Nostr notes by Droppie [opensoc]

before the fediverse... ...

2026-08-18T11:57:45Z

before the fediverse...

[url=https://en.andros.dev/blog/54572bc7/finger-the-1971-social-network-that-never-died/]https://en.andros.dev/blog/54572bc7/finger-the-1971-social-network-that-never-died/[/url]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=finger]finger[/url]

pls can i get some replies? 🥺 my mobile phone plan vendor is ...

2026-08-18T07:31:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…93kl
_________________________

pls can i get some replies? 🥺

my mobile phone plan vendor is [i]really[/i] pissing me off, & it seems clear i might need to do the unpleasant task of changing... but there's no point unless i can know in advance that prospective alternatives actually do have serious security setup on their customer account portals ie, #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=2FA]2FA[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=TOTP]TOTP[/url]

fascinating & illuminating ...

2026-08-18T06:34:40Z

fascinating & illuminating

[url=https://insidestory.org.au/consent-of-the-governed/]https://insidestory.org.au/consent-of-the-governed/[/url]

the weak link, as always? ucken umans!

oh golly there is a contemporary message here... ...

2026-08-18T05:21:18Z

oh golly there is a contemporary message here...

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=USPol]USPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=TuckFrump]TuckFrump[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FuckRWNJs]FuckRWNJs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=magamorons]magamorons[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FuckChristoFascists]FuckChristoFascists[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FuckAllReligion]FuckAllReligion[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=OrangeOaf]OrangeOaf[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HeyFascistCatch]HeyFascistCatch[/url]
[share author='Hitchhiker's Guide Quote Bot' profile='https://mastodon.social/users/HitchhikersGuideQuoteBot2'; avatar=' ; link='https://mastodon.social/@HitchhikersGuideQuoteBot2/117114569326239060'; posted='2026-08-18 04:15:09' guid='52acf9cd-8aa7a275f4bc8dc8-5b34232f' message_id='https://mastodon.social/users/HitchhikersGuideQuoteBot2/statuses/117114569326239060';]"You, Mr. President, are the most philosophunculistic, moronic, steatopygic excuse for a politician that it has ever been my good fortune to not vote for, and if I thought for one second that this crappy Universe deserved any better, then I would pay, out of my own pocket you understand, to have you assassinated."—Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HitchhikersGuide]HitchhikersGuide[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=DouglasAdams]DouglasAdams[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=quotes]quotes[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=quote]quote[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=bot]bot[/url][/share]
nostr:note1c2qz2h67wwy405xrj877evxl6hqgzwf5acske8zfn9n3t0y7y6xqk3mqz0

Nostr event nevent1qqs8fw0munnj0gwtw8cjhgm6w2a6l52kekdynugpp3jm7yggqn7z2sczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6smtfug

2026-08-18T05:18:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…fpyu
_________________________

@[url=https://kolektiva.social/users/DoomsdaysCW]DoomsdaysCW[/url] it's no surprise to me that vanilla peeps tend to be clueless about this degree of granular #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=gender]gender[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=diversity]diversity[/url]... i'm a 20-year #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=postop]postop[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=transwoman]transwoman[/url] who [i]also[/i] struggles with such amazing realities 😲 🤯

this article wins in two important ways [ul] [li]it relates to ...

2026-08-18T01:05:36Z

this article wins in two important ways
[ul]
[li]it relates to [i]trebuchets[/i], so c'mon, put down your glasses, no more debates![/li]
[li]it includes this definitive quote, woven seamlessly into one of its paragraphs:[/li]
[/ul]
[quote]the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow[/quote]

[url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/08/meet-the-only-known-trebuchet-casualty-in-history/]https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/08/meet-the-only-known-trebuchet-casualty-in-history/[/url]

💯✅👍

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=trebuchet]trebuchet[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=holygrail]holygrail[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsx075v2j2y5na2ztxx3p4h9andl32gf7qul7cp2fpj6yg2phjdp9szyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6mxts82

2026-08-18T00:14:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…ptxl
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] for the first several paragraphs i read it whilst waiting for the satire to be revealed, then ofc i realised the turd writing it was not in fact mocking that misogynistic journalism style but actually living the stereotype loud & proud. despite my abject cynicism about everything, i was genuinely utterly shocked... not only that the journo revealed himself as a complete prick, but that the sewerage article survived any editorial process 😲 🤯

great news! this report... ...

2026-08-18T00:04:18Z

Nostr event nevent1qqszz7c4tawte5yqs63dkyfg72v89td6u6pvkvly3xy3uhydud2lmeqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l62zy2zu

2026-08-17T22:08:21Z

this article is despicable 😡🖕 ...

2026-08-17T05:47:04Z

Nostr event nevent1qqsyyz9q4j6cl2mguaxa7qf03wj37uwj0gk64e30s2vs8lrs74ydkfczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6j2ye3q

2026-08-16T23:28:36Z

[url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/08/17/anu-new-chancellor-gordon-de-brouwer-replacement-julie-bishop/]https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/08/17/anu-new-chancellor-gordon-de-brouwer-replacement-julie-bishop/[/url]

Julie Bishop’s replacement as chancellor of Australian National University has been named: Gordon de Brouwer, a former senior public servant, a Canberra man through and through, and an alumnus of the university.

It’s fair to say that de Brouwer is the polar opposite of his predecessor. He does have an Instagram page, but it has just 75 followers and no posts. A former commissioner of the Australian Public Service, de Brouwer is no show pony.

To have taken on the job, de Brouwer must be very clear about the task at hand. Not only does he have the responsibility of getting ANU back onto a stable footing after the indiscriminate carnage of the past few years — which I’ve written about for Crikey here — but also his first job will be to find five council members whom the ANU community can trust.

That’s no small feat in an institution that was sent to purgatory by a stacked, complicit council and devastatingly incompetent leadership.

A new, frighteningly generic and unspecific strategy was released last week: “ANU by 2030”, published under interim vice-chancellor Professor Rebekah Brown. Thankfully, it leaves Renew ANU — the university’s $250 million cost-cutting program axed last year following controversy, leadership resignations, and a critical federal audit — in the dust.

But whether de Brouwer embraces the learnings (God, I hate that word) of the ANU governance project will be a test of his leadership.

He’s also walking into a new policy environment that will impose government command-and-control over both domestic and international student numbers, as Education Minister Jason Clare ushers in his deeply problematic Opening the Doors of Opportunity Bill, which aims to reshape higher education funding.

This agenda is anti-Group of Eight: the coalition of eight leading, research-intensive Australian universities, of which ANU is a member. It seeks to shift student preferences toward outer-metropolitan and regional universities, ignoring the mountain of evidence that students do — and should — choose what and where they want to study.

This bill is unlikely to be kind to the likes of ANU, an institution populated by “elites”. These are not the sort of kids Clare thinks will benefit from his overly ambitious, some might say fabulist agenda to increase university attainment by 2050, and even by 2030.

Those ambitions are based on untapped demand: a cohort of students, particularly males, who have never seen university as part of their life plans. We have seen how the demand-driven system failed them, and I wonder if Clare’s targets — 55% of school-leavers obtaining a degree — will fail them again.

But back to de Brouwer.

ANU was taken to its knees by narcissistic incompetence. As a Senate hearing heard a couple of months ago, the reputational cost of that sits around $100 million. Institutions are the sum of their history and present. ANU, once the most highly ranked and esteemed university in the country, is no longer either of those things. But it should be.

ANU should be different. It has a national mandate to be part of the national conversation, to help us become better and wiser people, and to contribute to a better, more functional economy. That is important, and it receives an additional $200 million a year for it.

We need ANU to be a university that meets the very high expectations set down in its founding legislation.

I, for one, hope that de Brouwer is the person who can get the university back on track.
[ul]
[li]Julie Hare is the author of the Substack page The Hare Report, which examines the governance, leadership and policy in higher education. She was most recently the education editor at The Australian Financial Review and has more than 20 years’ experience as a writer, journalist and editor, mainly specialising in education. Her award-winning work includes articles on the intersection of international students and migration and the politicisation of migration during the past election.[/li]
[/ul]
#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=anu]anu[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/08/17/anu-new-chancellor-gordon-de-brouwer-replacement-julie-bishop/'; title='ANU’s new chancellor is 'polar opposite' of predecessor Julie Bishop. Can Gordon de Brouwer get things back on track?' publisher_name='Crikey' publisher_url='https://www.crikey.com.au/'; publisher_img=' ; author_name='Julie Hare' author_url='https://www.crikey.com.au/author/juliehare/'; author_img='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6fe2d93017e57d4b30e0301e941d7862794a7d5fc53298ef07b453cf494f635f?s=96&d=mm&r=pg'; image=' ;]Indiscriminate carnage has followed Australian National University over the past few years. Will a former APS commissioner be able to clear up the mess?[/attachment]

i continue to despise this neoliberal arseholic govt... [i]labor ...

2026-08-16T21:56:03Z

i continue to despise this neoliberal arseholic govt... [i]labor my arse[/i] 😡🖕

[url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-17/inside-the-black-box-aged-care-algorithm-for-support-at-home/107033970]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-17/inside-the-black-box-aged-care-algorithm-for-support-at-home/107033970[/url]

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Nostr event nevent1qqs2jj8p0agkhev0sql7xh9l38cztapfr89an3lpxfn63l76f307v9gzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l69a303u

2026-08-16T05:48:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…tf6f
_________________________

@[url=https://bne.social/users/caity]Wonderdog 🏳️‍🌈[/url] @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://mymasto.com/users/VWDasher]Frank[/url] honestly this is so silly. why on earth did you not simply hang it then unhang it the second time only? much more efficient!

oh at long last some apparently genuinely happy news for the ...

2026-08-16T02:57:17Z

oh at long last some apparently genuinely happy news for the long-suffering peeps of #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=syria]syria[/url]

[url=https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/16/08-16-26-damascus-summer-festival-sv?traffic_source=rss]https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/16/08-16-26-damascus-summer-festival-sv?traffic_source=rss[/url]

🤗 🙂 💜
🤞 🤞 🤞

Nostr event nevent1qqsvqgjkz8297n56g8w8ske89r4uczq2gurnw7da96papzg8yx4czjqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6w6ypwv

2026-08-16T00:59:08Z

[url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330880/mark-kenny-trumps-adventurism-exposes-australia-too/]https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330880/mark-kenny-trumps-adventurism-exposes-australia-too/[/url]

[quote]Critics of the comforting hope that America would go to war for Australia cite the competing national interests weighing on the White House at the time.

Essentially, the argument goes, in our moment of peril (or Taiwan's, come to that), Washington would rank the 'realpolitik' of voter opinion and its own strategic calculus far above international friendship.

As persuasive as this is, a more 'materiel' barrier to American willingness already exists.

That of depleted munition stocks, ageing platforms, and yawning logistical incompetence. If the hubristic faces of either Donald Trump or Pete Hegseth have jumped into your mind's eye, you are following me just fine.

Launching bone-headed wars without consulting treaty partners, the UN or Congress, is a risk factor which, if it was ever considered, has just shifted from future-notional to present-observable. More on this shortly.

Besides, even under the most multilaterally minded US presidents, the actionability of obligations to consult under ANZUS and any implied oneness within AUKUS leave wide scope for cogitation.

That was always true, but the (re)arrival of the impulsive Donald Trump in 2025, has made such truths (to quote a president whose name adorns an unhappy USS aircraft carrier in the Middle East) self-evident.

Trump's success is his country's signature failure. He has forged an America in his own image - bloated with unjustified self-regard. It is an unashamedly self-interested America - if not precisely isolationist.

Trump would feel no obligation to a close ally, regardless of treaty expectations and regardless of Aussie blood and treasure committed in Vietnam and Iraq or the sole invoking of the ANZUS Treaty (by John Howard) after September 11.

