JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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Statistics
Who says that Trump is unhappy with Australia?
If it is true, what is Australia supposed to do to make him happy , whatever that may mean?
No idea.
https://meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/robert-papes-escalation-trap/comment/244945460
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>what is Australia supposed to do
Things Trump has previously criticised Australia for include excessive and ham-fisted censorship, masochistic energy policies, and immigration policies that also constitute self-harm.
280
Well perhaps get rid of the Chinese lease of the port of Darwin, develop its armed forces to be able to do its bit in Southern Asia, Oceania, and the Indian Ocean.
The Albanese government prides itself in being “ independent” and “ putting Australia’s needs first”. And flies out to China for secret talks at the drop of a hat. The Socialist left at work.
250
In the campaign for election 2025 PM Albanese promised that if re-elected Labor would deal with the Port of Darwin Lease, and he did organise an inquiry into the Lease, and later announced the inquiry recommended no further action be taken.
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No further action be taken….Would they use the same tactics on the rest of government policies?
50
Its a commercial venture and nothing to fear.
05
There are no commercial ventures unless the CCP in China approve and support
20
China is our biggest trading partner and the Port might become useful in the future.
The Americans have an airbase near Darwin, the situation is under control.
02
President Trump has said so several times to media and in reply to questions, latest event I am aware of yesterday when a Sky USA journalist asked questions and received the response not happy with Australia
11
Short video.
A staggeringly clueless wokester demonstrates their understanding of the Iran war.
And let me guess…. A Democrat voter (since they seem to have an American accent)?
https://youtube.com/shorts/7AKLpITAYfM
This also demonstrates why in countries such as Australia, voting shouldn’t be compulsory.
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And we need photo identification before being marked off the electoral roll and handed a ballot paper.
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David, voting should always be compulsory. It is necessary to ensure that democracy prevails.
Even with the system we have it is possible to win an election with 26% of the vote. With other systems i lot less is possible with good organisation.
Don’t you remember when the coalition in government in NSW changed the voting system for local government to get rid of the ALP’s stranglehold on the Lord Mayorship of Sydney? They got rid of the ALP L0rd Mayor, but all across the state well organised blocks of half a dozen candidates were getting elected.
21
So its fine to be a tyranny so long as we vote for the tyrant!
The Govt should NEVER be able to force you to do something, or you have to ask yourself ‘who owns your life, are you a slave or a free man’?
Other countries seem to do better than Australia without forced voting…
30
In my opinion forcing people to vote does not attract voters who think
40
Gad Saad describes one of Canada’s worst PM’S, Justin Trudeau. This works for Australia’s present PM as well.
He is responding to the Tweet:
Which is responding to the meme:
180
A response from Canada –
“Sad to say the current one is rapidly overhauling him”
30
Video from Dr John Campbell talking about the preprint of a paper which gives a patient self-described 84% benefit for cancer treatment.
Agents used are ivermectin with mebendazole.
https://youtu.be/cM1t5BdptT4
Paper: https://zenodo.org/records/19455636
The hypothesis generated by this work suggests clinical trials should now be conducted, urgently.
This is the sort of worthwhile research that could be funded if Australia wasn’t throwing away all its cash on its fanatical obsession with wind and solar and numerous other wasteful government programs.
180
Thanks David,
Greatly appreciated.
60
I’m not sure my wife is seeing any benefit, despite taking them for some months now. Her cancer has returned, with lesions on her liver and spleen. She is scheduled to commence another six doses of chemo on May 1st. we swapped the Fenbendazole for Mebendazole following this latest step backwards, so we have our fingers crossed.
It might be that her cancer would have progressed faster without the Ivm/Feben, but we don’t know.
There is also the possibility that Ivermectin’s optimum application is when it’s combined with chemo. She saw a big drop in her cancer marker when she last had chemo but she was taking Ivm at the time.
She faces a third period of dreadful side effects. The chemo is delivered in six doses, each at three-weekly intervals, so that’s another five months of misery.
I’m hoping that the fact she is taking both Ivm and Meben while having the chemo will produce a more lasting result this time. She was diagnosed in August 2023, stage three ‘advanced’.
80
Wishing her a full and speedy recovery Steve.
110
My sympathies to you and your wife. This is a really tough battle.
Can I suggest that you read Professor Paul Marik’s protocol if you have not already done so?
https://imahealth.org/research/cancer-care/
30
Read it – and others – already, thanks. Though there are commonalities in many ‘protocols’, they sometimes differ significantly and this would set us off on an internet fox hunt, whereupon we would consider adding something new but also learn we’re doing something wrong. Some of it is wacky, some is downright wicked misdirection. What joy do they get from misleading desperately sick people?
But yes, she’s following a pretty stringent protocol, along with a strict diet. We try to exercise (walking) every day. She uses a ‘grounding mat’. She endeavours to get plenty of sunshine. Each morning, she stabs herself for the purpose of obtaining blood glucose, ketosis and HCT numbers, which are factored into her diet. She’s cut out all sugar from her diet other than what’s in the small amount of berries she eats. She’s eating far more red meat than she used to, along with eggs, fish and poultry. I cook for both of us so I’m on a very similar diet these days.
Her cancer is the most aggressive type: ‘high-grade serous ovarian cancer’. She’s approaching three years since her diagnosis. This is why, whilst her cancer has recurred, it might be that the Ivermectin etc has already extended her life. I suspect the Ivm also slightly reduced the side effects during her previous (second) round of chemo.
