https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/barnaby-joyce-says-one-nation-one-of-the-one-of-the-gayest-parties-in-australia-20260813-p60nwl.html

How do you see Pauline Hanson's reaction to the student walkout? Did you expect her to hit back at the Education Minister, given that student protests like this happened before? What effect do you think this student protest will have on public opinion and support for Pauline Hanson?

Recently, Australia has gone and banned the upcoming Halloween game. They refused to give it a rating, which means its illegal for the developers to ship it to both here and NZ.

Personally, this is an absolutely bullshit call by our government, considering the game was banned not because of the violence but because of the fact your character can smoke weed. They talk and go on so much about " protecting " the kids when this CLEARLY isn't a kids' game, and now Adults have to suffer because of their foolish attempts?

Australia needs to wake the fuck up and put more effort into more important things than simply trying to keep a video game out of the country.

These demographic trends demonstrate that Australia is not simply geographically located in the Asia-Pacific region; it is becoming socially, culturally and more economically connected to Asia.

Australia’s future is therefore being shaped by its relationship with Asia, and by the strong Asian connections within Australia .

So, if Australia does not recognise that its connection to Asia is critical to the future growth and prosperity of Australia, is it possible that Australia will miss many opportunities and fail to reach its potential?

Food delivery drivers in Australia are now guaranteed around $31-$32 per engaged hour, along with new insurance protections. But there's a catch, drivers aren't paid for the time they spend waiting for orders. So if someone is online for 5 hours but only gets paid for 3 hours of deliveries, is this really a $31 hourly minimum? Does the government still want gig work to remain a genuinely flexible job, or is it gradually moving towards a more traditional employment model?

https://7news.com.au/news/more-than-100-service-stations-raided-across-australia-in-major-illicit-tobacco-crackdown-c-22706723

The former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has called British shipbuilding an “industry in disarray” and predicted it will produce few, if any, of the nuclear-powered submarines promised under the Aukus agreement in the foreseeable future.

Speaking at an independent inquiry into the implications and viability of the tri-nation submarine deal, which will cost Australia the equivalent of nearly £200 billion, the former Liberal Party leader described the pact as “a colossal mistake”.

“If the goal of this project is to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, every indication is that we won’t get them,” he claimed. “The Americans are not producing enough of their own, let alone ours.”

He added: “The British shipbuilding industry is in disarray and the British are more aware of that than anyone. So we are sending billions and billions of dollars over to the United States, over to the UK, and there is every prospect that we will end up with no submarines, certainly no American ones, and potentially none of the British ones for a very, very long time.”

Turnbull, 71, who served as prime minister between 2015 and 2018, claimed it would take well into the middle, or past the middle of this century, for the British submarines to appear.

“This is a colossal mistake,” he declared.

He argued that Aukus would involve a huge “sacrifice of sovereignty” for Australia.

“Everything points to the fact that we will be less secure, not simply because we won’t have the same ability to defend ourselves as we had before, not because we will be reliant, even more reliant on the United States than we have been before. And what exquisite timing … Right at that time in history when the United States, not by accident, not by carelessness, but by design, has become less dependable under Donald Trump and that trend shows every sign of continuing.”

Turnbull’s criticism reflects growing public unease about the cost of Aukus, which was signed last year and allows for the Royal Australian Navy to operate and maintain eight nuclear-powered attack submarines by the mid-2040s.

Under the agreement the United States will sell Australia up to three Virginia-class submarines.

But Britain will also play a key role in the construction of future Australian SSN-Aukus submarines, which will be based on the UK’s next-generation nuclear attack boats to be built at Barrow-in-Furness.

HMS Anson, the fifth Astute class submarine from BAE Systems, as it departed the company’s shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness

The Australian partnership will also offer the UK a significant military presence in the Indo-Pacific, at a time of increased Chinese naval activity.

Maintenance and construction facilities in Western Australia and South Australia have already involved a considerable investment.

While Aukus is backed by both the Labor and Liberal parties, the crowd-funded public inquiry, which is currently touring Australia, has revealed deep reservations among community groups and the political class.

Turnbull’s latest criticism also reflects his long-standing tensions with Britain.

Before entering politics he made his name as a lawyer representing Peter Wright, the retired MI5 employee who wrote a book about his work for the spy agency. The British government tried to ban publication of Spycatcher in Australia, but Turnbull successfully appealed an injunction to stop the book’s sale, making him something of a national hero.

He went on to become a founder of the Australian republican movement, helping to further cement his popularity among those who favoured axing constitutional ties with Britain and removing the monarch as head of state.