Further, it would be naive to imagine things will revert after this presidential term. Trump's 'Don-roe' stance has reset public opinion. It will remain a dominant driver of foreign and strategic policy long after he leaves.

Trump has made America weaker in a multitude of ways. First, his war on Tehran has achieved the opposite of its specific objectives and its broader projection of US strength. Six months into his four-week war, the regime in Tehran remains in situ and more determined than ever. It can and will outlast America.

It is timely to be writing about this human rights morass on the fifth anniversary of America's betrayal of Afghanistan - a war justified by George W. Bush and his wife as the delivery of women and girls from a murderously misogynist Taliban.

The American retreat two decades later was so craven that America acceded to a Taliban demand that women be excluded from peace talks even as their lives and rights were annihilated.

Among the tragic sequelae of America's longest entanglement are 47 dead Australians and the unchallenged authority of the Taliban as females are denied education, imprisoned and starved. That feckless retreat emboldened Putin's calculation that America would not intervene even if he invaded Ukraine.

In Iran, Trump's first rationale was the removal of the mullahs and the decapitation of oppressive regime such that Iran's long-suffering dissidents could step into the vacuum. He encouraged them to stand up and take the names of their oppressors. Amnesty reports that 26 of these brave dissidents have since been executed. More will follow.

Regime change faded as it was replaced by the obliteration of Iran's nuclear weapons program and then by the re-opening of sea lanes. Five days ago, Trump declared that Hormuz was now fully under the control of the US Navy. Except that it wasn't. It was the seventh time Trump has claimed victory, imminent peace, complete mastery of the waterway.

The trouble with rhetoric is that it always requires escalation. Thus, in a speech to a Police Academy in Long Island in the last 24 hours, he went further: "After we finish defeating Iran ... I'll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States."

This is the official policy of Australia's chief ally, its dependable, principled friend.

Perhaps, you counter, that even with these imperfections, there is still no gainsaying American military superiority?

Here, the evidence is looking dire also. Two US military-aligned newspapers have reported that conditions on the aforementioned USS Abraham Lincoln - which has not made port since November last year (a modern record) - are feral. Hot water has failed and food has been rationed. There is no toothpaste, soap or deodorant. The stress has led to brawls and at least two suicide attempts. Discipline is breaking down.

Secretary of War Hegseth dismissed the claims as "completely misrepresented".

On August 6, a furious Trump took to social media to deny other media reports of diminishing US fire-power as missile demand in the Middle East outstrips supply.

"The US has massive amounts of 'munitions' ... the 'leakers' are treasonous and will be hunted down. Long-term jail sentences will be sought".

As always, Trump's temper takes you closer to the truth than his words.

Patriot missiles and other interceptors cost $5 million each and it often takes two of them to destroy a single incoming missile.

If the US has already eroded its stocks of Patriots, THAAD, and the other sophisticated interceptors against Iran's ballistic-trajectory missiles, how long would it hold out against another super-power?[/quote]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=USPol]USPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=TuckFrump]TuckFrump[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FuckRWNJs]FuckRWNJs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=magamorons]magamorons[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FuckChristoFascists]FuckChristoFascists[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FuckAllReligion]FuckAllReligion[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=OrangeOaf]OrangeOaf[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HeyFascistCatch]HeyFascistCatch[/url]
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[attachment type='link' url='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330880/mark-kenny-trumps-adventurism-exposes-australia-too/'; title='Trump's adventurism exposes Australia, too' publisher_name='The Canberra Times' publisher_url='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/'; publisher_img='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/static/1786596557/sites/canberratimes/images/masthead/masthead-only.svg'; author_name='Mark Kenny' author_url='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/profile/1407/mark-kenny/'; image='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/LCCM7haWhjq8sXGapHMpfU/b95f142a-bf46-4519-b73d-b45a39348b18.png/r0_36_1920_1044_w1200_h630_fmax.jpg';]A self-interested America won't put our national security first.[/attachment]

wtf has gone wrong inside his skull? ...

2026-08-15T10:34:04Z

wtf has gone wrong inside his skull?

[url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/dave-hughes-to-campaign-for-liberals-in-victorian-election-20260815-p60omm.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed]https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/dave-hughes-to-campaign-for-liberals-in-victorian-election-20260815-p60omm.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed[/url]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=vicpol]vicpol[/url]

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did ...

2026-08-15T06:55:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…dzfr
_________________________

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did we end up here? By Jack Waterford[/abstract]
@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] wish i'd not dredged her up again now, coz am now recalling her outrageous run as Speaker, bloody hell 😱

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did ...

2026-08-15T06:48:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…l7yn
_________________________

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did we end up here? By Jack Waterford[/abstract]
@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] anyway, gotta dash, my chopper awaits...

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did ...

2026-08-15T06:44:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…rp2r
_________________________

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did we end up here? By Jack Waterford[/abstract]
@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] tepid kero bath, anyone?

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did ...

2026-08-15T06:31:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…f0fw
_________________________

[abstract=apub]Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did we end up here? By Jack Waterford[/abstract]
@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] indeed... & here again imo we can once more pile the vomit & disgust upon that odious little war criminal. it was his stated goal, iirc, to turn us into a nation of shareholders [ie, capitalistic pigs fixated on [i]me me me[/i]]. we should be deeply ashamed that he succeeded in the main... & just look at the national poisoned chalice we now have, from it, ffs

just gonna say, at the outset, that good ol' jack runs a line ...

2026-08-15T03:19:30Z

just gonna say, at the outset, that good ol' jack runs a line in his essay i hear so often, but which continues to [i]entirely[/i] not fit me. each time i read anyone opining that...

[quote]the price of land must fall... A large constituency of older voters see their house as their major asset and do not want this[/quote]

...and...

[quote]They ... will not be happy if they come to see a loss of, say $100,000 in land value as a disinterested contribution to younger Australians in general.[/quote]

...i scream back my rebuttal. it is my home, my living place, my safe protective shelter, it is NOT and NEVER was my investment. therefore, pls, DO go right ahead & knock off as many hundreds of K$ as you want, if it will help society, coz it does not hurt me at all. i do not give a flying fuck about any [i]investors[/i] it allegedly harms; they can get in the bin, those immoral arseholes.

anyway, over to jack now

[url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330191/jack-waterford-the-uncomfortable-truth-about-our-housing-crisis/]https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330191/jack-waterford-the-uncomfortable-truth-about-our-housing-crisis/[/url]

[quote]It seems to be dawning on some voters and political players that if housing is to be made affordable for young Australians, the price of land must fall.

A large constituency of older voters see their house as their major asset and do not want this.

Many are worried about whether younger generations can aspire to own houses. That's in principle, of course, as is the wish that economic conditions change so that younger Australians can get a foothold in the market. But they are not keen on seeing this occurring at their family's expense.

Excuse thus some moments of panic as house prices slow, steady and begin to fall. It's already happening in the major markets, and some predict falls of up to 10 per cent from recent peaks. That is still well more than price inflation over recent decades.

But though wealthier Australians have been quite resistant to being taxed on capital gains until they are realised, they have counted on appreciation, in many cases of more than $1 million, and, as a primary dwelling, free from capital gains tax. They have decided, moreover, that they want to die with that house value and their superannuation largely intact rather than exhausted, so that they can pass it on to their descendants.

They may have helped subsidise their children's access to the housing market but will not be happy if they come to see a loss of, say $100,000 in land value as a disinterested contribution to younger Australians in general.

Older Australians will be encouraged by some politicians to see falling prices as a wider grab for their income and assets. Such campaigns will encourage them to see political parties purporting to speak for younger Australians as the enemy. Wealth in Australia is overwhelmingly concentrated among the old, and not only because of housing assets.

As Baby Boomers are starting to die, a major generational shift in this wealth is beginning, but alas, it may not have a big impact on access to the housing market for younger Australians. This is because much of the wealth will be moving to the children of the Boomers - many already approaching retirement age - rather than grandchildren starting to form families and seek mortgages.

Right now, falls or signs of a steadying market are not yet because of new power in younger investors. They reflect uncertainty and a lack of confidence. Signs that the market was past its peak have encouraged many who were thinking of selling to cash out now, even as others have been reluctant to enter the market until they see what is happening. The biggest problem remains that industry is not turning out enough dwellings to satisfy demand.

That's first a problem of labour supply, but also, some insist, a problem of bureaucracy, delay and planning rules. Treating the consequences of years of inaction as a crisis has armed many of the players with what they consider to be a mandate for radical change.

Or they can only think of one thing at a time - build more houses. At risk is a focus on building sustainably and for a changing climate, and we end up with whole suburbs of houses with black roofs that will prove to be heat sinks for their residents.

Politicians might be giving themselves permission to fundamentally change the amenity of communities, to ignore old rules said to stand in the way of progress, and to drop much focus on integrated transport solutions, upgrading of water and sewage services and the location of employment opportunities where people live.

Once almost a central aspect of the work of state and local government, it's as if it is now all too complicated, or of too little priority compared with the urgent need to build more dwellings. The ideological ancestors of politicians such as Anthony Albanese were men like Tom Uren, interested in urban and regional development serving social, economic and cultural needs and the development of self-sustaining communities.

Land and housing, whether in greenfield areas or in inner-city areas open for redevelopment, were able to be provided much more cheaply than now, even if with high levels of immigration and population growth. And this was happening alongside major public investments in school, technical and university education, hospital and health facilities, and aged and child care.

The neo-liberal phase of letting the markets rule, of allowing the private sector to set planning and building standards, supervised largely by themselves, has occurred at significant social and economic cost.

In city states such as the ACT, moreover, it has seen politicians manage their land holdings to maximise its revenue rather than to satisfy need, and to sell off much of its stock of government housing for no net community gain. The quality of both public and private infrastructure has declined. And so, of course, has the quality of maintenance.

There are some who suggest that one of the reasons for higher housing costs has been the propensity of the Baby Boomer generation to demand that no further development occur in their suburbs once they have settled.

The NIMBY phenomenon - not in my backyard - and the NOTE - not over there either - is said to have forced up costs and, at least until infill policies, forced new house buyers further away from central facilities.

Perhaps to a point. But it has also been a function of building bigger and bigger houses with fewer and fewer inhabitants. The average new Canberra house for example is at least twice the size of the average 50 years ago, and, with or without solar power, has about three times the environmental footprint. The NIMBY phenomenon has also been a response to the crassness and lack of fit of many development proposals.

The neo-liberal response to the anti-red tape brigade involved politicians showing no compunction in lowering building standards.

In the last quarter century many more shoddy and unsafe houses and flats have been built to a quality lower than 100 years ago, if at a higher real price. They have also lowered planning standards and quality control standards.

Inspections and supervisions have been privatised, and consumer capacity to get redress from incompetently built, or unsafe and dangerous buildings, has declined.

Government takes little responsibility for outcomes and gives significant incentives to developers, especially those who pretend that they are building significant proportions of social housing.

As the ICAC inquiry in NSW is showing, and as a royal commission in Victoria will soon be demonstrating, corruption in building and development is rife.

That's a function of slack controls, but also of the corruptibility of state and local government regulators, and the inside access that some of the major players, including building unions and favoured developers, have to senior politicians.

It is only now that incentives to new buyers are being focused on the development of new housing, rather than bidding up the price of existing housing. A good many housing grants schemes, or cruel frauds such as the giving of access to superannuation savings, have supposedly been about putting more money into the hands of poorer bidders. But they have still been at a disadvantage, and the resulting higher prices have simply widened the gap.

It would be nice for those owning homes if prices settled down to levels where they could still feel smug. Now, for example, average prices seem to have dropped to about 2024 levels.