We haven’t told her oncologists about all this. We dare not because they might refuse to continue treatment while she’s taking ‘unapproved’ meds. This means we have no professional guidance on the matter, only what we can glean off the web.
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Having spent 18 months caring for a friend and attending doctor consultations and chemotherapy and others I understand and wish you both all the best at this very stressful time
70
According to Dr Angus Dalgleish..cancer specialist.. having very good levels of Vit D enhances the efficiency of chemo. Interview with Dr John Campbell some while ago.
My heart goes out to you.
50
Thanks Sandra. I’ve managed to convince her to supplement her D3 but can’t persuade her to go beyond 1000iu, with K2 of course. I’ve been taking 5000iu for a long time.
She has now also been diagnosed with osteoporosis, which I’m pretty sure is a result of the chemo because, for the past thirty years since she had a bone density test, we have joked about how ‘dense’ she is. She will start taking a calcium booster tomorrow.
One of my worries is my own health. This might seem selfish but I have a host of cardiac issues and my symptoms have increased significantly in recent months due to stress I believe. I worry that I might drop off the old perch when she needs me most. Maybe we’re in a race to the finish line … I’ll make it one way or another. I also need to stick around to support my daughter who has serious mental health issues and is transitioning – these are not unconnected IMO but I’m outnumbered by an army of ‘health professionals’. Then there’s my beloved granddaughter (12yo) who apparently has worsening ADHD and, just like her mother (my ex-daughter in law), is collecting a worrisome catalogue of her own mental health issues.
Where does it end? Don’t answer that!
20
Steve this comment probably does not apply to your heart issues but mine was worrying doctors from 2021 after COVID-19 vaccinations, I already had high blood pressure controlled by prescription drugs but suddenly the BP Monitor was recording irregular heartbeat (Atrial Fibrillation) and I was given some changes in prescriptions including beta blocker and without going through the changes in recommendations from 1 to 2 a day, I also had venesections every 4-6 months and nurses worried about my heartbeat that was slowing, late 2025 closer to 30 at rest than the range to 40. By Christmas Eve after electrocardiogram a doctor phoned and warned that I might ne hospitalisation, and asked that I attend the medical centre that day.
Apart from being referred to the cardiologist I had consulted 2022 a Holter 48 hour test was requested and later an echocardiogram, and the beta blocker tablets reduced from 2 a day to 1 a day, and then half a tablet a day and finally stopped completely. My BP is normal range, my heartbeat is normal range, irregular heartbeat still being recorded occasionally as it was before but less often.
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I’m sorry to read of your complex difficulties Steve. Best wishes in your endeavours to keep yourself and family going.
20
It’s life, eh Annie?
00
I asked Gulag AI:
Could the amount of LNG exported by Australia, if converted to liquid fuels, supply all of Australia’s needs?
How would the cost compare to present petroleum prices in Australia?
Even if Australia had the will, and it doesn’t, and even if the GTL process was economic, which according to this it may not be, given Australian taxes, lawfare, Leftist anti-energy policies, tribute to be paid to natives, opposition to a large refinery, or indeed any industrial development, red tape, green tape, violent Leftists protests, trade union opposition or excessive costs if they agree to it, high land prices and taxes, and many other impediments, IT’S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
See links for references AI used plus the bits I deleted for brevity.
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I also asked:
Does the United States have enough export capacity to provide all of Australia’s liquid fuel needs?
Since Australia has inadequate refinery capacity to process crude oil and government policy is against building refineries and oil exploration in general, could the US provide Australia with fully refined petroleum products?
It’s too bad the Australian Government and Labor/Green/Teal Australians mostly have severe TRUMP Derangement Syndrome and are not currently such good friends with the USA.
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Would a coal to liquid plant produce more economical product than a gas to liquid one?
30
Why not just convert diesel vehicles to run on LNG/CNG ?
Add save the oil for critical uses.
30
I arranged that for a large company car fleet, and also forklift trucks and factory heating, late 1980s and the fuel cost savings were significant with all new cars having dual-fuel petrol and gas installed. The then latest injected gas system was very efficient and no loss of engine performance.
And then diesel and gas (LPG) mixed fuel with gas injected into the diesel injectors, power and torque at the rear wheels (3-litre diesel engine) increased 20% with 20% gas injected and therefore more energy released per litre of diesel. Accordingly emissions much lower. From memory an older diesel used about 80% of diesel per litre and with gas added better than 90% used.
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Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the Government recognised that Australian refineries are under significant financial pressure and is committed to working with the sector to ensure it has a long-term future.
“Almost all Australians are reliant on fuel and it is the lifeblood of so many sectors in our economy. Our farmers and miners rely heavily on diesel to do their jobs and provide services, while the transport sector sources 98 per cent of its energy from liquid fuels,” Minister Taylor said.
“That’s why it is critical that Australia has control over its fuel security arrangements and the Government is making sure of that.”
The construction of diesel storage will not only secure our diesel supplies but will support up to 950 jobs, along with 75 new ongoing jobs, many in regional areas.
A minimum stockholding obligation will act as a safety net for petrol and jet fuel stocks, and increasing diesel stockholdings by 40 per cent.
The Government will work with industry over the next six months on the legislative and regulatory design of the package.
Refineries play an important role in securing Australia’s fuel security and putting downward pressure on fuel prices for consumers. Modelling has shown that a domestic refinery capability is worth around $4.9 billion (over 10 years) in value to Australian consumers in the form of price suppression.
