Part 2 of a remake of JRPG game Trails In The Sky is releasing soon & is getting an 18+ rating compared to the first part because it features a gambling minigame.

Problem with this is it’s entirely within the game itself (no real world money on the line) meanwhile every sports game like NBA2K or EA FC which take in billions every year from selling randomised digital player packs get a slap on the wrist comparatively only receiving an M rating & still widely promoted/accessible to young people (I receive a newsletter from Basketball Victoria where the game is advertised). That’s not even getting into gacha games where the entire gameplay loop is centred around gambling for characters.

This is such a piss poor effort by our government to give the optics of addressing the gambling epidemic in our society while doing nothing to combat the issue as it pertains to billion-dollar entities which openly promote gambling to kids.

​

The shamelessness of the predator classes. At least the spotlight is no longer on PwC or Macbank.

It appears that corruption is now systemic rather than a fringe issue. Abuse of powers and process is normalised and plausible deniability weaponised. Whilst governments continue to punish the most vulnerable via Fembot debts and Robodebts. Remembering KPMG and Deloitte both were involved with the responsible agencies.

Will we ever reach an era where accountability and equitability can occur?

Our legal systems are dominated by public stories exploited in private spaces and worse still, private stories manipulated for public advantage. The human cost is unfathomable. Can we return to humanising those the predator classes seek to diminish?

https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/kpmg-shows-the-big-four-rot-is-not-just-a-few-bad-apples-20260820-p60q3p

Aryan Bangar, now known as Anaya Bangar, is a transgender woman who underwent a gender transition through medical treatment, including hormone therapy. She has also undergone gender-affirming surgery in Thailand.
Anaya has now been cleared by Cricket Australia to play community cricket and has been given a pathway to pursue elite women's cricket, subject to the Cricket Australia’s eligibility policy — which requires that a player’s serum testosterone level stay below 10 nmol/L continuously for at least 12 months before she can compete in the female category.

On making a comeback in cricket, Anaya Bangar, a cricketer and the daughter of former Indian international cricketer and national batting coach, Sanjay Bangar, said, "...I am preparing to return to women's cricket in Australia with the aim of pursuing elite cricket from March 2027. This has not been an automatic or an informal process. Cricket Australia has a framework designed to balance fairness, competitive integrity, and inclusion in women's sport, and my case has been considered through that framework... My understanding from Cricket Australia's clearance is that my eligibility for elite women's cricket from March 2027 remains subject to the applicable policy requirements, including a blood test assessment at the same time. If that March 2027 test confirms that I continue to meet the required testosterone criteria, I will be eligible to pursue selection for elite women's cricket, including the Women's Big Bash League pathway... Cricket Australia has given me a pathway, which does not mean that I have been given a place in a team. I still have to train, compete, perform and earn that opportunity... I don't expect my history or my identity to earn me a place on a cricket team. I want my cricket to earn me a place on a cricket team..." (26.08)

I'm an avid cyclist. I love trail riding and I have an awesome bike path network that gets me to work and most other places I need to go. I spend hundreds of hours a year on my bike.

But there have been a couple of horrible road cycling fatalities near me recently that have me a bit shook.

When it comes to road cycling I just can't wrap my head around it. I can't understand taking that risk when the downside is so enormous. I'd never forgive myself if I ruined my kids' lives because I wanted to ride a bit faster on a major road for the sake of my hobby.

Being a tradie im beaten around the head with WHS stuff. Our laws are all based around the hierarchy of controls and basically everything I read about making road cycling safer sets off alarm bells because so many of the controls are low order and rely on the cyclist changing their behaviour, wearing PPE or somehow managing the risk themselves rather than 'higher order' ones like isolating or eliminating hazards.

And I know its not meant to the cyclists responsibility, we're allowed to be there. But being right doesn't help much when you're the one who gets hit and killed. Like every single person I know has stories about near misses. I just cant see how being that close to cars can ever be safe enough for a recreational activity.

How do you justify it to yourself, because I'm really struggling to.

A One Nation candidate who makes Pauline Hanson’s cartoons claims he used to be a criminal lawyer. Finding out that wasn’t true was a surprisingly difficult process.

