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That's wishful thinking Marty. Banks offering solar loans. They seem to be continually cutting down what they have to offer rather than increasing it. My bank has closed most of it's physical branches, sacked most of their staff and now only offer housing and business loans, nothing else.

The problem with elections is that they have always, since way back in ancient times, been auctions. Candidates make outrageous offers involving spending money, but don't say that those offers are factual. Our system simply leads to any government formed from those elections doing things in the short term. Not that I am in favour of totalitarian systems, but look at least at China. It seems that their government is prepared to make plans for things that will not eventuate for a long time. That seems to get things done.

Banks could assist here. Why don't they offer "solar loans" - where they fund the installation of enough panels and battery that you don't have any debit bills. The repayment amount is set to the average of your last 12 months power bills. So there's no financial impact to the user but then in 6 or 8 or 10 years, you're not paying for power.

I doubt you would give them any credit for where we are no matter what, but Plenty of those contracts were done Years ago. Don't Open cut Mines damage vast tracts of Countryside and Wreck water tables? Solar doesn't damage the Countryside. You can farm or graze under it. Wind pays farmers who allow it and it provides them with a stable income. Batteries when installed benefit everybody. Nev

Comment by Dee Madigan, SMH Opinion page, Thursday 12 Nov '26. I can tell you why Qantas outsourced 850 jobs to India in two short words. Qantas has spent decades and millions of dollars telling us it's the Spirit of Australia. But on Tuesday it told 850 of its own staff that their jobs are being out sourced to Accenture and offshored to India. In the very same year it made a $1.29 billion profit. I can tell you why decisions like this get made in two short words - executive bonuses. When bonuses are tied to profits, company leaders make short-term decisions that benefit themselves. And the cost of long-term brand damage is really difficult to restore.

From what I've seen during travels from grain growing areas to sheep grazing areas in NSW, sheep + solar works on country that it too up and down for cultivation. In grain growing areas, wind power works with grain. Nuclear -v- renewable??? It's a matter of infrastructure. A nuclear plant might not need so much ground, but water for cooling is the main inhibitor in Australia. Also, you can throw up a solar panel farm in a much shorter time than it takes to construct either nuclear of fuel powered plants. Finally, dealing with nuclear waste is much harder than how we will deal with time expired solar panels and wind turbine propellers. There's a lot of work being done to find ways to deal with waste from renewables, and we still have a few years before that ability is very much needed.

I wouldn't even take a second look at that speed. I worked the Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney. I wouldn't set the radar's alarm below 125 kph in the 100 kph areas. I'd rather hang a bloke for a sheep than a lamb. Nowadays the same stretches of the highway are 110 kph and the road itself hasn't been upgraded to any exent.

In 1972 I lived in a sharehouse with a bunch of people and we had a lot of fun with one of those little Z50's. It was a big old condemned house that reminded me a lot of the Addams family house. Built on a steep block, you entered the top story from the street and it had two stories below. All three had verandahs. We used to ride the Z50 in off the street, right through the house and down the stairs to the lower levels. A lot of fun tearing around the verandahs on it. The street entrance was a ramp, not stairs, so the bigger bikes got parked inside the top story, off the street and secure.

Now that bloke is braver or dumber than me. Those bikes are great for small monkeys. Humans should pick safer 1200 cc bikes.

ome, that reminds me of back in the early 70's when the police used radar, they would often set up behind a tree or bushes so they were not so visible and often at the bottom of a hill to catch people increasing speed on the downhill run. One day a mate of a mate in Brisbane got on a Honda Z50 mini bike and did a run past the radar for a joke. They normally had a top speed of 30mph but it was a big long hill and he lay down flat on the tank and clocked 37mph (2 over the limit) as he went past the radar at the bottom of the hill. It was one of these:

According to Tony Barry, historical preference flows show Green voters don't closely follow their how to vote cards. In past state and federal elections exhausted green votes have gone roughly 85% to Labor, 15% to the Coalition.

In 15 seats they are directing on how to vote cards Greens 1, One Nation last and no preferences in between.

IF that's all they can find to make a fuss of ,they are pretty desperate. It's just Muck raking. Nev

IF you understood things better you would know what you suggest is impossible. The cloud above big Planes wings is caused by low pressure and high REL humidity and it only forms over the wing and moves with the Plane. It's like a Lenticular Cloud in shape. Any contrails are from the H2O formed by Burning Hydrocarbon fuel and they don't form always depending (again) on Humidity. at the Planes altitude Nev

If it was off mike who would know? Politicians are just people after all. The problem lies in the possibility that what they say may be overheard and blown out of all proportion so they should know better.

How did they Manage to get the mists forming down wind of the Turbines? Nev

I worked in the industry for nearly 14 years and still have close ties to it. I am also thinking of getting back into it. SA wants to build another 13GWs of intermittent generation (for a 3.5GW max demand grid) So not from the Murdoch press. As you can see in the photo I shared earlier the turbines rotor are well above any turbulance, shading from buildings. Most of the shadowing comes from the turbine next door. See the attached photo for how far the turbulence lasts. (Hornes Reef) Surprised me considering how efficent the blade is. When we use to hang glide, you would hardly feel the wake of a sailplane but a hanglider would give you a fair old thump. Realistically apart from Nimbyism it makes sence to build them in the citys or in really close vicinity. Low line losses and less transmission from the actual windfarms. The people that want them tend to live in electorates in the citys where WTGs and large solar farms arent situated. Adelaide parklands would be the ideal spot for a solar farm. Again, close to load centre. Doze all the trees and there you have it.