The Government is committed to a sovereign on-shore refinery capacity despite the threat to the viability of the industry. This is why we will design a market system for a production payment that recognises those fuel security benefits. It has been designed to protect Australian families and businesses from the around 1 cent per litre increase that modelling shows will hit fuel if all refineries close in Australia. For refineries to receive support, they will be required to commit to stay operating in Australia.
The Government recognises that the future refining sector in Australia will not look like the past. However, this framework will protect Australian families and businesses from higher prices and will secure jobs in the fuel sector and in fuel-dependent industries, such as our farmers, truckers, miners and tradies.
Additional measures will also be introduced to reduce the burden on industry and improve fuel market information.
This includes modernising the online fuel reporting system to make it easier for industry to report stock levels to Government and improve the timeliness of data. The Government will also remove the application fees for fuel standard variation requests.
This domestically-focused package builds on Government action to purchase up to $94 million of crude oil at record low global prices to be stored in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve for access during a global emergency.
Supporting our refineries will ensure Australia has the sovereign capability it needs for any event, protect families and businesses from higher prices and support thousands of jobs across the economy as we recover from COVID-19.
03
The best response to that is BLA, BLA, BLA.
No wonder OneNation is doing well in the polls.
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That was 13 years ago……..what happened for all that talk?
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That was 2020, in May 2022 the Albanese Labor Government was elected and they were not interested in fossil fuels, transition away from fossil fuels, and they cancelled planning underway and proposed planning by Morrison Government from 2019 to May 2022.
And by the way, the Abbott Coalition Government did overturn the Labor carbon tax of 10% on all retail electricity bills in 2014/15, and tried to repeal Labor’s Renewable Energy Target legislation but the bill was blocked by the Senate majority opposition.
When analysed the timeline history is quite different to the often views of obviously not well researched people. As I have posted about 2019 bushfires and holiday in Hawaii leftist propaganda misinformation that so many voters accepted at the time, and the COVID-19 facts ignored to blame Morrison for what is State primary responsibilities like public health and hospitals, even emergency powers legislated in State Parliaments.
One Nation is Five (5), 4 are Senators and 1 House of Representatives MP elected as a National at the 2025 election.
I am not opposed to One Nation but I am keen to see the end of Labor in government, noting in SA One Nation did not help the Liberal candidates with preference [ 2 ] vote
10
14 September 2020
Prime Minister, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
The Morrison Government is taking action to secure Australia’s long-term fuel supply, keep prices low for consumers and create over 1000 new jobs with a $211 million investment in building new domestic fuel storage and backing local refineries to stay open wherever commercially possible.
As part of our 2020-21 Budget, the Government will enhance Australia’s fuel security and bolster local industry through a $211 million investment in new domestic diesel storage facilities, reforms to create a minimum onshore stockholding, and measures to support local refineries.
This will be delivered through a combined market and regulatory framework, with three key elements:
Investing $200 million in a competitive grants program to build an additional 780ML of onshore diesel storage
Creating a minimum stockholding obligation for key transport fuels; and
Backing the refining sector by entering into a detailed market design process for a refinery production payment.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia’s fuel security was essential for our national security and that we had been fortunate to not have experienced a significant fuel supply shock in over 40 years.
NOTE: The two remaining oil refineries still operating in Australia were stopped from following the seven that had closed down over past decades by Morrison Government, if not today Australia would not produce 20% of our fuel here and from local oil supply.
10
Historical Context: The US Storage Arrangement
For a brief period, Australia did store a small amount of oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world’s largest emergency crude oil stockpile located in Louisiana and Texas. This arrangement was initiated by the former Coalition government in March 2020 under then Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
During the pandemic, the Morrison government purchased oil when prices were low, leasing space in the US reserve to store Australian-owned oil for global emergencies. Taylor disclosed that about 1.7 million barrels were stored, equivalent to less than two days of Australia’s supply. In 2022, this oil was sold as part of a coordinated response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Dr Lurion De Mello, an energy market expert at Macquarie University, notes that even if this oil were still in the US, it would have been time-consuming to access, taking a month or more to transport and refine into usable fuel. Moreover, it was crude oil, not a ready-to-use strategic fuel reserve.
What Is Australia’s Strategic Fuel Reserve?
According to De Mello, Australia lacks a true strategic fuel reserve, which typically refers to a government-funded stockpile. When Energy Minister Chris Bowen mentions a domestic or strategic reserve, he is referring to the MSO system implemented in 2023.
This system mandates that importers and refiners maintain baseline fuel stocks: 24 days of petrol and jet fuel for refiners, 27 days for importers, 20 days of diesel for refiners, and 32 days for importers. These stocks are held by private companies, not the government, with major players like Mobil, BP, Ampol, and Shell supplying about 85% of Australia’s liquid fuels.
00
I guess, looking back, more talk?
The usual ratio of “said” and “done”
00
Bit hard to continue a plan when the tools of governmemt are passed to another political party in May 2022
00
I was chief chemist at the PRA refinery in Altona during the 90’s. The problem then (along with labor issues) was the capacity of our refineries c/f Singapore. It was discussed then that Australia needed larger capacity refineries to be competitive. PRA (ESSO/Mobil JV) Altona needed the upgrade to an FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracker) as it had initially been set up to process only the sweet crude from Gippsland. Many would remember when that was delivered to the refinery.