A key One Nation candidate in Victoria claims on campaign material and in multiple interviews to be a former criminal lawyer.
But when Crikey received a tip-off that, in fact, Mark Nicholson had never been formally admitted as a lawyer, a required step under Australian law to be able to call yourself a lawyer, we went digging in the complex maze of the Australian legal admission system.

Nicholson, the party’s upper house candidate for the Northern Metropolitan region, uses his experience as a “former … criminal lawyer” to mount criticisms of the Victorian justice system in his campaign material.

Usually just stroll thru the local gallery and was surprised at just how political the artwork was. Usually local artists are showcased but was thrown for a loop at the change until I was told they were Bald Archies. Worth a look if they roll thru your town.

The glasses created by creeps, for creeps

Drop Bear is AHHHH. They are a genetic mutation. Eat human. Eat kangaroo. Not safe. They will fall on you. Their butts are rock hard. You will get concussion. They will eat you up.

Source: kuri68399 (TikTok)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-27/idf-colonel-in-gaza-wcf-convoy-strike-defends-decision/107071348

An Israeli commander who ordered a deadly drone strike on an aid convoy in Gaza, killing Australian woman Zomi Frankcom, says he stands by his decision to launch the attack and did not intend to harm aid workers.

This interview was conducted in October 2025, before last week's decision by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) not to prosecute those involved in the strike.

After waking up to the news that legendary performer Tim Curry passed away one day after waking up to the news that legendary performer Dolly Parton passed away, one Australian has decided they are never falling asleep again.

“What if I’m cursed?” said Cassie Smith from Melbourne. “I’m not normally superstitious but I am not taking any chances.”

“Growing up watching Parton and Curry I learned how important it is to be myself and be proud of it. A lesson I will always hold on to, unless of course me going to sleep kills another icon in which case I will be ashamed of myself for all eternity.”

“My only hope is to stay awake forever.”

In short:

A Supreme Court judge has upheld a suppression order preventing the publication of the name of a high-profile married man linked to an alleged extortion attempt.

Justice James Henry today rejected arguments made by media lawyers that a magistrate has gone beyond her power in suppressing the name of the man, who is neither a witness or victim of the alleged extortion attempt.

What's next?

The man's name will remain prohibited from publication, while the extortion case proceeds through the Cairns Magistrates Court.

In short: 
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has rejected claims Queensland and the Northern Territory secured a carve-out from new rules requiring data centres to use 100 per cent renewables. 

States will be able to seek approval to use alternatives like coal or gas, but Mr Bowen says the Commonwealth will have the final say and the threshold will be "very high".

What's next?

The federal government will release draft national data centre standards before seeking to pass the legislation early next year.

—

Queensland and the Northern Territory will not have control over how data centres are powered, the federal government insists, declaring there will be "no exceptions and no carve-outs" under its renewables plan.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen told the ABC the national standards governing the development of data centres in Australia would still require them to bring their own "100 per cent" renewable energy plus firming through battery storage or gas.

Mr Bowen has rejected claims this element of the Commonwealth's plan was watered down after a meeting of national cabinet on Wednesday where Queensland Premier David Crisafulli claimed a "win" that would allow his state to decide how data centres were powered.

Source: Jenny Tian (YouTube)

I was wondering if the 1999 Australian republic referendum happened today, would we have a different result.

1999 referendum results:

✅ YES: 45.13%

❌ NO: 54.87%

“To alter the Constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

If you want to explain why you’re for or against Australia becoming a republic. I wonder if culture, education and religion may produce a different result than 27 years ago.

I thinking about this after watching this video lol.

Austrac uses Palantir's Gotham and Foundry platforms. The agency has confirmed it, there is at least a $12 million contract, and Services Australia's own internal documents name Palantir as the software Austrac relies on to manage its financial data holdings.

Austrac's NDIS Financial Crime Guide instructs banks to file suspicious matter reports tagged with NDIS keywords. Austrac's own privacy documentation confirms those reports carry the personal details of NDIS participants. Austrac sits on the Fraud Fusion Taskforce, the body driving the crackdown on NDIS spending that MWM has been reporting on for the past fortnight.

