Oh that why I got a call at work from the NBN about completing some kind of survey today.

The Monk think the internet is all about streaming videos for entertainment purposes.

So lets forget the fact that it can provide medical services to regional and remote communities as well has great education opportunities. Lets also forget the economic potential that can be created from fast and cheap internet access.

I keep hearing about the monetary costs of installing a national communication system, but what is the real cost of not installing such a next work?

Really?

blah, blah.........................

tbf, your original post was just a cheap political point scoring rant which was off the reality mark

it deserved the response i gave you

the loss of holden (and consequently possibly toyota) is a tragedy for many people and businesses but inevitable in the circumstances

i don't derive any pleasure from holden's decision

blaming abbott when only last year labor said they had done a deal guaranteeing holden would stay for 10 years is disingenuous

holden are going for lots of reasons which i can't be bothered enumerating but should be obvious

tbf, your original post was just a cheap political point scoring rant which was off the reality mark

it deserved the response i gave you

the loss of holden (and consequently possibly toyota) is a tragedy for many people and businesses but inevitable in the circumstances

i don't derive any pleasure from holden's decision

blaming abbott when only last year labor said they had done a deal guaranteeing holden would stay for 10 years is disingenuous

holden are going for lots of reasons which i can't be bothered enumerating but should be obvious

Did someone get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?

I see Tony has given his Government gold medal mark on its first 100 days of office! Well really! In opposition he set the bar at absolute perfection in his demands of the then Government.

In Government I would say the bar is somewhere now in the sand, if you can find it. A stuff up is good enough for Tony now. We have had the ministerial travel rorts, the spying problems and Tony's inability to really say sorry, Julie Bishop and the Chinese. The Christopher Pyne double backflip on Gonski and then sell it out anyway. Holden heading out after being goaded by Joe Hockey to take the plunge. Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!! Citizens please stay vigilant with this mob in charge is all I say.

I see Tony has given his Government gold medal mark on its first 100 days of office! Well really! In opposition he set the bar at absolute perfection in his demands of the then Government.

In Government I would say the bar is somewhere now in the sand, if you can find it. A stuff up is good enough for Tony now. We have had the ministerial travel rorts, the spying problems and Tony's inability to really say sorry, Julie Bishop and the Chinese. The Christopher Pyne double backflip on Gonski and then sell it out anyway. Holden heading out after being goaded by Joe Hockey to take the plunge. Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!! Citizens please stay vigilant with this mob in charge is all I say.

Hood it clear the media could only find one person in Australia who would give the current Australian Government a gold medal, the Monk himself.

IMO he is the biggest FIGJAM you could ever meet, not that you would really want too. A real legend in his own lunch box and a true hero for all the rusted on Libs supporters. But to be truthful, he the biggest asset the Labor Party currently has and therefore I would assume they also think he doing a fantastic job for their next election campaign. Therefore he would be loved by the rusted on Labor supporters as well.

To be fair Hood, the spying was not done in his time as PM, he just too incompetent to handle the matter appropriately.

IMO he lacks the ability to lead his own party let alone a nation. My real concern is people like the Monk is that they are truely dangerous. As I understand he is running his own party like a dicatorship. This indicates to me he his power hungry and does not believe in a true democracy. Only a matter of time before we help invade Iran, Syria or North Korea with our overlords, the USA, wait does North Korea have any oil? If they don't have oil then they will be safe from us bombing them unlit the find some.

I see Tony has given his Government gold medal mark on its first 100 days of office! Well really! In opposition he set the bar at absolute perfection in his demands of the then Government.

In Government I would say the bar is somewhere now in the sand, if you can find it. A stuff up is good enough for Tony now. We have had the ministerial travel rorts, the spying problems and Tony's inability to really say sorry, - What for, doing what every other government does?Julie Bishop and the Chinese. - Once again what for, standing up to the Chinese; do you think we should just bow and scrape? The Christopher Pyne double backflip on Gonski and then sell it out anyway. - They will get their funding even if the plan is a Labor decision that they don't agree with and it doesn't incorporate all the recommendations. Holden heading out after being goaded by Joe Hockey to take the plunge. - So you think they weren't going anyway and it was Joe that tipped them over the edge; laughable. Do you actually believe that yourself? Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!! Citizens please stay vigilant with this mob in charge is all I say. - Haven't followed the rest but I guess after seeing where you've come from on the other points I won't bother.

What do you reckon Hood should the rest of the World just stand by and allow China to annexe anything and everywhere?

They might decide to take over Vietnam, or Thailand, or perhaps Malaysia. But let's not upset them, let's just allow them to do what they want..

http://www.news.com.au/world/tensions-continue-to-bubble-beneath-the-surface-in-the-south-and-east-china-seas/story-fndir2ev-1226783825825

Edited December 16, 201311 yr by RobbieF

What do you reckon Hood should the rest of the World just stand by and allow China to annexe anything and everywhere?

