Co-opting one of Australia’s most iconic modern songs to make their case, the Yes mob have shown a touch of hypocrisy running against their own values. And yet again they display a stunning lack of intelligent strategic thinking in their efforts to emotionally coerce a majority of ordinary Aussies over to their dreamtime narrative. The Magpie examines how their latest move has done nothing but create further social division.
Scott Stewart gets an expensive pat on the back from a regional council, but it’s not the TCC. And now, eyebrows are raised about both the timing and just who is funding the praise he is receiving and why. Surely not (gasp!!). the government? Or the LGAQ? Or ratepayers money used for political campaigning? Questions abound.
We take our weekly peek into the workings (or not) of the Townsville Daily Astonisher, which among other things, has abandoned it’s unofficial motto of ‘Yesterday’s News Tomorrow’ to invest in a crystal ball to report on the future a couple years hence.
And Fightin’ Fran is still in there, throwing haymakers at the mayor and council bureaucracy, this week exposing a key instance mof the mayor’s smoke and mirrors style of ‘truth telling’. But is the mayoral hopeful doing enough to resonate with the large proportion of voters who are up to the back teeth with Jenny? The Magpie opines.
And a couple side-splitters in our weekly US cartoon gallery.
As always, The ‘Pie will greatly appreciate any much-needed help you can offer to assist with blog costs. The donate button is at the bottom of the blog.
Using Farnham’s Anthem Is Another Misstep By The Yes Campaign
To many, it will seem like an invasion of privacy. You’re The Voice is regarded by a generation of Australians as part of the soundtrack of their personal lives, the background to many personal decisions and moments that are rooted in time and place. That it is now in the service of a far from unanimous and divisive idea, for which the powerful lyrics were never intended, could be seen as cultural appropriation of the sort that indigenous stirrers are encouraged to complain about.
The arrogance of the Voice camp has from the start been their biggest stumbling block, a sense of entitlement that allows them to insult everyone else with attempted emotional blackmail, but are very thin skinned when the traffic predictably starts going the other way. That arrogance also extends to refusing to engage meaningfully with the scope and on-going aims of this first step in an indigenous program which those who will ultimately pay for it are not privy to.
While 97% of us have been constantly lectured by the 3% and their bandwagoneers on the evils of creating art in an indigenous style or doing our hair in a certain way, or what language is acceptable in this arena of life, these protagonists in their arrogance have conveniently overlooked that perhaps the average Australian of any background has the right to believe that You’re The Voice is song reflecting a more broad and cohesive social message across the whole community. Not just 3% of it.
Equating, as the Yes ad does, a highly debatable, socially and racially divisive idea of an indigenous Voice pf privilege to parliament with the 1967 referendum, the Mabo ruling, Nicky Winmar lifting his jumper, Cathy Freeman winning gold, Kevin Rudd’s sorry speech, Bob Hawke on the America’s Cup win, Howard’s gun law buyback, bushfires and marriage equality, is towering myth making. There was no ground swell of sentiment, no popular grassroots movement, no sense of social injustice caused by some sort of benign neglect and constant cancellation of programs by successive governments. And not once has there been any acknowledgment that the faction-riven and sometimes corrupt aboriginal industry played any role in the failure of any effective outcome of the $14billion taxpayers have willingly ponied up to right past injustices.
The use of Farnham’s truly iconic anthem by the Yes campaign is an arrogant belief that the truth of the title … that Australian voters are The Voice of the country … only applies to yes voters, this is another miscalculation by the fact free emotionally coercive campaign.
Perhaps it might have been more fitting if they had tried to get hold of the right’s to Slim Dusty’s Pub With No Beer.
The Magpie Is Joined By Exalted Company
From the very outset, The ‘Pie has maintained that the Yes campaign has been a complete dog’s dinner strategically, and that Anthony Albanese has shoved in all his chips in one pointless and needless gamble – even if the yes vote gets up, he will still have lost. This. point of view has been scorned by the usual suspects, but on Saturday, it was with some personal satisfaction that The ‘Pie noted this on the front page of the Australian.
No trolls can claim’ Well, yeah, what do you expect of a Murdoch rag?” because Paul Kelly has respect across the whole political spectrum, and has long been one of the country’s best political analysts – and often not easily fitting into the usual Murdoch orthodoxy. This essence of Kelly’s analysis is laid out right at the start.
And Kelly also nails The ‘Pie’s first objection to the Yes strategy made in this blog some months ago.
“There is distinct on-the-ground resentment at the corporate, finance, celebrity, educational, professional and sporting forces – an alliance of elites – talking down to people, patronising them, signalling the voice as the morally superior choice for the nation.
If the voice is defeated, this campaign by the elites will rank as one of the worst political own goals in Australian history.”
The Magpie has said the same, but not nearly as well. But it is nothing to cheer about, for two reasons. The resentment of the Yes camp and its academic elite will in no evaporate and there will be wider dissemination – by the real racists – that we are a racist country (instead of one that refuses to be bullied), but even worse, those indigenous people who need real help … estimated to be about just 20% of the 900,000 Australians who identify as aboriginal, will be jeopardy of delayed assistance because of the the aboriginal tribal infighting.
If Only He Cared As Much About Townsville
The ‘Pie was a bit mystified by this paid ‘advertisement’ that in three consecutive issues of the Bulletin during the week.
The striking thing about this … apart from someone actually gushing over Scott Stewart … is that considerable expense involved here wasn’t ‘selling’ anything, and was paid for by the Isaac Regional Council in Moranbah. Glenden is a small (500 people) town servicing a QCoal mine, and under the lease agreement with the government, the whole town was due to be demolished so the company could meet its obligations to rehabilitate the area. But the locals started a Save Glenden campaign, and Stewart rammed some legislation through parliament so Glenden would remain intact.
Now, as enthusiastic as it may be, the ‘ad’ poses some interesting questions. This is simply a public acknowledgment that Scott Stewart made representations on the town’s behalf and managed to reach a somewhat complicated solution. In other words, the Isaac Regional Council, which as far as The ‘Pie can see, does not benefit much if at all from the action, has spent ratepayers money thanking Stewart for doing his job. The Magpie has never seen a matter like appear in papers anywhere he has worked, and it definitely crinkles the nose.
For a start, why is this appearing in the Townsville Bulletin? What possible material interest can it be to anyone around here?
There’s an election looming for a busted arse government and an electorate which is a good bet to turf out Stewart and his two gormless local Labor mates, so would it not be reasonable to believe this $10000+++ exercise in back slapping is nothing more than ratepayer-funded – albeit Isaac Regional Council ratepayers - campaign ad? Aimed at Stewart’s electorate? Since the inserts are essentially nothing more than a thank you note, why do we here in Townsville need to know about a rare occasion when Scott Stewart did his ministerial job?
This is definitely on the whiffer and worth a closer look, perhaps by the Electoral Commission of Queensland.
And Minister Stewart, since you’re in do-gooder mode, how about some representations on local juvenile crime here in the ‘ville, or representations to ensure we don’t have a funding famine because of the Olympics? If you actually do achieve anything in these and other areas, The ‘Pie will personally take TV ads thanking you. But somehow, the old bird thinks his money is safe.
