Australia - you're standing in it
the desperation of labor's policies and actions are mindblowing
they really are setting the country up (and themselves) for a catastrophic failure...
irrepairable damage
we're well into scott morrison government territory now... where the sitting government gets away with all manner of outrageous actions, that may well tickle their ideological proclivities, interests groups, and inherent corruptions, but do nothing to make the place better...
but they get away with it... unscathed... because the opposition is in such a state of irrelevant shambles, they are largely silent, and scared, and thus too impotent to fulfill their role as an effective opposition...
the set up we are blindly rolling into is bloody scary!
and, though many will vehemently disagree, may well be just enough to get that shambles voted in...
'people don't vote government in, they vote governments out'
a wise man often said...
it really is a slow motion train wreck
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/08/australian-manufacturing-is-dyi...
"The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) national accounts showed that Australia’s manufacturing sector comprised a record low share of GDP.
In Q1 2025, manufacturing’s percentage of GDP decreased to 5.1%, down from 8.9% two decades ago and 15% in the mid-1970s.
Australia has the smallest manufacturing share in the OECD, making it one of the least self-sufficient industrialised economies.
There are several factors contributing to Australia’s structural loss in manufacturing.
Tariff cuts in the 1980s and 1990s reduced Australian manufacturing’s competitiveness versus imports, shrinking the sector.
During the 2000s commodity boom, the Australian dollar rose in relation to other currencies, making the local manufacturing sector even less competitive versus imported goods and export markets.
Finally and most importantly, rising energy prices—both electricity and gas—have driven up operating costs, making Australian manufacturing less competitive.
Natural gas input costs used in manufacturing have increased by 186% since 2000, whereas electricity costs used in manufacturing have risen by 181%.
The rise in natural gas costs has been especially brutal since 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Not surprisingly, then, ASIC insolvency data showed that over 1400 manufacturers nationwide have become insolvent since 2022-23.
Among these, Incitec Pivot, a large fertiliser company, closed its Australian operations due to rising energy costs.
Qenos, Australia’s last major plastics facility, closed in 2024 due to high energy prices, leaving the country fully reliant on polymers supplied from China.
Oceania Glass, Australia’s sole architectural glass firm, closed in February 2025 after 169 years of operation due to soaring energy prices and Chinese dumping.
Orica, the world’s largest manufacturer of mining explosives, chemicals, and agricultural fertilisers, and BlueScope Steel have threatened to shrink their Australian operations and relocate to the United States in response to rising energy costs.
The reality is that without affordable and reliable energy, Australia’s manufacturing sector will continue to contract and the nation will deindustrialise.
Sadly, it is inevitable that energy will become more expensive in Australia.
East Coast Australia’s refusal to implement a domestic gas reservation program is a major contributor to rising energy prices.
In 2015, the East Coast began exporting natural gas from Gladstone. Since then, the East Coast has doubled its gas production, yet it has delivered 25% less gas to the domestic market.
As a result, an artificial shortage of gas has emerged, tripling the East Coast gas price to roughly $12 per gigajoule
East Coast Australia now has the highest gas prices of any exporting jurisdiction in the world. These high gas costs have contributed to higher power prices, as gas is a primary marginal price setter in the wholesale market.
The situation will only worsen if the East Coast begins importing gas into New South Wales, Victoria, and potentially South Australia to alleviate artificial domestic shortages.
Once liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports commence, East Coast gas prices will skyrocket to import-parity levels of roughly $20 per gigajoule, driving up electricity prices..."
What do you guys reckon? Is it important to make anything, or is it better to have it delivered to you? - so long as those making and delivering can guarantee to get it to you all the time, on time. It's been so weird watching this country go from being resilient with a cheap cost of living/energy to a cargo cult in my lifetime.
sally mcmanus...
But ACTU secretary Sally McManus told ABC's Insiders it was time to "bite the bullet".
"Otherwise, we're just saying 'too bad young people, you're not going to be able to ever own a home'," she said.
"Since 2019, the problem has just got worse. It's going to continue to get worse unless the government is brave enough to do something about it."
that's about as polite as breaking ranks can possibly be
I really wish she mentioned the 'I' word
but it's a start...
I heard yesterday 1% of investors own 25% of investment properties
that's some warped and twisted mathematics that's ripe for correction...
sally showing some balls, time for estro albo to follow suit
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/sally-mcmanus-negative-gearing-ca...
velocityjohnno wrote:flollo wrote:Haha...
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-lifts-foreign-stude...
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/australian-job-ads-fall-1...
Going downhill quickly...
Yeah wow, at some point it's all gotta break. It's very interesting seeing how far the crush can be pushed before this happens. Young Aussies voted for this, and it seems absolutely bizarre that they did so, as the competition for entry level through mid level jobs will hurt them most. As well as housing rental and 1st homebuyer demand. Oh well, they asked for it so better deliver more of it. And GDP will keep ticking along above recession levels and shareholders will keep getting their divvies.
