Straya thread part 4 - culling the chazzwazzers population

[Kieran McConville]

No public holiday is complete without some straightener from the Business Council of Ostraya or the IPA or the Chamber of Commerce decrying the effects on productivity... so more of them, I say. I want to see more of those ashen faced performances!

 

[Axver]

I would be so down with an AFL public holiday. Failing that, having two days off over NY wouldn't go amiss either.

New Zealand gets two days off for the new year and it doesn't even have anything extra to celebrate!

One of my colleagues has proposed that Australia Day could be moved to 9 July, the date that Queen Victoria gave royal assent to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act in 1900. It just didn't take effect until 1 January 1901. Not a bad idea if you ask me. Plus we need more public holidays in the second half of the year.

No public holiday is complete without some straightener from the Business Council of Ostraya or the IPA or the Chamber of Commerce decrying the effects on productivity... so more of them, I say. I want to see more of those ashen faced performances!

You know a decision has been taken correctly when the IPA are unhappy with it.

Seems like the media got it wrong in the first place though. Was rejected in 2012 - University of South Australia distances itself from males studies proposals

Definitely good news.

 

[cobl04]

now THIS is an election promise.

Labor pledges 24-hour weekend public transport for Melbourne if it wins November election


this would do more to curb violence, overdoses and excessive alcohol consumption than any lockout or early closure will ever do.

 

[Axver]

Totally agreed. I've never understood why it's so difficult to operate even just a skeleton service - say once an hour - on each tram and train line in the city overnight.

 

[intedomine]

And stupidly the trams/trains don't restart until 8am on Sunday. There have been a couple of instances where things have wrapped up at 5am and you have to wait 3 hours for your transport home. Cabs cost far too much if you might be in the outer subs.

I've been saying it for years, once an hour all through the night.

 

[cobl04]

I can't believe this is real, but it is - this is a NSW Govt ad for its anti-binge drinking campaign. Rape is a woman's fault, apparently.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Why is Australia so trash.

 

[Axver]

No way.

No. Way.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Why do Australia day flags start appearing in shops in like the first week of January.

Do we really need reminding.

I don't know anything anymore, I'm just bowing down to my supreme white leader.

 

[cobl04]

Sydney just introduced 130am lockouts and 3am licensing cutoffs. Just so fucking stupid. Placing the blame purely on alcohol is a copout that punishes the huge majority of people who drink - even to excess - and wouldn't hurt a fly and creates excuse for fucking idiots.

Want to change things? Triple the goddamn penalties for violence, don't impose lockouts or licensing cutoffs, and have public transport running all night.

 

[Axver]

Lockouts cause more violence, not less. This sort of thing is just kneejerk populism trying to appease paranoid twits in suburbia who don't even go into the city of an evening anyway.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Moral panic in a teacup. What made this suddenly a 'thing'? As opposed to a thing.

Either way, anyone who punches someone and kills them is a murderer (yes, yes, obviously there are exceptions, like say you're wrestling with your evil stepfather over the family silver and someone slips on the nice rug).

 

[cobl04]

H.G. Nelson and 'Rampaging' Roy Slaven sign with Ten to bring Russian Revolution from Sochi

 

[Alisaura]

Wouldn't it be funny if someone actually enforced those "responsible service of alcohol" laws, lol.

Roy & HG! I may actually be interested in the winter Olympics now.

 

[cobl04]

Absolutely stoked Adam Goodes was named Australian of the Year.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

He's an admirable fellow.

Unfortunately I read the ninemsn comments to that article.

 

[cobl04]

#straya Upside down MP: Andrew Laming photographed skolling beer while doing handstand at Australia Day party

 

[intedomine]

I do like Adam Goodes, especially when he attacked the media a few years ago for the patronising (and nauseating) regard for indigenous players. Those with the "silky" skills who are "magical".

Far more deserving than Mark Taylor (how on earth did he win it!)

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Cosgrove to be the new GG.

Boys club boys club boys club boys club.

 

[cobl04]

I don't know who that is, but I'm reasonably certain Quentin Bryce is female.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

One of Abbott's/Howard's mates.

I was not referring to Bryce at all.

 

[cobl04]

Well that seems understandable given it's Abbott's government. Who appoints a GG anyway?

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Doesn't the Queen?

 

[cobl04]

I would assume so, yeah. I've asked this before but the GG seems like a pointless position. From what Ac has said in the past, technically he/she has a lot of power but it never gets used. Seems like they swear in a new PM and that's it.

 

[Axver]

The new Governor-General is recommended by the government of the day and appointed by the Queen. The GG is officially head of state and technically possesses wide powers under the constitution, but as we have responsible government, the GG acts only upon the advice of their responsible ministers (i.e. the government). The GG's role is largely ceremonial.

However, the GG can act in exceptional circumstances. I'm lazy so I'm just going to copy them from Wikipedia. The most notable example of the GG using one of these reserve powers is, of course, the dismissal of Whitlam in 1975.

The reserve powers are:

The power to dissolve (or refuse to dissolve) the House of Representatives. (Section 5 of the Constitution)
The power to dissolve Parliament on the occasion of a deadlock. (Section 57)
The power to withhold assent to Bills. (Section 58)
The power to appoint (or dismiss) Ministers. (Section 64)

Those powers are generally and routinely exercised on Ministerial advice, but the Governor-General retains the ability to act independently in certain circumstances, as governed by convention. It is generally held that the Governor-General may use powers without ministerial advice in the following situations:

if an election results in a Parliament in which no party has a majority, the Governor-General may select the Prime Minister
if a Prime Minister loses the support of the House of Representatives, the Governor-General may appoint a new Prime Minister
if a Prime Minister advises a dissolution of the House of Representatives, the Governor-General may refuse that request, or request further reasons why it should be granted. It is worth noting that convention does not give the Governor-General the ability to dissolve either the House of Representatives or the Senate without advice.

The use of the reserve powers may arise in the following circumstances:

if a Prime Minister advises a dissolution of Parliament on the occasion of a deadlock between the Houses, the Governor-General may refuse that request
if the Governor-General is not satisfied with a legislative Bill as presented, they may refuse Royal Assent
if a Prime Minister resigns after losing a vote of confidence, the Governor-General may select a new replacement contrary to the advice of the outgoing Prime Minister
if a Prime Minister is unable to obtain Supply and refuses to resign or advise a dissolution, the Governor-General may dismiss him or her and appoint a new Prime Minister.

As for the new appointment, Cosgrove came to popularity as the leader of the peacekeeping mission to East Timor in the late nineties. He's a bit of a Howard mate but there could have been much worse appointees - he doesn't quite seem to be a Peter Hollingworth.

 

[kingston]

who is straya??

 

[Kieran McConville]

Hey, it could have been worse,we could have got the Duke of Kent again.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Amazing.

Victoria's new anti-protest bill is a threat to our freedom of assembly | Asher Wolf | Comment is free | theguardian.com

 

[cobl04]

"You would like the national broadcaster to have a rigorous commitment to truth and at least some basic affection for the home team, so to speak.''

Cry me a fuckin river.

Tony Abbott says ABC 'takes everyone's side but our own'

 

[cobl04]

in better news, the Palace is saved for another day https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...552.1073741829.521408874573754&type=1&theater