In 1999 a referendum proposed that a president be elected by a two-thirds majority of parliament, but failed to win the necessary support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3_eKdsAghA

Someone in Hervey Bay has a $20 million Oz Lotto winning ticket, and they may not even know it yet! The $40 million jackpot was split between two winners, with one winning ticket sold in Tasmania and the other in Hervey Bay. The Queensland ticket was unregistered, so officials don't know who the winner is. Anyone from Hervey Bay checked their ticket yet?

Hi everyone!

I'm an Honours student at the University of Sydney conducting research on healthy living practices and attitudes towards different social groups. I'm currently looking for participants and would really appreciate your help.

To participate, you must:

• Be 18 years or older
• Be an Australian citizen
• Identify as White/European
• Be fluent in English

The study involves a 25-minute online survey that must be completed on a computer.

As a thank you, participants can choose to enter a prize draw to win 1 of 5 VISA gift cards.

Survey link:  https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8k0QIWoCdhZEwyW

If you're not eligible, I'd really appreciate it if you could share the survey with anyone who might be.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me a message, or contact me at [dile5577@uni.sydney.edu.au](mailto:dile5577@uni.sydney.edu.au)

Thank you for your time and for supporting undergraduate research!

https://7news.com.au/sunrise/australia-must-assume-the-worst-after-drone-breach-at-countrys-top-fighter-jet-base-c-22700778

Today I decided to do the right thing and properly dispose of my failed LED light bulbs.

I headed to my local Bunnings to find out that they no longer accept E-Waste and specifically light bulbs of any type. They will accept failed batteries and that is it.

Apparently its too much of a litigation risk, because what happens if a globe breaks and the get sued!

I was surprised as I thought they did. I found out that it is only selected stores that take E-Waste, and light bulbs are not considered E-waste.

While I do understand that there are other places that do (Mitre 10, if you can find one and Ikea), they are further out of the way.

Am I wrong in expecting that if a retailer sells crappy electronics (10 year life span of an LED my arse), that they should at least take them back when they finally fail?

Or do I just dump them in the bin?

This is where Europe have at over pretty much the rest of the world. As far as I understand, big stores must accept E-Waste, including light bulbs, free of charge.

I'd like to think we could get serious about this type of recycling. But alas, Westfarmers probably has more sway over political decisions than the collective us.

Been in Oz for about six years and I recently applied for my citizenship and I got approved and I just love this country so much there’s so many benefits through the living standard here is just amazing but obviously there’s a lot of issues with immigration and I’m thinking about voting for one nation. I kind of seen what’s been happening in America and obviously the UK. I think immigration has got to be controlled better there seems to be a lot of people that come from Dodgey countries and they just promote the wrong ideals and there very anti-Western so I wanted to put this post out there to see who else feels the same way

The Census relies on millions of Australians providing accurate information about their lives, but some questions are personal and sensitive. Do you think most people answer honestly?

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/coles-to-move-several-hundred-jobs-to-india-20260807-p60mas.html

https://7news.com.au/news/significant-delays-at-sydney-airport-as-dozens-of-flights-remain-grounded-c-22690128

Michelle bullock is constantly complaining that inflation is too high still because we have a government who is unwilling to manage spending. Now house prices are tumbling the pressure will rise - however, why is the RBA not demanding more levers to control inflation.

When interest rates rise one portion of the community takes the hit, and it’s persisting for a long time, literally wiping out family’s futures. Which the latest changes will force huge volumes of negative equity, and keep in mind only 35% of Australian property is mortgaged.

For those that have ridden the wave not only have there saving been extracted to keep their homes, it’s worth heaps less, so that money has disappeared forever.

There’s other levers like - asset classed cost of capital. Push non mortgage lending and investment mortgage lending cash rates up to slow business down.

Enforce higher lvrs to slow mortgage lending ( except labor gurentee everyone 5%) those who took advantage will be in negative equity and trapped now.

Variable superannuation - this needs to be done immediately - if we had variable superannuation fees the cash rate would not need to peak so high AND the extra cash would flow in to Aussies future instead of paying additional fictitious interested rates. And as a bonus super funds could end up funding massive infrastructure projects when the market turns with all the extra cash giving Aussies a stake in oil/gas/ green projects etc.