Despite the campaign being run by The Australian there does not appear to be a freefall happening. That means that housing is now somewhat more affordable than it was six months ago. But millions of young Australians are still frozen out of the market, with little hope, at such prices, of ever being able to get in. Prices would have to fall at least a further 10 per cent before affordability, based on today's incomes, was back to the levels of 15 years ago.

How house prices move in the short and medium term depends much more on whether government and the private sector can find the labour to build houses and flats on land that is already serviced and available.

Around the states and territories, premiers and chief ministers are galvanising around supply, including freeing land that has been in public hands, promoting the turning of existing buildings into housing stock, and permitting new types of infill.

But the labour force, and to a lesser degree, the building materials are not yet there even to meet past promises made at different levels of government. One cannot, of course, suddenly train 50,000 Australians to become carpenters, electricians, plumbers and builders' labourers. Even with lower standards and accelerated training schemes, there would be many lags.

But there is a more fundamental problem. We have virtually full employment. So where are we going to find those 50,000 people?

From what industries and what existing employment are they going to be recruited, or, perhaps, conscripted?

Even if Australia already has enough Uber drivers, nail technicians and call-centre operators, as Pauline Hanson suggests, these are not around in such numbers, or with skills readily adaptable to a building site, as her dog whistle suggests.

It is inevitable that they must come from overseas, whether as migrants or on short term visas. Those, whether in One Nation or the Coalition, who pretend that immigration, population and industry policy can be settled simply by picking a number lower than the one put forward last week are kidding themselves. If they insist that the limits are important, if only for symbolism, younger Australians will simply not get the houses they need. It won't be a matter of not being able to afford them. They simply won't be there to be bought.

The recent census will confirm that Australia has lots of splendid houses now lived in by too few people. But policies encouraging people to downsize have not been terribly successful.

They tend to underestimate the cost of shifting accommodation, and pay too little attention to the fact that downsizing folk still prefer to live in their old communities, near familiar facilities and established friends and family.

The disincentives for staying on - in the sense of costs and rates being shared among fewer people are obvious enough, but the equations and the incentives need work if there is to be a significant increase in the housing stock - which is to say, more people, or bigger families in existing dwellings. The trend to smaller families, indeed to the three-person (one child plus two parents) suggests that a big program focused at helping elderly folk move on to apartment accommodation may not make a significant difference.

Unless, that is, Australians adapt to new types of households, perhaps with more generations, or more non-relatives present.

Perhaps we must push on in meeting the housing shortage. But we should also be addressing wider aspects of our urban problems. Have we factored in work from home or smaller households into our estimates of what the new urban communities will look like?

And changes to ensure more sustainable and self-sufficient dwellings?

Can we make our heat loss and our water use more efficient, and provide our own electricity?

Do we need houses of ever-expanding size? Should we have, as developers seem to have inferred, houses like office blocks, intended to be demolished as obsolete in 25 years?

Can Australians aspire, as once they did, to backyard cricket and two or three car spaces per building block, or is that an indulgence we must forgo?

Housing policy is much more than merely a tax policy or an issue to be ticked off before the next election. It is about how we live and who we want to be.
[ul]
[li]Jack Waterford is a former editor of The Canberra Times.[/quote][/li]
[/ul]
#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WhyTheFuckIsLabor]WhyTheFuckIsLabor[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HahahahaLiebs]HahahahaLiebs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NatsAreNuts]NatsAreNuts[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=GreensYEAH]GreensYEAH[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteGreens]VoteGreens[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteProgIndies]VoteProgIndies[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=PHONkedinthehead]PHONkedinthehead[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330191/jack-waterford-the-uncomfortable-truth-about-our-housing-crisis/'; title='Homes cost more and the quality is worse. How did we end up here?' publisher_name='The Canberra Times' publisher_url='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/'; publisher_img='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/static/1786596557/sites/canberratimes/images/masthead/masthead-only.svg'; author_name='Jack Waterford' author_url='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/profile/851/jack-waterford/'; image='https://www.canberratimes.com.au/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/pMXRnDj3SUU44AkPpn97sC/c1d36023-2b4f-4e30-958b-26b813eef576.jpg/r0_36_1920_1044_w1200_h630_fmax.jpg';]We are creating a lot of problems for the future.[/attachment]

my controversial view i wish [i]back to back barries[/i] would ...

2026-08-14T23:30:56Z

my controversial view

i wish [i]back to back barries[/i] would end

😲 🤯

week after week that arsehole tony barry keeps spinning his neoliberal lies in his oily dulcet tones, & i cannot stand it

😡🖕

trouble is, i'm a bazza tragic, so knowing there's a bazza podcast means i simply [i]must[/i] listen each weekend

which means i have to keep enduring those fucken neoliberal lies from the oilmeister

end it, for zarquon's sake!

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url]

[i]the real thing[/i] ain't no more [quote]Although he was ...

2026-08-14T02:15:38Z

[i]the real thing[/i] ain't no more

[quote]Although he was best known for his work on the children’s talent show Young Talent Time, which spawned the careers of stars such as Dannii Minogue, Tina Arena and Debra Byrne, Young was also a singer-songwriter in his own right, penning hits such as The Real Thing for Russell Morris and Smiley for Ronnie Burns.[/quote]

vale jy

[url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/young-talent-time-legend-johnny-young-dies-aged-79-20260814-p60od8.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed]https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/young-talent-time-legend-johnny-young-dies-aged-79-20260814-p60od8.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed[/url]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=johnnyyoung]johnnyyoung[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspop]auspop[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqs069nw4qn3jrrd86gdthsgt9zuwsxyut5um0su79ltczshv72gdfszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6edf2pm

2026-08-13T22:27:16Z

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=tfw]tfw[/url] you've anticipated [code]that last orange[/code] from the supermarket bag of weeks ago so much that the salivating has begun

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=tfw]tfw[/url] you pick it up from the fruit bowl in prep to cutting it up, but notice it feels too squishy

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=tfw]tfw[/url] you cautiously begin the delicate surgery, only to reveal the confirmation of your suspicion... its [i]heart of darkness[/i] is laid bare in the wan winter sunshine, & all that morning's citric hopes n dreams are dashed forever on the jagged rocks of despair

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=tfw]tfw[/url] you ponder whether one's usual histrionics might have gorn a tad OTT this time... 🤪

[h1]strayan mobile phone users with eye for security, a question ...

2026-08-13T08:09:39Z

[h1]strayan mobile phone users with eye for security, a question pls 🤔🤷‍♀️[/h1]
does your mobile phone plan vendor customer account portal [accessed via browser, NOT an app] provide #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=2FA]2FA[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=TOTP]TOTP[/url] as login option [i]instead[/i] of ghastly sms pins?

most of you prolly don't use a pooter & browser for this, but only an app on your phone, so won't know what i'm asking... [i]amirite?[/i] 😜

what would have been even more fabulous would have been to see ...

2026-08-12T21:42:52Z

what would have been even more fabulous would have been to see the silhouettes of 42 witches riding across the face, on their broomsticks 🧙️🧹️

[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/photos/msdropbear/image/63302740256a7ce7f630d9a176320751][img= ][/img][/url]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AltText]AltText[/url]
iceland & spain solar eclipse; only a bright thin annulus [albeit with wide flaring] of the sun is visible, with the majority being a dark circle from the moon

Nostr event nevent1qqsdrazjllc0zl26j32nrmwtxaftpzdhn3vjqacd55uxyd3gwfahrnczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6382p55

2026-08-08T07:53:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…pmj2
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] possibly also a liquorice all-sort @[url=https://theblower.au/users/HardBeingGreen]Paul[/url]

my hitherto dislike of elbow these days is upgraded to seething ...

2026-08-08T07:32:42Z

my hitherto dislike of elbow these days is upgraded to seething contempt & anger for the vacuous fuckhead he is & the massive opportunities he's wasting, constantly picking the wrong option & siding with the wrong peeps 😡🖕 🤢🤮

[url=https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/politics/2026/08/08/why-anthony-albanese-hates-greens]https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/politics/2026/08/08/why-anthony-albanese-hates-greens[/url]

[quote]Sydney’s Royal National Park, just south of Sutherland Shire, was Australia’s first, gazetted in 1879. It is the second such national park in the world, younger only than Yellowstone in the United States. Spurred into action by environmentalists and public clamour, Australian governments have set aside more than 600 national parks since, to protect the nation’s most outstanding natural and cultural values. Now those values are being gazumped by polluting corporations and their client politicians.

New South Wales Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe has announced the Minns government’s promised Great Koala National Park will now be dependent on a market condition; namely that it will be used to offset carbon emissions under an application to the Clean Energy Regulator. In essence, the park’s very presence will help polluters continue to pollute. “The project must be approved,” Sharpe says, “before the NSW Government can move to legislate the Park.”

The word “must” is a fabrication and Sharpe’s statement is an up-front broken promise. Premier Chris Minns went to the state election promising the Great Koala National Park without conditions. Sharpe’s stipulation shows how Labor is on track to make Australia, in the words of former environment minister Tanya Plibersek, the “Green Wall Street of the world”.

In 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese picked Queensland senator Murray Watt to be his second minister for the environment. Watt has repeatedly betrayed the environment while taking on Albanese’s tactic of slamming green critics by framing their motivation as hate for Labor rather than love for nature.

The Albanese government has approved 36 coalmining and gas projects and more are in the pipeline. Last September, Watt gave Woodside a 40-year extension for its export gas operations at Murujuga on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. In giving the nod to Woodside, he ignored First Nations defenders of the world’s greatest rock art site, which has suffered from gas export industrialisation there.

This year, Watt’s decision on Woodside’s proposed $30 billion Browse Basin gas extraction project will be particularly contentious. The project will impact the fragile Scott Reef ecosystem off north-west Australia, as well as the petroglyphs at Murujuga, to which the gas will be piped for processing and export. A huge greenhouse gas load will be injected into the planet’s already overburdened atmosphere if the Browse Basin gas extraction goes ahead. Watt’s history makes it naive to think cultural and environmental considerations will outdo his relationship with Woodside.

Albanese has turned his left-dominated team into the most environmentally averse Labor government in history.

While the press gallery dutifully covered Albanese’s most recent visit to Murujuga in July, this time to announce an oil refinery will be added, Pilbara woman Raelene Cooper, who heads the Save Our Songlines defenders, was detained for approaching Albanese and carted away. The press gallery dutifully ignored her.

With Cooper out of the way, Albanese made no mention of the oil refinery’s potential impact on the World Heritage rock art site. It is safe to say he consulted neither Indigenous nor environmental groups about the project.

That attitude may come back to bite his Labor successors, but it is a constant feature of his career. In 1996, his first speech to the House of Representatives put his disposition on early display.

Having won the inner-Sydney seat of Grayndler, Albanese lambasted a collection of locals who had campaigned against him on the noise impact of the Labor-financed third runway at Sydney Airport. He complained that “the negative coalition which made up the No Aircraft Noise Party – Tories, Trotskyists and political opportunists – were united only by their vehement hatred of Labor”.

These days he uses the same false pejorative, truncated to “no-alition”, when the Coalition votes with the Greens, usually for opposite reasons, against Labor. This is the exception, of course: most often, the Coalition votes with Labor.

Arriving in Adelaide for Labor’s national conference last month, delegates were met with billboards that were all decent and gently worded and paid for by community groups wanting Labor to save the Murray–Darling rivers system and end native forest logging. Within hours the advertisements were taken down. The airport billboards promoting the gas industry, including fossil fuel giant Santos, remained up.

Santos donated $63,200 to Labor ahead of the 2025 election. According to Climate Integrity, “across the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Nationals, at least $3.98 million was donated by fossil fuel companies in the 2024-25 financial year”.

Inside the conference, rebel Labor advocates including Ed Husic pursued a 25 per cent tax on gas exports. Albanese’s team kept the debate on the tax, also a long-held Greens policy, off the agenda. Santos won the day.

