onetrack

The process is quite detailed through every stage, and much effort is taken to ensure postal vote integrity and correct counting. I can't find Federal or NSW State procedures, but here's the QLD postal voting processes, and I presume all the other States, and the Federal count are carried out in a similar manner. https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/67464/Procedures-for-counting-of-absentee-votes-for-state-elections-and-referendums.pdf

The postal votes can make a big difference to the eventual numbers, and the postal votes usually favour the conservative politicians. Plus, the AEC has 13 days to allow for all postal votes to arrive, before they can call the result.

Well, that bone-pointing certainly worked on Peter Dutton! I really want to see/hear what GON uses for installing a curse on someone/some party. I could cheerfully use that on some a***holes who've robbed me blind. 😄

Don't forget the impact of constant advertising that constantly tells you how inadequate you are, unless you have the latest consumer item/beauty treatment/advanced job/biggest house/latest electronic gizmo/etc, etc.........

The deal to buy the Qatari 747 hasn't actually been put in place. The biggest problem (for the Big Orange Baby Tantrum Thrower), is that by the time the selected company modifies the Qatari 747 to meet the Presidential aircraft requirements, the new one being built by Boeing will be ready. Of course, the simple answer for Donny is to ensure he gets a 3rd term, so he can take delivery of his new Presidential transport - that probably is being held up, because of the constant Presidential demands for more and more gold plating. https://simpleflying.com/qatari-boeing-747-new-trump-air-force-one/

That reminds me of the old joke. An old bull and young bull were by themselves in a paddock, and in the distance was a fairly large hill. The young bull said to the old bull. "Do you know what's on the other side of that hill? "Nope, never been up there", came the reply. "Well, let's go and find out!" said the youngster. So they tramped up this long sloping hill, and as they crested it, a paddock full of heifers came in view. Hundreds of them. "Gee, would ya look at that!!", exclaimed the youngster. "Let's run down there, and f*** a few of them!! "Nope", said the old bull. "Let's walk down there, and f*** the lot!!"

Yeah, I'd really like to see my own death certificate, so I can take steps to avoid the problem that caused my demise.

Hi Ric, it appears the Australian Venue Co do a pretty good job of making sure their venues keep up an acceptable standard of food and drinks. As with all businesses though, there is a variation between venues, with the venues that have had recent upgrades seeming to provide better service and food and drinks. However, even these vary, as it all comes back to the staff employed, and the staff turnover is pretty high in many of these places as a lot of workers in the hospitality industry are relatively transient, and often see the job as a "fill-in" to something better. We found that when nearly all the backpackers disappeared during COVID, the service levels for food and drink venues fell right away for around 3 years, and even staffing levels went down, as it was obvious employees became harder to find. Since the pandemic has been declared over though, it seems things are returning to normal, and the backpackers (who make up a lot of the hospitality staff) are starting to return - resulting in an improvement in service and staff levels.

Paul Keating wasn't in any political power position in 1981, although he was an elected Labor Party politician at that date. He didn't become Treasurer in the Hawke Govt until March 1983. I doubt whether Keating had any control over interest rates in the world-wide major recession that occurred from 1980 to 1983. The reason for that recession was the massive, nearly four-fold increase in global oil prices that started with a reduction in Iran's oil output in 1979. The massive increase in fuel prices led to world-wide high inflation, and official interest rates were increased to try and control the runaway inflation. That period was a terrible economic period for most people, and most businesses. As to the "recession we had to have", that was Keatings famous saying in response to the mild recession we endured in 1993-1994, as a result of inflation and major current account deficits. He simply remarked it was something that had to happen, due to multiple global factors.

This is the Wikipedia photo of Michael Landon, taken in Sept 1990, just 10 mths before he died.

I love the way Trump didn't even know there was a Federal election being held in Australia. I bet he knows what golf tournaments were on here, though.

It's not Michael Brandon or Michael Landon, it's an internet con photo. Michael Landon died aged 54 from pancreatic cancer, he never became an old man. 90% of internet "truth" is pure BS, produced by scammers.

