brisk
@brisk@aussie.zone
- Comment on Australia to temporarily ease fuel quality standards 2 days ago:
That does make it sound better, but that change was already a more than a decade overdue
Here’s the part most Australians don’t know. For years, our petrol would have been illegal in almost every country we’d consider a peer. Europe hit 10ppm sulphur limits back in 2009. The United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, China, even India all got there before us.
Global consultancy Stratas Advisors ranked Australia’s fuel quality 85th in the world. We sat between Argentina and Tanzania. A 2017 Commonwealth review put us 70th globally and dead last among the 35 OECD countries.
And what are we going back to?
Air pollution causes approximately 5,000 premature deaths in Australia each year. Vehicle emissions account for a significant chunk of that figure. Research from the University of Melbourne and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare linked dirty fuel directly to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and asthma. Emerging studies suggest connections to Alzheimer’s, dementia, and ADHD.
The annual health cost? Around $17.8 billion, with another $4.5 billion in welfare losses and lost productivity. That exceeds the national burden of obesity.
The International Council on Clean Transportation estimated that proper fuel standards could reduce premature deaths from vehicle emissions by up to 75 per cent. For years, Australian policymakers had that research sitting on their desks.
- Two robodebt officials engaged in serious corrupt conduct, Nacc finds, but Scott Morrison clearedwww.theguardian.com ↗Submitted 2 days ago to australia@aussie.zone | 2 comments
- Comment on Australia to temporarily ease fuel quality standards 2 days ago:
Similar level to “improve housing availability by freezing housing standards”. Hurts the same people it purports to help.
- Comment on Finally fixing capital gains tax is good – but linking it to another tax cut for Australia’s rich is bollocks | Greg Jericho 2 weeks ago:
I’d be surprised if they did, but curious what good you see in it?
- Comment on Australians roll down lawns of Parliament House to protest against fence 2 weeks ago:
I’ve always thought this fence was the most symbolic “fuck you” from the government to the people of Australia. I can’t believe it’s been ten years, I’ve barely heard anyone mention it since it went up.
- The rhetoric ramping up over ISIS brides has nothing to do with the women and children themselveswww.crikey.com.au ↗Submitted 2 weeks ago to australia@aussie.zone | 2 comments
- Comment on High-speed train ticket between Newcastle and Sydney to cost $31 for one-hour journey from 2039 2 weeks ago:
Utopia sure did, because of this (Wikipedia):
High-speed rail in Australia has been under investigation since the early 1980s.[1][2] Every federal government since this time has investigated the feasibility of constructing high-speed rail with speeds above 200 km/h, but to date nothing has ever gone beyond the detailed planning stage.
I’ll believe it when I see it
- Comment on Ban under-16s from riding ebikes and e-scooters then require a driver’s licence, Queensland inquiry to recommend 2 weeks ago:
The requirement to prove you can safely drive a car in order to use a much safer vehicle is bizarre. Given that it’s not listed under the AMAQ recommendations, I assume that one came from the Royal Automobile Club. It seems a bit strange that the automobile club was included at all given that the originating incident had no cars involved.
This bit at the end seems important
According to the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ annual crash report, 307 lives were lost in 284 crashes in Queensland in 2025, the highest road toll in the state in 16 years.
This included 129 car driver fatalities and 44 passenger deaths, while “personal mobility devices” – which covers e-scooters – saw the fewest fatalities, with eight deaths. There were 38 pedestrians, 50 truck driver, 75 motorcycle/moped rider and pillion and 13 bicycle or ebike rider and pillion fatalities.
In the six months to 30 June last year, 1,455 drivers were hospitalised after a crash while 105 personal mobility device users were hospitalised with injuries.
- Comment on Chinese warships came within 10km of Australian waters: Defence 3 weeks ago:
So the claim is they were provocatively close to Australian waters, not in Australian waters, and the waters that they were close to are the EEZ which it’s generally regarded that they are allowed to be in anyway?
All States may conduct military activities in the EEZ for peaceful purposes, including a foreign State, provided that the operating State has due regard to the rights and duties of other States.
If this is something other then fear mongering then I must be missing something. Admittedly I can only read the first two paragraphs.