Fran’s Still In There Swinging, But Is She Connecting?
Mayoral Candidate Fran O’Callaghan is still jabbing away at Mayor Mullet and her murky way of hiding things. But is Fran connecting with any of these very serious jabs and hooks she brings up? Not really, partly because the local media has no interest in doing their jobs and partly because Fran is so obstinate in her Field of Dreams campaign (say it and they the voters will come) that her valid and important points do not seem to be resonating with the community. Put simply, the question is whether she is so concerned with her own priorities that she isn’t doing enough to engage with the problems that are of most concern to the voters?
To date, Jenny Hill has steadfastly refused to engage in any sort of campaign give-and-take, and no doubt on the advice of her campaign spinmeister Dolan Hayes, is staying above the fray with lofty disdain. Easy to do when you own the media, one supposes, but the growing feeling that Mayor Hill’s use-by date in rapidly approaching is being frustrated by her challenger’s deliberately low wattage campaign so far. Take this FB post during the week.
Information like that is solid pointer to lies being told to the electorate, and deserves wider coverage because of the subterfuge involved – naming an everyday and unavoidable council expense as a self-praising ‘investment’ in crime fighting. But Fran seems unwilling to kick down doors, or be more proactive with future constituents about what’s uppermost in their minds.. Well, not just yet anyway.
At Least The Bulletin Isn’t Pretending Anymore.
It appears the paper given up their dishonest practice of putting a reporter’s name to almost word-for-word media releases then slapping an exclusive banner on them as a researched stories. The following from the Weekend Astonisher carries no byline – a bit unusual in itself even for this busted arse outfit – and is surely a straight release from Townsville Enterprise, in which the probable author quotes herself.
Anybody with any pride and fondness for our administratively beleaguered city must shudder reading about the (highly unlikely) possibility of a couple thousand cruise ship passengers descending on us, all at once and heading to the CBD. (It is a fact that many cruise ship passengers do not venture on shore at all). The potential embarrassment is palpable. Sure, good on the Port’s boss Ranee Crosby being justly proud of her example of just getting on with her good work of expanding port’, but she has no say about anything once her guests pass out the port’s gates. This is where TEL’s tourism gabbler Lisa Woolfe takes over. It is well established that Ms Woolfe’s relationship with reality is tenuous at best, a shaky relationship that appears intact by her part in this weekend’s story.
You can bet that, up for it or not, Lisa, anyone venturing down into the CBD will cop the unexpected, unless all those For Lease signs, deserted arcades (well at least one) and motley assortment of non-tourist businesses are all sorted out over the next 500 days. And ‘exploring the region’ is a strictly limited proposition when no cruise has hitherto remained in port overnight.
But this reporting is a masterstroke by the Bulletin … instead of exposing itself to the frequent circumstance of being wrong about some recent event, we will now have to give them the benefit of the doubt for a while … 501 days, in this instance.
In The Meantime …
… we will just have to ponder just what a Bulletin editor’s profile of the average reader looks like.
On the one hand, conventional wisdom is they need to attract a younger generation of readers – hence sexy crims, and other juvenalia, but they also need to retain the established older demographic of readers. Judging by content, the Bulletin sees these mainly as women of indeterminate age, who are especially susceptible to ‘recreational grief’, ladies mainly in quilted dressing gowns and their hair in rollers who love to share a cuppa and shed a ‘tutt titting tear’ over the medical plight of some tot or some hard luck story of someone they don’t know and will never meet.
But this policy sometimes leads editors to what might be called story blindness … or ignorance. For instance …
Now, The ‘Pie may be making a wild miscalculation here, but that main headline would not sell a single paper and would probably only cop but a few clicks BUT notice that little item underneath …
That must rank with the famous true headline in The Times ‘Sth American Earthquake: Not Many Dead’.
Even a second year cadet (probably Americanised to intern nowadays) could see that the cat story, which bobs up from time to time on slow news days, is a hot button issue on which everyone has an opinion. It would get people foaming away to Text The Editor and headline writers would have a whole month of ap-paw-lling puns for some office yukyukyukkery. And here’s the funny thing … the editor Cas Garvey apparently agrees with the ‘Pie’s story-value assessment, because the cat-astrophy is on page 3, and the old singed codgers are on page 5. AND GUESS WHAT MS GARVEY DECIDES TO OPINE ABOUT IN HER EDITORIAL IN THE VERY SAME ISSUE.
Paw judgement, perhaps?
In The USA, Calling Time On Old Timers
Not just ‘bunny in the headlight’ 80-year-old+ senators, but also the Presidential hopefuls next year. And it would appear the Democrats have a double-edged problem. Fun and games in this area deflected from the grim spectacle of other matters.
Finally … There But For The Grace Of God ..
It has and will happen to all of us from time to time, but the results of an overzealous auto-correct when texting has caused us all some problems at some stage. But it seems there is a big generational problem as well, as we of a certain age grapple with the simplest technology. A collection just so you don’t feel all alone and silly. Well at least not alone.
Love it, but The Magpie’s beloved daughter will be sadly shaking her head, mutter ‘too true, too true’.
……………………
That’s yer week, comments run 24.7, so gird the loins and hop into the fray. And the donate button was obviously stuck, so The ‘Pie has just doused it in WD40, so no probs.
Fran raising interesting questions regarding Councillor expenses. We would all like to hear Mayor Mullet and then part-time CEO’s answer to her questions.
Fran;
“Councillor expenses budget for each councillor has increased from $14,265 to $22,090 for this financial year which is an increase of $7,825.
These are some of the questions I have asked of Council about this increase:
a. Under whose authority or instruction did this budget amount per councillor increase in the region of 50% for this financial year from the 2022/23 year, noting that this specific budget amount was at no time discussed in the budget workshops or detailed in any documents that I can recall viewing.
b. What was the utilisation of this budget per councillor in the 2022/23 financial year.
c. Are the categories listed in the councillor budget expenses document hard and fast when it comes to their individual amounts or could each category’s expenditure allocation be exceeded as long as the total amount of the budget is not. In other words could a councillor spend the full budget amount of $22,090 on advertising”.
Well, c’mon, those poor councillors need a bit more pocket money in a campaign year.
Of course they will. There’s the upcoming election.
Redlands Council Brisbane . Native title claims 3,500 sites covering 530 sq klms . Claims cover popular Cleveland and Victoria point foreshores , Performing Arts centre , Council chambers + cemetery . Estimated it will cost ratepayers / Council $210 mil to fight the claims .
And the Natives claiming the title are being funded by the Commonwealth Government, read taxpayer.
And which Local Government Authority will be next, and the one after that?
Wish the media would stop referring to us as ‘ordinary’ people !
We’ve all heard about the outrageous amounts of dosh people cough up to have dinner with high profile politicians, but I’ve never seen the Mad Hatter’s reverse version before.