Australia was/is unique in its refinery exchange program that allowed fuel made by Mobil or Shell in Victoria to be sold by Ampol, Caltex and BP etc, in their service stations with out having to transport it from interstate from their own refineries. Vise versa for the other states with the different company refineries.
Building new larger refineries probably makes sense if you renew larger refineries along the east coast but the economics in WA may make imports more cost effective if you have storage in strategic locations to satisfy Perth and mining locations. Supply from Singapore to Perth is reasonably cost effective. This would at least reduce the overall supply risk.
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“The Australian government currently provides over $2 billion in support to keep its two remaining refineries”
So in a decade we have paid for a giant GTL conversion plant and all we have to show for it are rich shareholders of old refineries..
We should either-
Buy turn-key refineries from China, where they build a fence around the area and bring everything from China.. materials, workmen, accommodation, portable hospitals, food ..everything! They dismantle it when they leave and we pay them. We don’t know what goes on inside that compound and we don’t want to know!
or we buy oil and fuels from anywhere in the world, especially Russia at the moment. Just remember what the Yanks are costing us by bullying us to not buy from there!
10
Indeed, David. The closure of our car manufacturing, as I recall, was due to the high cost of wages in this country – and concurrently, the strength of unionism in keeping those wages too high to compete with other countries.
W now have to grapple with the stark reality that national security and our survival in the face of such fuel shocks that we are now enduring, requires us to re-examine national fuel security.
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Agreed Vicki. We are rapidly degenerating to a second rate, Second World country, if we’re not already there.
We have by far the worst Government Australia has ever had, unbelievably even worse than the Whitiam, Gillard, KRudd or Turnbull regimes.
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Which, in a functioning and fair democracy should result in them being turfed out come election time, but instead they were re-elected. This was partly due to the complete incompetence of the Lib party but also our terrible preferential voting system. It shouldn’t be possible for a party with only a third of the votes to end up with a working majority in parliament.
90
The motor vehicle manufacturing industry in Australia commenced with importing vehicle chassis, engines and running gear and the first Australian made vehicle was of course the General Motors Holden released 1948/49. Other manufacturers established manufacturing here including Ford, Chrysler later taken over by Mitsubishi here, British Motor Corporation later Leyland Australia, Volkswagen, and others. They closed down over the period from 1970s and the last three to close from 2014/15 were GM Holden, Ford and Toyota.
Despite Labor Government incentives and negotiations (Button Plan example) during the 1980s and early 1990s by 2013 the plans were already in place for closure of the remaining Australian manufacturing subsidiaries of multinational corporations, the Chief Executives were asked by Prime Minister Abbott and Treasurer Hockey to confirm if the rumoured closure planning was underway and they all admitted it was true and accordingly the incentive subsidies from taxpayers via government were cancelled.
It was obvious that Labor propping up of the motor vehicle manufacturing industry was primarily union membership based favours to the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
CEO’s admitted that industrial relations laws and related poor productivity were the final decision points, and the small market too far away from most export markets and too few buyers here, eight of every ten motor vehicles sold in Australia were being imported.
40
And the Right Hand Drive configuration of our own market, coupled with a small export market complicated industry expansion. Maybe , like Sweden once did, we need to switch to driving on the right hand side of the road.
22
Many countries have switched from right hand drive to left hand drive, but like all big, radical and sensible ideas, it just won’t happen in Australia.
Apart from Sweden 1967, there was Iceland 1968, Portugal 1928, Canada 1920s-1947, Brazil 1928, Nigeria 1972, Ghana 1974, Sierra Leonne 1971, China 1946 exceot Hong Kong and Macau, Myanmar 1970, Philippines 1945, Spain 1924, Austria 1938.
GM no longer makes right hand drive cars although some are converted by third party remanufacturing operations.
20
I was very interested to read a few years ago a recommendation from Toyota Australia that Australia New Zealand Standards switch from European Standards for vehicles to North America Standard.
10
In September 2009, Samoa did the exact opposite, they changed to driving on the left side of the road, so as to be able to access less expensive and fuel hungry vehicles from Japans, ‘grey import ‘ fleet.
Assuming the lefthand drive vehicles were ‘Yank tanks’.
20
The Chevy Corvette from 2020 on is available here in RHD from the Detroit factory.
Great vehicle for its’ price range !
01
“requires us to re-examine national fuel security.”
…and not examine union membership and practices?? Nothing will improve until we get rid of those organisations!
10
It is astonishing to see that GTL can be considered, let alone applied. The cost of liquefying, storage and transporting I would expect to be very high.
00
Purely hypothetical.
A/ Doing so would be an even more “complex industrial process” than refining our own oil from Bass St. which is beyond our depleted industrial capacity.
B/ The gas is already spoken for in unbreakable contracts. The chance to buy the gas has long passed.
Australian incompetence drives me to distraction.
00
As Treasurer of Australia Jim Chalmers pretends he has some knowledge of economics but he has no such training, or knowledge, and his PhD topic was “Brawler statesman: Paul Keating and prime ministerial leadership in Australia”. His bachelor’s degree is in public policy.
Apparently he thinks massive unrestrained Government spending of hard-earned taxpayer money is a good thing. Any normal person would know it is not.
