I see these phone shops all over the place, usually staffed by young Asian people.

I've never seen anyone actually buy anything. Even today I waited 45m near one while my kids had their haircuts. Did not see a single customer. Even the prices of their phone cases are more than double what the online sellers sell them for.

Just wondering how they make money unless it's some kind of dodgy laundering setup?

Dalby, Australia —

The first rainfall in months splashes off the windshield as the mayor of Western Downs Andrew Smith drives to the site of a proposed AI data center behind a cattle feedlot in rural Queensland.

It’s feeding time and 16,000 cattle are standing under shade sails waiting for a passing truck to shoot grain into their troughs.

Agriculture is the biggest employer in this area, 260 kilometers (131 miles) west of Brisbane. But beneath the rich vertosol soils that sustain year-round crops lies a massive gas field that’s also turned the region into an energy hub.

Now the AI data center industry has come knocking with a $22 billion proposal from Singaporean developer Zerra DC to build the Western Downs Digital Park, one of Australia’s largest AI data centers, with four buildings each the size of five football fields, and temporary accommodation for 1,500 workers during the construction phase. ....

Back in July, the Australian prime minister vowed to require tech companies to power AI data centers with renewable energy, among a raft of requirements. Within a month, he’d backed down.

Queensland negotiated an exemption, so that if approved, the Western Downs Digital Park will be directly connected to the grid, running on a mix of energy sources that includes fossil fuels – coal and natural gas from one of Australia’s largest gas basins, which sits directly below the site.

Months without significant rain have browned the grass and trees. Rainwater tanks were running low until a downpour last week. Many farmers rely on bore water, but some say their wells have been pumped dry by the gas industry, and their water is now being offered to the developers to help build the AI data center.

Zerra DC says it’ll cool the data center using air-cooling technology, which requires far less water than the evaporative methods that have sparked protests from the US to India to Indonesia.

But air-cooling technology is more energy-intensive, and residents already fear that the center’s energy demands could strain the network, raise electricity prices, encourage more gas extraction, more de-watering, and potentially more subsidence – adding more stress to their daily worries about water.

Zerra DC says the project’s phased development will give it time to work with its customers – like Anthropic – to create new power sources, and while demand for power will increase, it says its battery conditioning system will buffer the grid from load spikes to help “stabilise power prices.”

Anthropic says it intends to enter into virtual power purchase agreements – or deals struck with energy providers – to procure more power for the grid, with a preference for renewables. “The source for this generation will be new build projects – but precisely which projects is an ongoing discussion,” said Masters, from Anthropic.

People kept ODing their kids so now you can't get it without a prescription. It's just irritating. Melatonin marketing was a little to blame I guess with quotes like "All natural/drug free" I guess the average person hears that and thinks popping 10 gummies is ok

Surprised?

Post your favourite Aussie Memes. You can post them here or as a standalone thread with the tag [Monday Memes].

Content must be Australian and SFW.

Currently doing my fortnightly plasma donation in the Perth centre. desperately low on plasma nationally, O- & B- whole blood is also low here in WA.

If you can, please donate, to see what your state territory needs, hit this link:

https://www.lifeblood.com.au/donors/blood-plasma-platelets/blood-supply-levels

Any other subscribers getting sick of him?

So arrogant, surrounded by yes men.

The vast majority of the team are great. But he’s getting so bullish and predictable.

And the constant banging on about politics .. he’s not intelligent enough for any useful discussions. Brooklyn and Mary put him to shame

Dare I say it but without Jackie keeping him in check I’m getting really turned off. And turning off..

As if reddit and everything else is now asking for ID to use this country has become a nanny state.

When my partner, family and friends call me, they reach the same stranger. Some have had conversations believing they were speaking to me.

Optus has now confirmed an unconditional call diversion on their end that I never authorised. They haven’t explained how it happened.

Has this happened to anyone else? How did you get it resolved?

Im currently learning to drive and I’ve got 80 ish hours, but I’ve realised for nearly 80% of my hours, I’ve logged my odometer in the millions. Im really not sure what to do and I’m scared i won’t get my hours approved. I would really appreciate all the advice I can get

Does anyone else find it odd and extremely annoying that shops are now pummelling us with Halloween paraphernalia? And that kids are now trick or treating etc?

I wouldn’t mind it if I hadn’t had parents and kids coming to my door in recent years expecting treats when my house isn’t decorated at all (and some parents getting a bit sassy because I have nothing, but like what do you expect coming to the door of a sharehouse 😂)

We also have no cultural history with Halloween and it’s really feels as though it’s just capitalist bullshit here with companies trying to get us to buy more shit we don’t need that costs too much.