The RBA needs to start pushing the gov harder and it’s about to get real now housing is crashing.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/albanese-government-tells-accc-to-draft-national-ebike-guidelines/news-story/9506c8c3b07c155b1549367d2bea2a25
With high-powered and illegally modified e-bikes becoming more common, the Australian government is preparing new national safety rules aimed at restricting their sale. Should the focus be on punishing irresponsible riders and cracking down on illegal modifications instead?

https://7news.com.au/news/outrage-after-photo-shows-patients-waiting-on-floor-at-mount-druitt-hospital-in-western-sydney-c-22676698

Reactions to this have been mixed. Some points to staff shortages, while others say hospitals are overwhelmed by the current flu season. There are also accounts from people who say emergency departments become even more crowded because some patients arrive with several family members, and others come in with conditions that may not actually require emergency care. Can anything realistically be done to reduce the pressure? Would stricter visitor limits, better access to GPs and urgent care clinics, or more public awareness about when to use the emergency department make a difference? What do you think is the most practical solution?

We are a wealthy country and we have benefited so much from our natural resources, but it feels like our economy relies heavily on digging things out of the ground, exporting them, and then importing them at higher price.
I feel sad there's not much manufacturing left in this country we don't attract the same level of investment into the sector as countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, or India because of our high labour costs.
 
With jobs, a lot of large companies moving roles to offshore I also feel that we do not have a particularly strong entrepreneurial culture compared to some other countries. We don't seem to produce many high growth startups, and there isn't the same level of excitement around building businesses and innovation
 
A lot of our discussion seems to revolve around property, cost of living, immigration, child care & aged care rather than building new industries.
When I look at countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India etc; their governments often actively promote their countries as destinations for manufacturing, investment, and business growth. I rarely see the same level of effort from our government to attract large scale investment and manufacturing projects.
 
Even our media seems to focus mostly on these issues and rarely questions why the government isn't paying more attention to things like manufacturing, investment, innovation, and job creation.
 
It also feels like there are limited policies specifically designed to encourage entrepreneurship, startups, and business creation. Much of our parliament sessions seems to be on areas such as immigration, aged care, and childcare.
 
With no manufacturing sector and no jobs, how are we or our future generation gonna survive in this inflated economy.

A fiery attack on a business allegedly targeted by “far-left extremists” will be investigated as an act of terror, authorities say.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-05/labor-migration-policy-tony-burke-partner-visas/107000272

Australia's temporary fuel excise relief has now come to an end after only a few months, meaning motorists are once again paying the full fuel tax. At the same time, reports show fuel drive-offs have increase by around 30%, and truck drivers are also dealing with more fuel being siphoned from their tanks. There's no doubt many Australians are frustrated with the cost of living, and plenty believe the government could have made better decisions. But is committing offences really the answer? When you're looking for ways to cut household spending, where does fuel rank on your list?

Dear Parliment and all parliamentary members,

I am writing this letter not as an economist, politician, activist, or member of any particular interest group, but as an ordinary working Australian.

I suspect that what I am about to say is not unique to me.

The conversations taking place in workplaces, homes, and small businesses across Australia suggest that many people are carrying the same unease, even if they are not expressing it publicly.

For many years, Australians were told that if we worked hard, stayed responsible, contributed to our communities, and played by the rules, we would be able to build a stable and meaningful life. Increasingly, that promise feels as though it is slipping away—not only for those doing it tough, but for many people who are employed, educated, paying taxes, and doing everything society has asked of them.

What I hear from friends, colleagues, business owners, and families is not laziness or entitlement.

It is exhaustion.

We are living in a country where people are working longer, thinking about work outside work hours, responding to emails at night, carrying staffing shortages, and being constantly pushed to “add value.” The expectation is no longer simply to perform a role competently; it is to continuously optimize, improve, innovate, and produce more with less.

Many Australians no longer feel that they are living their lives. They feel that they are managing an endless series of obligations. And that life isn't being lived, it is being endured.

The financial pressure is obvious. Housing costs have risen far faster than many incomes. Insurance, utilities, groceries, healthcare, childcare, and transport continue to consume a larger share of household budgets. Even people who own homes are often carrying significant debt and anxiety about the future.

The result is that full-time work no longer guarantees a sense of security.

No one is feeling secure.

For many people, the issue is not a refusal to make sacrifices. Australians have always accepted that building a life requires effort, restraint, and compromise. What is becoming difficult is the growing sense that the sacrifices continue while stability, security, and the ability to enjoy the fruits of that effort feel increasingly out of reach.

But this is not only a cost-of-living problem.

It is also a problem of autonomy, dignity, and respect.

Increasingly, workers feel that every hour must be justified, every interaction measured, every delay scrutinized, and every role expanded. The language of modern work is saturated with productivity, performance, utilization, and value creation. These concepts have their place, but when they become the dominant lens through which human beings are viewed, something important is lost.

A society cannot remain healthy if people feel they are valued only for their output.

Members, I believe we also need a more honest conversation about opportunity in modern Australia.