Received a letter in the mail last week (yes, addressed to me and not a letter box drop) enclosing a “Special Invitation” to a FREE two-course dinner (for 2) at the RSL Club to hear what National Civic Council spruiker Peter Westmore has to say about “the battle to protect faith-based schools”, and “Labor’s proposal to create a Voice”, and “defence industry concerns for our region”.
The Complimentary Dinner invitation lists as its patrons Bob Katter MHR and Senator Gerard Rennick – our taxes at work?.
Now everybody likes a free feed, but to put up with the ramblings of Westmore, with Bob Katter thrown in for dessert, they’re going to need a bigger offer.
Like first class airfares and a few nights at the Bellagio to see the NRL’s Las Vegas circus next year.
On second thoughts, nah – even that wouldn’t be worth the pain and suffering.
I wonder if Scott Stewart realises that the people of Glenden are not in his electorate and their vote won’t help him one iota in next years state election.
He should get a few tips from Captain Snooze on how to garner more votes from Palm Island.
Reckon that was why the ads ran in the Townsville paper (as well as other papers probably) but a previous comment here sounds about right .. it might have been a square up for previous ads that were somewhat less complimentary.
The song was given to the Yes campaign by John Farnham himself. He’s the one that owns it, not you.
Agreed. Farnham thinks it’s appropriate and so do enough people to make this a real contest.
So the appropriation of Mr Farnham’s song will answer the questions of enough doubters to swing the vote?
That kinda sums up the Yes campaign’s whole fact free attitude. You dumbos are the ones killing off this idea through misjudgement, mismanagement and the towering arrogance of simple … dare we say, primitive … minds.
And as it turns out, Bullshit, your bullshit is just that. Here, The ‘Pie quotes the pro-Yes paper the Sydney Morning herald.
If we’re talking about the words and notes on the page, You’re The Voice belongs to British songwriters Andy Qunta [Icehouse], Chris Thompson [Manfred Mann], Queen/ Eurythmics backing singer Maggie Ryder, and the estate of the recently deceased Procol Harum lyricist, Keith Reid. If you want a license to “synchronise” their song to a film or commercial, these four writers and their respective heirs and publishers need to say Yes first.
The consensus within the Australian musical community was that Farnham’s late manager Glenn Wheatley probably owned the copyright, given that he famously mortgaged his house to pay for the Whispering Jack album sessions that yielded his charge’s signature hit.
But as it turns out, by whatever subsequent negotiations transpired, the master actually belongs to Sony Music Australia. Sony confirmed with this masthead that they have an agreement to share sync fees with Farnham for the song and that they both had waived them on this occasion.
Got it now, dumbo? And BTW, no detriment vor slur towards Johnny Farnham, he is – and this will surprise you – an Australian with the democratic right to have an opinion on such matters as the Voice To Parliament. Only a fool would diminish his considerable career achievements because they disagree on a single issue.
I believe agreeing to waive fees is commonly known as donating.
Thank you, Captain Obvious, but the thread was started with the assertion that the song and rights were Farnham’s alone, to do with whatever he wished.
Keep up or keep out.
Do you really think an old pop song is enough to make this a real contest, in lieu of the real agenda?
We Aussies may not be the brightest people in the world, but it will take more than a faded celebrity with his last hit from almost 40 years ago, to make us stop and think, ”Hey, wait a minute…”
Forevermore, when anyone hears the song in the future, they will automatically link it to a failed referendum.
This article regarding a bloke fatally bitten by a snake in FNQ is accompanied by a pic and an article about snakes as the weather warms up.
But the article and the (rattle) snake are both from the USA , must have been hungry after the long swim from the USA. Couldn’t they find an article by Harry Butler or Steve Irwin eh???? They don’t even identify the species of the snake.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/man-69-killed-while-trying-to-remove-coiled-snake-from-another-mans-leg-in-north-queensland/news-story/bed8a7bb2d8e5daafd94ac0e8b801ed3
Obviously Farnham’s graciousness and generosity in gifting his anthem to the Yes campaign has hit a raw nerve with you, Pie. These are characteristics that you seem to lack. Your antipathy towards our First Nations people is there for all to see: “indigenous stirrers”, “arrogance”; “aboriginal industry”; “tribal infighting”. You’ve also elevated the appalling Murdoch minion Paul Kelly to a pedestal that only exists in your own mind, just because he mirrors your prejudices. Why don’t you forensically examine your own real motives in opposing the Voice, and stop simply embracing the specious arguments of the rag-tag collection of right-wingers and racists in the No camp?
(Yawn). Remedial reading classes are available, you know, might be a good idea.
You must be such a panicked dill, as elements of indigenous stirrers, arrogance, aboriginal industry and tribal infighting are all slowly being exposed from the nooks and crannies in which they’ve been shielded from public examination to date. All that along with an initially … and vehememtly denied … agenda of of treaty and reparations. And it’s more than a bit rich for someone from your side of the rort lecturing anyone on ‘forensic self-examination’.
And while The ‘Pie doesn’t feel any compunction to justify himself to the likes of you, he will tell you he was born on a sheep and cattle station, not in some leafy metropolitan inner suburb, a station which employed a number of indigenous people in various roles without any discrimination in wages or conditions (The ‘Pie knows this because one his father’s roles was as station accountant, but frankly EVERYONE was paid shit wages), went to school and played sport with aboriginal kids, and later worked with many (much much later with Stan Grant during a brief stint at Channel Seven … back then, Stan was good company, and I state as a simple matter of fact, nowhere near as tanned as he has been recently).
When starting out as a journalist, I worked with an indigenous bloke called Des King, who was simply the best sports reporter I ever knew, a man who flawlessly called the trots on a Friday night, the horses on Saturday afternoon, the velodrome bike races on Saturday night (big back then in country areas) and the rugby league on Sunday. Then reported all on radio and TV before writing up all the weekend’s doings for the local paper. A great colleague and friend, a mentor in many ways … just fancy the racist scumbag Magpie having an ‘bloody abo’ as a mentor eh?
Of course, you’ll sneer something incomprehensible about anecdotal tokenism because you so desperately need a broad brush social smear against anyone who isn’t indigenous who call themselves an ‘real’ Australian with equal rights to everyone else.
Stop fucking whinging and trying on rorts and do something for yourself … like 80% of the 900,000 people claiming black bloodlines do already.
I love the racist call outs – I’m white, my wife is black, well brown, she calls me white, I call her black, which one of us is racist?
Neither.
On your final retort to the person who has no idea of your past Magpie, I also would love to know just who really can identify as Aboriginal or Islander by birth, and not just by jumping on the gravy train! I happen to know someone who is definitely as white as snow who thought he’d try the race trick when faced with a surgical proceedure, and although the receptionist looked at him with clear doubt in her eyes, she could by law not question his statement and guess what? the whole thing was bulk billed! Now this person is definitely just making a statement of his own, but in reality they are robbing the taxpayers of this country every time they pull any stunt requiring race definition! How do we stop it? in Canada you have to PROVE it back to I believe a realistic family connection, ( can’t remember the exact figure) and maybe that should be written into the Constitution FIRST before all this other hoopla!