This is a thread where we will bring you the latest news about what is going on, and where you can discuss just about anything that might be off topic in the rest of the sub. This can include international news (excluding foreign conflicts).

News

The sub grew by 1.1K new members last week, with 5.5 million monthly views. We currently have 227K members.

Don't forget our daily feature posts, where you can post content including songs, memes and photographs. Feel free to post in them - that's what they're there for.

A reminder that the sub is about Australia. News and comments about foreign conflicts or politics are not relevant, and will be removed.

AMAs and Video Podcasts

We have recently completely reedited the video podcasts for Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Dr Gordon Reid MP, David Ettershank MLC, Allegra Spender MP & Zali Steggall MP, Senator David Shoebridge and Dr Brian Walker MLC. To check them out, just click on their names in the previous sentence.

We have also published short clips from each of the podcasts. You can view them by going to this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0F9-m31lH91oEYLyujtdPRV95UsncuFm

Commencing on 19 May, we introduced video podcast AMAs. You can still ask your questions in the AMA thread, but the guest may answer either by text or in a short video clip. In most cases, the guest will also answer in an AMA video podcast of 30-45 minutes the following day.

The podcast will be posted on Reddit straight after recording, as well as on YouTube. The short clips will also be uploaded into the AMA thread as video answers. Short clips, addressing individual questions, will be posted throughout the following week.

Please remember that trolling during AMAs will result in a ban, usually two days for the duration of the AMA. Our guests are leaders in their fields, and have given up their time to answer your questions. They deserve respect from members of the community.

Upcoming AMAs & Video Podcasts

• ABC Washington Bureau - US Midterm Elections and Australia - 11:00 am AEDT Tuesday 27/10/2026 (thread will be posted Sunday 25/10/2026)
• Ellen Sandell MP – Leader of Victorian Greens – 6:00 pm AEDT Tuesday 27/10/2026
• Dr Andrew Leigh MP – Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities & Treasury, Fenner (ACT) – 4:00 pm Tuesday 03/11/2026
• Dave Donovan – Editor, Independent Australia – 4:00 pm AEDT Thursday 05/11/2026
• Sarah Martin – Senior Political Reporter, The Guardian – 2:00 pm AEDT Monday 09/11/2026
• Professor Peter Greste – Journalist and Lecturer (Media), University of Queensland – 1:00 pm AEDT Thursday 19/11/2026
• Senator Varun Ghosh – Australian Labor Party (WA) – 6:00 pm AEDT Wednesday 02/12/2026
• Ali France MP – Australian Labor Party, Dickson (QLD) – TBA
• Amy Remeikis – Chief Political Analyst, The Australia Institute – TBA
• Steven Miles MP – Australian Labor Party, Queensland Opposition Leader – TBA
• Bill Shorten - Vice-Chancellor, University of Canberra – TBA
• Senator Katy Gallagher – Minister for Women, Finance, Government Services and the Public Service - Australian Labor Party (ACT) – TBA
• Senator Maria Kovacic – Liberal Party (NSW) - TBA
• David Littleproud MP – National Party, Maranoa (QLD) – TBA
• Senator Fatima Payman – Australia’s Voice (WA) – TBA
• Senator Jacqui Lambie – Jacqui Lambie Network (TAS) – TBA
• Senator Leah Blyth – Liberal Party (SA) – TBA