- Comment on The Epstein saga shows us the impotence of polite 'centrist' media – Greg Jericho 3 weeks ago:
The undecorated link seems to work for me without redirect
deepcutnews.com/…/epstein-and-the-impotence-of-po…
It is also already captured on archive.is
- Comment on Report: Feels Like We Should Be Making A Bigger Deal About Someone Throwing A Homemade Explosive Device Full Of Ball Bearings At Aboriginal People On January 26th 1 month ago:
This one would not be out of place as an opinion article in a regular paper.
- Report: Feels Like We Should Be Making A Bigger Deal About Someone Throwing A Homemade Explosive Device Full Of Ball Bearings At Aboriginal People On January 26thwww.betootaadvocate.com ↗Submitted 1 month ago to australia@aussie.zone | 9 comments
- Submitted 1 month ago to australia@aussie.zone | 18 comments
- SA Premier Peter Malinauskas’ letter urging removal of Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Festival revealed after defamation threatwww.skynews.com.au ↗Submitted 1 month ago to australia@aussie.zone | 0 comments
- My petty gripe: a large flat white is an oxymoron – a bastardisation of the drink Australia gave the worldwww.theguardian.com ↗Submitted 1 month ago to australia@aussie.zone | 16 comments
- Submitted 1 month ago to australia@aussie.zone | 1 comment
- Comment on Australia should reconsider alliance with ‘fiercely unpredictable’ US, former foreign ministers say 1 month ago:
Or a Sky News anchor trying to spark conflict
- Comment on Antisemitic incidents across Australia since 2023 – timeline 2 months ago:
Weird list, appears to include both antisemitic and anti Zionist events, and even includes the fake caravan bomb?
- 4G Phone Blocking Update: The Missing Samsung 000 Settings for Vodafone - How to check your devicewww.change.org ↗Submitted 2 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 1 comment
- [Analysis] "Enough is enough". Why Brereton *has* to resign from the NACC - Michael Westmichaelwest.com.au ↗Submitted 2 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 0 comments
- Comment on Anti-zionism v antisemitism. Bondi Beach "F*** Israel" t-shirt man in court battle for freedom of speech - Michael West 3 months ago:
Heck there have been people arrested for posting Trump or Charlie Kirk comments unedited.
In Australia?
- Anti-zionism v antisemitism. Bondi Beach "F*** Israel" t-shirt man in court battle for freedom of speech - Michael Westmichaelwest.com.au ↗Submitted 3 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 36 comments
- Comment on What you need to know about why house prices aren't coming down 4 months ago:
Unfortunately, it matters less what people want than what these people want
Of the 227 sitting MPs and senators, only 12 declared no property ownership.
Several senators are on the list, although we cannot be sure this provides an exhaustive picture because the property holdings of senators’ spouses are not published.
Some in this group declared a financial interest in trusts but were not required to disclose any property held in those trusts.
- Comment on Were you on Facebook 10 years ago? You may be able to claim part of this $50 million payout 4 months ago:
It looks like you can apply even if you don’t know you’re affected and they (KPMG) will determine eligibility, but that’s a lot of personal information for a “maybe”
- Were you on Facebook 10 years ago? You may be able to claim part of this $50 million payouttheconversation.com ↗Submitted 4 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 9 comments
- 'Nothing' done to address gaps created by teen social media ban, says children's commissionerwww.crikey.com.au ↗Submitted 4 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 12 comments
- Submitted 5 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 1 comment
- Submitted 5 months ago to australia@aussie.zone | 1 comment
- Comment on Caged eggs to stay on supermarket shelves until 2030 as Coles abandons pledge 6 months ago:
“Free Range” is regulated, but the threshold is unusually low compared to other countries.
Pastured or pasture raised is a much stronger standard but as far as i can tell not legally protected.
- Comment on Australia’s highest court denies decorated Afghanistan veteran Ben Roberts-Smith’s final appeal 6 months ago:
The only Australian veteran to be convicted over war crime allegations in Afghanistan has been army whistleblower David McBride.
The former army lawyer was sentenced last year to five years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to charges associated with leaking allegations of war crimes to the media.
It’s honestly hard to keep straight in my head how awful everything to do with this is