Trying to use less plastic?
Big Oil and the plastics industry are spending billions to make sure everyone else uses more.
“I think what stood out most is the deliberateness and intentionality over the years of pushing plastic into our lives,” said @bethgardiner.bsky.social. “It was such a shock."
Australia has no plan for emergencies.
Two showers and one washing machine between 200 people staying at the Katherine evacuation centre.
But yeah, let's go to war.
#Nowar
#Auspol
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
You've totally gotta wear @nordacious.bsky.social's shirt in the next episode, as it's genuinely brilliant subversion of fascism, using an Aussie icon's song no less.
Keep up your brilliant work, @ettemedia.bsky.social!
Robodebt was the great test of Australia’s accountability mechanisms – and they failed
There have been question marks over those arrangements since Meta killed fact checking in the US last year, in a move praised by US President Donald Trump.
Photo of Anthony Albanese in the House of Representatives NEW EPISODE | FFS: fossil fuel subsidies cost Australia $30,000 a minute Listen to Dollars & Sense now via the link or wherever you get your podcasts.
You’re meant to tax things you want less of & subsidise things you want more of.
Yet Australian governments are handing out $16.3 billion in subsidies for fossil fuels.
@mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social discuss why on this episode of Dollars & Sense.
🎧 theaus.in/4bm3836
rich people famously never lie to get richer
…there’s a crucial piece missing from the policy conversation: You cannot build AI that respects human expertise while also stealing that expertise to train your models.
burgessing.substack.com/p/how-fair-a...
A political cartoon by Megan Herbert in which a journalist asks Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, " Have you just committed us to a war?" And the PM responds, " No, I've committed us to a (preemptive retaliatory de-escalation action to protect and defend Australians and other citizens in response to a request by our new strategic partner by sending defensive missiles & surveillance equipment to protect the airspace and assist the region with its collective self-defence against reprisal attacks that come as a result of the ongoing operation launched as an anticipatory response to perceived threats by historical allies acting against the established international rule of law who are too powerful for us to in any meaningful way challenge.) There's a very big difference." The words in brackets are arranged in such a way that they completely fill the word WAR written in a huge, hulking, bold khaki font.
A war by any other name.
My cartoon in today's @theageaustralia.bsky.social
AI and CCS: The Perfect Mismatch The attention to AI’s exploding power needs are being exploited to try to extend the life of fossil fuels dressed up with a CCS disguise. Fossil companies pitch gas and coal plants with CCS as the “affordable” and “reliable” solution to AI’s electricity hunger — despite the reality that CCS, largely fails to work, adds costs, delays, and risks without ever solving the emissions problem. The implication that fossil fuels in general are essential for an “affordable” and “reliable” energy system is a well-worn and false narrative spread by oil, gas, and coal companies. This strategy isn’t about meeting AI’s power needs; it’s about ensuring fossil infrastructure remains relevant to extend the lifetime of fossil fuels and delay the implementation of alternatives. CCS falsely lets oil and gas giants appear green, delay the renewable transition, and continue polluting — all while collecting massive government handouts. Meanwhile, real solutions already exist. Solar and wind power are regarded as very reliable, not least because sunrise and sunset, as well as weather patterns, are highly predictable. Additionally, advancements in flexibility and storage technologies help manage variability in renewable generation. Renewables stand out as both the lowest-cost and quickest-to-deploy power generation. Renewable power has been the cheapest form of power for the last 10 years, while the cost of new gas-fired power has hit a 10-year high. Even in the US, where gas prices are only a quarter of prevailing gas prices in Europe and Asia, unsubsidized new solar plants are within touching distance. Carbon capture systems, even with very generous subsidies, inevitably add substantial costs on top of other fossil power costs. Renewables are the truly affordable and reliable energy of the 21st century — not fossil fuels wrapped in carbon-capture fantasy.
A very good @ciel.org blog post here on how CCS and AI were absolutely made for each other
www.ciel.org/ai-ccs-green...
I love the idea that *this* US government, which has been nabbing landscapers and five year olds knows where Iranian sleeper cells are but just hasn’t gotten around to doing anything about it yet.
Exclusive | A leaked draft from Australia’s business lobby shows it had a plan to change the law to allow AI companies to train on Australian data without pay or permission. @cameronwilson.bsky.social reports. www.crikey.com.au/2026/03/12/a...
“Australia is sitting on a brutal contradiction. We say we want a strong economy, lower emissions, secure jobs and a future for our children.” – Geoff Crittenden, CEO of Weld Australia
Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/4binMkr
It’s time to call BS on the idea that we can’t afford to look after each other, while governments simultaneously hand out billions to foreign-owned mining companies.
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
Robodebt flourished because of a political & media culture that stigmatises income support recipients. It was a failure in public sector leadership & culture in key departments. Labor must implement all 57 recommendations of the Robodebt RC to ensure Robodebt never happens again.
Robodebt was the worst failure of public administration in Australian history. It raised est. $1.73 bn of illegitimate debts from over 430,000 vulnerable Australians and plunged thousands of families into distress and grief. And still no real consequences.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
“…consistency is key: protect the Iranian players absolutely, but also restore functioning humanitarian systems for everyone else facing persecution…Humanitarian protection cannot be a photo op for the high profile and a dead end for everybody else.”
gift article www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
"When [economists] say the labour market's too tight & we need unemployment to rise, they say it so cavalierly."
"One, because they know they're not going to lose their jobs."
@grogsgamut.bsky.social & @skyelark.bsky.social on the latest episode of Dollars & Sense. #auspol
🎧 theaus.in/4aU32AI
Seems a bit light on details. Who are these “certain people” and “certain countries”? Who decides?
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
Mediation ordered. Linda Reynolds is suing the Commonwealth over failing to act in her best interests when they took control of her defence in the handling of Brittany Higgins's claim that she did not feel adequately supported. #auspol www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
NTEU president Dr Alison Barnes, claims Craven had “spent years using his platform to attack the very institutions and people he is now supposed to be assessing impartially.”
“…there should be a strong, well-documented business case for this appointment.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
That's because they coddle them too much now. Back in my day, it only took 20 years for T-Rexes to fully mature, because they had discipline. Spare the rod, spoil the terrible tyrant lizard.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
Here's one of my more recent paintings: 'She Was Always Asleep At School', oil on canvas panel, 40x50cm framed. A painting inspired by a girl in primary school who was always asleep due to unknown home troubles. Elements homage Dorothea Tanning.
#art #painting #oilpainting #sleep #school #tanning
the ABC has thrown a 3-employee live blog at its debut forum showcasing David Speers with a panel of zionists discussing their feelings from the safety of Australia as Israel poisons a city of 9 million people, blows up schools and hospitals, and half the region, and the global economy.
Useful look at the complexities of the competing interests among the Gulf states in light of the US and Israel's illegal war on Iran.
I doubt Trump could even name all these countries, let alone have the faintest understanding of the spreading consequences.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A tick in a box with a cupcake
If Australian literary life is to recover its public relevance, it must move beyond both free-speech theatrics and managerial timidity – and once again trust ideas to do the work of democracy.
That is the reform our cultural future now urgently demands📚💙
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/share/22638/...
Morning, Ian, Kitty and Unit! Have a great day!