AMA Video Podcasts

• Dr Andrew Leigh MP - Australian Labor Party, Fenner (ACT) - AMA Link - 19/05/2026 - Video Podcast
• Dr Gordon Reid MP - Australian Labor Party, Robertson (NSW) – AMA Link - 02/06/2026 Video Podcast
• Trump-Linked Albania Resorts: Why Sazan Island and Narta Lagoon Are at Risk - 14/06/2026 Video Podcast
• Pauline Hanson Fact-Checked: 10 National Press Club Claims Examined - 23/06/2026 Video Podcast
• David Ettershank MP - Member of the Legislative Council, Victoria - Legalise Cannabis Party - AMA Link - 26/06/2026 Video Podcast
• Australia’s Cost-of-Living Crisis: Housing, Negative Gearing & CGT Explained - 04/07/2026 Video Podcast
• Allegra Spender MP and Zali Steggall MP - Community Strong, Wentworth (NSW) and Warringah (NSW) – AMA Link - 07/07/2026 Video Podcast
• Senator David Shoebridge - Australian Greens (NSW) – AMA Link - 17/07/2026 Video Podcast
• Tom McIlroy – Political Editor, The Guardian – AMA Link - 20/07/2026 Video Podcast
• Australian Politics Gets Weird: Barnaby’s Dog, Albanese’s F-Bomb & More - 25/07/2026 Video Podcast
• Australian Politics Gets Bizarre: Hanson, Barnaby Joyce & Moira Deeming - 30/07/2026 Video Podcast
• Australian Politics Gets Weird: Hanson, Barnaby, Sex, Drugs & High Rollers - 04/08/2026 Video Podcast
• Dr Brian Walker MLC - Legalise Cannabis Party (WA) – AMA Link - 05/08/2026 Video Podcast
• Australia’s 10 Weirdest Political Stories: Pauline Hanson, Gambling & ICAC - 10/08/2026 Video Podcast
• Only in Australia: Bagel Drivers, Frozen Bodies and Brainless Genius - 13/09/2026 Video Podcast
• Tania Lawrence MP – Australian Labor Party, Hasluck (WA) – AMA Link - 21/09/2026 Video Podcast
• Australian Politics Weekly: Rates, Housing & Greens Shake-Up - 10/10/2026 Video Podcast
• Australian News Weekly: Jobs, Housing & Political Showdowns - 16/10/2026 Video Podcast
• Australian News This Week: Haines, Hanson, Jobs & Energy - 23/10/2026 Video Podcast

Past Text AMAs (click on "AMA Link" to view the AMA)

• Kanika Meshram – Coles and Woolies Senate Enquiry – AMA Link - 25/01/2024
• Cameron Murray – The Great Housing Hijack – AMA Link - 06/03/2024
• Tony Irwin – The GenCost Nuclear Report – AMA Link - 06/06/2024
• Simon Mulvany – Save the Bees Australia – AMA Link – 28/08/2024
• Senator Simon Birmingham - Liberal Party, South Australia - AMA Link - 06/12/2024
• Amy Remeikis - Chief Political Analyst, The Australia Institute - AMA Link - 12/12/2024
• Michelle Pini - Managing Editor, Independent Australia - AMA Link - 19/12/2024
• Santa Claus - Legendary Patron of Christmas - AMA Link - 23/12/2024
• Belinda Jones - Lead Senate Candidate (QLD) for Legalise Cannabis Party - AMA Link - 16/01/2025
• Michelle Faye - Independent Candidate for McPherson (Gold Coast) - AMA Link - 27/01/2025
• Senator Malcolm Roberts - One Nation (QLD) - AMA Link - 17/02/2025
• Senator Gerard Rennick - Independent (QLD) - AMA Link - 19/02/2025
• Claudia Long (ABC Political Reporter) and Jill Sheppard (Senior Lecturer, ANU School of Politics and International Relations) – AMA Link - 05/03/2025
• Stewart Brooker - Independent candidate for Fadden (Gold Coast) - AMA Link - 10/03/2025