GON seems to relish harbouring and feeding longstanding bitterness and grudges, turning them into his sole reason for living. A wise old Auntie told me once - "As you age, you can Better, or get Bitter". GON is obviously a bitter old man, concentrating all his energies into pursuing grudges and hatreds, and I'll wager he lives alone and has few friends. What a sad case he is. He also has a very selective memory. He seems to forget that official inflation rocketed to 17% under the "leadership" of Gough Whitlam. It was a terrible time, the mid-1970's, as everyone kept raising prices as fast as you could blink. I can recall a meal were having with a business associate, and he remarked, just looking at the condiments and food items on the table, as to how much they had inflated in price in such a short time. A new, basic Holden Belmont sedan cost just over $2000 in 1972. By 1977 the cost of that sedan had gone to $3,200 - an increase of 60% in just 5 years.

The W.A. Govt clamped down on wood fires over 20 years ago. Not a ban as such, just regular encouragement to get rid of them. Unsurprisingly, there are still plenty of houses in the Darling Range and the S.W. of W.A. still using wood for heating and hot water. You can tell where these areas are on cold still mornings, the choking wood fire smoke hangs around in the valleys for hours, making them quite unpleasant to drive through. We have electric RC A/Cons, best thing since sliced bread, we got rid of the previous oil heater in 2005. The oil heater was installed in the original (wood) fireplace by the previous owner, so that was a long time ago, we've been in this house for 35 years in early June.

13°C to 22°C here today, quite cloudy, with the odd light shower. It's fining up though, with 15° - 31° and 15° - 30°, and sunny, forecast for Thursday and Friday. We had a very small amount of rain on Saturday, but nothing more in sight for a week or more.

He got all the power without any knowledge - just rat-cunning and deviousness.

I'm chuckling over some of the election comments. Jacob Greber's quote (ABC), re the shocking Liberal loss - "It's like one of those gory horror movies, where half the headline cast gets decapitated before the first act is over..."

The part of this election that gives me huge satisfaction is seeing Clive Palmer get his Trumpet shoved up his arse, and seeing him spend $60M for nothing - and sighting a major collapse in his share of the vote, from a former 4.1% to just 1.8%. That, despite his party promising a 15% tax on iron ore exports to help reduce the national debt. Just goes to show, how voters don't trust a word he says. https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/results/party-totals

I stand by what I said previously - Labor will win, and any swing to the Conservatives, will be minimal at best. As with the W.A. election, the Greens and Independents will pick up the swing that would have gone to the Conservatives in previous decades. The Liberals need to take a long hard look at themselves, with their Trump alignment, stepping back into fossil fuels, clamping down on migration, and generally wishing for a return to the 1950's, where White Anglo-Saxons ruled, and women knew their place - in the kitchen. We live in the 2020's and things have changed in a big way - and we won't be going back to manufacturing in Australia any time soon, either.

I lived in Casula for 9 mths during 1970, I didn't think the climate there, was all that bad. Maybe 1970 was a very pleasant year.

There's been more than a few crooked, corrupt and downright evil popes. Perhaps he's getting ready to align himself with Pope Urban VI (1378–1389), who tortured Cardinals who had conspired against him.

When I first started in earthmoving, I knew a rough, tough and crusty old WW2 Veteran, who was a local Shire Council Foreman - and his version, which possibly predated WW2, was the message to any girl - "Do you believe in the hereafter? Because if I don't get what I'm here after, you'll still be here after I'm gone!"

Turning yourself into shark shit is another favourite way of departing this planet.

There's an interesting article in the link below, that explains precisely why manufacturing of everything on a large scale in the U.S., to try and beat China, is never, ever going to happen. A big part of the problem is that a huge percentage of Americans want manufacturing returned to the U.S. - but only 25% of Americans would choose to work in a factory job. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/steve-jobs-quote-on-american-manufacturing-still-applies-today/91181530

I'm looking forward to placing Clive Palmer last.