Contributor .. Your last sentence seems to pretty much sum up your bias old mate
Maybe a Bex and a Coke will help you to settle pettle ..
Regardless of ones view .. there is no doubt that divisiveness is now heightened .. there is an old saying that there is no hater like a labor hater.. u seem to be an outstanding example of that mate given the rotten tone of your contributions..
To qualify as an American Indian, the applicant has to prove heredity, speak the tribal language, know the customs and lore as well as be recorded as attending ceremonies every year.
Most of our younger ATSI people can’t speak their own tongue or any hold any of the above qualifications. And I haven’t seen any initiation scars for a long time.
This is, unsurprisingly given that it is Jeff, false.
This is, unsurprisingly given that is ABS, arrogant.
You may well be right, ABS, but in a situation like this, it would be polite to readers to back up your statement with either a link nor a short copy and paste of the facts. This ayyitude of yours is a chief reason so many of comments end up in the bin.,
Lift your game – and manners – or forever dwell in Deletesville.
ABS, you may care to begin your rebuttal research with Changing Numbers, Changing Needs: American Indian Demography and Health.
5. Tribal Membership Requirements and Demography of the ”Old” and ”New” Native American Indians by Russell Thornton.
This refers to mainly to bloodlines, tribal registration with tribes registered with the Indian Bureau, yes, it still exists. There are hundreds of registered tribes that have different requirements for individual recognition, having all/some of the criteria I referred to.
Bottom line: You can’t just waltz in Centrelink and declare yourself aboriginal, tick (not cross) a box and start getting lots of lovely lolly.
“There are hundreds of registered tribes that have different requirements for individual recognition, having all/some of the criteria I referred to”
Thank you for proving my point.
it does no such thing, but as curator of this blog and it’s policy, The Magpie does not give a fuck about American Indian rules and regs. Dilligaf.
So to wind up the question of identifying as aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders, this is the end of the argument here.
https://aiatsis.gov.au/proof-aboriginality
The third point of recognition is widely open to motivation and tribal self-interest. Under the rules, you can bet Clive Palmer, Gina Rinehart and Twiggy Forrest would be quickly accepted as indigenous if they asked the elders. And by these rules, a man, with just pure white Dutch heritage, who grew up in WA with aboriginal school mates and sporting teams mates, spoke some indigenous language and throughout his life was loved and appreciated by most aborigines (but definitely not the academics and woke PC brigade) would’ve breezed into tribal membership. His name was Louis Beers aka King Billy Cokebottle. He never did, because ne never saw any need to.
Dilligaf.
Same rules would apply to Louis’s great mate, Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson, a very funny bloke who wrote a song that sums The ‘Pie’s attitude to most of your dribblings ABS. This should give you a message, mate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a6EOyaMdqY
Paul Kelly’s analysis of the politics is usually spot on! Well worth listening to his opinion and you don’t have to agree.
And even when you don’t agree, you have to admire the clear marshalling of facts and the explanation of his arguments … speaking a a fellow though much lesser journalist.
While TCC is spending $100’sK of ratepayers money trying to Ban Cats from the island. The new law (which no one has seen the wording ) will be unworkable. What are they going to do? Kick your door down to get your Moggie, search every car on the barge or demand to see the contents of hand luggage on every ferry?
Meanwhile over here on the island; Picnic Bay still has no new public toilets, hired demountables have been installed for 3 years.
No new sewerage connections because the tree huggers object to land next door to the Picnic Bay Water Treatment plant (which council has a license over), being flooded.
The appalling closure of the road to Florence Bay and the list goes on…
TCC now have their sights on Banning Dogs.
Pet death adders will be popular.
Regarding cats, which The ‘Pie regards as only useful as the ‘other’ white meat. If they are to enforce the law, what you describe with horror is EXACTLY what they’ll have to do … and no objection here. And yes, if you have a cat against the law, an animal that does so much damage to native wildlife, The ‘Pie would be happy to join in the door stompin’.
Banning dogs will be a stretch, but The ‘Pie is aware that dogs are banned in the national park down Pallarenda way, so maybe the same laws might be more strictly enforced on Maggie, if the ban in the NP areas doesn’t already exist.
We already strict animal laws on the island. Haven’t seen a Feral in 40 years. Pie you should come over the Maggie more often and see how many are running around – SFA
If you’re missing seeing ferals, Nimbin is still operating.
There are few human ferals over on Maggie..
As for us Moggies we are all safe and secure in our homes.
There is not a cat problem over here on the island, just whingeing Greens & Cat Nazis.
By the way who is going to pay for this law to be enforced?
It will be the ratepayers of Townsville not just Magnetic Island.
The ‘Pie would have thought that the state government would foot the bill, since the only possible reason any authority would stick in their beak is because of the national mpark status for the great majority of the island. Still taxpayers money, though.
It all sounds like Jenny is engaging in some diversionary politics.
I’ve had cats most of my life, one at a time, and they were de-sexed. NEVER went outside to stink, dig and screech outside, or to play to death with our native wildlife.
If you want a cat then get a poop-tray and odor suppressing kitty litter,
I’ve advocated before in The Nest, give free cat flue injection to all registered and neutered moggies for a 6 month moratorium and then release a potent cat-flue virus. That’ll give the feral bastards at taste of their own medicine!
It worked well for a very long while on the bunnies with myxomatosis.
If you have a pet door so your moggie can come and go at will, NB a significant number of home break-in mobs send in a “tot” through the pet door, who then opens the main door from the inside or just picks up the car keys and vrooom vrooom they’re away.
A vastly overstated possibility and almost impossible for a cat flap (just possible for a dog flap).
I sort of agree depends on who small the apprentice thief may be. But it is certainly possible and current though a dog door.. It maybe easier if the householder has a large pussy
Here’s some recent multiple activity using the pet door to gain entry,!!!
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/homeowners-warned-to-lock-dog-doors-after-spate-of-burglaries/news-story/5040e54587952b98dfcb42618fc3652c
You been into the cooking sherry again, mate?
What do residents with large pussies have to do with anything?
Especially if released in Council H.Q. in the City!
My pussy will go wild if some brute from the Council tries to get his hands on it.
At the moment, though, is your pussy being served, madam?
Why do you ask, Pie?
Indeed, yes, quite academic nowadays.
You might have missed all the earlier ads attacking Scott Stewart, so on balance it’s probably a wash.
Good point, although that comment is apparently not from Barely.
The ‘rusted on’ and ‘true blues’ may twist this question to their own agenda.
When and at what stage during the labor campaign for the Federal election in 2029 did Albanese announce that he was going to bring ‘the voice’ to the fore?
I recall nothing was said until he raised it in his victory speech on the night of the election.
Seems a bit dishonest to me.
“seems’? ‘…a bit’? You’re goin’ soft, old mate.
Bill Shorten announced that Labor would support a Voice to Parliament soon after the Indigenous recognition constitutional convention in 2017 and the party took it prominently to two consecutive elections. If you don’t remember anything prior to election night 2022 you weren’t paying attention.