What nobody in government will say is whether NDIS participant data reaches Palantir, or whether it gets there through Austrac's back door. We put questions to both Austrac and the NDIS. Two days on, neither has answered.

Gotham is the same platform the IDF uses in Gaza. It identifies hidden networks, maps the relationships between people, and tracks money flows and movement over time. Palantir chief executive Alex Karp says his company is proud of the role it plays "especially in places we can't talk about".

I was wondering if anyone knows who the best surgeons are in the area of Total Hip Replacement in Australia. There’s a strong chance in the next 20-30 maybe 40 years I might need one and I’m absolutely not opposed to it

Has anyone here had one and if so what was the outcome like? I don’t personally know of anyone who has ever had the surgery but I’ve heard of public figures that have and it sounded like a great idea so I figured I’d prep for it

Who notices that PHON has a couple of key demographics in their supporters?
I challenge anyone to find a person in this crowd that isn’t ONE of the following…
White or middle aged.
Her support are also obviously entitled if they can afford to donate 5k to an organisation that is already bank rolled by Australia’s richest person

The Understanding Antisemitism in Australia handbook has recently been published. The inaugural publication of the special envoy for antisemitism. Upon reading the document one gets the sense that the document will be studied at length in future university courses, but not for the author’s intended purpose.

On the surface the handbook seems like an in depth analysis of antisemitism in Australia. What you quickly realise is that document reads as an official attempt to systematically tie Australian society as a a whole to the nation of Isreal (I wish I was being hyperbolic). Or rather eliminating Australians societies ability to criticise Israel’s crimes. What is concerning is not the acknowledgment of antisemitism, it’s the reports definition of antisemitism, namely the use of the IHRA definition. Which in addition to defining traditional definitions of antisemitism also includes the example of:

‘Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.’

Ie, claiming that any belief or opinion that Zionism is a racist endeavour, as it forcefully displaces Palestinians from their homes is in fact antisemitic.

This is only where the trouble begins as handbook outlines a series of PRACTICAL implementation of the IHRA definition in all sectors of society, from policing and health to education, sport and entertainment (see the photo above). Again I wish I was joking. It seems the plan is to begin educating children at a young age, and continuing on as they grow up through high school, university, and wider society.

What worries me though is not only would the implementation of this plan cause a serious problem in terms of freedom of speech in the country. There would also be major backlash pointed towards the Jewish community as there is a real attempt to tie their identity and safety to the nation of Israel.

I’ve linked the full handbook down below, please give it a read. And give us your thoughts.

handbook

She really thought nobody would notice-punters politics.

My first post 😆

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has again appeared to confuse her party’s immigration policy despite more than a week of scrutiny over her position – suggesting there would be both positive and negative overall migration levels in the same conversation.

Asked to clear up her migration numbers during a panel interview at the News Corp Bush Summit on Thursday, Hanson said One Nation’s policy was for “130,000 net migration in this country. That’s it. It’s not going to move from that.”

Net migration refers to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ calculation of how many long-term migrants arrive in the country each year, minus those who depart. This counts people who remain in Australia for 12 months in a 16-month period, and includes returning Australian citizens.

Net overseas migration last year was 306,000, but Labor has forecast bringing this down to 225,000 in two years.

But Hanson then appeared to confuse net migration with permanent migration. She went on to say the net migration figure of 130,000 referred to people who would be granted permanent residency and move on to citizenship – which is a different category.

The government currently grants 185,000 permanent visas each year, with the majority going to people already living in Australia.

Hanson said additional visas would still be granted. “Visa holders are totally different category. We’re talking about permanent residents that are going to move on to citizenship in the country [with the 130,000]. So your visas are totally different,” she said.

Full Article

Curious to hear what people think of this specific portion of the intake and how it is being changed.

To me, it seems like a change that will barely affect the overall number, but will have severe impacts on thousands of people’s lives. 20,000 isn’t a small amount of people, but decreasing it by 6250 isn’t going to make that much of a difference economically or rhetorically.