in close proximity to homes, with a 4am license. It would also be directly opposite one of the state’s premier transport hubs – it’s obviously not in the public interest to have a venue there.”

A spokesperson for the Melbourne Racing Club says it had already engaged in extensive community consultation over a three-year period. They say the new development would unlock the nearby park for “greater community use”.

Karslake has the support of longtime campaigner Carol Bennett from the Alliance for Gambling Reform, who says removing poker machines is “one of the best ways to ensure communities flourish and focus on what they really want and need”.

“We are seeing a groundswell of local communities taking back control from gambling interests and replacing it with live music, good food and recreation,” Bennett says.

“That can only be a good thing for all of us.”

BrigadierSensible posted:

It beat Port Pirie?