190
But he would make an excellent timber floor coating specialist apart from always painting himself into corners.
sarc
70
FWIW
“Two simple tests for bad commentary on the Iran War
And a more subtle test.”
https://www.lorenzofromoz.net/p/two-simple-tests-for-bad-commentary?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2
Via https://instapundit.com/790466/#disqus_thread
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Those tests can be easily applied to comments right here on this blog!
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…if you don’t mind basing your arguments on Wikipedia and a Youtube video…
10
I can answer yes to both tests.
On the next article regarding the routing of the IRGC, I asked if POTUS Trump is being braggadocious when he says he is the best POTUS or just being honest?
I rank him the best leader in history for calling out the Climate Change™ hoax. If he gets rid of oil funded terrorists as well, it is unlikely he will ever be equaled.
100
So the best leader in history calls out the biggest hoax in history?
Good point.
What’s very interesting to me, and I’m not particularly educated, is that it doesn’t require that much investigation to see the political/academic scandal of CAGW.
Even the likes of me has been able to see it for more than a decade.
Yet here were are.
And it took a Trump to crack the facade.
The failure of the modern enlightenment era is that the Great Committee of the Educated Intelligentsia proved it is just as corrupt as the previous incarnations and it only took a former game show TV host to expose it.
40
FWIW
“THEODORE DALRYMPLE: We Shall Not Fight on the Beaches.
In 1973, Jean Raspail, who died aged 94 in 2020, published his dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints, for which he is now mostly remembered (certainly outside of France, though he was the author of many other well-considered novels and travelogues, and narrowly missed election to the Académie française). The Camp of the Saints is a book that refuses to lie down, so to speak, despite attempts to render it invisible or make it go away.
* * * * * * * *
Immigrants are not just immigrants. What they bring with them is as important as what they are offered by the host country. If what they bring with them is an evangelizing religion that claims, however fatuously, to be the answer to all of mankind’s little problems, a religion moreover that has a very strong hold over them and that is maintained by an effective system of social ostracism in the event of dissent, they will obviously have more difficulty integrating than if they have no such religion.
Raspail’s flawed novel is an illustration of an elementary political principle. For a liberal democracy to work, there must be a demos; for there to be a demos, there must be something more in common among them than living geographically cheek-by-jowl (without at the same time demanding an absolute uniformity). To import huge numbers of people who do not share, and indeed are resistant to sharing, the minimum that holds a demos together is inimical to liberal democracy.”
More at
https://instapundit.com/790285/#disqus_thread
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FWIW
“When ‘Racism,’ Real Or Imagined, is a More Egregious Crime Than Murder”
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2026/04/14/when-racism-real-or-imagined-is-a-more-egregious-crime-than-murder-n4951784
00
FWIW –
Oh how the mighty have fallen!
“MISSISSIPPI BURNING (PAST ENGLAND): Britain Would Be Poorest State In U.S., Mississippi Governor Responds With Vicious One-Liner.”
More at
https://instapundit.com/790433/#disqus_thread
20
Pauline Hanson is being shown some respect on Victorian news reports. This one 9News:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c5YkZ052yg0
There was a similar interview on 7News.
The State by-election in Napean is on the 2nd May so a week ahead of the Federal by-election for Farrer.
Napean will be a good test to see how sample polling translates to votes for One Nation.
It is a test of sanity for Victorian voters – Do they want more Climate Change™ hoax, more criminal imports, more First Nations apartheid and more gagging of free speech or just stop all that woke UN garbage.
UN has not had any positive involvement in the removal of the terrorist regime in Iran. Time to shut down this useless organisation that has steered so far off course that it is far worse than parasitic.
90
Supporters of the One Nation Five (5), as compared with the Greens eleven (11) that support Labor as do the Teals, seem to be blissfully unaware of the numbers required to form government, State and Federal.
In SA One Nation did not preference the Liberal candidates and One Nation preferences scattered, Labor was returned to government comfortably.
The same could occur in Victoria and the by election soon. One Nation probably will pick up seats but never enough to form a government. What have they achieved with seats they have won, and lost, over the past 29 years? How many times and for what has One Nation achieved a result based on what they say they can achieve when campaigning? I am not against One Nation campaigning and trying to gain seats in parliament but let’s get real, they cannot form government. Greens have not formed government. Before One nation Don Chipp’s Australian Democrat Party gained Senate seats and sometimes held balance of power, and they had a slogan we must all be able to agree with being “keep the bast*rds honest”, but they no longer exist.
My point continues to be that One Nation must, if they are really the alternative to the Coalition parties they claim to be, cooperate as Greens do with Labor.
This is about governing nation and states not office politics and grievances.
03
Here are some poll numbers for consideration.
https://theconversation.com/demosau-gives-labor-one-of-its-worst-poll-results-this-term-280270
01
FWIW – USA but
“Breaking: Major Under-the-Radar SCOTUS Decision on Climate Lawfare”
Concludes
“For now, the takeaway is straightforward. The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that context matters, that connections cannot be arbitrarily severed, and that federal involvement carries legal weight even decades later. Those principles may not make headlines, but they have a way of reshaping the battlefield.
And for those who have vehemently questioned and objected to the direction and tactics of climate lawfare, this decision offers something that has been in short supply: a meaningful course correction grounded in law rather than narrative.”
More at
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/04/17/breaking-major-under-the-radar-scotus-decision-on-climate-lawfare/
10
FWIW – for those inclined –
“Last week, the 16th International Conference on Climate Change made international news. It also disheartened the environmental left and the media because it was clear from that two-day event that Climate Realism is Rising. We will go over some of the highlights of the conference — including a protest during our panel of “climate realist youth” — with Angela Wheeler of the CO2 Coalition, a co-host of that great event.
