MisterFrog

@MisterFrog@aussie.zone

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia’s under-16s social media ban is weeks away. How will it work – and how can I appeal if I’m wrongly banned?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Ahhh I see.

  I mean, who’s reading the chat history anyway?

  If you add someone to a chat you should say hello! Problem solved.

  Further, people are already used to this with WhatsApp which functions on the same protocol (with Meta harvesting the metadata and connections of course)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia’s under-16s social media ban is weeks away. How will it work – and how can I appeal if I’m wrongly banned?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  There is chat history, you just have to back it up

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨WeRide: Cycling community celebrates reinstatement of e-bike standard⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  As someone who rides an e-bike with 250w power, 250w is plenty for one person.

  Perhaps cargo bikes should be permitted to have higher wattages.

  Want more than that? Should be licenced as a motorbike, in my humble opinion.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australian wholesale electricity prices are falling. So when will power bills stop rising?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s almost like privatisation of natural monopolies makes no sense 0_0

  Bring back the Victorian State Energy Commission (to be the retailer and distributor).

  Hell, private generators and commerical users can keep their purchase agreements for all I care. We don’t need to nationalise every single part of the energy system (though, that’d be preferable, in my view).

  But for the rest of us retail users, let’s stop doing this stupid dance where you “shop around” for an electricity plan, and get a way better collective deal by bringing back public ownership of this key infrastructure.

  At a minimum distribution and retail of electricity should be publically owned and operated. Obviously.

  It worked just fine in the past.

  Privatisation hasn’t worked.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨GPs will soon get extra incentives to bulk bill. So will your doctor be free?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m so sick of this stupid subsidy model.

  Make our public healthcare actually public ffs.

  Medical staff should be very well paid employees, and we won’t have to pay excess profits to practice owners.

  Those not willing to work in the public system should get ZERO Medicare dollars, and private health should be required to cover 100% of all costs for their members. i.e. if you’re covered by private health, you should no longer be covered by public health. Why? Because it’ll make private health terribly uncompetitive, which it is, it’s a ripoff.

  The public employees can unionise like everyone else. And we would do well to keep them happy, so we don’t lose them to overseas competition.

  End the bulk billing model so we’re not having to do this every couple of years… Just employ medical staff and make the service free.

  I’m sick of this

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Nearly 90% of jobseekers unable to get long-term work despite millions spent on private job agencies⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s absolutely wild we don’t have a government run job website.

  Companies ought to play by our rules, not bribe a rent seeker.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨NSW Police Approval Of Neo-Nazi Parliament Rally Outrages Community⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  They should receive a criminal charge, if it can be proven that they should have reasonably known that it was for a nazi event.

  We do not have un-checked freedom of speech in this country.

  Nazi speech is illegal.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Sometimes defective, maybe unlawful: what can be done about Australia’s crisis-ridden welfare system?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I likely would not be an engineer today if it weren’t for welfare, and my position was already fairly good.

  I don’t enjoy people lamenting taxes, I don’t ever lament my taxes, and I especially don’t lament my taxes going to people who need it to give them a fair go in life (I try not to think about all the ways we’re wasting our taxes on corporate welfare and tax loopholes when I’m paying my taxes haha)

  The solutions to me are simple, hire enough people to work in the department so they can actually handle their case load without absolutely hating their jobs due to burnout, iron out stupid requirements by making feedback easier to give (and give workers in the department the ability to fix them), make the automated systems actually work and not require you to call or turn up in person to get anything bloody done (when I was in the system, it felt like they were allergic to providing customer service in writing. I wasted so much of my and the worker’s time in what could have been an email and supporting evidence…), and raise the amounts you receive in line with cost of living (and in particular average cost of housing).

