bignose
@bignose@aussie.zone
- Comment on Why declining productivity and rising inequality won't be met with bold reform | Alan Kohler 1 day ago:
Expecting corporations, or the major parties in bed with them, to simply give workers better conditions? Yes, fanciful.
That’s why we need robust worker unions that use these opportunities to demand better.
- Submitted 2 weeks ago to news@aussie.zone | 0 comments
- NSW ‘seeking urgent advice’ on controversial court ruling that found anti-Israel vandalism was not antisemiticwww.theguardian.com ↗Submitted 2 weeks ago to australianpolitics@aussie.zone | 2 comments
- Comment on Australia’s drop in real wages is a disaster. But the profits of major corporations are doing just fine | Greg Jericho 2 weeks ago:
It’s easy (and intentional) that blame is diverted from the guilty parties, to the Reserve Bank for these mistakes.
The RBA have exactly one tool, one dial they can twiddle: raise or lower interest rates for so-called “cash loans” from the Reserve Bank. That’s it, that’s all they have. If a problem can’t be properly addressed by doing that, there’s nothing helpful the Reserve Bank can do.
So, it’s not their responsibility to get us out of this mess. But it is the responsibility of our Federal government, who can act but pretend they have no power, and leave the RBA to take the heat.
The problem (as correctly identified by the article) is not workers’ wages rising; wages are falling way behind inflation. The problem is caused by unreasonable expectation of profits by corporations and their shareholders, in a time when everyone else is financially suffering. They raise prices with no justification and with full impunity, everyone else suffers and they extract more wealth from the rest of us.
Tax those excess profits robustly, quickly, and inescapably; and watch our current inflation fall, as they stop price gouging, stop laying off workers, try to find a way to keep going with normal profits instead.
The federal government can do it with the stroke of a pen. Make them do it.
- Comment on Low-income Australians should accept substandard homes, Liberal frontbencher says 3 weeks ago:
Asked about the Coalition’s plan […] and whether that meant some low-income Australians would have to accept substandard housing, Bragg told ABC radio: “Yes, definitely … it’s more important to have a house than to not have a house. And so, given the affordability crisis we have in the housing system, we need to just build more houses.”
A total non-sequitur. Yes living in a house is better, yes we need to build them. Why not build them to (or better than) the robust safety standards we have now?
Neo-liberalism’s answer is: they oppose spending any money to improve real people’s lives. Unsafe housing is cheaper.
The truth: Australia issues Australian dollars any time they choose to. If high-quality, safe housing can be built by spending Australian dollars, the federal government can always choose to pay.
They just don’t want to.
- Comment on Major capital cities record worst housing auction clearance rates in years 2 months ago:
What the hell is this value judgement? Why are lower housing prices unilaterally “worse”? I’d think that, for people who need homes, lower prices are better than higher prices. ABC representing only the wealthy land holders in this headline.
- Comment on If America descends into fascism, does Australia just grin and bear it? 11 months ago:
Sorry for posting a paywalled article
Here is a Wayback Machine URL for the same post: web.archive.org/…/charlie-kirk-death-fascism-amer… in case you want to update the post to use that URL.
- Comment on UK police arrest nearly 900 at London protest for banned Palestine Action group 11 months ago:
via @faab64@freefree.ps:
Brave British police captured another dangerous terrorist today
- Submitted 1 year ago to news@aussie.zone | 3 comments
- Comment on Albanese's plan to 'unleash the private sector' 1 year ago:
It dates back at least to the 1980s, when the Hawke government convinced the ACTU to suppress workers’ rights to negotiate better wages and working conditions.
- Comment on Albanese's plan to 'unleash the private sector' 1 year ago:
The government being the biggest job creator is not a good sign for the economy at large
How do you come to that judgement?
What do you count as “the economy at large”? How have you determined what’s good for that?
What connection does your definition of “the economy at large” have to do with life as lived by most people in that economy? If the connection is indirect, how do we determine whether “good for the economy at large” is good for the people in that economy?
- Submitted 1 year ago to ausmemes@aussie.zone | 32 comments
- Comment on Google will rename Gulf of Mexico following Donald Trump declaration 1 year ago:
So their announcement seems to be saying they’ll follow what the national government officially calls the feature:
In an X post on Monday, Google said its Maps service would reflect the change once it is officially updated in the US Geographic Names System. The change will be visible to Google Maps users in the US, but it will remain listed as Gulf of Mexico for those accessing the platform from Mexico. Outside of the two countries, users will see both names.
And, yeah. What is the alternative policy from Google that we’re proposing? That Google should be sovereign in itself, declare they’ll name it whatever seems right to Google, and not defer to the government appointed names for things? Based on what, exactly?
I want Google to follow the official name when, for example, Ayer’s Rock is now officially called Uluru.
If the government of the day orders that Uluru is now called Aussie Stone, and Google announces they’ll update maps? My objection is not that Google follows the official name; it’s that the government of the day is wrong and needs to be ousted.