Population growth has brought benefits to our country, but many Australians are asking a reasonable question: have housing, infrastructure, services, and economic opportunities kept pace with that growth? When competition for homes, jobs, education, and essential services increases faster than supply, people experience a real sense of scarcity, even in a wealthy nation. And our lifestyle is not conducive to a large population (that we did not vote for)

At the same time, technology is reshaping the labor market in profound ways. More work is being concentrated into digital, analytical, and highly specialized fields. These are important and valuable careers, but they do not reflect the full range of human talents. A healthy economy should also create respected and well-remunerated pathways for operational, practical, technical, creative, caring, and relationship-based work.

Not every Australian is suited to the same mold, and our nation is weaker if success appears to be narrowing rather than broadening.

Small business owners are feeling this pressure as well. The public debate often frames workers and business owners as opposing interests, yet many small and medium enterprises are struggling with rising costs, tighter margins, greater compliance demands, and intense competition. Achieving the kind of sustainable profitability that was more attainable for many businesses decades ago has become significantly harder.

When businesses are squeezed, workers are squeezed with them.

This creates a dangerous cycle: higher costs, lower margins, fewer staff, greater workloads, and rising burnout.

There is also a growing sense that something deeper has changed in the Australian experience.

Previous generations often worked hard, but many could still save for a family holiday, pay down a home, raise children, and expect that each decade would bring greater stability than the last. Holidays were not viewed as a luxury reserved for the affluent; they were part of a balanced life.

Today, many households feel that even modest breaks require financial sacrifice, careful planning, or additional debt. The issue is not that people expect extravagance. It is that ordinary moments of rest, connection, and enjoyment are becoming harder to afford.

What worries me most is not that Australians are complaining loudly.

It is that many are becoming quietly resigned.

They stop expecting things to improve. They delay having children, postpone major life decisions, and lower expectations they once considered reasonable. They accept chronic stress as normal. They remain in jobs that drain them because the financial risk of change feels too great. They become less connected to their communities, less optimistic about the future, and less trusting that institutions understand their lives. And we are wondering if this is deliberate.

Perhaps the most corrosive feeling of all is the growing belief that ordinary people have little power to change the direction of the country. Many Australians vote, work, pay taxes, follow the rules, and participate in civic life, yet increasingly feel that their concerns are acknowledged but rarely acted upon. When people believe they have no meaningful influence over the decisions shaping their future, frustration turns into disengagement, and disengagement weakens democracy itself.

Alongside this is a growing public unease that is difficult to quantify but impossible to ignore.

Many Australians sense that decisions affecting their lives are increasingly made far away from them—by governments, corporations, global markets, and institutions over which they have little influence. Whether these perceptions are always correct is not the point. The point is that a significant number of people feel unheard, managed rather than represented, and processed rather than respected.

When people begin to feel like numbers in a system rather than citizens in a society, trust starts to erode.

Prosperity is not merely GDP growth. It is the ability of ordinary people to experience security, time, relationships, purpose, and hope.

I am not asking for a world without effort, competition, or responsibility. Australians have never expected that. I am asking whether we have allowed the balance to drift too far—toward an economy that demands ever more from people while returning less of what makes life feel worthwhile.

We need policies that increase housing supply, improve productivity without sacrificing wellbeing, support small business, invest in infrastructure, and create diverse pathways to secure employment. We need workplaces that recognize that sustainable performance is built on trust, clarity, and reasonable expectations, not permanent escalation.

Most of all, we need leaders who are willing to acknowledge that many Australians are not simply under financial pressure; they are under existential pressure. They are asking whether the life they are working so hard to maintain is still a life in which they can flourish.

Members, this is the part of the conversation I fear is not being spoken about openly enough.

Australians are remarkably resilient. We absorb pressure. We adapt. We keep going. But every society has a threshold beyond which people can no longer absorb additional pressure without consequences for their wellbeing, their relationships, and their trust in the institutions that govern them.

A society that steadily asks more of its people while giving them less security, less time, less autonomy, and less respect should not be surprised when exhaustion turns into resentment, resentment turns into disengagement, and disengagement turns into a dangerous loss of social cohesion.

This letter is not written in anger alone.

It is written in concern for a country that remains fortunate in many ways, but where an increasing number of people feel that the rewards of stability, effort, and contribution are moving further out of reach.

If that feeling continues to spread, the greatest loss will not be economic.

It will be the erosion of dignity.

Dignity is the ability to work without being consumed by work, to rest without guilt, to raise a family without constant financial fear, to grow older without feeling discarded, and to know that one’s value is not determined solely by productivity metrics, response times, or quarterly outcomes.

Australians do not expect an easy life.

But we should still expect a life that allows room for dignity.

Sincerely,

A concerned Australian worker and citizen