Add AI into the mix and you’ll see tectonic changes in how we live and operate. I reckon a half of uni degrees are completely useless. Look at the recent layoffs in the IT industry in India. Jobs you previously offshored won’t have to be offshored anymore. Entry level jobs locally can easily be done with AI. I can see massive impacts in my workplace. You can also run much flatter organisations with one manager having 15-20 people reporting into him/her.
flollo wrote:velocityjohnno wrote:flollo wrote:Haha...
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-lifts-foreign-stude...
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/australian-job-ads-fall-1...
Going downhill quickly...
Yeah wow, at some point it's all gotta break. It's very interesting seeing how far the crush can be pushed before this happens. Young Aussies voted for this, and it seems absolutely bizarre that they did so, as the competition for entry level through mid level jobs will hurt them most. As well as housing rental and 1st homebuyer demand. Oh well, they asked for it so better deliver more of it. And GDP will keep ticking along above recession levels and shareholders will keep getting their divvies.
Add AI into the mix and you’ll see tectonic changes in how we live and operate. I reckon a half of uni degrees are completely useless. Look at the recent layoffs in the IT industry in India. Jobs you previously offshored won’t have to be offshored anymore. Entry level jobs locally can easily be done with AI. I can see massive impacts in my workplace. You can also run much flatter organisations with one manager having 15-20 people reporting into him/her.
We are headed for either a dystopian future or a future of peace egalitarianism and leisure.
Looks like we are more headed towards the former...
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/08/australian-manufacturing-is-dyi...VJ, the management of Australia’s gas resources has been freaking unbelievable! Some of the agreements made should have criminal investigations.
And to top it off, the other day it was announced that the Feds and WA will be paying half of the rehab costs for the Barrow Island oil field to Chevron! wtf.
In monetary terms it’s estimated that rehab cost will be roughly half of all royalties collected…..
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-23/taxpayers-to-foot-bill-for-chevro...
Never got out to Barrow, but I heard there's some awesome waves (and huge Tiger sharks)! Any rehab is good - how it's funded/funding split is probably the facepalm bit, but given the links above with the gas, with the policy, nothing unexpected. Did the Alcoa rehab as a school fieldtrip in the Perth Hills when younger.
Dystopia seems to be here now andy-mac, it's like we're marching fast in a direction no-one really wants to, if you ask them privately. Like one of those bad dreams where you can't change course although you can see the danger ahead.
Yeah Flollo my son has dropped the uni for now, is doing practical courses in the field through TAFE, enjoys it much better, hands on, specialist skills that people need and aren't replaceable by AI for a considerable time. His study has come in useful for the anatomy stuff and the theoretical workload which was surprisingly heavy; employment is an almost certainty - he can do the rest of the degree once already in the field with experience, thus guaranteeing progression. The other in the trades is doing really well and it was a good choice that suited his personality. Might soon get to use my degree in it's field for the first time, 20+ years after attaining it, but it'll be my venture and it'll have to be, it doesn't exist at present in Australia lol. Haven't used AI deliberately yet, but I'm sure it can help and streamline design & production process, 1 man industry. Have you seen the production robots - they're getting down to about 8K and can do repeatable tasks...
you brainboxes out there like @vj, and @tbb, I'd appreciate your brief opinion on this: how is it that in the Adelaide gulf, ExxonMobil mothballed Port Stanvac oil refinery 20 years ago so they didn't have to clean the site up, but now 3,600 houses will soon be built there..? Any mid-coasters with opinions on it? ridiculously underutilised spot, but I thought that was cos it was manky from Mobil activity since the 60s?
WTF - Be Fuckn Real....Jeezus
2 Mill for Twenty Years
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-07/kathleen-folbigg-wins-compensatio...
udo wrote:WTF - Be Fuckn Real....Jeezus
2 Mill for Twenty Years
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-07/kathleen-folbigg-wins-compensatio...
Pathetic hey. Should add a couple of zeros to that 2 million.
2 mill for every year would be more appropriate
udo wrote:WTF - Be Fuckn Real....Jeezus
2 Mill for Twenty Years
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-07/kathleen-folbigg-wins-compensatio...
Barely above the median house price in Sydney.
B6, I did tank clearances on those big oil tanks, there's layers of welded metal sheet at the bottom but the pressure and the weight is stronger... it's a constant battle against this over time
So it depends on: what is the soil type underneath? Will it soak it up like sand, where are the underground watercourses and aquifers? I'm sure SN has some more qualified enviro engineers who have a better 2c tho
Pay close attention this this man. He nails in 9 minutes what myself, Andy M, Sypkan, Blowin et al have been railing about on this site for years:
There's a new saviour political party in this somewhere, hope it rises from the ashes
Probably should be in the "good news" forum but why not here. https://www.betootaadvocate.com/uncategorized/raptor-owner-arrives-at-de...
Hundreds of CSIRO positions on the chopping block:
https://psnews.com.au/hundreds-more-csiro-jobs-headed-for-the-chop-as-it...
That'll help productivity...
velocityjohnno wrote:Hundreds of CSIRO positions on the chopping block:
https://psnews.com.au/hundreds-more-csiro-jobs-headed-for-the-chop-as-it...
That'll help productivity...
Great irony how many academics and scientists are taking short-term lucrative jobs, training AI overseas through necessity as the disciplines are squeezed..