They might decide to take over Vietnam, or Thailand, or perhaps Malaysia. But let's not upset them, let's just allow them to do what they want..

http://www.news.com.au/world/tensions-continue-to-bubble-beneath-the-surface-in-the-south-and-east-china-seas/story-fndir2ev-1226783825825

My response to that would be to look at our options if and when there may be some evidence that this might be a likely option in the foreseeable future. Is there any evidence that China is about to move on these countries? Yes there is ample tension with Japan at the moment that needs calm talk and advice, not us taking sides.

Robbie this issue is not party political, both sides in my opinion are besotted with the US alliance. From my view point China pays our bills, on the other hand the US pays us nothing, we are always in a trade deficit with them, we help fight their wars.

We hang on the idea that they will come to our rescue if we are invaded. It is an old storey based on what?

To answer your question, if it were up to me I would be opting for a low profile in all these international problems. Say nothing unless asked. Willing to help in negotiations but not willing to take sides at this stage. If the US and China are building toward conflict we should be working both sides to find a resolution. This seems reasonable to me unless you have some problem with the Bamboo Curtain that must be challenged to avoid Chinese expansion in the future.

I see Tony has given his Government gold medal mark on its first 100 days of office! Well really! In opposition he set the bar at absolute perfection in his demands of the then Government.

In Government I would say the bar is somewhere now in the sand, if you can find it. A stuff up is good enough for Tony now. We have had the ministerial travel rorts, the spying problems and Tony's inability to really say sorry, - What for, doing what every other government does?Julie Bishop and the Chinese. - Once again what for, standing up to the Chinese; do you think we should just bow and scrape? The Christopher Pyne double backflip on Gonski and then sell it out anyway. - They will get their funding even if the plan is a Labor decision that they don't agree with and it doesn't incorporate all the recommendations. Holden heading out after being goaded by Joe Hockey to take the plunge. - So you think they weren't going anyway and it was Joe that tipped them over the edge; laughable. Do you actually believe that yourself? Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!! Citizens please stay vigilant with this mob in charge is all I say. - Haven't followed the rest but I guess after seeing where you've come from on the other points I won't bother.

Robbie there is a body of opinion that Holden was looking at their options, the new government pulled $500k worth of support and was reviewing any more on going support. With some positive signs GM may have been open to talk about the future. While the door is open there is always hope, once the door shuts that is it. Hockey shut the door. What I find interesting is that the RBA is finally trying to talk the $AUS down after so many years. If the $ drops down to the 80c region suddenly Holdens are viable as an export. And we start to make export income and maintain jobs.

Robbie there is a body of opinion that Holden was looking at their options, the new government pulled $500k worth of support and was reviewing any more on going support. With some positive signs GM may have been open to talk about the future. While the door is open there is always hope, once the door shuts that is it. Hockey shut the door. What I find interesting is that the RBA is finally trying to talk the $AUS down after so many years. If the $ drops down to the 80c region suddenly Holdens are viable as an export. And we start to make export income and maintain jobs.

Hood see what they have done in 100 days, so what will happen if the Monk is give another 100 days?

Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!!

There's a lot of interesting articles on the TPP, the concerning point is that I haven't really seen anything positive. I believe it's a far more important issue than the "boats" that made headlines during the election campaign, but not a word was said by either side. I read somewhere about the Greens expressing their concerns over the TPP, but the negotiations have been ongoing for a number of years I believe, so where why are we only hearing about it now?

Fancy giving corporations more powers to sue and control. What a bunch of hacks we've got.

TPP Means You'll Pay More For Internet Access

sheesh, that's nasty.....and very big brother

let's hope it ends up like iinet's court case, on the scrap heap

sheesh, that's nasty.....and very big brother

let's hope it ends up like iinet's court case, on the scrap heap

We can only hope.

Fortunately Hotspot shield is free and stupidly easy to use.

The internet will always be ahead of content holders. Just look at The Age's paywall. Circumvented with "incognito" or "private browsing". A feature BUILT INTO MY BROWSER overcomes a paywall of a national newspaper.

Content providers forcing internet pricing up is a stupid idea anyway. The more people have to spend on internet, the less they will have for legitimate purchases.

It'll just punish the people who don't pirate anyway - the very behaviours they actually want to illicit.

The problem is that the TPP is not confined to online piracy (movies, music etc), it is an all encompassing draconian copyright infringement policy. The seemingly innocent use of a copyrighted image in a meme could see your website shut down without notice.

There's also talk of pharmaceutical companies being able to remove generic medicines, which can only benefit themselves.

A lot of these big corporations already have a leg up with the amount of resources they have, why are we giving them more leverage at our expense?

The problem is that the TPP is not confined to online piracy (movies, music etc), it is an all encompassing draconian copyright infringement policy. The seemingly innocent use of a copyrighted image in a meme could see your website shut down without notice.