The Heartland Institute’s Anthony Watts, Linnea Lueken, Sterling Burnett, and Jim Lakely will also cover the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including a pilot who quit his job because he was climate change was giving him sleepless nights, environmentalists who want to put kids to sleep with a new video game called the “Great Green Neighborhood Showdown,” how the Obama administration faked the Endangerment Finding, and is the US going to force the World Bank to abandon its “green targets”?
We will be LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook. Participate in the show by leaving your comments and questions in the chat.”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/04/17/live-at-1pm-et-conference-rattles-climate-activists-the-climate-realism-show-198/
40
The renovation of the Reserve Bank of Australia building in Sydney is now up to over $1.2 billion dollars.
This is outrageous.
That’s around $1 million of renovations for every employee. They are only public SERVANTS FFS, not royalty and Australia can’t afford it.
These costs need to be forensically audited and salaries, wages and other payments of all those employed need to be published.
https://www.afr.com/rear-window/rba-s-1-2b-reno-from-hell-cleared-for-take-off-20260415-p5zo44
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-25/rba-billion-dollar-horror-renovation-martin-place-asbestos/103871056
https://www.senatorpaterson.com.au/news/rba-must-fight-for-700-million-in-massive-construction-cost-blowout-for-sydney-hq
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Reminded me of the union owned building in Sydney CBD that Gillard Labor Government moved a government department into at considerable expense moving and fit out. Lease of the publicly owned and gifted by a deceased estate Sydney Showgrounds leased to private sector for minimal rental and the same business purchased union Sussex Street HQ and leased it back at a very reasonable rental rate, and others
40
Don’t they all work from home? What do they need acres of office space for? All they need is their own satellite, then they can tune in from anywhere on the planet. Have the contracts already been drawn in favour of certain parties?
30
But that’s OK, quite normal for Govt job..
Quoted at $260million, costs $1200million in the end… Look at Snowy2..
00
A thought, that fictitious “Uniparty” was apparently One Nation description obviously to try and distance themselves from their original parties of membership.
However, consider their recently joined MP who moved after being re-elected as a National Party MP, Barnaby Joyce. He was a former National Party Leader and for a while he was Deputy Prime Minister of the Coalition of Liberal National!
Pauline Hanson, a later disendorsed Liberal MP who was elected and supported as a Liberal candidate, and Cory Bernardi now in the South Australian upper house for One Nation a former Federal Liberal Senator.
18
If you look back to the emergence of the Teals we get a better understanding of the seismic shift.
‘MP for Curtin Kate Chaney said of the 2018 Liberal Party leadership spill and election: “I certainly think that when the Liberal Party knocked back Julie Bishop and chose Scott Morrison instead, it was a sliding-doors moment for the Australian Liberal Party”, “a lot of women looked at that point and thought, ‘this does not look like a party that represents me'”, which helped create the teals movement.’ (wiki)
04
That highlights the LINO left again, she was one
30
In the old days they were called small L Liberals or Moderates. Turnbull and Bishop are prime examples.
This situation is unsustainable, the wokes need to be brought into line or purged from the party.
52
And before that they were known as “Wets”, because they went to water when the going got tough.
40
It is the UN-iparty. They are the UN stooges that get voted in by Australians to work for voters then go about adopting the UN radical left agenda.
Abbott was not a UN stooge. Turncoat was and still is a UN stooge.
Pauline Hanson is a fish shop owner who did not want to follow the UN agenda.
Barnaby was a UN stooge but it was breaking him. He is now going in the right direction.
No current LNP is willing to embrace carbon. They all hate CO2, the molecule of life. UN have demonised carbon. They hate all life other than those who bow and scrape for them. It is why they have worked so hard to demean POTUS Trump. Trump loves life and is ridding the world of haters either through death or seeing the light.
60
A simplistic opinion that ignores all the political background, Federation of States, Commonwealth/Federal Government, and the left side of the political spectrum that has managed legislation and regulations with red, green, black tape binding and repeal bills the Coalition have tried to get passed blocked by Senate opposition and States, notably when Labor is in government.
And what I have explained many times for many years the UN infiltration, what POTUS Trump refers to as interference in the affairs of sovereign nation members, and the compliant left governments that cooperate to create what a patent attorney would describe as how to protect a patent by wrapping the core in so many words as to make interpretation very difficult.
12
So let me get this into perspective, former Nationals Leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Joyce is now going in the right direction, but Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan talking very good sense are still living in the past?
12
No, they are not moving with the required speed, and being definitive on Energy and Immigration, not to mention government spending.
40
At what required speed would that be given that they were both appointed/elected Leaders of Liberal and National parties only a few weeks ago, and hit the ground running quickly to push the post-net zero that Labor Green Teals still follow?
Surely a former National Leader who only transferred to One Nation after being re-elected to the Nationals at the 2025 election, former National Leader and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Coalition Liberal National is born again then Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan are as well? And with a new Shadow Cabinet as well.
It makes no sense that One Nation reference to Uniparty, consider that Labor (Greens and Teals supporting) have been in government for four years since 2022. Four years.