Shorten lost his bid for the Lodge, so he was a minor player in subsequent campaigns and announcements, so ‘prominent’ is a stretch. Anyway, given the turmoil and division it has caused … all totally foreseeable to any who was paying attention – it was undeniably played down in the last campaign (which Albo won on a totally separate ‘drover’s dog’ platform of ‘I’m not Scott Morrison’.)
It was immediately placed in their National Platform and mentioned every time Indigenous issues came up for the past six years, that seems prominent enough.
To you.
More innocent victims of crime today in west end
Citizen arrest effected as young driver tried to flee after what appears excessive speed, running a stop sign badly damaging vehicles Property and injuring people young and elderly. Unsure if vehicle stolen or not
Multiple ambos at scene as well as firies and police
Anger, sick pits in the stomach from resident onlookers as screams from badly damaged vehicle
Clear sentiment is one of stated disgust with state govt in particular the state of the state that we live in
The young prick taken away in ambo
Kid Crisafulli really needs to articulate his plans and not just offer motherhood statements … he seems genuine whilst Anna come across as distractingly disingenuous
Feel so sorry for the poor buggers impacted today .. so bloody needless
Maybe we should raise the age of responsibility to 16 or even 18 to keep them out of the juvenile system.
That way the parents can take responsibility and foot the bill.
raise it to 50, remember some of us grow up, others just grow old.
The word on facebook, so it must be true, is that it was stolen
About those cat bans on Maggie – wonder if the former Palm Island mayor will switch from running grog to moggies. I can see an illegal cat ferry or two running from the Pallarenda boat ramp to West Point .
On a catamaran, no doubt.
That would be dogastrophic.
Nah! if its Palm it’s more likely be catatonic !
The beat up in the Lamestream media about the bloke who got bitten by a snake in Mackay and died, is exactly that, a load of bullshit and a beat up. It wasn’t a venomous snake, it was a harmless carpet snake. The man and his mate were fucking around with it, they both got bitten, and old mate died from a heart attack.
You know this how? It was reported by the ABC to be ‘believed to be a black snake’.
I know this because I happen to know the family of the gentleman that was killed. You don’t get any close to the source than that Malcom.
If you say so, but let’s look at some semantics here … man gets involved in a snake incidents, and is so alarmed he has a heart attack. Ergo, he was killed by a snake, one way or another. But your sneering at the media report seems a cheap shot. reporters would only know what they are told by authorities … and The ‘Pie very much doubt that a. cause of death would be so immediate as to not only tell the family, but the family to then tell you
And your comment makes it sound like this was something that was announced publicly. If it was, The ‘Pie missed it. And BTW, as such a concerned friend, you seem to have chosen an unsuitably risque/humorous name.
Carpet snakes may not be venomous, but that doesn’t mean they are harmless. A bite can potentially expose you to all sorts of parasites that would need to be treated with a hefty dose of antibiotics.
Turns out the deceased was bitten twice, arm (and stomach I think) which caused cardiac arrest … whether through shock or venom, or both isn’t clear. Hardly insider information which according to you, came from people who themselves would be in shock at the sudden turns of events. The ‘Pie has no idea what prompted your petulant claim to insider knowledge which you seem to think the media should’ve known about.
Closer to the source, or the sauce?
Interesting article in the SMH regarding John Farnham ‘gifting’ his version of “You’re the Voice” to the YES campaign.
https://amp.smh.com.au/culture/music/did-john-farnham-really-gift-his-song-to-the-yes-campaign-it-s-complicated-20230904-p5e1qq.html
Xlt, thanks. This worked when clicked, although The ‘Pie cannot afford to subscribe to the usually paywalled SMH,it is a good bit of research on a current news topic.
Fran is good value. A decent honest woman that one. But she does need to get out of the weeds and start campaigning. Pointing out Council failings or dodgy accounting isn’t going to get her into the Mayors robes, if you know what I mean. She needs to start campaigning and highlighting her priorities for the region, what she is going to do and how she is going to do it .Council services and rates are always going to be key topics. Perhaps outlining how she will encourage big business to come to Townsville instead of fucking Gladstone would be a good start!
Fran, no more low hanging fruit please. You have a community support base who know you would make a successful Mayor, but we need to see the big picture.
Cheers
This is 100 per cent spot on
Fran is toast. Not her fault but she doesn’t have the profile to cut through. Never will. Even if she had Palmer’s $$ behind her. She’s better off holding her current position and being a thorn in the side.
Mullet will get over the line with her 50%+ because the left vote will not be split. Like it will be with conservatives. That’s Townsville. Like 2020. She knows it. Hayes knows it. Hold the line to get over the line.
Unless … a really high profile conservative candidate comes from nowhere before Xmas with dollars and sense and really smart campaign management. Sadly, I don’t hold out hope as this is a pissant tropical council with a couple of thousand interested voters at best.
Ya silly old bugger. There’s three pub’s opposite the Europa. Obligated I was to have a pint in each one v
I’ll take that as a thanks.
Two stories involving Valentine Holmes on the Townsville Bulletin website today.
One about him doing good in the community, the other about a bag of white powder.
The Cowboys public relations department will be in meltdown.
Stay turned for smoke and mirrors, like the way they handled the scandal involving an airline lounge tryst, Peter Parr and the club’s doctor.
I’ve never seen a bag that stays flat! Now lets all have a Bex with a strong cuppa and see what shows up in Val’s inevitable drug test.
Hmmm, use the stuff a bit do you Gal??? How do you know about ‘flat’……..,
Pie, please keep your eye on this issue.
As for the condesending TB editorial No More Cats, since when has Magnetic Island been classified as a National Park?
78% is National Park but not the suburbs.
The largest threat to the wildlife on Maggie is not the cats or dogs it is Cars.
Good luck with TCC trying to BAN them
Only 4 sleeps until Xmas according to Valentine Holmes….. how exciting.
Well, Val isn’t lying if the ‘white powder’ is what some suspect it be. The ‘Pie is told you sleep well and long after enjoying a hooter full of Peruvian marching powder.
I think Prickster is talking about a different product Pie
Re school zone speed cameras, I am not arguing against them, but the article states the cameras are fitted to the school zone sign. That says to me that the camera is monitoring your speed as you are approaching the school zone but not yet in the school zone. This is a time when, while approaching the school zone you are slowing to 40kph but not yet at 40kph, and not yet in the school zone but still the camera snaps you as speeding in the school zone. Yes or no?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-11/school-zone-speed-zone-fines-from-new-qld-cameras/102835898?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
Depends which way the camera is pointing perhaps? If as you say then look for LOTS of challenges.
Yes. The camera would have to be pointing in the direction of travel, measuring speed as you drive away from it, photographing the back of the car.
I disagree with those who are writing Fran off at this early stage.
Yes she needs to start focusing on the big issues (the smaller ones can be fixed if she becomes mayor), but there’s plenty of time for her to connect with the wider audience.
What the voters need to hear about is how she’s going to fix our roads, bring our public assets up to scratch, hire less consultants, provide more transparency, and abolish dictators, council political teams and puppet councilors.