That’s a curiously perverse outcome for anyone clinging to the idea that Labor is the party for ordinary Australians. This prime minister has grown into his job by abandoning earlier, progressive politics that included defending refugee rights, opposing “willing backers of US militarism”, demanding greater action against global warming and promoting the republic.

His change has come at the cost of a widening gap between Labor and the Greens. Despite this, Albanese’s team have repeatedly needed the Greens to get Labor legislation through the Senate.

You wouldn’t know that from a casual look. Albanese is not in the business of thanking those espousing his own earlier ideals. Forged in the rough and tumble of NSW Labor politics, he has a keen disdain for competitors to his left and has institutionalised the Labor mantra of not letting the perfect get in the way of the good: that is, of condemning those who see Labor as having sold out.

Albanese may be an astute strategist but he is not an environmentalist. In 2024, he flew to Tasmania, donned a corporate Tassal coat and overrode then environment minister Tanya Plibersek’s alarm at scientific evidence that pollution from Atlantic salmon pens in remote Macquarie Harbour was causing the Maugean skate’s slide towards extinction.

Plibersek was nowhere to be seen. Albanese announced a $28 million subsidy to put oxygen pumps in the harbour. He had not only consigned the skate’s future to Tassal’s permanent, polluting presence but also relegated his former Sydney-based colleague and competitor for the Labor leadership to an embarrassing ministerial impotence.

Come the next election and Plibersek didn’t apply for a second round of such punishment. Instead, Albanese installed Watt to the ministry.

Psephological data suggests old parties will need alliances after future elections if they are to form government. That’s a worldwide trend, underscored in Australia by the diminishing vote for both Labor and the Coalition.

The 2025 election was a perverse outcome. Fewer than 35 per cent of voters put Labor first, yet Labor won 62 per cent of the seats in the House of Representatives. The Greens, with 12 per cent, won only one seat. Despite scoring a similar vote to the previous election, they lost three seats. The bulk of the Greens’ nearly two million votes preferenced Labor, helping give it that distorted outcome. In his victory speech, Albanese made no reference to this.

He attacked defeated Greens housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather, saying on the ABC’s 7.30, “I think he should look at the way he conducted himself in Question Time … including the questions he asked of me, some of which were pretty offensive.” Chandler-Mather had got under Albanese’s skin and there was to be no prime ministerial grace in the Labor leader’s post-election broadside.

Albanese has continued to ignore or put the Greens down, despite relying on their support for gun law reform, housing legislation and changes to environmental law. All up, Albanese has relied on the Greens to pass 91 Labor bills. Without this support, his government would have been stymied.

Unlike Julia Gillard’s joint signing of the agreement on the Clean Energy Act in 2011, Albanese has never held a meeting in public with the Greens.

He routinely meets Greens leader Larissa Waters, but you wouldn’t know it. It’s as if Labor won the last election outright and the Greens don’t exist. Labor didn’t and the Greens do.

Here is a political dystopia peculiar to Australia. In New Zealand, the Greens collaborate with the Labour Party to form governments, and regularly take ministries. This mutual support is also usual for democratic socialist minority governments upheld by greens parties across Europe.

Voters expect their representatives to maximise the power they’ve been given, not fritter it away. A most self-destructive moment for Labor’s relationship with the Greens in Australia came after last year’s Tasmanian election, when Labor refused to engage with the Greens, leading to a minority Liberal government. Subsequently, Labor’s poll ratings have declined.

The question remains: What happens in 2028 if, as seems likely, national Labor doesn’t secure an outright victory? Albanese won’t like it and may step down. Alternatively, he’ll need to negotiate a government with the independents or the Greens who take the balance of power.

In 2010, Gillard approached both the Greens and independents to form her minority government. She didn’t like the task but recognised the reality that politicians must work with the electorate’s choices. Her minority government passed more legislation than Albanese has managed in a longer period in office.

Regardless of the outcome in 2028, Labor will sooner or later need the Greens’ support again, in both the House and Senate, to form a government. This will require a degree of respect for the minor party and, consequently, a post-Albanese intermediary. Watt doesn’t qualify. Perhaps Labor should ensure Ed Husic remains on its team.[/quote]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WhyTheFuckIsLabor]WhyTheFuckIsLabor[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HahahahaLiebs]HahahahaLiebs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NatsAreNuts]NatsAreNuts[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=GreensYEAH]GreensYEAH[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteGreens]VoteGreens[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteProgIndies]VoteProgIndies[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=PHONkedinthehead]PHONkedinthehead[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=ClimateCrisis]ClimateCrisis[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NonLinear]NonLinear[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=TippingPoints]TippingPoints[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=PositiveFeedbackLoops]PositiveFeedbackLoops[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FossilFools]FossilFools[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=RenewableEnergy]RenewableEnergy[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=ChangeTheSystem]ChangeTheSystem[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=StateCapture]StateCapture[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=RightToProtest]RightToProtest[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Biodiversity]Biodiversity[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WeAreTotallyFscked]WeAreTotallyFscked[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Misanthropy]Misanthropy[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Karma]Karma[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NativeForests]NativeForests[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=StopLoggingNativeForests]StopLoggingNativeForests[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FsckCapitalism]FsckCapitalism[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=CognitiveDissonance]CognitiveDissonance[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=fuckfossilfools]fuckfossilfools[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqs2pdtzk0fjlm54v0rrjtxemt975huvtyszyr3kn229q6v9z73hq7czyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6qtswtx

2026-06-18T01:24:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…89ja
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97utdt1v2v]Ada[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97uhlgekun]Kaity A[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/a9xn15wel5d70207]Droppie[/url] oh geez, it seems there is / has been a catastrophe!
[url=https://pen.blahaj.zone/supakaity/weve-been-hacked]https://pen.blahaj.zone/supakaity/weve-been-hacked[/url]

much in that blog is above my head, so atm i dunno if my account still exists, &/or if it is safe to use. the site remains down for me.
[share author='supakaity' profile='https://pen.blahaj.zone/api/collections/supakaity'; avatar=' ; link='https://pen.blahaj.zone/supakaity/weve-been-hacked'; posted='2026-06-17 11:41:49' guid='25d5c6a0-67377c3f16dad15d-190c549b' message_id='https://pen.blahaj.zone/api/posts/n95nu7ti56';][h3]We've been hacked[/h3]
So we have some bad news. Some news I had hoped we’d never have to tell you.

Unfortunately the blahaj zone instances have been hacked.

I want to be brutally honest with you and not hide anything, so you know what’s going on, so that we can impart some knowledge to other admins out there, and so that anyone else in this situation can go and check their servers to make sure that they’re safe. I feel like trying to hide what happened does a disservice to the wider community in many ways and as an employee of other companies I’ve been frustrated when told to hush it up for exactly these reasons. We should treat this as a learning and teaching opportunity, and sure it sucks, but the users deserve to know exactly what their exposure is too.

Let me lay out from what I suspect and what I have gathered the timeline and path of attack was.

Our Peertube instance had come under attackvia a SQL injection vulnerability in peertube versions prior to 8.1.6. This vulnerability was disclosed and patched in PeerTube 8.1.6 on 20th of May, but not until the exploit was live in the wild, and hit many peertube instances. The attacker installed a plugin called peertube-plugin-google-analytics-js, which we discovered and removed. We upgraded to 8.1.6 which fixed the security hole, and then to 8.1.8 which cleaned up an exploit path. Our peertube instance runs in docker, we don’t require email addresses or real names from users when they sign up, and no account information was accessed. We thought that was the end of it. It seems however that the attacker also minted themselves a root OAuth token, and kept it without revealing it.

For the next 20 days, nothing obvious happened, they’d gotten a foothold but done nothing but plan and wait.

Forensically, the earliest found evidence of them testing the waters was on 11 June at 17:03 UTC they used Postgres's archive_command to write a marker file: [code]id &gt; /tmp/cve20253_pwned.txt[/code] – This was the first sign I could find of them probing.

I suspect that in the intervening days before this they were probing to see how they can get more access to the server. The way I [em]THINK[/em] (but cannot confirm) they did this it via Postgres pg[em]crypto CVE-2026-2005, which can allow someone who has QUERY access to the server to exploit their way from an unprivileged peertube only user to the postgres superuser via a buffer overflow. We did not have pg[/em]crypto installed in the peertube database, but I overlooked that someone could connect to the main postgres database if they say had a nodejs plugin running.

Then on the 15 June at 12:17:46 UTC they began their real attack. They first dropped a script at [code]/data/pgsql/ukabegesay[/code] (a folder writeable by their postgres user) which called out to [code]217.60.195.71:9001[/code] to give them remote shell access to the server.

Then they transfered a file to [code]/tmp/exp[/code] which was linux kernel CVE-2026-43500, nicknamed ‘Dirty Frag’, an RxRPC local privilege escalation. I had not patched these internal servers that nobody should have access to against this. Rebooting DB servers causes downtime, and in my hubris – I thought nobody should (nay COULD) be on my servers except me, right? I was running linux kernel 6.8.0-60 which was patched against Dirty Frag in 6.8.0-124 earlier in May.

They had 44 minutes of fun rifling around my server. I can see they looked at a bunch of different files through my system through the command history. Who knows what else they did or touched on that server. Then my drive filled up several hundred gigs of WAL logs (because they modified the archive command and forgot to undo it, the backups weren't happening and the WAL files that should have been getting backed up and cleaned out weren't).

It was at this point that I started to try to login to my server, and found I couldn't because my ssh authorised_keys file had been overwritten, and the other servers in the cluster had a rogue atchive command causing the drives to fill, and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was not going to be a fun few days for me.

Because once a server is compromised, you can't trust it anymore. It's scorched earth. Wipe the machines, change passwords, access keys, copy and sanitise the data, rotate secrets, basically set anything they touched or had access to up from scratch again. Doing this while juggling around almost a terabyte of data from host to host, running forensics, collecting evidence, figuring out the jigsaw puzzle, working out what they could have had access to, running worst case scenarios.

So what do you need to know as a user? I'm sure you've been through hacks before and so all the “change your password, be careful of people trying to scam you” advice applies here. But what about us specifically?

Well we operate a no-email-address needed policy where we can, so if you either used throw-aways or opted to not supply an email at all, they didn't get any of that information. Passwords are encrypted in the database, so if you had a reasonably complex, unguessable or random password that's never been compromised before, likely you're safe, although you should change it regardless. Any personal information you provided (Real names, emails, dates, information) is possibly in the hacker's possession. You should assume that 2FA (TOTP) is likely compromised, and you should reenroll if you were using it, though without access to valid passwords, there is little the attacker can do with the 2FA codes. In theory, the attacker could also have accessed DMs and private posts on Sharkey. In theory, matrix/synapse data may also have been made available to the attacker, but this would only consist of non encrypted content, and encrypted content would remain out of their reach.

We'll do our best to cancel any tokens and login sessions, so you'll have to login on every device again on all of our services. We are also rotating activity key pairs on all of our services to avoid the possibility of impersonation attacks. Rotating these keys is a manual process though, so our instances will slowly start to come back online one at a time, once we have had the chance to secure them.[/share]
nostr:note1dzv8ram0kpk27pr0l5g2hgyhh8pmyapsaglmz8tpg4f4xmf3c9zs9swsgy

Nostr event nevent1qqsv0wy9fcfdklaxghdq90emn8zkva7fxdpqrxx9xhjxy677pqfw5gqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l60zpdsv

2026-06-18T00:04:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…9sdu
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97utdt1v2v]Ada[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97uhlgekun]Kaity A[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/a9xn15wel5d70207]Droppie[/url] fwiw, status of #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=blahajzone]blahajzone[/url] unfortunately is [i]still[/i] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=blahajzonedown]blahajzonedown[/url] [i]alas[/i]. poor ada & kaity, they must be having a really rotten time of it, poor things 🥺️🤗️

Nostr event nevent1qqstzr7fnftshqdgqhj72grcgdfhv3c5er24hrd2jwx0e0mmyh7py5szyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6clr7xf

2026-06-17T06:27:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…20zp
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] didn't watch/listen, simply couldn't. why does she hate me & mine so much? rhetorical question btw. knowing there's this growing cohort of strayans who feel this way is just so catastrophic to any sense of mental health for me. that's how dangerous i am, so dangerous & evil that i cower in fear at home, erasing myself from society, from which month by month i feel an ever widening gap. it's so horrible.