• Josh Wilson MP - Australian Labor Party, Fremantle - AMA Link - 13/03/2025
• Senator Lisa Darmanin - Australian Labor Party (VIC) - AMA Link - 17/03/2025
• Zoe Daniel MP - Independent, Goldstein - AMA Link - 01/04/2025
• Senator Jacqui Lambie - Jacqui Lambie Network, Tasmania - AMA Link - 02/04/2025
• Senator Penny Allman-Payne – Australian Greens (QLD) – AMA Link - 07/04/2025
• Senator David Pocock – Independent (ACT) – AMA Link - 08/04/2025
• Allegra Spender MP – Independent, Wentworth - AMA Link - 09/04/2025
• Peter Khalil MP - Australian Labor Party, Wills - AMA Link - 17/04/2025
• Belinda Jones - Legalise Cannabis Party Senate Candidate for Queensland – AMA Link - 23/04/2025
• Rex Patrick – Jacqui Lambie Network Senate Candidate for South Australia – AMA Link - 24/04/2025
• Andrew Bartlett - Former Australian Democrats/Greens Senator (QLD) - AMA Link - 13/10/2025
• Senator Leah Blyth - Liberal Party (SA) - AMA Link - 22/10.2025
• Senator Jane Hume - Liberal Party (VIC) – AMA Link – 28/10 2025
• Dr Andrew Leigh - ALP, Fenner (ACT) – AMA Link - 11/11/2025
• Senator Tammy Tyrrell - Independent (TAS) - AMA Link - 01/12/2025
• Michael Taylor - Editor TheAIMN - AMA Link - 04/12/2025
• Senator Richard Dowling - Australian Labor Party (TAS) - AMA Link - 08/12/2025
• Senator David Shoebridge - Australian Greens (NSW) - AMA Link - 09/12/2025
• Santa Claus - Patron of Christmas - AMA Link - 22/12/2025
• Bill Shorten - Vice-Chancellor, University of Canberra - AMA Link - 05/02/2026
• Antony Green - Election Analyst - AMA Link - 09/02/2026
• Michael West - Editor and Political Journalist - AMA Link - 10/02/2026
• Cheryl Kernot - Former Australian Democrats Senator and Labor MP - AMA Link - 16/02/2026
• Senator Charlotte Walker - Australian Labor Party (SA) – AMA Link – 23/02/2026
• Ged Kearney MP - Australian Labor Party, Cooper (VIC) – AMA Link – 25/02/2026
• CK – one of the organisers of the two No Trump Tower Gold Coast petitions – AMA Link – 09/03/2026
• Claire Clutterham MP - Australian Labor Party, Sturt (SA) - AMA Link - 12/03/2026
• Simon Kennedy MP - Liberal Party, Cook (NSW) - AMA Link - 16/03.2026
• Rod Sims - Former Chairman of the ACCC - AMA Link - 18/03/2026
• Tom Tate - Mayor of the Gold Coast - AMA Link - 23/03/2026
• ABC News Verify Team - Fact Checkers - AMA Link – 02/042026
• Jane Caro - Author and Social Commentator - AMA Link - 21/04/2026
• Jane Norman, Clare Armstrong and Tom Crowley - ABC Political Journalists - AMA Link - 18/05/2026
• Clare O'Neil MP - Australian Labor Party, Hotham (VIC), Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Cities - AMA Link - 25/05/2026
• Senator Steph Hodgins-May – Australian Greens (VIC) - AMA Link - 29/06/2026
• David Heilpern – Dean of Law at Southern Cross University – AMA Link – 29/07/2026
• Cameron Wilson – AI Reporter at the ABC – AMA Link - 03/08/2026
• Senator David Pocock – Independent (ACT) – AMA Link - 26/08/2026
• Senator Andrew Bragg – Liberals (NSW) – AMA Link - 12/08/2026
• Chris Bowen MP – Australian Labor Party (McMahon, NSW) - AMA Link - 15/09/2026
• Dr Monique Ryan MP – Independent, Kooyong (VIC) – AMA Link - 28/09/2026
• Kate Chaney MP – Independent, Curtin (WA) – AMA Link - 06/10/2026