It would also be advantageous if the Townsville Bulletin and Seven Townsville stopped their money-can-buy-anything approach and started giving Fran a fair go.
Maybe that will happen when it is revealed how much ratepayer’s money has wasted by advertising with those two media organisations in the past 12 months.
There’s a LOT more water to flow under the bridge before next year’s elections.
Whie some of us are sometimes frustrated and concerned with Fran’s refusal to play the traditional campaigning game, which includes taking the voters into your confidence with plans and hopes for the future, she may well prove us all wrong with a final two month blitz leading into the election. But despite tJenny’s towering arrogance, the incumbent isn’t taking anything for granted – for one thing, Dolan won’t let her, he can clearly seen the danger of over-confidence. Perhaps Fran takes the view that people will remember her thrusts, claims and promises closer to polling day, and this far out, a lot of telling blows would be wasted. She may well be right.
Surely she should be out in The shopping centres already
I haven’t seen her
Has she got a campaign manager? Getting any advice?
Helicopter operations, low level, low speed, along vicinity Ross River between Yut Fay Av and Ponti Rd for the last 20 minutes or so.
Helicopter ops continue, now sometimes over the built up area.
Helicopter ops still continue in this area and further North along the river.
Under NRL rules obviously designed to allow players who want to party in the offseason to do just about anything, Holmes won’t have to undergo a drug test because he is on “holiday”.
Like his “only a prank” explanation, the NRL’s lenient attitude to player behaviour doesn’t pass the pub test.
At the end of the day Holmes was either taking drugs, or he’s an absolute dickhead.
Which is it Val?
As for the Cowboys holding an investigation, that’s just their version of damage control.
Under usual circumstances, The Magpie would allow himself a little rantette about privacy invasion and so on, but it is different here … prank or not, Holmes has to accept he is a role model to many youngsters, and posting something like this is deeply stupid on several fronts. Particularly if he thought this sort of juvenile yukyukkery wouldn’t be discovered. Even more deeply stupid and deserving of a severe penalty if it was actually drugs – presumably Blow.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/holmes-set-for-hefty-punishment/vi-AA1gxYIX?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=add426355492455c8e2c3a5dc51b8245&ei=49
Wow! Just got my bill from Ergon and looked at it in detail. Wish I hadn’t.
Energy cost (Tariff 11 cents per kWh exc. GST) has gone from 22.135 to 30.227 – a jump of 36.6% in one hit. So much for renewables saving us money.
On top of that, the “Service” fee has increased by 21% from 90.408 to 109.521 cents per day.
The poor old State Government is rapidly going backwards at this rate, what with paying massive incentives to renewable generators to set up and the $175 “bonus” to consumers to make it look like we’re saving money.
Unfortunately this is set to continue unabated as we rush lemming-like towards net-zero and the affordability cliff. Bah humbug!
That is disgraceful behaviour with the underlying cause being with government policy … The Magpie does not disagree with a sensible timelined policy regarding renewables, but strongly disagrees with the insane timelines surrounding mine shut downs and decommissioning coal based power stations. And then we have insanity upon insanity that at the very moment when electricity teeters on the edge of systemic failure, with brown-out at least a certainty in parts of the country, there is an attack on gas installations which will simply put more strain on power supplies … and costs.
Much of this government policy is the childish drive to be seen as one of the big players on the world stage, whereas we could, with courage but valid conviction backed by statistics, continue as we have been for many years without making any perceptible contribution to climate change data. That would be an extreme move that would attract economic retaliation from some quarters but it appears Australia feels it must show willing because we are second level agents of massive pollution through our coal and gas exports.
No one in Australian politics has any guts or brains, and big corporations and their shareholders have no morals.
And that goes for the lack of measured and fact based debate about nuclear energy, on probably the one continent on the planet where it would have been safe, reliable and cost effective even before the latest advances in nuclear power generation.
Totally agree on philosophy and timelines, “Pie. Now let’s factor in electric cars . . .
… which need to be powered by electricity.
Ol triple chin Palasczuk is under the pump with ministerial rumblings, low popularity and poor polling. Are we witnessing the gradual outing of the Premier of South East Queensland? Hopefully the whole party gets boned in Octorber 2024. There are no suitable, capable, or half decent replacements for her within the party anyway.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-12/annastacia-palaszczuk-absolutely-determined-to-lead-labor/102843286
I reckon as an essential service, power/distribution should fall under a government service. Competition in this space isn’t serving the consumer.
People I speak to lament the lack of providers in NQ; I think I rather stick with Ergon and keep the subsidised pricing we have now.
Meanwhile AEMO says renewables have put downward pressure on prices.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-27/aemo-wholesale-electricity-prices-fall-impact-power-bills/102654498
“Annual wholesale electricity prices fall by 59 per cent as households face surging power bills”
Now we are starting to see the stain of Albanese socialism soak into every corner of Govt and bureaucracy with recently appointed Productivity Commision head and lefty parasite Danielle Wood raising the prospect of an inheritance tax, without a doubt the most disgusting and obscene tax ever invented and something the Labor/Greens alliance will no doubt look to implement before they lose government in their own right at the next election.
Lots of countries have an inheritance tax. Not sure thinking logically why any one form of income should be sheltered from tax.
Well, two reasons spring to mind. Double dipping for one, the money inherited has already been taxed fairly (in theory, and if not, criminal penalties could apply but only to the dead person an the inheritor suffers the pain of being wrongly gifted the proceeds of crime) The second matter is the politics of envy in a country like Australia could blow up in the face of the comrades. … an inheritance tax would have to surely be a blanket tax, so people with modest wealth, hard earned by their predecessors from – shall we say – modest comradely beginnings, will reasonably resent already taxed inheritance money being handed over to the government forno reasonable reason.
If any government – and it would only ever be a Labor one – makes it a threshold tax, the Libs will be dancing in the street and measuring themselves up for office.
And a throwaway line about other countries having one doesn’t prove those countries are right or fair, or have histories of oppression and exploitation of the their fellow citizens. Which we don’t (no correspondence will be entered into on this points.)
If you think the Voice is divisive, wait until you see the social fracturing an inheritance tax triggers.
It has been taxed once as income for the deceased, now its untaxed income for the inheritor, and that’s without getting into untaxed capital gains.
If all income was taxed the same way, and set at a level that the total take remained what it is now, then actual wage earners would take home more of their pay packet.
It’s not income, its a gift from family or friends that has already had tax paid on it. If you are advocating a full VAT then you should think about the consequences of that, everytime you buy or sell anything you pay tax, anytime money changes hands for whatever reason you pay tax, all that does is send economies into freefall and create black markets for goods and cash. There is something systemically wrong with a society that looks to take money from someone else including dead people to compensate them for their own failings, but that is where Australia seems to be heading unfortunately.
The ( barely ) Civil Engineer . How about smaller Government and more accountability transparency . Inland Rail , Snowy Hydro bil $ blow outs . Qld Govt $2.4 bil Maryborough train carriage build , $1.8 bil Cross river rail .+ 2 connectors Council locally $74.3 mil blow out Haughton stage 2 , $5 mil on Riverway on $ 7.5 mil project , Council $3.6 mil loss this finacial year .