  1. Something makes me doubt it would cost all that much more money in the grand scheme of things
  2. Stop legislating tax cuts for Christ’s sake
  3. Implement wealth taxes for people with more than $10 m in assets, in a progressive nature (or some other number)
  4. (Unpopular) bring back inheritance taxes above a certain amount, like, ffs people, do we really like intergenerational wealth?
  5. Tax companies more in creative ways
  6. Mining tax that we should have implemented like 50 years ago, it’s our resources
  7. Brainstorming for fun: give a regulator or the central bank independent control over taxation rates in line with legislated guidelines so that inflation and unemployment can be managed in line with countercyclical fiscal policy, perhaps. (Could be a dumb idea)

  So often you hear “what’s the solution to xyz?” and it so often is “maybe pay more”. It’s not always the solution and not usually the only problem, but these days, more often than not it is…

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨CSL and Optus pay millions to executives despite paying no company tax in Australia⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Just a little more privatisation bro, that’ll fix infrastructure bro. Trust me bro, sell off Aus Post and it’ll be so efficient!!

  I really hope we undo the madness of neoliberalism soon!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Were you on Facebook 10 years ago? You may be able to claim part of this $50 million payout⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  These settlements are always peanuts.

  $50 million? For Facebook?

  In German they’d say: “it doesn’t even give them an itch”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨‘Glamping’ proposal for NSW national parks slammed as privatising public assets⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Unless it’s run by the state, then part of the money will go towards profit.

  So, a bit dumb, if you ask me.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Optus among companies earning billions in Australia but paying no income tax⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Think it’s time we nationalised them. They’ve been doing dodgy shit for years.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Governments keep making our housing crisis worse – and they’ve just done it again⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  The fact people still think this show will be able to go on forever grinds my gears.

  Humans avoiding doing things against their own collective self-interest. Challenge: impossible.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨AFP promises ‘swift action’ after Albanese, Ley and Morrison’s private phone numbers exposed online⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Well, when the regulator goes “have you complained to the company yet??m” as a standard first step before you can make a report, you know nothing is getting enforced.

  Optus, for example, has gotten extremely small fines.

  Nothing is going to change unless the cost is higher than the profit.

  We as individual consumers can do very little by ourselves.

  You don’t “have to” but you often do, if you don’t want to make your life a pain in the arse.

  It’s basically take it or leave it. And I just don’t think that’s good enough.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨AFP promises ‘swift action’ after Albanese, Ley and Morrison’s private phone numbers exposed online⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I hate how there’s only mention of removing their numbers.

  Why do we allow these lists and practices to exist in the first place?

  It’s high time we actually start regulating data collection and use to something resembling common sense, and not allow anyone to “consent-wall” their services behind terms and conditions that allow for inappropriate collection and use of data.

  I shouldn’t have to agree to marketing messages when I order dinner via a QR menu. I shouldn’t have to give Meta access to all my contact in order to use WhatsApp (I don’t, by using a work profile with no contacts on it, but this is a workaround), etc.

  Time for some reason consumer protections made for the modern age, and not this silly tinkering around the edges with having them disclose how they use your data, maybe, with barely any consequences when they lose it all (see, Optus and other companies, many, many times).

  Where are the fines? Where are the regulations?

  I’m sick of this.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Productivity summit ends with treasurer signalling tax reforms⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Not raise, but bring up to levels road users were previously paying.

  Road maintenance doesn’t stop being required just because you’ve stopped burning oil.

  Road users should pay to use the road.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Could living in smaller houses redefine the Australian Dream and help fix the housing crisis?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Indeed, this would require quality builds to change people’s minds. Which would cut into the developer’s profits

  I live in a pretty decent one myself though. I love it

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Could living in smaller houses redefine the Australian Dream and help fix the housing crisis?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  This. We keep pretending like there are no solutions.

  There are no solutions that won’t affect the bottom line of someone rorting the system

  People are allergic to apartments despite it being a great option for many, many people

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Age verification fun⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  They don’t need to know, they want to know to make more profit, and daring you to unsubscribe.

  We live in the Wild-West age of the internet where companies get away with anything they like

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate whether energy retailers are misleading consumers with plans that promise savings yet actually provide poor value⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Can we all agree that energy retailers are a collosal waste of time?