Coalition in Opposition for Four Years, and before that Morrison and Taylor from 2020 were changing course as quickly as they could, abandoned by Albanese Labor 2022
If we want to get rid of the Labor governmments One Nation must admit that they cannot form government, that their primary focus is Senate seats, that Pauline says she is not interested in being Prime Minister, well what else can she say, she knows how the numbers work.
02
What has the Opposition got to do with government spending?
00
Why does truth annoy six people with red thumbs?
00
Truth is that Hanson was not elected as a Liberal member. She was disendorsed during the campaign, but the already printed material remained for election day. The Libs said before the election that she would not sit with the party if elected. She entered parliament as an independent.
But, yes, she did start out as a Lib candidate.
That was 30 years ago. Hanson is much wiser since then and knows how the system operates, while being more aligned in political outlook with the Liberal party than Labor.
Uniparty is a widely used concept here and overseas. It’s not specific to One Nation. It’s an acknowledgement that two main parties can work together to maintain their strongholds and common swamp. Having a similar alignment to the Libs does not prevent her or others who have joined her since from acknowledging the two main parties do have commonality in that, despite some obvious policy differences.
You can claim Joyce is perhaps an opportunist with no leadership future at the Nats. But he has legitimately butted heads with the Nats and Libs on issues and has now taken the opportunity to free himself of those party constraints.
Joining One Nation doesn’t make his past or his present disingenuous either way.
It will be good to have a party like ON as a genuine alternative, and with the experience of Joyce to assist Hanson et al navigate their increased popularity amongst the political system. Hopefully shake up that system.
70
“But, yes, she did start out as a Lib candidate.” And she was a member of the Liberal Party before standing for preselection as a Liberal candidate, and was disendorsed for making “contentious comments regarding indigenous people”. If she had not crossed that line she would have remained a Liberal MP from 1996.
She established One Nation in 1997 and no doubt determined to prove a point, and to this day she carries the grudge, she even blames the Liberals for what happened in Queensland via QLD Electoral Commission, Police, Director of Public Prosecutions and Court system.
However, we all run on our record, what has One Nation achieved over those 29 years to date?
Their only House of Representatives MP in Federal Parliament is the former National Party Leader and former Deputy Prime Minister who now uses that ridiculous Uniparty description, wasn’t he a senior in the National Liberal Coalition.
Fact is that Labor Greens Teals are not going to give up, and to get rid of Labor governments we need all the same side working together and not kidding voters that a micro party can defeat governments, South Australia election proved that is not possible, despite seats gained with the State Liberals poorly organised with a leader change only several months earlier.
14
The truth of the matter, he started out in the Senate and now he has returned to a safe haven. Barnaby has a young family to consider.
01
“A thought, that fictitious “Uniparty” was apparently One Nation description ”
No, anyone with a bit of age and wisdom can see that Uniparty describes the major parties in this country perfectly!
Neither will have any truck with either individual freedom or individual responsibility. All else is window dressing.
The coalition is not, and will never be, the antidote to labor.
60
However, starting after the end of WW2 and for over 20 years Liberal Country/National Coalition governed during post war economic recovery, 1972 Labor took over and caused a recession, managed by Coalition for 6 years back into economic growth handed to Labor 1983, Labor recession 1990 onwards, recession just ended when Howard Coalition took over in 1996, 2007 Labor again and what a mess they handed over to Abbott 2013 end ……. Morrison 2019-2022 COVID-19 pandemic State primary responsibilities but Federal assistance with funding etc., Labor back in government 2022.
00
FWIW – viewed from outside
“GOOD LORD:”
“If true, this is the most significant corruption scandal in Australian history
Afghan villagers are PAID to testify against war hero Ben Roberts-Smith
The villagers are then coached
The government in return offers the villagers ASYLUM – which presumably is like winning the lotto – given it involves free housing, a pension and free medical funded by taxpayers for life…
Quote
Senator Gerard Rennick
@S_GerardRennick
·
17 Apr
Australian special forces soldier reveals that a major Australian news network paid Afghan villagers to testify against Ben Roberts-Smith
Witnesses say that these villagers were coached and ultimately given asylum status in Australia”
https://x.com/Lisa9Sophia/status/2044947559949689021
Via https://instapundit.com/790679/#disqus_thread
How’s your “shocked face” going? (Borrowed from sarah Hoyt)
161
If true – what a perfect recipe for a thick coating of “Taqiyya”!
10
My connection to Iran is quite unhappy with behaviour of Basij replacements on the town corners due to their groping of teenage girls.
Unlike young Basij who volunteered for civil duty, those new ones, brought from Iraq and even Afghanistan are low morale types working for money.
I say it os better than exposing underage kids, ok – young adults, to serious physical risk.
40
FWIW
“The Electric Bus Bust Mayhem Continues”
How’s this for a ROI?
“Tellingly, data was also now available from some of the school districts that had first adopted the E-buses, and the promised affordability was nowhere to be found. This was causing considerable consternation.
…This is with the Naples (NY) School District running only two electric school buses, both of which had initially paid for by federal grants, etc.