Hi Mike. For the record, those comments have not come from me. For whatever reason the Magpie has been engaging with clowns using my name. This started when he accidentally posted the code word we developed (Me) a few weeks ago, then backed it up by publishing it again (Me enriched with red wine). It is not often Malcolm gets it wrong but when he does you have to admire his tenacity in holding on to the wrong end of the stick.
Perhaps one of the ALP drones who have pinched my account would respond to your query.
MAGPIE for obvious reasons I’ve stopped using the code word.
Oh, stop clutching your fucking pearls, mate. FFS it’s a made up name and nobody knows who you are, so if it’s punched, you are hardly being held up to public ridicule. Anyway, The ‘Pie was under the impression we had decided on a new one which you advised me of in an unpublished comment But it hasn’t been used. And I have limited time to worry about nom de plumes, which it is almost impossible to police …the way you’re ripping up your nightie makes it sound like your real identity has been broadcast about the place (you’d probably be out of a job by now if it had). And no idea what your churlish=sounding comment about the wrong end of the stick is about, However, since you apparently have the right end of the stick, you might like to share how you think we should do this.
I put in well over 55-60 hours a week on the blog and the comments during the week, and won’t be looking forward to an extra on unnecessary admin matters. Several commenters have trusted The ‘Pie enough with their real names and email addresses, which means if something sounds a bit iffy, I can quickly check with them. And they haven’t been inadvertently outed. But if you choose not to trust The ‘Pie’s integrity in this area, best you pipe down and cop it sweet.
Gingerbeer, the Magpie is trustworthy. The old boy has accidentally published my code word also, but it’s no big deal mate as you can always change the code word to something else. I’m not sure why some fuckhead is imitating us but it happens. Small brained people with too much time on their hands.
You do a good job Malcom. When people start playing games it shows that you are hitting some nerves, and that is a good thing.
Well, gosh, I mean, thanks, oh, gee willikers …
We already have inheritance tax by stealth – it’s disguised as having to sell the family home in order to get one or both parents into an Aged Care facility.
Good luck to anyone trying to find a home or apartment to rent.
An accountant mate told me yesterday that every one of his clients that owned rental properties sold them in the last 12 months.
He said rules which give tenants more rights than owners are to blame.
This is good news, all those properties sold to owner-occupiers.
Apart from the ever present fact with you of airey bullshit, mind telling us how you know this? You make a judgement on a third hand statement read in a comment here (and not anywhere else) and then bloviate on in your usual demented way.
The Magpie will apologise if you can present proof of your statement.
ABS Not so. 38% to other investors. Boo hoo to you
Why boo hoo to me? Regular Reader was wrong and we have a situation with more owner occupiers but still rentals.
Regular Reader was simply passing on a comment from his accountant. And Grumpy just pointed out the false claim that you implied that none of these properties on the rental market any longer. You really are a sour prick, aren’t you?
Who was the wanker in the Sunbus/Kinetic office who cut my 208 out of Railway Estate this morning? Fuck you and the Liberal you road in on !
Liberal??? I think you’ll find Sunbus is linked deep inside the Labor party https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/48646
You seem to have posted a link without any relation to your comment.
Qantas lost its appeal in the High Court. Here is the link to the decision without spin
https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/showCase/2023/HCA/27
Comprehensively.
Goyder the limp dick Board chair now needs to go. And new CEO Vanessa Hudson should also depart. Goyder stuck by every bad decision Joyce made. Hudson, as CFO, was part of every bad decision Joyce made. The payout to the wrongly sacked staff will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The fine by the ACCC for selling tickets on cancelled flights will cost hundreds of millions. The refunds could total $500m and the cost to update the airlines ageing fleet is in the billions.
Joyce absolutely timed his departure perfectly. He has left behind a stinking steaming financially neutered airline. The shares have been dropping since all their shenanigans came to light. The share price will continue to tank as Qantas tries to claw its way out of a very dark hole. The little Irish gnome is laughing all the way to the bank. He will go down in history as the man who royally fucked Qantas.
I’m still looking for evidence that Qantas is fucked. Lots of (probably justified) vitriol against Alan Joyce, and the share price has take a temporary downturn, but Qantas still is and will always be the airline choice of many if not most.
The ultimate choice that counts are the investors and shareholders. And while we’re on this subject, a question The ‘Pie hasn’t yet had time to check out … in the new boss, Hudson, any relation to Qantas founder Sir Wilmot Hudson-Fysh? Only going on the name.
Iv’e put out an inquiry with relatives of Hudson-Fysh, whom I have connections with Pie. Will revert.
And a good thing, a look at Townsville airport and Qantas and associated brands have more than 25 flights most days out of Townsville to more than a dozen destinations whilst Virgin has 4-5 flights a day to Brisbane and that’s it, and new start Bonza has one to two a day to a couple of places, so if you’re not travelling Qantas then options are very limited. Joyce is a turd, Goyder and the board not much better but hopefully things will change a bit and some decency returns to the business. Good thing we all ignored the Mullets call to boycott Qantas, or we would all be travelling on a greyhound bus to go anywhere.
Not little Irish gnome , little Irish fairy.
Takes one to know one, Smug!
Does your dog bite?
Poor Alan. There is so much hatred towards him. I hope the stress of what he is going through doesn’t cause his prostate cancer to come back.
By contrast to Fran, the declared challengers to her (soon to be) departed Division 10 seat are providing a masterclass in selling themselves, their plans and hopes on social media (check out their Facebook pages: Ben Fusco for division 10 and Brady Ellis – Division 10 Candidate). Sincerely hope Fran can start offering a real alternative soon or has the $ to pay for a savvy campaign manager.
Alan Joyce is a corporate sociopath. A villain who sacked 1,700 employees so that he could pocket more millions. CEO’s like him are cold, ruthless, and devoid of any conscience. No moral fibre and not a shred of decency. Destroying all those peoples lives and for what reason – $$$. There are reports of suicides, relationship breakups and losing houses amongst those who were sacked. Real humans with real feelings. As far as I am concerned scumbag Joyce, a perverted little cockroach, will hopefully fade away like a shit stain in a toilet.
Birds of a feather flock together in Siberia! Vlad Rash-Putin and Kim Pong Uh!
Appropriate location for 2 ice cold incarceraters of intemperate thought.
Kim Pong Uh is not so stupid after all; he went into the UnSSR by train.
Recent “arrivals” by air, were the Polish President and Wagner’s Chef Prigozhin.
Next!!!
I mentioned this the other day Mr Magpie, and you shot me down, you thought I was making things up. Well I told you this gentleman didn’t die from the snake bite because it was a non venomous. Python wrapped around his mates leg. Donny had a heart attack.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-14/snakebite-did-not-cause-donny-morrison-koumala-death/102854318
We can play semantics with this until the cows come up (if they don’t get a fright from a snake and die of a heart attack on the way).