  They provide literally no value.

  Bring back government run energy distribution and retail. What is the fucking point?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨More AZ issues 19/8/25⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Dang, perhaps time to start singapore.zone? (I jest, it’s unfortunate that a few bad actors ruin it for everyone)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Qantas fined $90m for illegally sacking ground staff as judge describes airline as ‘the wrong kind of sorry’⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  “It will send a message to Qantas and other well-resourced employers that not only will they face potentially significant penalties for the breach of the Act, but those penalties will be provided to trade unions to resource [them] to fulfil their statutory roles as enforcers of the Act,” he said.

  This guy is a good man. A good man indeed.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What if Australia were Ukraine? Trump and Putin prove our strategy to trust the US is a roll of the dice⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Some say this already happened with Whitlam, given the CIA’s comments about Kerr being “their man”.

  We’ll probably never know for sure, but I would bet there would be regime change done here if we ever decide to stop allowing our resources to be plundered by US (and other) companies

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia, why are you still obsessed with freeways – when they’re driving us away from net zero?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Between the two, cars grant autonomy outside public planning for individuals to still be individuals to get between families and economy between remote to remote and metro to remote even when there’s no feasible public transport.

  This is a planning failure. This middle used to be farmland not that long ago.

  Cars really ought not be the primary mode of transport in built up areas. They ought to primarily be for moving house, emergency services, disabled people, and people in rural areas.

  But so, so, so much of our cities are geared towards cars, and this is because suburbs were built further and further out, instead of densifying our neighbourhoods like we should have.

  It’s also just generally a problem of capitalism, and privatisation. More modern high rises are far worse quality (in Victoria at least) than ones built before the 90s (for their time). Kennet really fucked us on that one by removing government surveyors (the conflict of interest with privately contracted surveyors is so obvious, and it’s lead to terrible quality)

  The average Joe has been screwed into long commutes, in cars, because of bad planning.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Albanese is crying poor, but we’re losing billions a year from untaxed gas⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m just saying, there are options. Quite a decent amount really, by international standards. And some are pretty decent, just none perfect.

  I just think the notion that there are no options of political candidates who would tax the oligarchs, isn’t true.

  You asked what party could you vote for to tax them? I provided them. You said the preferences flow to Labor. And I said, well yeah, that’s the way the system works!

  I feel like you’re shifting the goal posts here.

  I do agree with you that things are largely cooked, though, and share your frustration that we don’t just grow some balls and tax companies and individuals like we once did.

  I too look forward to a future where the people treat the government as their collective will, and not a force to be resisted and mistrusted, so we can get on with improving the material lives of all of us.

  Hope this message finds you at the end of a relaxing weekend, if you had the pleasure of having it off work.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Albanese is crying poor, but we’re losing billions a year from untaxed gas⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The preferences flow to Labor because you (and others) preferenced them above the Liberals and other candidates at high enough rates for them to be declared the winner.

  The system is working exactly as intended, and while not perfect, is probably one of the best in the world. The parties you voted for didn’t gain enough votes to win, so your vote went to the next preference.

  It’s important to note, you preferencing parties that didn’t win doesn’t do nothing.

  1. Your first preference receives funding from the AEC, allowing them to campaign next time and otherwise be a force on issues you care about

  www.aec.gov.au/…/index.htm

  This is particularly important as you only receive funding if you receive at least 4% of the vote in the electorate (which I personally think is too high a threshold and should pay out at lower numbers than that). So make sure you preference your favourite first.

  2. It does signal to those who won what the electorate wants. There’s a reason our parties are somewhat moderate, even the Liberals, because our voting system leads to candidates with the broadest appeal winning. The major party vote is at an all time low, and I would be surprised if this doesn’t change Australian politics for the better (as long as though minor parties aren’t One Nation, lol)

  Now, in practice, it’s not working perfectly. But really, we keep electing Labor (and historically more so the LNP) because people keep preferencing them, not because the voting system doesn’t work well. It works great.