Nostr event nevent1qqsfsn4nss7wsean5qq9z9v44cj045gl3zg3jsayfullllr3e25y3vszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6jw3e4e

2026-06-17T06:21:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…t0vy
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] are they equipped with mobile charging points? @[url=https://aus.social/users/treleanor]Trish Roberts[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsyuxxhwm422jdy03d50w6z2rjde97fql3xaprewxh6mx7zc3f94aszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6ncfh85

2026-06-17T06:19:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…wycr
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] [i]me[/i], "lots"! how very dare yous! the [i]real[/i] mystery is how on earth all you normies get by with a measly [i]one[/i]... 🤷‍♀️️🤪️

no, atm my hope is simply to keep using this [i]standby[/i] account until #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=blahajzone]blahajzone[/url] comes back up. ofc, if that were to not happen, then i'd have to reassess; a scenario i hope won't arise 🤞️

@[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97utdt1v2v]Ada[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97uhlgekun]Kaity A[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/a9xn15wel5d70207]Droppie[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsryzay0g3gcm33cqd0r3pjqnw8c848269nnpx054ypk4fwy6ke99qzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6znyq2c

2026-06-17T05:19:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…9sdu
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97utdt1v2v]Ada[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97uhlgekun]Kaity A[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/a9xn15wel5d70207]Droppie[/url] oh just to be clear fwiw, my reply, & this post too, are happening in/with one of my #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=friendica]friendica[/url] accounts, in the temporary unavailability of #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=blahajzone]blahajzone[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsvc0kuf4u6lda7ugmtvnjwpu2gz6ydfdef5ze3n2e0cdle0h80xqgzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6m97evd

2026-06-17T05:09:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…vk83
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/a9xn15wel5d70207]Droppie[/url] hiya Jude, ta for noticing & asking. i [i]have[/i] been quite busy & non-fedi-distracted for long stretches of the last coupla days, but last night's & today's silence is coz of this... which seems to have become a bit of a headache for poor ol' @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97utdt1v2v]Ada[/url] and @[url=https://blahaj.zone/users/97uhlgekun]Kaity A[/url] [good luck & best wishes with the gremlins-stomping, ladies!]:

[url=https://blahaj.zone/]https://blahaj.zone/[/url]

[quote]We'll be back in a bit!

We're performing database maintenance currently
What are we doing?

We're reorganising storage and reinstalling and upgrading our database servers.
Why are we doing this?

Our database servers are in need of maintenance, and so we're performing OS / DB upgrades and general spring cleaning.
How long will this take?

ETA was originally within 6 hours.
Taking longer than expected 10 hours now.
06:00:00
Contacting us

If you need to you can always contact us, otherwise we'll be back online shortly!

— Ada & Kaity, The Blåhaj Team[/quote]

🤞

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=blahajzone]blahajzone[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=blahajzonedown]blahajzonedown[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsw30fn2kjgzgz2ffdum533w88zep74ym5m08m35wp98dexqgj565qzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6hdljg0

2026-03-07T05:28:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…ma9l
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] is she aware of your suboptimal level of interest in & support for her petri-dish proclivities? @[url=https://aus.social/users/treleanor]Trish Roberts[/url]

good, now BAN the [i]entire[/i] salmon farming industry. ...

2026-03-04T20:59:46Z

good, now BAN the [i]entire[/i] salmon farming industry.

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=biodiversity]biodiversity[/url]
[share author='Unofficial ABC News Bot' profile='https://social.chinwag.org/users/abc_bot'; avatar=' ; link='https://social.chinwag.org/@abc_bot/116172647500752194'; posted='2026-03-04 19:52:03' guid='f893b5eb-c8c477874cc1ec17-a5899923' message_id='https://social.chinwag.org/users/abc_bot/statuses/116172647500752194';]Breaking: Antibiotic licence for salmon farming revoked over 'unacceptable risk' [url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-05/tasmania-salmon-florfenicol-antibiotics-licence-revoked/106404606]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-05/tasmania-salmon-florfenicol-antibiotics-licence-revoked/106404606[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=FishingandAquacultureIndustry]FishingandAquacultureIndustry[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=EnvironmentalManagement]EnvironmentalManagement[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VeterinaryMedicine]VeterinaryMedicine[/url][/share]

Nostr event nevent1qqsvr5vpmupzzj7qgljssn3rs655a56w9h4958j92nww0s3x6zjjfaqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6alvgfa

2026-03-04T11:49:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…jnut
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] but he makes you feel like dancing, dancing the night away... shirley!

@[url=https://aus.social/users/cheryanne]Chery (Great Australian ...

2026-03-04T10:54:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…0frf
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/cheryanne]Chery (Great Australian Pods)[/url] @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] oh noes!i am now embarrassed & humiliated beyond all recovery... i accidentally used a merkanism!!!! 😱🤢🤮😱

there's really no coming back from this.

might as well proclaim my love for jeebus then invade some country now, damnit.

hope i can do it without needing to open the front door...

Nostr event nevent1qqswathzj0v3eln5hm5cu9nmtawpnttdmjccyj69m0m5xmtagt93llqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l605esnh

2026-03-04T06:42:32Z

[url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-04/dennis-cometti-obituary-afl-commentary-icon/106415194]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-04/dennis-cometti-obituary-afl-commentary-icon/106415194[/url]
[quote]When Dennis Cometti spoke, Australia listened[/quote]
bloody hell then he must have whispered a lot... who the hell was he? wotta stupid claim.
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-04/dennis-cometti-obituary-afl-commentary-icon/106415194'; title='When Dennis Cometti spoke, Australia listened' publisher_name='ABC News' publisher_url='https://www.abc.net.au/'; publisher_img='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/7ee6f190de6d7dbb04203e514bfae9ec?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=700&cropW=700&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=862&imformat=generic'; author_name='Russell Jackson' author_url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/russell-jackson/12422852'; image='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/8cdab681fcd323f19b117ef5816568b3?impolicy=wcms_watermark_news&cropH=2057&cropW=3657&xPos=0&yPos=227&width=862&height=485&imformat=generic';]Dennis Cometti was known to viewers as a wordsmith who made rattled off rejoinders with ease, but behind the scenes he worked harder than anyone to carve out a place in Australia's sporting landscape.[/attachment]

@[url=https://mymasto.com/users/VWDasher]Frank[/url] i lasted 24 ...

2026-03-04T06:31:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…047z
_________________________

@[url=https://mymasto.com/users/VWDasher]Frank[/url] i lasted 24 seconds

Nostr event nevent1qqs98zyz2m08rczg0puxcclzxan7sxlpl57pjkuxu3wxnw7a3s7e29gzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6sxdhcs

2026-03-04T06:13:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…pf8e
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] am now contemplating whether sticks or boonies are more remote.

poor old black stump left in dust, looking askance.

Nostr event nevent1qqs92dge9phckaqn6qy5cslkfntzs74z8y2zsecy8q57d5866efe7vqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l66wrm4f

2026-03-04T05:57:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…90pt
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] i sure wish i was rich & fancy enough to employ me very own dunny flusher. tis so tedious having to do it meself. then there's the pure tedium of having to shovel up all the night-dirt each morn. must be lubbly to be so well orf...

question: why do some strayans say [quote]butt[/quote] instead of ...

2026-03-04T04:09:56Z

question:

why do some strayans say

[quote]butt[/quote]

instead of

[quote]bum[/quote]

?

why the contemporary merkan mangling here?

in olden decades, before the toxin of merkan cultural imperialism had fully poisoned straya, nobody said "butt" here except ironically, but even then, still very rarely. it was [i]bums[/i] & [i]arses[/i] all the way. why have so many since, succumbed to the toxin? i mean, [i]fair dinkium! [/i]

🤔🤷‍♀️

the ghastliness of merkan & israeli war crimes in action atm ...

2026-03-03T08:16:51Z

the ghastliness of merkan & israeli war crimes in action atm is ofc appalling, but one detail kinda intrigues me. both countries pride themselves, & boast, about their amazeballs military intelligence [still always a deadset oxymoron imo], & their arsenals of murder-weapons. why then are they so incompetent that when they initiated this latest unnecessary war, they didn't take out all the iranian missile batteries, not just the political HQ? now all the consequent regional destruction is happening due to this incompetence. i mean, not only are these creeps utter fuckheads, but bloody incompetent with it.

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=iran]iran[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=israel]israel[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=merka]merka[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=fascism]fascism[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=warcrimes]warcrimes[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqstf3x3c0w0dpgpwcgjz8nv3w8p6y4yyh5gplr9gd9dgwwrhasvg3qzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l675uges

2026-03-03T06:31:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…nz86
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] compensate by cranking Bonnie up to 11 on the stereo...

Nostr event nevent1qqsdkv906fckyrt5mzjrhpwt8kv7sk9jrzd078nsxkrnhe9swyv8gkqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6ymrvyk

2026-03-03T05:48:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…sqx9
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] nah, not upwardly mobile like you! wet paper bag gud enuff for me da, & me da's da, & me... @[url=https://gives.hugz.online/users/MelissaBearTrix]Melissa BearTrix[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqs9yasnuhprt8kafwu4swyx55tn4segn2t68uvvvf4r9euafs4agsgzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6d94luy

2026-03-03T05:41:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…2kdz
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] sorry for my misspelling. i posted in haste, without sufficient time for all the requisite eees. banishing myself now to a wet paper bag. @[url=https://gives.hugz.online/users/MelissaBearTrix]Melissa BearTrix[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsre9wxr42radrfxqnuz76s909wuhcxtsz07gwkxz6hskq8d3tydjczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l60rp996

2026-03-03T04:42:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…xf2u
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://gives.hugz.online/users/MelissaBearTrix]Melissa BearTrix[/url] ack!
[quote]double garage[/quote]
lookshurry, we used to...

@[url=https://aus.social/users/mativity]rusty[/url] given labor ...

2026-03-03T01:08:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…3vsp
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/mativity]rusty[/url] given labor has been pathetic since the 80s, when i stopped voting for them & began voting greens state & federal ever since, i am in no way now surprised. my actual surprise though is that apparently so many labor voters now seem surprised. @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqspyxlh8g0nrhnj5ntd50hm3pw9u0zmvgwn5v6jqnfwgsk0ag2g3sgzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6pjw5hj

2026-03-03T00:20:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…gc42
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] energiser bunnies don't run on whisky n green tea alone, y'know!

Nostr event nevent1qqswxtqkawa05p6kjumltakpx9xjha4v5jywnapa7uwgkgqrhk366lgzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6ruvxvu

2026-03-02T23:51:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…qg20
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] [i]emergency, emergency, someone place an emergency order for new c-cells. emergency! [/i]

oh this excoriation is so very good! ...

2026-03-02T04:27:51Z

oh this excoriation is so very good!