36 cents per mile for diesel and $3.18 per mile for electric”
More at
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/04/17/the-electric-bus-bust-mayhem-continues-n3813999
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EV fans never seem to consider a cost-benefit analysis and that the cost premium above ICV, depending on use of vehicle, takes years before a break even on funds outlaid can be recovered and maybe then some running cost financial gain realised
10
FWIW
“Gulf Shock May Spark Shortage of World’s Most Critical Industrial Chemical, Used Heavily in Mining”
https://thelibertydaily.com/gulf-shock-may-spark-shortage-worlds-most-critical/
20
I had almost given up on society when today I saw an elderly woman give up her seat on the bus for a pregnant man. 😁
80
The EC’s $4 million age verification app was hacked in 2 minutes
The European Commission has been developing an application for more than a year, ostensibly to check the age of users on social networks. They spent about $4 million on the project and proudly presented it as a tool “for protecting children on the Internet.” It took 120 seconds to crack it all, said Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
https://cyberpress.org/eus-new-age-verification-app/
I saw a detailed breakdown of how it worked days ago.
Obviously the programmers didn’t care…
30
I said here before – one of my grandsons, not the most brilliant one, told me he and his friends would create latest BOM webpage for few grand.
Not able to verify it but so far the boy was not caught lying even once…
20
“They spent about $4 million ”
A misprint surely! It would hardly cover the initial planning committees or even the advertising once developed! At least that much to pay some consultants to decide who to employ to make it.. Ten times that might get something done!
10
Narungga votes finalised and One Nation have it by 74 votes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2ZzQl1UJEE
50
The 2026 South Australian state election, held on March 21, 2026, resulted in a landslide victory for the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Peter Malinauskas, securing 34 seats in the House of Assembly. The opposition Liberal Party won 5 seats, while One Nation and independents each secured 4 seats. In the Legislative Council, Labor won 5 seats, One Nation 3, the Liberals 2, and the Greens 1.
10
Dennis:
everyone – possibly even most Liberals – thought that Malinauskas would win. Partly because he was so much better than the previous Liberal and Labor governments and partly by things looking up. Party also because he is a canny operative. Thus locally, a number of projects were started some months ago with maximum publicity.
In Kavel, in the Adelaide Hills, but strongly influenced by Metropole events, Labor had a good showing, nearly overtaking the Liberal candidate, which left a Liberal and an Independent (both up for election for the first time). After preferences the Independent won just over 60% from the former Mayor. The previous election the then Independent won over 50% of primary votes and over 75% once preferences were distributed.
In the Federal sphere the electorate (Mayo) is (and has been) represented by an Independent for about 10 years.
Mayo was originally the safest seat in the country.
Either the voters are fickle or the Liberals aren’t what they want. Hopefully their new Leader (and the Deputy Leader who defeated The Greens narrowly after distributions thanks to being very active in the electorate for years) way get some change in the Party.
20
Graeme I am not arguing that SA Liberals were not poorly organised.
My only focus now is getting rid of Labor governments before Australia and Labor States end up totally basket case economies.
10
The beauty and physics of nature – the Qiantang tide
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_tdmf34U3xC1z23obp.mp4
/Pt 2.
10
FWIW
“If Women Ran The World”
“…there’s no way you really believe this woman should govern a city of 6 million people”
https://x.com/extradeadjcb/status/2045143847425266078
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/04/17/if-women-ran-the-world-98/
00
FWIW
“AS ALWAYS, LIFE IMITATES “THE FAR SIDE:” ”
https://instapundit.com/790685/#disqus_thread
Aiming to capture the hot side of the “Christmas Turkey” exploit?
00
FWIW
The Babylon Bee on the current kerfuffle between Trump and the Pope
“Giant Cloud Of Dust Emerges From Vatican As Pope Opens His Bible https://buff.ly/ihA63cv”
https://instapundit.com/790462/#disqus_thread
00
FWIW
““IT WAS ALWAYS THE WOMEN, AND ABOVE ALL THE YOUNG ONES, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers-out of unorthodoxy:” “Young women are trying to conserve an ideology they see as the stable bedrock of society, even if it’s actually an acidic collection of delusions that will inevitably destroy society itself. And they’re upset that young men aren’t doing what they see as their role to uphold that order as well. In short, women are natural conservatives. They’re trying to conserve progressivism because it’s the reigning social order and theological governing system of Western civilization. And they’re upset and confused as to why young men aren’t stepping up to uphold it as well.” ”
More at
https://instapundit.com/790443/#disqus_thread
10
These days I come up with thoughts about how nice it would be to have a giant, trusted public forum where I could regularly pass on my latest distillations of how to return my beloved Australia to former glories that I have sampled.
Then Pooof! It disappears in a flash when yet another stupid government policy steals the limelight, often financed without our permission by your taxes and mine.
Never mind. I am wanting to say this:
Australia has to immediately reject the 30 years of green propaganda that has raised the dream concept of placing “protection of the environment” up there at the top of national policy priorities. It is the dreamy type of thinking that wants weapons of war to be designed so that they do not hurt; that charges a V.C. medal hero with murder in war; that prevents mining because you have to dig a hole in natural surroundings; that in its dream like state encourages boys who think they would like to be girls to have their bits cut off – permanently.
The dream that sunshine is free energy to make electricity, the dream that it can be expanded by cash handout subsidies like subsidies for its mate, the windmill generator. The dream to help windmills grow in numbers by cash payments to compensate owners when they cannot produce because the wind us wrong at the time.
Reality punctures dreams.
The real annual money now paid for wind and solar subsidies is enough to build two new oil refineries in Australia.
Hands up if you agree that this is such a good way to go that it should be broadcast in a big public forum, to judge the mood of the nation.
We used to have a big forum for good national ideas. It was named the Parliament.
Geoff S
100
That’s it Geoff
00
All Ho’ Hum’ war will restart this week or next week !!!!!!
00