
There is a marked immaturity in the reporting of opinion polls and other political developments in Australia at the moment. I see problems in two main categories.

Kia ora, Budyeri kamaru, bula, Ko na mauri, Håfa ådai, kamauri, selamat datang, Ekamowir omo, Malō, Tālofa, and G’Day!
for all your regional shitposting needs!
The Greens' new weapons manufacturing policy
Click to view this content.
slash c/electoralism
Greens announce a policy to fund weapons manufacturing (drones and missiles) in Australia under a Sovereign Defence Capacity program.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge is brothers with an ASPI analyst.
Australian electoral prospects - Pearls and Irritations
There is a marked immaturity in the reporting of opinion polls and other political developments in Australia at the moment. I see problems in two main categories.
At this point, a minority government looks likely - Pearls and Irritations
With the election still somewhere between eight and 14 weeks away, it is too early to get much of a guide from the opinion polls about the probable outcome – except that a majority Liberal-National Party Government, the result most favoured by those who have already punted their money on the result ...
Fire danger rises as Victorian crews battle three out-of-control blazes
In short:
Firefighters are continuing to battle three main fires across the state at the Grampians National Park, The Gurdies and Bullengarook.
An emergency warning was reinstated for the Grampians fire on Sunday afternoon, while other communities prepare for rising temperatures after days on alert.
What's next?
The fire danger is forecast to increase on Boxing Day.
Police allege the 36-year-old displayed the flag at a rally in Melbourne's CBD in September, breaching anti-hate symbol laws.
In short:
A Melbourne man has been charged with displaying the flag of a terrorist organisation at a rally.
Hezbollah flags were flown at a protest in Melbourne's CBD in September this year.
What's next?
The AFP says investigations continue into 13 other alleged offenders, with further charges expected.
Having a law that allows the right to disconnect is one thing, commitment to that right is another.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra cancels performer's next concert following comments on the killing of journalists in Gaza
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has cancelled the upcoming performance of a classical pianist after he made comments about the killing of journalists during the war in Gaza during a recital on the weekend.
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/3215976
Major Australian nurseries, including retail giant Bunnings, are selling plants listed by governments and their own industry body as invasive weeds.
Thought you might like to know that garden centres regularly sell invasive plants and also plants that just will immediately die when you plant them because they can't live in your area (plants from western Australia that can't live in Queensland, for example)
self regulation
For fucks sake, when has that ever worked?
Just fucking ban them.
What the hell happened to the West? We went from fixing the Ozone by banning CFCs, to not even being able to ban a single plant.
Pathetic.
Get rid of your English ivy and gazinias, people.
Any Hexbears from Aotearoa here? If so, is it okay for white people to wear pounamu/greenstone?
I grew up in NZ and have a pounamu/greenstone toki I inherited from my parents.
I miss New Zealand dearly and want to wear it, but I feel that as a white person whose great grandparents came to new Zealand from Ireland, it would be cultural appropriation?
I'm unsure and haven't lived in New Zealand for over a decade, so I don't know the stance on crackers wearing Maori symbols.
As New Zealand readies itself for AI-assisted medical treatment targeted to individuals, officials need to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks.
Maui and the Sun - Ko Māui me te Rā
Click to view this content.
I remember hearing this story a lot when I was a kid. Maui is so cool.
Big changes are needed to create a consumer-centric National Electricity Market that’s able to manage the rise of rooftop solar.
Genuine reform should include tackling tax concessions on superannuation, capital gains and trusts and redesigning the GST.
The new government recently announced it would dial back use of Māori language in government organisations, and scrap Māori Health Authority
The new government recently announced it would dial back the use of Māori language in government organisations, and scrap anti-smoking legislation and the Māori Health Authority at a time when health issues, including lung cancer, disproportionately impact Māori.
Fucking fascist pigs
The privatisation craze began in earnest in Australia in the early 1990s.
Australia's Medicare was once the envy of the world. Now after years of cuts, it's a shell of its former self. Of course, now we have all sorts of problems happening caused by understaffing and overworking in an underfunded system, but of course, the narrative is "public systems suck" instead of the truth that privatization is the cause. All this to push people onto health insurance and make our healthcare system as bad as America's. Money for rich insurance companies while the rest of us rot. All during a pandemic no less. Sad days.
Bill Shorten joins us on the podcast today to discuss the recent NDIS report and how he sees its path forward in modern Australia.
Labor still leads on two-party preferred, but is feeling the strain as cost of living pressures take hold.
Manufacturers have too much legal freedom to sell products that don’t last or are hard to repair. It’s time local law caught up with global efforts to address this environmental and consumer issue.
While you’d hardly know it from what politicians and commentators have said during the fractious Voice debate – there is a structure in place that could be used in this post-referendum phase
Arsonist who torched Kalgoorlie real estate agency was tenant 'at the end of his tether', court told
A court hears 60-year-old Raymond John O'Brien, a disgruntled tenant, walked into the Kalgoorlie agency last December and told a woman behind the front counter to leave, saying "I'm going to burn this place down".
happening
no but seriously, this guy was fucked over pretty consistently:
The court heard Mr Reid consumed about six bourbons for "Dutch courage" before attending a local service station earlier in the day and filling up the jerry can.
"There was a build up of stress," Mr Reid told the court.
"He had to vacate four rental properties, which were all on short six-month leases, and had to find another house to live each time with a new bond."
...
The court heard O'Brien had no history of mental illness but a psychological assessment found he had a "paranoid personality".Mr Reid said he had attended Kalgoorlie Police Station the Friday before the fire "feeling overwhelmed" and threatening self-harm.
"He was admitted to hospital, he's provided me with the medical band … he want