[url=https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/03/louise-adler-sets-the-record-straight-on-adelaide-writers-week/]https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/03/louise-adler-sets-the-record-straight-on-adelaide-writers-week/[/url]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AWW]AWW[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=LouiseAdler]LouiseAdler[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=censorship]censorship[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=zionism]zionism[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=saPol]saPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=genocide]genocide[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=IsraelLobby]IsraelLobby[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/03/louise-adler-sets-the-record-straight-on-adelaide-writers-week/'; title='Louise Adler sets the record straight on Adelaide Writers' Week' publisher_name='Pearls and Irritations' image='https://johnmenadue.com/images/vintage-typewriter-letters.-Journalism-print-media-news-and-writing-concept.jpg';]The Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) debacle might have served as a “life lesson” to politicians and lobbyists about the risks involved in interfering with the independence of arts organisations.[/attachment]

Nostr event nevent1qqsxjur43qflkmq5d0tnpgxkxekgx9kva8c0k8rpyyy4s8urvcgf7vqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l62czfuf

2026-03-02T00:01:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…m75e
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] Pakkidge -- oh brutus, et tu? 🥺
😜

shame shame shame on you, penny wong. for more years than i can ...

2026-03-01T08:08:36Z

Nostr event nevent1qqswvhkvxxa53eycqqn4naz6tlx2egehm0zax3dycxyllh9hyag5sxgzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6xv6z3l

2026-03-01T03:45:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…7mnv
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/RaymondPierreL3]RaymondPierreL3[/url]
[quote]Shame on msm for giving him airtime[/quote]
they don't "only" give him oxygen, they actually lionise him, with admiring characterisations like "strong performer", "cuts thru", "tenacious warrior" etc... tis so nauseating.

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]

spain has a pm of principle ...whereas... straya has elbow ...

2026-03-01T00:16:45Z

it seems impossible, yet day after day, week after week, the ...

2026-02-28T21:30:49Z

it seems impossible, yet day after day, week after week, the amount of visceral disgust at the colour orange just keeps growing & growing & growing. never before has a colour triggered such revulsion. i truly wish this colour would be summarily excised from the palette.

😡🖕 🤢🤮

Nostr event nevent1qqsvfaada6vl2ystl39thc2crs242pgd2hchznphx427gxfawgm8vuqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6c62yx9

2026-02-28T12:16:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…0832
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] wot's with all that damn knees bent running around, sillyperson, shenanigans, anyway?

Nostr event nevent1qqswclwwcjkfwsp9rs37nkt5fkst2jjkkhsn9je8ymu9659axx7qetszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6wdjklg

2026-02-28T12:11:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…9eyg
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] [i]i told them we've already got one[/i]

Nostr event nevent1qqsxgjfc2gyfdcrekxzfgqp2vdldsuxut09263xmtpkuqwahf506wfszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6wr50uh

2026-02-28T06:22:26Z

@[url=https://sfba.social/users/CaraBruar]Cara Bruar[/url] fyi: ...

2026-02-28T06:11:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…pz7y
_________________________

@[url=https://sfba.social/users/CaraBruar]Cara Bruar[/url] fyi: [url=https://thepoint.com.au/news/260227-failure-to-tax-wealth-will-fuel-far-right-surge-warns-gary-stevenson]https://thepoint.com.au/news/260227-failure-to-tax-wealth-will-fuel-far-right-surge-warns-gary-stevenson[/url]

[quote]Failure to tax extreme wealth will fuel far-right surge, warns Gary Stevenson

British economist Gary Stevenson, known as 'the People's Economist' has delivered blunt advice to Australian politicians during his tour of Australia, warning that living standards will continue to deteriorate unless they start taxing the “super-rich elite.”[/quote]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=whythefuckislabor]whythefuckislabor[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsfwpw7y78yxt3ll2tfwgs568vnvfplh34cp9vtwhgxe6xxtw6k3pqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l657wk30

2026-02-28T04:29:39Z

[url=https://michaelwest.com.au/chris-minns-stormtroopers-guns-for-graffiti-silence-for-the-dead/]https://michaelwest.com.au/chris-minns-stormtroopers-guns-for-graffiti-silence-for-the-dead/[/url]

💯✅👍

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=nswpol]nswpol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=fascism]fascism[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=skyfairydelusionalism]skyfairydelusionalism[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=RightToProtest]RightToProtest[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://michaelwest.com.au/chris-minns-stormtroopers-guns-for-graffiti-silence-for-the-dead/'; title='Chris Minns' stormtroopers. Guns for graffiti, silence for the dead - Michael West' publisher_name='Michael West' publisher_url='https://michaelwest.com.au/'; author_name='Andrew Brown' author_url='https://www.facebook.com/michaelwest.journo/'; author_img='https://www.michaelwest.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Michael-West-Image-150x150-1.png'; image='https://michaelwest.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Minns-storm-troopers.jpg';]Chris Minns' NSW government is creating a policing unit of around 250 officers, prioritising hate crimes above other violence.[/attachment]

Nostr event nevent1qqsgly2xhulyrwjr0r8a50ccx9px5geudneywxee89ssxk2ewfu46xqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6e8xjn5

2026-02-26T23:50:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…cyad
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] imo that's a cracker of an observation / remark. in bygone years i avidly read &/or listened to her, but that exposure gradually brought me to the same realisation you just summarised, so nowadays it's rare for me to seek her out. sometimes i only end up in one of her columns by accident (these days i largely don't directly read the actual smh, abc, guardian etc homepage sites but instead use an #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=RSS]RSS[/url] feedreader in my browser to fetch articles, & often it's unclear who wrote them (from the RSS summary) til i click the link if i wanna read more, then bam... oh, tis MG, damn. heehee).

MG has covered strayan politics for 5000 years give or take, yet ...

2026-02-26T23:30:08Z

MG has covered strayan politics for 5000 years give or take, yet still makes basic errors like
[quote]Labour's rank-and-file is more radical than the parliamentary party[/quote]
& apparently no sub-editor bothered to notice either.

[url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-27/labor-government-caucus-unity-anthony-albanese-left/106380394]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-27/labor-government-caucus-unity-anthony-albanese-left/106380394[/url]

on the general thrust of her article, i just shake my head in despair & ask again, #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=whythefuckislabor]whythefuckislabor[/url] ?

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WriteGooder]WriteGooder[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=abc]abc[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=labor]labor[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-27/labor-government-caucus-unity-anthony-albanese-left/106380394'; title='Albanese's caucus unity comes at a price' publisher_name='ABC News' publisher_url='https://www.abc.net.au/'; publisher_img='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/7ee6f190de6d7dbb04203e514bfae9ec?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=700&cropW=700&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=862&imformat=generic'; author_name='Michelle Grattan' author_url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/michelle-grattan/6531568'; image='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/c9216f89624dea9f05dfaaba625a584b?impolicy=wcms_watermark_news&cropH=1551&cropW=2757&xPos=0&yPos=145&width=862&height=485&imformat=generic';]Behind the scenes, the troops are carefully managed. Opinions are expressed at factional meetings and the prime minister meets with the factional conveners. [/attachment]

Nostr event nevent1qqs8he7usvdx7e8dtr2nskg7jeq8j5zay439qmenp8svn2mcf604n6szyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6ta93g8

2026-02-26T02:27:54Z

[url=https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/when-albanese-called-grace-tame-difficult-he-said-more-than-he-intended/]https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/when-albanese-called-grace-tame-difficult-he-said-more-than-he-intended/[/url]

are we destined always for lamentable cringeworthy craven PMs?

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WhyTheFuckIsLabor]WhyTheFuckIsLabor[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=GraceTame]GraceTame[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WomensRights]WomensRights[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WomensSafety]WomensSafety[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/when-albanese-called-grace-tame-difficult-he-said-more-than-he-intended/'; title='When Albanese called Grace Tame “difficult,” he said more than he intended' publisher_name='Women's Agenda' publisher_url='https://womensagenda.com.au/'; author_name='Tarla Lambert-Patel' author_url='https://womensagenda.com.au/author/tlambert/'; author_img='https://womensagenda.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/avatar_user_2209_1739149149-96x96.jpeg'; image='https://womensagenda.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Grace_tame.png';]When Albanese opted for “difficult” as a descriptor for Grace Tame during a light-hearted word-association game, it was hard to stomach.[/attachment]

omz, erica betz back in the news, & so now i feel queasy, ...

2026-02-26T00:32:36Z

omz, erica betz back in the news, & so now i feel queasy, ugh.

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=taspol]taspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=fuckhead]fuckhead[/url]
[share author='Unofficial ABC News Bot' profile='https://social.chinwag.org/users/abc_bot'; avatar=' ; link='https://social.chinwag.org/@abc_bot/116133075628057959'; posted='2026-02-25 20:08:24' guid='f893b5eb-147295879c74c2ff-e04e118d' message_id='https://social.chinwag.org/users/abc_bot/statuses/116133075628057959';]Abetz to consider slashing high-earner public servant retirement payments [url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-26/tasmanian-government-considers-superannuation-liabilities-cut/106386722]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-26/tasmanian-government-considers-superannuation-liabilities-cut/106386722[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Business]Business[/url],EconomicsandFinance #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=StateandTerritoryGovernment]StateandTerritoryGovernment[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Superannuation]Superannuation[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Budget]Budget[/url][/share]

Nostr event nevent1qqstxlumdpx0tc9cq6ccwlsq88zpq2ll7jsusjsm6vdpy7s35c58kcqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6e3r7r6

2026-02-24T21:35:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…k9xy
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] ???

Nostr event nevent1qqsrkhmdtjvfwpnuj6qysm452k2njvld0885wchmpy7yadd079ha76gzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6ecfuey

2026-02-24T00:28:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…daxd
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] it shall be an onerous task best left to others, as i am far too delicate n discreet, to reflect upon the fact that mention of [i]fuckheads[/i] immediately reminded you of poor downtrodden [i]Herve[/i] 🤷‍♀️🤭😇

@[url=https://social.chinwag.org/users/abc_bot]Unofficial ABC News Bot[/url] @[url=https://im-in.space/users/captainb]Hervé 🇵🇸[/url]
😜

[i]ipso facto[/i], liebs are fuckheads, have long been fuckheads, ...

2026-02-23T22:18:39Z

Nostr event nevent1qqs9s0dck57zmx2jjeg0vajhcxp4x4d3xjv2fmy57wp7mfeja45un3qzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6w6pf26

2026-02-23T11:53:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…mlnv
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/luciedigitalni]lucie digitální[/url] back in the day [i]passiona[/i] was ok but for me the real deal was [i]sarsaparilla[/i]. loved it. i very rarely met anyone else who also liked it. prolly made me the woman i am today.

Nostr event nevent1qqsz99e4tlfu4xvkdmjcc2utn8yuu9fw4mq0n2ktyczrx0kt07qgpsczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6d4v23t

2026-02-23T00:04:18Z

early morn on abc radio national [ul] [li]0550, last 10' of ...

2026-02-22T21:34:54Z

early morn on abc radio national
[ul]
[li]0550, last 10' of 30' report by sam hawley on gen ai, interviewing some fool that's conned his way into professorship at melb uni, [i]rah rah rahing[/i] this arrant bullshit[/li]
[li]0600 news bulletin, item one; [i]"the coalition says..."[/i][/li]
[li]0610, brekkie, item one; [i]"the coalition says..."[/i][/li]
[/ul]
accordingly, at 0610+5seconds, i banged the clock radio orf, pithily summarised the situation via an explosively ejaculated [i]"oh fuck me dead"[/i], rolled over, & dozed a little more.

that'd be coz... they're strayan citizens, wouldn't ...

2026-02-22T06:47:06Z

this seems like a brilliantly worthy project, about which i now ...

2026-02-22T01:21:52Z

this seems like a brilliantly worthy project, about which i now feel so sad, knowing it's only a matter of time before elbow, muzza, & madking decide to approve a dirty great fracking project in the middle of the bridge...