And yet we keep bagging academia, dissing scientific research and paying researchers peanuts. Then wonder why they go elsewhere. Only so many platitudes that will pay the mortgage.
gotta whistle into/down the wind, I guess.. rebuild if we get a chance..
.
know you're a sean lock fan @blackers, god did he love people whistling down the wind correctly..
https://www.tiktok.com/@geegeetele/video/7150307984336358661
sorry, not very aussie ^
here's that outsider that came to adelaide in '69 and had a bit of a look at us,
writing 'and the band played waltzing matilda' among many other classics:
(I was blown away by the rolling stones spoof at 3:20, as a grom..)
(lucky country - eric bogle)
it ain't rocket science...
a profound curve
more a skyrocket
supply... demand...
velocityjohnno wrote:Pay close attention this this man. He nails in 9 minutes what myself, Andy M, Sypkan, Blowin et al have been railing about on this site for years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp44jDt07hc
There's a new saviour political party in this somewhere, hope it rises from the ashes
quite the vid
old mate's despair is real!
short version:
australia has sold it's resources soil and soul to live in some perceived bubble of 'wealth effect'
perceived being the key word...
^^^
the really sad thing about all this is... as old mate puts out there quite well...
is the silence
the pressure for silence
the scared into silence
people know... (and 'feels'...) it's a teetering apple cart... and are scared shitless into silence...
the stupid thing is... it's about 90% about this 'wealth effect' economists talk about... sounds wishy washy, but it is real... a real 'thing' they refer to...
basically feeling your house is worth more, so you 'feel' wealthy. which is all fine, and well and good... but the reality is, unless you're an investor with multiple properties, you're being duped into shit scared silence...
because if you sell your house, you buy into the same market... ie. if you sell into a deflated market, you buy with the same purchasing power into a deflated market...
the only real winners in this game are the multiple property owners, the flippers, the reno rescuers... the multiple property politicians...
much like negative gearing, your average joe has been intimidated into a steely shit scared silence, that really only enriches the investor class and already rich
same old story
again...
as mentioned on abc the other day, 1% of investors own 25% of investment properties
whose interests are you serving?
whose investments are YOU serving...
nice song
very apt
I didn't appreciate it back in my grungy old half goth half punk half hippy days...
very nice :)
'silence like cancer grows'
'people prayed to the neon god they made
'...10 000 people maybe more... people talking without speaking...'
'
paul simon is an absolute genius.
his music is really good, his musicianship excellent,
and his lyrics are absolutely phenomenal.
('50 ways to leave your lover' type ditties notwithstanding).
I take @calhoun's point about Australia being a tall poppy culture.
when you watch this combination of unfettered confidence from birth, a Texas hard-rock cover,
sequins, and cult institutions that provide sheltered workshops for their people to develop skills in..
I can't help feeling we've missed out on something rather special..
basesix wrote:paul simon is an absolute genius.
his music is really good, his musicianship excellent,
and his lyrics are absolutely phenomenal.
('50 ways to leave your lover' type ditties notwithstanding).
Indeed
one of few who never lost the magic
I did actually like him, about the best thing to come on safm (sigh) at work and ease the pain of the day
I could appreciate his genius... even after polluting my my mind pulling conez in the back of a dato all night before listening to this noise...
https://m.
&list=OLAK5uy_nGmQVIwHi4u6SmwdbEBT3-gqSKlTagyV0&index=3&pp=8AUB t'was a bit of a leap from pink floyd...
dark
bauhaus are sick - yeh, I didn't appreciate the softer 70s stuff enough when young..
but when the 'alternative music' scene started sweeping the yoof into expensive gated communities, to watch the legends of alt music roll through their town, identical merch, identical festivals.. 'every fucking city's just the same' to quote paul kelly. alternative music franchises just as insipid as mcdonalds or starbucks : P
.. called 'alternative', haha, rock n roll swindle 2.0
That's when local music was strong though, so thursday/ friday/ saturday beers and bands was easy as to access anywhere.
(haha, I was an safm listener, not like them 5kA people..)
safm was a forced listen at work, the bogans wouldn't have it any other way...
occasionally would sneak it down the other end of the dial to (then) triple mmm, now 3D radio, never lasted long, tbh was a bit embarrassed at times, such was the loose playlist...
I don't think 'goth' was even a thing, yet...
and tbh, I didn't even know who bauhaus were then, had a mate with an older brother in the band scene, who'd jump in the car with mix tapes of all sorts of weird 80's goodness
crazy times
then gigs at new century hotel and old queens arms, was wild, even often there were only 50 people!
as you say, how quickly it all changed
commodified
still listen to 3D, best radio station in oz!
pete and tones, andrew bunny, stickman
still kicking it...
I don't know em personally, but great stuff
(adelaide bias probably shining through... but even the overseas grunge gods praise the scene...)
yeh, I seem to remember 3D got a big check from triple M for giving them the name so triple M could be national. very cool for the local-radio admin there at the time.
yep, must've set em up nicely
triple mmm was the big east coast radio empire
had to buy the naming rights
bit of rough justice there
The "I can't believe it's not politics" thread.