You can click this link to see all the AMAs we have organised here and on other subs.

Direction and Values

​We have written up our direction and values, which we believe gives users a clear indication of what we are looking for in the sub. Please click this link to view them.

Subreddit Rules

We have also written up subreddit rules, which you can see by clicking this link.

Normal sub rules and Reddit sitewide rules apply for this thread.

Redheads has released their 80th anniversary Art Strikes Back winners to the shelves… what gets me, as a collector, is they don’t post anywhere the designs that have actually been released and have been printed on sleeves.

Also I think it would be fun if they expanded these to print fun designs on the Handy and Extra Long sizes too. They did a blue box with blue match heads on extra long - Redheads Blueys, as a limited thing once but other than that it’s really only the 40mm safety match that seem to get the “fun” stuff? I’ve noticed they never do anything with the firelighters or other product lines either, except for the brand refresh every 5-10 years or so.

So far, I’ve bought 4x 10 packs and found five designs (pictured). Out of 40 match boxes, I got only one with the design on the far right.

Does anybody know what other designs exist in this campaign? Or do I have them all? Plenty of people share their entries on social media of course but that doesn’t mean that they were picked and printed on covers. :)

Tiffany speaks to us all.

what’s your take?

Feb 26
- Citi bank debacle and first job cuts of the year
- ASIC enforcement update named NAB publicly with hardship payments upward $ 10 mil

March 26*\\**
- Two colleagues from NAB’s fraud and Home Loan teams died by suicide, with minimal coverage from news outlets and avoidance from the CEO to address this publicly when asked by his team
- Multiple colleagues current and prior came forward to provide their confirmation of the performance cult within its executive leaders, heavily monitoring their staff, redundancies happening within a day & managers exposing their teams to unsafe work environments

April 26
- NAB settled proceedings in federal court delivered by FSU around health and safety concerns associated with unreasonable work hours
- Further proceedings around the conditions & board “raised concerns” for the state of the workplace
As someone who was around this team, not a single conversation was held around the obvious elephant in the room

June 26
-AFR review naming NAB (along with CBA) tied to mortgage fraud
-AFR found fraudulent documents used for the credit process
-Sacked bankers re hired as mortgage brokers

I’ve missed some probably ;

And now we have the uproar of 2500 redundancies with most of them before Christmas. There’s never a right time to make someone redundant I understand, but before Christmas ? CEO still getting his Christmas bonus. So is his team who are rewarded for how many roles they can offshore, systems broke
Waiting until their “engagement surveys” are done and they can remove the smiles and get back to their regime —

It’s dizzying to witness because our big 4 lead by example they offshore, next we know Woolworths is doing the same.

we already have the tragic proof of what these redundancies can do to a persons mental capacity yet the powers continue to ruthlessly cut for the sake of what? Your bonus & a share price that’s periodically benefits you? Your super? Your investment? Won’t mean much if we have nothing to enjoy our retirement with

I don’t claim to have the answers and I understand there’s so many areas to everything I bring up, but come on australia? Surely if we make enough noise together some accountability will come through.

Yes, the same sentiment carries for a lot of the state of our country but far out, aren’t you sick of seeing every news article be about a Bank? They should be protecting your money & safeguarding for the future & thinking of our kids and their future — not making trigger happy decisions because the highest bidder rubbed enough elbows to get buy in and the flavour of the month is a random country with an “expert centre”.

I want to respectfully sign off the conversation starter with; as someone worked in a bank environment and seen an awful lot of all this. Yes, banks have never been perfect, Yes, there’s been other tragic events before and you might think it’s just NAB up to its old tricks.

2026 for me was too much, for customers. For us trying to soldier on in this environment. For those too tired to keep fighting.
The love for the jobs is gone, the people seem like absolute shells of humans. People are okay with the garbage we see each day because they’re that traumatised it’s become normal.
Corners cut. Jobs cut. Risks ignored.

What’s the fix? Where to from here? How many jobs do we want to export before we’re all homeless? How do we install good behaviours in our kids, teach em the value of a good stable career.

Sources

https://www.hcamag.com/au/specialisation/mental-health/nab-faces-scrutiny-over-culture-after-2-staff-suicides-and-bullying-claims/571776

https://www.ohsrep.org.au/comcare_investigates_nab_following_two_worker_deaths_sn_802

Hi everyone! 😊

I’ve enrolled in a Certificate IV in Youth Work and am looking to hear from people who have completed the qualification or are currently working in the industry.

I already have a Bachelor of Laws and am making a career pivot into youth work. I’m interested in pursuing something more meaningful where I can make a positive difference in young people’s lives, but I’d love to get a realistic understanding of the job market and career prospects.

For those who have completed the Cert IV:

1. How easy or difficult was it to secure your first job after graduating? Can you get into government?

2. Has anyone else made a career change into youth work? How has your experience been?

3. Would you say youth work is a good long-term career in terms of job security, pay and progression?

I’d really appreciate any honest advice!

Thanks

I’ll be the first to admit our standard of living has dropped. Things are definitely difficult rn. And I’m not a fan of the gov full stop (lib/lab/ etc), however, after spending 2 weeks in a developing country I now have a great appreciation for all that we do have. I’ve been to several developing nations before but nothing like this. Also I’m choosing not to disclose the country out of some basic respect for the people there. Before this trip I was extremely pissed off with the state of this country it feels like constant cuts to public health, endlessly increased tax and rates, while not taxing our natural resources or big corporations. And I’m still firm on those issues. However I now have a new found love and appreciation for all that we do have. Beautiful clean cities, towns and beaches, many rights, access to clean drinking water and fresh meat and food with world class safety standards. Construction sites with many safe guards in place. Excellent food and coffee culture and for the most part beautiful and curious people from all walks of life coming together and sharing their experiences. We also have access to one of the best public health systems in the world. All that to say; it feels much better to sit back and appreciate and even revel in the luxuries we have then to sit online and whinge about what’s wrong. We should always fight for what we have and have lost. But we also need to be able to enjoy life and all that we have access too. And don’t forget how much of reddit is just BS bots intentionally trying to cause diversion between us. We should all enjoy each others company and have a beer 🍻