[url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-22/cawleys-bridge-wildlife-crossing-retrofit/106365756]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-22/cawleys-bridge-wildlife-crossing-retrofit/106365756[/url]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WhyTheFuckIsLabor]WhyTheFuckIsLabor[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=BiodiversityCrisis]BiodiversityCrisis[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-22/cawleys-bridge-wildlife-crossing-retrofit/106365756'; title='Wildlife corridor to span busy motorway in landmark project' publisher_name='ABC News' publisher_url='https://www.abc.net.au/'; publisher_img='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/7ee6f190de6d7dbb04203e514bfae9ec?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=700&cropW=700&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=862&imformat=generic'; author_name='Kelly Fuller' author_url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/kelly-fuller/9938892'; image='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/c9fbc0976e7573a4d942b38e1088c5c1?impolicy=wcms_watermark_news&cropH=1080&cropW=1920&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=485&imformat=generic';]A forgotten bridge over one of the busiest commuter routes in NSW is being reborn as a safe crossing for wildlife. [/attachment]

Nostr event nevent1qqs99dd0hr2h2hjsfkzlr3x2znu7qz3xkxp7jkvqdtxm8z4huglfefszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6uapxec

2026-02-22T00:07:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…p6ja
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] oh! still with john polson?

Nostr event nevent1qqs2tpztwpp08jnxfsztzvjjgwf7nxur7u0hkzhr5ur40at09ncmhqqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6p4n7pw

2026-02-21T22:38:01Z

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=TIL]TIL[/url] that the pommie actor #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=MichaelYork]MichaelYork[/url]... is still alive. who knew! 😲 🤯

Nostr event nevent1qqspg4f5xddkkvd0p45dww65zd7k9f4q8u5cq4n75s986wh64elwp2czyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6jnm3lf

2026-02-21T07:52:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…wrj2
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://aus.social/users/treleanor]Trish Roberts[/url] @[url=https://bne.social/users/caity]Wonderdog 🏳️‍🌈[/url] i had to look it up. numerous links characterise it as being deeply pejorative, offensive, disrespectful etc. now i dunno what to think, but doubt i shall adopt the term. fwiw. 🤔🤷‍♀️

Nostr event nevent1qqsrrddg60mkgzmuxdyp5rjj46rs07r43jnt8vdwm27lp829hphudjgzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6w8w73w

2026-02-21T06:37:37Z

[url=https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2026/02/21/why-teals-party-bad-idea]https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2026/02/21/why-teals-party-bad-idea[/url]

[quote]As a former political staffer and an economist, there are two questions I hear a lot. One is, why do governments give so much of our gas away free? The other is, should the “teals” form a political party? The second is simple: no, it’s a terrible idea. The first answer takes a bit longer. The two questions are, however, inextricably linked.

To start with the idea of a new political party: this is the last thing Australia needs, whatever its branding or positioning. I don’t hate political parties, some of my closest friends are members of them and I’ve worked for a few. Millions of voters think the Labor, Liberal and Greens parties are doing a good job. Nor do I think independents are inherently better people, with better ideas, than those working inside a political party.

What makes independents stand out, though, is they are allowed always to say what they think is right, and vote for what they think is right, without seeking consensus with dozens of people with whom they share an affiliation, but often not much else.

The strength of my opinion about creating a new “independent” or “centre right” party isn’t based on philosophy or ideology. It’s based on where voters, the media and the remnants of recently formed political parties can now be found.

The graveyard of modern political history is full of new parties that promised to do things differently. Just think of the Australian Democrats, Palmer United Party, the Jacqui Lambie Network, the Nick Xenophon Team, Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives and Gerard Rennick’s People First? While the individuals involved were largely successful in winning initial voter support, they quickly found that setting up a party structure, pulling a team together, and holding their tongues to maintain it, required an entirely different skill set to that of speaking truth to power.

To be clear, the community independents known as “teals” don’t embrace that collective term – it was popularised by the media. Though many of them have shared supporters from campaigns funded by the Climate 200 action group, all have denied coordinating on political issues. And while most of them have rejected the idea of forming a party, others have done little to scuttle speculation.

The prospect of a “teals” party is compelling to many of those voters who decided long ago that Labor and the Greens weren’t for them, and who now realise that the moderate Liberals are extinct. If you have always thought that parties were a good idea, it is obviously frustrating to dislike all of the ones on offer.

A number of likely insurmountable challenges would face these independents should they join forces in a party. First, would MPs or members choose the leader? If the MPs disagreed on policy issues, would they all have a free vote on every issue or would they be required to keep their opinions to themselves and cobble together a compromise?

This could become seriously problematic. Say there were five members of a “teals” party in the lower house, and one in the Senate with the balance of power. What would happen if the senator voted to pass a law that their lower house colleagues all opposed? How would a supporter who had voted for the party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate feel about that? What would the party leader say about it? While such a contradictory approach to policy might reflect the sincerely held views of each of the “independents” involved, voters are unlikely to reward chaos.

I don’t think party members who do the work to find common ground with their colleagues are lacking in either conviction or ideas. But one of the biggest structural problems with Australian politics is how much compromising there is, and how few people in parliament are always free to tell voters exactly what they think. While the party voting blocs can obviously be powerful when it comes to making laws, more voices rather than more blocs would improve our democratic debate. For example, the brutal reality of the binding caucus meant Labor Senator Penny Wong had to oppose same-sex marriage for years before she was allowed to support it. Such iron discipline is eroding many people’s confidence in parties, and indeed in democracy.

The second challenge is the media. As their business model crumbles, they have less money to spend on journalism that gets to the bottom of things and more incentive to shock people into clicking on stories than to describe the nuance of a new policy. The sad reality is that the cheapest political clickbait is “sources say two MPs in the same political party disagree with each other”. Unfortunately, while disagreement between members of the same party is both inevitable and desirable, party politicians have learnt to keep their real thoughts to themselves while waiting for the talking points from their leader’s office.

A “teals” party couldn’t escape the daily scrutiny of any potentially conflicting statements among its members.

At the moment, no one cares if an independent from Western Australia has a different opinion to a New South Wales independent on the best way to carve up Commonwealth funding for the states. Were they to form a party, however, all such issues would need to be resolved through compromise.

The third reason why an “independent party” is a contradiction in terms comes down to voters. The stunning growth in the number of independents being elected to the federal parliament shows more people want more MPs who can always speak their mind.

Today, there are more independent local members in Australia’s parliament than there are in the legislatures of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and New Zealand.

Independents are popular at the moment, and parties are not, and popularity is important in a democracy.

One of the newly elected independents, Nicolette Boele, fell short of winning a seat in 2022, but after three years of talking to her community, she snatched the seat of Bradfield from the Liberals for the first time. There are now 10 community independent candidates who are closer to victory, judging by the 2025 election results, than Boele was after her first try.

They have the wind behind them. Thanks to the rise of independent candidates, there is no such thing as a safe seat anymore. Labor’s David Smith in the ACT seat of Bean saw his margin fall from 25,400 votes to just 700 as Jessie Price ran a campaign based on climate change and accountability. It’s unlikely that the Albanese government’s decision to approve the enormous North West Shelf gas project straight after the 2025 election has harmed Price’s chances in two years’ time.

Likewise in the seat of Fremantle, what was also once considered a safe Labor seat is now held by a margin of just 1400 votes. Labor MP Josh Wilson will need to convince his voters that his decision to support new gas and coalmines was in the best interests of his electorate, the state and the climate. Good luck with that.

On current trajectories, progressive independents are set to win a record haul in 2028. Indeed, independent Michelle Milthorpe is already a good chance of winning Sussan Ley’s once-safe seat of Farrer in the byelection forced by the former Liberal leader’s departure from politics.

Would each of the independent candidates in Farrer, Bean and Fremantle find it easier to offer their electorates something different if they were the preselected candidates of another new political party?

Back to logistics, who would be responsible for vetting and preselecting all the local candidates for a “teals” party? The leader, a handful of incumbent MPs, or some local members who put their hands up first? At the moment the success of the independent movement is based firmly on the candidates’ ability to get a community behind them. In most political parties the main challenge is to convince those already in parliament that you are no threat to them.

Political parties can and do play an important role in democracy. They each offer a bundle of policies and values to voters before an election and their MPs vote together to achieve those goals after an election. These bundles help some voters decide who to vote for based on “brand values”, rather than scrutinising the individual priorities of their local candidate. For some voters, it is appealing to know that their local MP won’t be allowed to speak out. But a growing number of voters want honesty and sincerity over certainty and uniformity. Independents who have succeeded by offering something different need to think very carefully about the consequences of offering similar things to everyone else.

Back to the most frequently asked question: why do we give so much of our gas away free? The answer is convoluted and revolves around the fact that many Labor and backbench Liberal MPs would love to tell their voters they think it’s crazy too, and that they will do something about it. They aren’t allowed to say that, however, until their whole party can agree on how much tax the gas industry should pay and what the money should be spent on. And the fossil fuel sector spends a fortune on lobbying to ensure that no consensus emerges because every day that MPs can’t figure out what they can all agree on is another very profitable day for the gas industry.

Australia needs more voices speaking clearly on behalf of more communities. Independents aren’t perfect and they aren’t for everyone, but they play an important role. It would be a pity to lose the diversity they are now starting to offer – but I suspect the major parties and the fossil fuel industry would love that.[/quote]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WhyTheFuckIsLabor]WhyTheFuckIsLabor[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HahahahaLiebs]HahahahaLiebs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NatsAreNuts]NatsAreNuts[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=GreensYEAH]GreensYEAH[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteGreens]VoteGreens[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteProgIndies]VoteProgIndies[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=PHONkedinthehead]PHONkedinthehead[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2026/02/21/why-teals-party-bad-idea'; title='Why a teals party is a bad idea' publisher_name='The Saturday Paper' publisher_url='https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/'; publisher_img='https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/sites/default/files/tsp_masthead_black_smlr.png'; author_name='Richard Denniss' image='https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/sites/default/files/styles/comment/public/teals_richard_denniss.png';]As a former political staffer and an economist, there are two questions I hear a lot. One is, why do governments give so much of our gas away free? The other is, should the “teals” form a political party? The second is simple: no, it’s a terrible ide…[/attachment]

this might be said by some to be trivial, superficial, gauche, ...

2026-02-21T04:24:05Z

this might be said by some to be trivial, superficial, gauche, ecologically dubious, or worse, yet i do hope somehow we never lose such fine spirit of public #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=whimsy]whimsy[/url]!

[url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrx792qk81o]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrx792qk81o[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrx792qk81o'; title='Cootamundra: Welcome to Australia's hottest beach event - nowhere near the sea' publisher_name='BBC News' publisher_img='https://static.files.bbci.co.uk/ws/simorgh-assets/public/news/images/metadata/poster-1024x576.png'; author_name='Lana Lam' image='https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/82c7/live/f14c41f0-0ea7-11f1-801d-ed3cff6bf876.jpg';]Tonnes of sand and flocks of tourists are ferried into Cootamundra for its annual volleyball tournament.[/attachment]

@[url=https://aus.social/users/timrichards]Tim Richards[/url] ...

2026-02-21T04:17:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…2udp
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/timrichards]Tim Richards[/url] aha! not surprised, coz surely the necessarily restricted space must produce very tricky design choices, of varying efficacy... @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsvs55rp4g5sjtsl4478gv9ctrscafrx34e4wsfr68g4p04yrqlzaczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6cpj06h

2026-02-21T04:12:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…ecj7
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] as an aside, on the broader matter of fediverse replies, as someone who uses exclusively a pooter-based browser web-interface for all my fedis, not & never a mobile fedi-app, i sometimes do wonder how easy or not it might be for app-users on small screens to discern how conversations are threaded, part of which being to whom in particular specific replies are directed. with all the real-estate available to me in a web-based interface, it's really easy to tell, but [guessing only, as never seen it] maybe on apps it might be rather more opaque? i dunno, but i do wonder sometimes. @[url=https://aus.social/users/timrichards]Tim Richards[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsp877aamzqewq47xay36gr4pqn868c9nhqft3g24lkjpcwmnua7ggzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6mt5jqe

2026-02-21T04:05:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…m3us
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] yes i know -- my reply was to Tim's post, with you as a CC, fwiw. @[url=https://aus.social/users/timrichards]Tim Richards[/url]

@[url=https://aus.social/users/timrichards]Tim Richards[/url] for ...