  The voting system isn’t at fault there, it’s that we have a corporate media landscape, mostly owned by a far right foreign national (Murdoch), and lobbying like crazy.

  What we can be hopeful for, though, is that we’re not handicapped in our voting system.

  I get you, it feels like you can make little difference, but it’s not the voting system that’s to blame for this.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Albanese is crying poor, but we’re losing billions a year from untaxed gas⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  While not many options, there are some you could have preferenced above Labor. Though, I will grant none are perfect options. Voting further left does put pressure on all parties to adopt more left-leaning policies.

  Christ, when the Tasmanian Liberal party went to the state election proposing a government owned and operated insurance company I was shocked, but very pleased to see.

  What makes me super hopeful about the federal Libs demise is pushing politics further to the left.

  You could preference (opinions based on my vibes)

  1. The Greens Despite being kinda bad at politics, and filled with champaign socialists to some degree, they do broadly support taxing corporations more, to fund more public investment and programs
  2. Victorian Socialists (apparently they are expanding federally for the next election) Probably filled with many idealists who would end up being uncompromising, which would not be great. But the more left wing parliamentarians we have, the further left we drive Australian politics in general
  3. Independent candidates who run on a left leaning platform

  There are a couple of other minor parties with vaguely left wing platforms.

  All one need do though, in my opinion, is preference all the right wing parties below the others.

  I don’t like the Greens, because there’s no perfect political party, and it’s run undemocratically, top-down, but I still recommend voting for them above Labor because it lights a fire under Labor’s arse, and maybe, eventually, they’ll get rid of thr Labor Right faction which is a stupid oxymoron*.

  Victorian (Australian?) Socialists have a much more democratic party constitution, for what it’s worth.

  *(I am not super well-versed with the Labor factional system because I’m not a member of any political party)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Meet the AI vegans: They are choosing to abstain from using artificial intelligence for environmental, ethical and personal reasons. Maybe they have a point⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Recycling: waste vegans.

  The Germans are probably upset with this comparison

  What for a nonsense. Do these other countries not sort their waste or what? Do they not know about efficiency? Next thing you’re going to tell me they don’t sort their white, green and brown glass separately.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Antoinette Lattouf's unlawful sacking exposed the power of lobbying on the Australian media⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Thanks for the response. Yeah I should probably also emphasise that I have a soft-spot for the ABC and criticise it’s current state out of love.

  I just am a bit sad that not much as really happened in the last 10 years to improve it (structurally), in my opinion.

  I am still glad, as you mention, that we at least have one large news source outside the corporate media.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Should big tech be allowed to mine Australians’ text and data to train AI? The Productivity Commission is considering it⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I thought employment rate has been at record lows these last couple years?

  We are in a service economy, which hasn’t been as exposed to mechanical automation. You think there are still going to be as many jobs in the service industry of we automate it all? You think the market gives two shits about human dignity and keeping us employed?

  We’re already shipping as many service jobs as we can to cheaper places. You think this doesn’t have an effect on our future employment prospects?

  If you take out housing payments/rents as they’re due to the housing crisis that’s definitely not true

  Are you hearing yourself?

  If you’re on 2 incomes and struggling with a paid off house you’re doing something wrong

  This is such a brain-dead, out of touch take.

  How exactly are people, who don’t own a home, supposed to get to that point? With piles, and piles of debt, for houses that have gone up, way, way, way beyond inflation.

  If they have no relatives who already own property, they are even more truly fucked.

  I moved out of home in 2016. I worked 2 days a week on the weekend while studying. I did not apply for Centrelink and managed to get by because I managed to find a pretty cheap place to rent.

  This shit is not possible today. And even in 2016 rent was already starting to become expensive I just got lucky.

  Housing is THE problem of our generation.

  I’ve managed to get “on the property ladder” but we’re quickly pulling it up behind us for many, many people.

  And the fact you think corporations, who clearly do not have humanity’s best interest at heart, will actually drive real wage growth, with AI, is frankly hilarious.