There's also talk of pharmaceutical companies being able to remove generic medicines, which can only benefit themselves.

A lot of these big corporations already have a leg up with the amount of resources they have, why are we giving them more leverage at our expense?

like giving gmh money to pizz up against the wall?

What do you reckon Hood should the rest of the World just stand by and allow China to annexe anything and everywhere?

They might decide to take over Vietnam, or Thailand, or perhaps Malaysia. But let's not upset them, let's just allow them to do what they want..

http://www.news.com.au/world/tensions-continue-to-bubble-beneath-the-surface-in-the-south-and-east-china-seas/story-fndir2ev-1226783825825

well we let the indonesians take western new guinea ,east timor

so why not let the chinese annex anything they want

PEFO plus JOEFOO equals MYEFO. A new econometric equation for a nation. That is where I spend three months as treasurer spending or cutting my own tax income like a drunken sailor to the tune of $16 to $20 billion and then get up in front of the press and act as if I am bewildered at the mess I have inherited. Joe is in line for an Oscar at this stage.

The pre election economic outlook PEFO was set up by Peter Costello to tell it how it really is. That is how it was Joe as of September. Anything that has changed is yours mate! But I am sure he has got most of the usual suspects totally convinced that he has walked into a budget black hole.

Of course this tradition goes way back to Jeff Kennett and Peter Cotello who both claimed crises and believe it or not turned it all around in one budget with little more than taking a baseball bat to the poorest and least powerful in the community.

like giving gmh money to pizz up against the wall?

All these free trade agreements seem to be to our detriment. We've got one of the highest employment costs in the world, red tape through the roof, yet the government has done little, if anything, to help out our manufacturing and primary produce industries, let alone do anything to try to sustain them.

China's wage is around $1 per hour, no annual leave, sick leave, workcover etc etc and yet imports to Australia have little (about 5% from what I've seen) to no duty. Try and export into China and they hit you with a 30% import duty, and that's on top of our $25 odd per hour cost of employment and other high costs of production.

Where is the harm in increasing duty on imported goods, such as cars, and returning that money back into the industries as a subsidy? At the very least it would help sustain some of these industries for local production.

All these free trade agreements seem to be to our detriment. We've got one of the highest employment costs in the world, red tape through the roof, yet the government has done little, if anything, to help out our manufacturing and primary produce industries, let alone do anything to try to sustain them.

China's wage is around $1 per hour, no annual leave, sick leave, workcover etc etc and yet imports to Australia have little (about 5% from what I've seen) to no duty. Try and export into China and they hit you with a 30% import duty, and that's on top of our $25 odd per hour cost of employment and other high costs of production.

Where is the harm in increasing duty on imported goods, such as cars, and returning that money back into the industries as a subsidy? At the very least it would help sustain some of these industries for local production.

Australian LPG is piped to China for 2c a litre

We pay 89c currently.

Something is drastically wrong with the taxes,tariffs and handouts to big business.

Time to end corporate welfare when these same parasites are first to complain about the NDIS or a Childcare subsidy.

Let the corporations fail and cut their carcasses up on the street .

Corporations dont vote-they should have Zero rights and Zero protection-they are to be more despised and distrusted than the humble asylum seekers yet they loot the nation through the front and back doors of the tax system.

I would disband the cartels in this country to get innovation moving.

Coles/Safeway/BP/Shell/Amcor /Visy Toll/Linfox.

The farcical pretence of competition is the reason we pay so dearly for food ,drink and fuel and subsequently housing.

The profits go offshore-we are a captive audience.

I would like to see them all heavily fined and prosecuted ,shot and buried.

Howard had it in his head that tradesman were the problem-high wages.

Funny but you don't see many Asian tradesmen flown in to build mansions here-for good reason-they don't have the skills.

FKn Liberal puppets still the butlers of corporate giants and crushers of innovation.

FKn Liberal puppets still the butlers of corporate giants and crushers of innovation.

and the other parties?

and the other parties?

Union [censored] mongers or socialist activist recalcitrant druggies.

We are spoilt for choice really.

Union [censored] mongers or socialist activist recalcitrant druggies.

We are spoilt for choice really.

was getting worried about you using the recalcitrant word biff

but then realised you working class hero has been on t.v of late,reliving your labour glory days

was getting worried about you using the recalcitrant word biff

but then realised you working class hero has been on t.v of late,reliving your labour glory days

i thought it was "recidivist", but then my memory might be failing and i can't bother googling

i thought it was "recidivist", but then my memory might be failing and i can't bother googling

Definitely "recalcitrant" if it's the comment directed at Malaysia's Mahatir we are talking about.

Definitely "recalcitrant" if it's the comment directed at Malaysia's Mahatir we are talking about.

no it wasnt in reference to mahatir

biff was talking about christmas work break up parties of yesteryear

his geography is limited to the city and its 4 neighboring suburbs