2026-02-21T03:57:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…tndk
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/timrichards]Tim Richards[/url] for many vanilla peeps, i understand that prolly makes sense. for members of small cohorts already subject to hate, trolling, propaganda, bigotry, et al, & for which trying to preserve one's already-fraught mental health / safety is important, assessing each & every new follow-request is proactive peace of mind. fwiw. @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]

if there's anything even more vacuous grifting & B-Arkish ...

2026-02-21T01:04:26Z

if there's anything even more vacuous grifting & B-Arkish than royalty/monarchy itself, it's so-called self-appointed "royal watchers" & "royal whisperers". jfc what total wastes of oxygen.

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=fuckallmonarchies]fuckallmonarchies[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=Guillotine]Guillotine[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/royal-editor-unpacks-the-fallout-following-andrews-arrest-20260221-p5o491.html'; title='Royal editor unpacks the fallout following Andrew's arrest' publisher_name='The Sydney Morning Herald' image='https://static.ffx.io/images/w_800%2Ch_450%2Cc_fill%2Cg_auto:faces/q_86%2Cf_auto/449f371cc3e1d59d12b6408cd2d3b1d3d9c14487';]Associate Editor at The Telegraph Camilla Tominey unpacks the fallout following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as the disgraced former prince returns to his home in Sandringham.[/attachment]

@[url=https://theblower.au/users/frogglin]Lyn[/url] it is noice, ...

2026-02-19T23:22:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…rpt4
_________________________

@[url=https://theblower.au/users/frogglin]Lyn[/url] it is noice, innit, finding peeps wot go some way to redeem the otherwise overall fuckheadiness of so much of our species.

@[url=https://theblower.au/users/frogglin]Lyn[/url] oh, is it ...

2026-02-19T23:19:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…tlag
_________________________

@[url=https://theblower.au/users/frogglin]Lyn[/url] oh, is it lunchtime already?

🤪

@[url=https://im-in.space/users/captainb]Hervé 🇵🇸[/url] oh ...

2026-02-12T11:48:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…tfw7
_________________________

@[url=https://im-in.space/users/captainb]Hervé 🇵🇸[/url] oh i'm so relieved to hear from you, as i feared you might have been captured & were now being dismembered inside the van! @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] 😱 🤪

Nostr event nevent1qqsgfh660583hhgyh5uspanm5f42sj5pzqxqntrggkxgyplhcs6pppszyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6dxknxn

2026-02-12T10:52:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…as90
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] @[url=https://im-in.space/users/captainb]Hervé 🇵🇸[/url] 🥺

@[url=https://im-in.space/users/captainb]Hervé 🇵🇸[/url] ...

2026-02-12T09:19:59Z

@[url=https://im-in.space/users/captainb]Hervé 🇵🇸[/url] hello, just wondering if you're doing ok? seems like i've not noticed your activity here for several days 🤞 🤞 🤞

ok, both replies so far implicitly inform me i was too vague in ...

2026-02-12T03:36:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…jk83
_________________________

ok, both replies so far implicitly inform me i was too vague in my OP.

askin was notoriously corrupt, but that's not the angle i meant to channel here.

he was notorious also for telling his car driver to [i]"drive over the bastards"[/i] in response to a demo / protest in sydney at the LBJ visit. ie, he was utterly intolerant of public democratic protest, which in my mind makes minns effectively an ideological bedfellow.

Chris Minns Robert Askin discuss ...

2026-02-12T02:13:24Z

Chris Minns
Robert Askin

discuss

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=nswpol]nswpol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=democracy]democracy[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=RightToProtest]RightToProtest[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqs905r78puck4mkc0nc34wvdalqujrusslrxy7llu4wxhgye56jx8qzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l63khkeh

2026-02-11T23:59:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…5jj5
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]
[quote]while at the same time being subjected – moment by moment – to the most sophisticated #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=propaganda]propaganda[/url] ever developed.”[/quote]
themes like this just constantly test my fooffle-valve. yes there's tonnes of bullshit, lies, propaganda... so what? i still have no trouble knowing facts from lies. all my daily fedi-interlocutors seem similarly to possess this basic capability. so what's the go with all the morons of the world? why are they so credulous & undiscerning? does it actually indicate the power of propaganda, or... might it perchance merely expose [i]latent[/i] rwnj fuckheadedness in most of these peeps?

i just have almost no patience with nor sympathy for fools who allow themselves such beliefs. i'd be ordering lots n lots of wombats...

[i]tirade ends... um, well... pauses[/i]

Nostr event nevent1qqsycnx4ug7js7eq8wqw5uq8njlvffq95pg8gds66y2a0jr32n570hqzyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l689a0fu

2026-02-11T23:49:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…mvzt
_________________________

@[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url] or, you could [b]quote-boost[/b] it, with the tag added yourself. #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=multiskinnablecats]multiskinnablecats[/url] @[url=https://aus.social/users/Tooden]Hugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷[/url]

tim wilson remains an odious smug prick [i]message ends[/i] ...

2026-02-11T08:51:33Z

tim wilson remains an odious smug prick

[i]message ends[/i]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HahahahaLiebs]HahahahaLiebs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NatsAreNuts]NatsAreNuts[/url]

@[url=https://aus.social/users/Devorppa]Devorppa[/url] ha, no in ...

2026-02-11T04:12:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…4dls
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/Devorppa]Devorppa[/url] ha, no in fact it was a ridiculous thing to say, by me, & i'm ashamed that i overlooked the golden opportunity available to us. once you have both of the buggers in the room, hook a pair of jumper-leads up to one, with the other ends connected to the grid. then, let 'em at it! the infinite energy spontaneously released will then feed into the grid, & bob's yer aunty, we have free energy for a millennium! [i]whacko[/i], finally some positive use for elbow! @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]

@[url=https://aus.social/users/Devorppa]Devorppa[/url] this is a ...

2026-02-11T03:59:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…xees
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/Devorppa]Devorppa[/url] this is a good plan, but you simply must make sure the two never touch or even come near each other, lest they both spontaneously cancel each other out in a blinding flash of energy! @[url=https://toot.community/users/sister_ratched]Jude🇵🇸[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsgfzccz7n53hskxq5dmm8q6zm9x8w8yxv2tlz0swcn5sugcqyvacczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l6nvaxz2

2026-02-11T01:09:01Z

[url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/loved-ones-left-behind-after-vad-say-more-support-needed/106273606]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/loved-ones-left-behind-after-vad-say-more-support-needed/106273606[/url]

i aspire to sensitivity here, not just ride roughshod over the grieving "survivors", but nonetheless feel somewhat irritated at the overarching tone of this article.
[quote]his final moments with his partner before voluntary assisted dying (VAD) were peaceful and at times even jovial, knowing that her wishes were being fulfilled.[/quote]
compare that to hitherto "traditional" options, whereby his partner would have been either in excruciating agony, or medicated into comatosity to avoid the former, for days if not weeks before... ergo, no matter how upset he might feel now, the alternative seems infinitely worse. before, he would have "lost" her far earlier, wrt being able to share their love right to the last.
[quote]"It wasn't until I got home and walked into an empty house … that it affected [me] … it was quite daunting, then the realisation came."[/quote]
ofc it is terrible, this is undeniable, as everyone who has lost a loved one, then later returns to the ever-changed home, well knows. however...
[quote]"The VAD team has been out two or three times to see me and just have a bit of talk to me, which has been really good," he said.[/quote]
this is infinitely more than anyone ever got, or gets, after their loved one dies a "non-VAD" way. so sure, ok, a "post-VAD counselling service" might be able to be made better, but my point is, & thus why this article sits badly with me, from the perspective of the survivors, VAD is so much better than the alternatives, & for that reason this article IMO lacks proper perspective & proportion.

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VAD]VAD[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=counselling]counselling[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=grief]grief[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=death]death[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=dying]dying[/url]
[attachment type='link' url='https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/loved-ones-left-behind-after-vad-say-more-support-needed/106273606'; title='Families facing 'daunting' life after voluntary assisted deaths call for more support' publisher_name='ABC News' publisher_url='https://www.abc.net.au/'; publisher_img='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/7ee6f190de6d7dbb04203e514bfae9ec?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=700&cropW=700&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=862&imformat=generic'; author_name='Caroline Perryman' author_url='https://www.abc.net.au/listen/caroline-perryman/8547374'; image='https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/18dee45e5d924cd90a8b47279be4cf4c?impolicy=wcms_watermark_news&cropH=468&cropW=830&xPos=7&yPos=0&width=862&height=485&imformat=generic';]A voluntary assisted dying legislation review considers feedback from families of people who ended their life through the program.[/attachment]

afaict the common folklore is that once upon a time, the young ...

2026-02-10T23:25:13Z

afaict the common folklore is that once upon a time, the young elbow was a firebrand leftie with a passionate eye & heart for fighting injustice.

was that ever [i]actually[/i] true, or just effective PR?

if once upon a time it was true... well, wtf happened?

how to explain this current odious spineless gaslighting genocide-enabler & rwnj-apologist?

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=AusPol]AusPol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=WhyTheFuckIsLabor]WhyTheFuckIsLabor[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=HahahahaLiebs]HahahahaLiebs[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=NatsAreNuts]NatsAreNuts[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=GreensYEAH]GreensYEAH[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteGreens]VoteGreens[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=VoteProgIndies]VoteProgIndies[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=PHONkedinthehead]PHONkedinthehead[/url]

Nostr event nevent1qqsp00r635qkmuqjdvxfsah4r3nh6nwfjjxhzlez2pnnktnqe9hethczyzvauc7gu2gtk25fxpfdyv8v6083xzj6h62a4ygqaet6yr69rr4l62qg3hx

2026-02-10T21:18:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…0aec
_________________________

@[url=https://aus.social/users/CaringKinderSociety]Mazz@1984[/url] fwiw, yesterday:

[abstract]satire | NSW Government Condemns Violent Protesters For Attacking Policemen's Fists With Their Ribs[/abstract]

[quote]The NSW Government and large commercial media organisations have today blasted the 'hordes of violent rioters' who descended on Sydney's CBD last night.

This comes as multiple incidents involving aggressive trouble makers have been shared widely across the internet.

With the violent mob descending on Sydney's CBD to peacefully protest the invitation of a president of a country that definitely hasn't been committing genocide by all objective metrics, clashes broke out between those protesters and police.

However, while footage indicates police lashed out on multiple occasions using a very high level of force against peaceful protesters and dragging individuals out of prayer in an extremely aggressive manner, the government has condemned the protesters.

After weeks of doing everything to stop people protesting as part of their rights as citizens of a democratic country and creating a heated atmosphere between protesters and police, the Government have moved to avoid blame for those events.

"The way that man with his hands raised tried to stand in solidarity with an individual being unreasonably flogged, before violently projecting his ribs at a police officers fists is disgraceful," said Premier Chris Minns today.

"It was a disgraceful act and terrible for social cohesion."

That sentiment has been echoed across Sky News, with some hot take commentators excitedly brainstorming whether they should suggest that police use the ICE method of dealing with protesters.[/quote]

#[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=satire]satire[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=auspol]auspol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=nswpol]nswpol[/url] #[url=https://friendica.opensocial.space/search?tag=acab]acab[/url]