The coroner seems to back up The ‘Pie’s contention about the death:
The exact cause of his death is still being investigated. However, it is thought Mr Morrison may have had a medical condition, but he was unaware of it.
And in terms of straight logic albeit semantics, the coroner is wrong in ruling out ‘snake bite’ as a contributing factor – all he ruled out was the presence of venom – the multiple bites to this brave bloke’s arms and chest was the entire factor causing the cardiac arrest. You are correct in the sense he didn’t succumb to venom and possibly had a heart attack (info passed on to you third hand), but no one knows for sure, and certainly didn’t know immediately after the event.
Anyway, The Magpie’s initial response to you was his annoyance at your totally unjustified knee jerk reaction against the media, which simply passed on information given to them by authorities.
I’ve seen chickens succumb to heart attack when they are terrorised by a snake. Same deal. They didn’t die from the snake. They died of fright.
(Sigh) … caused by a snake.
No snake, no fright.
(sigh) … caused by a snake. No snake, no fright.
If we have to continue this discussion of language, allow The ‘Pie to have the last word … let’s say you’re driving recklessly, have an accident and your passenger is killed. You didn’t actually inflict the injuries that killed him/her/it (happy, EB?), the laws of physics did, or the passenger was dead from shock and fright before actual injury, but you still get charged with manslaughter because you were responsible for the injuries.
And a couple of random questions: what happened to the snake? And if it was subsequently killed by bystanders, will the snake killers be charged under Queensland’s ludicrous laws in this area? And even if it was simply detained and locked away in a cage, will there be a meeting of shiny bums and the virtuous to decide whether the snake should be put down -destroyed – dispatched or whatever euphemism is least likely to upset people who get the yips when the word killed or executed is used?
The laws in this regard are so dishonestly framed, they should be repealed and amended as a first move back towards common sense.
Oh, Ducky…and guns don’t kill people?
Labor have deserted their heartland , Low and Middle income . Unless you are sick and have children where is the cost of living support ? . Unleaded fuel up 20 cents + a further $12 a tank . Aaron , Scott , Les have failed to listen to the voice of the people of Townsville residents on crime . Hill and Molachino increasing rates up to 20 % in 2 yrs knowing renters would also be hit so they could fund their pet projects .
Mike, with OPEC cutting oil supplies this will ensure inflation remains above average and there will be further impacts to every item that we buy because those items are predominately moved by road transport. Oil has gone up $20 per barrel in the past 2 or 3 months. Building material costs are still rising and with rates sitting where they currently are, there is increased pressure on the rental market. We are sitting smack bang in the middle of a perfect financial storm. How much extra are ratepayers paying for the debt TCC holds? As you said, rates up 20% this year, what happens next year???
The Council, fuel suppliers and electricity suppliers are gouging an already suffering community. Yet the three local muppets say nothing, Anna says nothing, and as for TCC they just put rates up as an offset. Not good enough!
Fuck you Sunbus/kinetic, that’s twice this week you have not turned up. No point waiting as I will miss the connecting bus that gets me to work on time if it isn’t too late or cut. No point. I gotta do something else to get there now. I bet the office people are ex airline CEO’s or something.
It appears that the hatred of Yes proponents against the No camp is long and personal, with Marcia Langton having called described Jacinta Price and her mother Bess, as “the useful coloured help in rescuing the racist image of conservative outfits” in a 2018 article.
Heaven forbid that Aboriginals that live in Alice Springs have a different perspective of life than a Melbourne based academic.
Naughty Nesters poking fun at and making comments about Alan Joyce’s sexuality. In regards to those comments on this blog, I thought you would be more discerning Mr.Magpie.
You should see what wasn’t published. Or perhaps you shouldn’t, you’d melt.
Watching yesterday’s Press Club guest speaker Jacinta Price, I was impressed how well she articulated her stand on the voice nonsense.
Looking at the bigoted ABC band of reporters it was very obvious that they were of a closed mind.
The snotty nosed, sullen Dana Morse did not applaud (a common courtesy) at the end of the speech and David Speers only gave a token clap.
He was probably still in shock how she countered his pompous question “Did the indigenous inhabitants get any benefits from the arrival of Europeans and are there any disadvantageous from their arrival.
She shot him down after a well timed pause with a simple yes to the first part and no to the second.
The correct answers are in order: not for 190 years, and not if you think getting murdered and subjugated often in chains is a disadvantage.
Price has made a bald statement without nuance, and has handed the Yes case invaluable ammunition. It’s a sort of ‘swap you one Langton for a Price’.
And the confusion among the fevered class – to which surprisingly you belong, apparently, Heel … is quite amusing, with the Right calling the ABC left, and their Left calling the ABC right. AND NO, we won’t be starting a thread on that subject, but The ‘Pie believes the ABC News is a seperate case to other programming and he still finds it the most reliable and as close to balance as one is likely to get in this season Harried At First Sight’.
Absolutely NO mate! NB I always refer to it as nonsense.
Does any Nester know whether NOT having an over-75 medical certificate for driving affects car insurance??
The ‘Pie was told by his quack that if you do not have the certificate at the time of any accident, then you’re insurance is null and void. At least That is The ‘Pie’s understanding of the matter, not first hand because his 25 year old car only carries 3rd party.
Another fine ambassador for the Voice. $220,000 in his pocket (so to speak) and this snot chooses burglary and violent assault.
This sequence of events shows that the snot was rightfully in Don Dale and a pox on the bleeding hearts that gave him $220.000.
Fuck this Voice business. How about just a little bit of responsifuckingbility by those 3.8% that get $6 billion spent on them.
Yes, yes, precious petal, check out the ABC fact check site. Not $33 billion, $6 billion over and above all other folks. I have no way of calculating, but I would love to know how that amount, each year, pans out to each man, woman, and child of the 3.8%
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-15/nt-former-don-dale-inmate-josiah-binsaris-faces-darwin-court/102863012
The lateness of the hour seems to correlate to the darkness of your mood.
Hello Mr Magpie, seems it’s CEO hunting season… another one bites the dust.
Townsville Chamber of Commerce is seeking a new CEO on LinkedIn. Word is the current one was told not to come back after his overseas holiday?
Maybe a career in politics is more suited….
‘Word is …’ is always a red flag of fibbing or fantasy. Current CEO Michael Kern is well qualified and has a strong track record in the rural sector, so unless there’s been some internal dissension, it is possible he’s found other things to do. Beyond ‘word is’, do you have any reason to believe he has been given the heave ho.
But he’s certainly being replaced.
A red flag for fibbing or fantasy. I’ve learnt something new today, thanks.
I guess time will be the author or that.
Or the horses mouth.
Michael Kern is a good man, but much overrated. He would do well as a politician as he likes do a lot of talking, being a somebody to everybody, yet produce very little. The Chamber job was ‘too busy’ for him. Hope he does well in his next adventure.
We bring in a large number of “Pacific Islanders” to harvest various crops by season in Australia and especially in QLD.
Why not give this opportunity to local (apprehended) indigenous as a choice between incarceration or do something worthwhile, useful and beneficial.
It would be a litmus test!