You're able to get free electricity today because of solar; not coal. If electricity prices are going to double in real terms it is because governments mismanage the rollout - just like In the UK.

Geez you guys have short memories. SFM and Duttons hot Mike gaffe about our Pacific islanders losing thir countries was far worse.

Two weeks to go and just about everyone has written the Carroll government off. Most of the talk is not if they lose, but by how much. Now that they've pissed the Greens right off and lost Green preferences in a lot of seats, the hurdle just got bigger. But you never know until it's over and stranger things have happened. I'll never forget the Shorten election loss. He had opinion polls indicating that Labor was home and hosed to the point where Labor faithful at the election function room were cracking the champagne at close of polls. An hour later, those same people were a sad and sorry sight wandering around shellshocked. So anything can happen on the night. A surprise win for Victorian Labor would be a godsend for Federal Labor, but the reality is without a Labor win in Victoria, the best case scenario for the Feds is a Coalition minority with One Nation support. That gives them the hope of a chaotic, unworkable government making Labor look good for a return next time. It would also give the Feds more validity to their looming battle against One Nation and the Coalition in eighteen months time. On the flip side, the worse case scenario for Federal Labor is a Victorian Coalition majority that doesn't need One Nation. Especially if it goes on to be a stable, popular government. In that case, it would be a big negative for Labor's federal campaign. Certainly not your average state election; the whole country will be watching this one.

Where you read these things Matters. Is it the TRUTH OR Did you read it in the Murdoch Press?? Nev

They really are an ebarrassing couple of d*cks.

Last weekend I took Friday off, we deserted the kids (hey the eldest is 18 so there was theoretically an adult in the house) and the missus and I went to Swansea. I took the bike and she took the EV - strange, I know, but with Tassie you need to be prepared for any weather. As it was I was rained on every day of the weekend, but there was enough fine weather between the showers to make it worthwhile. We rode into Coles Bay on Saturday, had an excellent lunch and dropped in to Devil's Corner vineyard on the way back. On the way home the main tank ran dry 40km from Richmond. I wasn't too concerned because my wife was somewhere nearby, but as it was the reserve got me there. I was taking it very easy on the wet corners - but even so, at one point I touched the rear brake and felt the back end give a little. From then on I took it even easier. Very relaxing weekend!

To look is to use sight to perceive an object. To see is to notice or become aware of objects and surroundings using your eyes. To perceive means to become aware of, to notice. Perception means coming to an opinion, interpreting a situation, based on on i the inputs of looking. There is a great deal of practical difference between looking, seeing and perceiving. You can look and see something, but be unable to perceive what the thing is doing. In my opinion, based on learning and experience, I conclude that the driver did not perceive the situation due to the speed of the bike being something the driver could not perceive due to an inability to form an opinion based on lack of experience of that partcular situation. When I was performing traffic law enforcement using radar, I would observe the approaching vehicle and, based on experience from watching vehicles approaching at speeds below the speed limit, would form an opinion as the whether the vehicle was travelling above the speed limit. Initially I never put a numerial value to that speed. The vehicle ws either 'up it', or not. Then I would release the beam of the radar and the instrument would calculate the speed and provide a numerical display. The number in the display window (if it was above the signposted speed limit) determined the penalty amount indicated on the infringement notice. I never could accurately determine the speed of a vehicle. The instrument did that for me. All I did was decide whether or not to take a shot with the beam.

If the Landcruiser had not pulled out the accident would not have happened. Any rider with a fair bit of experience knows that many tin-top drivers make right turns in front of you and Hit you on roundabouts when you are on their right,and pull out from the side of the road without looking carefully. They ALL say "I didn't see you" as if that's a legitimate excuse. Yeah the rider was going too fast, but YOU are supposed to LOOK.

If you had Taipans there Marty you'd want to be wearing leather pants. They have a bad habit of rearing up and striking passing vehicles. I've had one strike at a Toyota at the top of the wheel level. Tiger snakes up here do the opposite. With an approaching vehicle they do a big aerial backflip and go in the opposite direction.

Saw my first snake of the summer today - just avoided running over him on the bike, which could have been nasty for both of us.

Gilgandra is a typical inland town. The local indigenous mob are the Widjuri, with Gamillaroi as next-door neighbours. Our Op Shop gets trade from the residents of the town and surrounding towns, as well as the travellers (who make up a large part of our customer base).. For the size of the indigenous population in the area, we see very few of them in the shop. The word is that the indigenous people are not doing it so tough and can afford to buy from the major chain stores.

The cane toads must still be in hibernation. We've had 19" of rain in October and not a toad to be seen. What made me think of it is that I've been hearing a big old bullfrog today.

Interesting assessment of the likely rationale behind Musk deciding to spend nearly half a billion dollars on the election and what the Republican loss may be costing him.

Every nation is affected economically by the wars in Iran and Ukraine. Then how come the UK has had zero interest rate rises this year, USA has had 1, Canada zero, New Zealand 2 and the EU 2, but Australia has now had 5?

I have a first cousin who was adopted out at birth. It was kept fairly secret and his siblings were never told of it. By the time he was able to trace his birth parents unfortunately his father and sister had passed. On the bright side, he got to meet his mother before she passed and he and his brother now have a strong brother relationship. His brother was in his 50's when he first knew about it and met up. I met the formerley unknown cousin a few years ago and he's a really nice bloke. The genetic resemblance to his brother I've known for life is very strong; you'd never miss picking them as brothers despite the age gap. Same parents. It was an unplanned pregnacy and adoption, later marrying and going on to have two more children.