Australia

LPT: if anybody needs to but can't get through to Centrelink, go into one of the services Australia branch. If they can't fix your problem, they'll connect you to an internal number which doesn't just hang up on you.

It's fucking disgraceful that they don't even answer the phone anymore. Seriously one of the stupidest things they've rolled out. There's no ifs or buts about it, it's disgusting and needs to stop.

You can also try calling the complaints number and they can do the same thing as the branch people, but I've heard conflicting reports about this. It used to be how you had to get through, but I've heard recently that sometimes that number just hangs up on you too. But if they do answer, they'll will usually just put you through to a non hanging up number, at least if it means you won't make them do the paperwork to lodge a complaint.

Also, when you do get through, please try to remember that they're just minimum wage people doing a shitty job. They don't make the phones hang up on you, and they aren't the reason your claims take months to process, or you were underpaid, or whatever's gone wrong. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You can express your annoyance to them, but abusing or yelling at them doesn't fix the problem, and won't make them answer quicker.

If you really want somebody to yell at, write a letter or email to your local MP. Or the minister for social services. Or anyone else who's penny pinching tactics caused this whole mess

Also remember you'll get through this soon, even though it doesn't feel like it in the moment

What a pair of clowns (ALP and LNP)...

Also I really hate TikTok.

There are currently no rules at either the state or federal level to stop political parties and candidates from using AI-generated material in election campaigns.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-22/qld-premier-slams-opposition-for-ai-generated-tiktok/104126936

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-23/labor-questioned-over-ai-generated-tiktok-of-peter-dutton/104131228

Super sad case. She tried to kill him to ease his suffering. If he'd been on the record supporting her decision, I think the sentence would have been very different. And she lost him to natural causes anyway. 😞

screenshot of https://x.com/MurdochCadell/status/1814279642628710605

ALT text

Dave’s been in jail for 64 days. Due to immediate concerns for his safety, we can’t say more except to say his situation is grim. He has no access to natural light & restricted contact with his daughters. Help #FreeMcBride by donating to his fundraiser👇🏼🙏

https://chuffed.org/project/davidmcbride

Country's fucked again!

Over the past six months members have filmed themselves entering or attempting to enter court houses, police stations, local council chambers and commercial offices across the country.

During these interactions, an NDA "sheriff" typically approaches a polite, but often confused, front desk worker to proclaim Australia is now a "demilitarised zone" and that all government authority has been dissolved before handing them a written notice.

The notice warns "failure to be fully compliant" with NDA's rules "will certainly place you at severe risk of possible persecution, imprisonment or financial ruin".

Over time, these interactions have become more confrontational.

Video seen by ABC Investigations showed police forcefully ejecting members of the group from Gympie Court House in May.

What in tarnation?

The flag is basically complete, aside from art and the rainbow checkerboard. Thank you to everyone who helped!

Special thanks to @[email protected], @[email protected] , and @[email protected] who did a very large amount of the flag.

Here are most of the other people that helped. Sorry if i missed anyone, i can't check every pixel.

@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @eggy_[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @Linus_[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected]

Hello! Please don't damage other stuff on the aussie flag unless they are destructive, and if they are try to reach agreement.

The germans have agreed to take the top left until the stem of the union jack and NOT more, don't damage it

There is some pixel art, go behind it.

Arsenal will make their logo bottom right, it will not cover any stars.

there will likely be more, please allow it. we can't cover everything with a flag, it blocks others from using the canvas

• In short: Two Russian-born Australians have been charged with spying offences, the first time the new laws have been used.

• The couple allegedly conspired to send sensitive Australian Defence Force material to Russian authorities.

• What's next? Police say further spying charges could be laid as Operation BURGAZADA continues.

🚔

• In short: Families are making significant savings on their grocery bills by forming small shopping co-ops.

• Cooperative business structures account for less than 1 per cent of the supermarket sector in Australia.

• What's next? The peak body for co-ops is calling for more government support for the business model.

I told the truth about the Australian Defence Force’s unethical, harmful and highly politicised leadership which fostered a culture of impunity in Afghanistan. As my team and I continue to fight these unjust criminal charges, I am asking for your support!

You can support David's appeal here: https://chuffed.org/project/davidmcbride

(Edit) More information:

The latest from his Twitter / X account - run by his legal team: https://x.com/MurdochCadell

David McBride sent to prison | The West Report https://michaelwest.com.au/david-mcbride-sent-to-prison-the-west-report/

What Fate for David McBride? - with lawyer Eddie Lloyd | Consortium News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czj540q8YDQ

Michael West interviews McBride - https://michaelwest.com.au/david-mcbride-full-interview/

video by BoyBoy https://youtu.be/sYt4CxFfQUU?si=P_E2FLkKYMKRbHRT

video by friendlyjordies https://youtu.be/jdYYIVoCvsM?si=Nhc2Uxnj0kadKUIu

[Article] Afghan war crimes whistleblower David McBride sentenced to prison, by Michael West | May 14, 2024 https://michaelwest.com.au/whistleblower-david-mcbride-sentenced-to-jail/

Australia's government cybersecurity agency on Tuesday accused a China-backed hacker group of stealing passwords and usernames from two unnamed Australian networks in 2022, adding that the group remained a threat.

A joint report led by the Australian Cyber Security Centre said the hackers, named APT40, had conducted malicious cyber operations for China's Ministry of State Security, the main agency overlooking foreign intelligence.

"The activity and techniques overlap with the groups tracked as Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) 40," said the report, which included inputs from lead cyber security agencies for the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Germany.

China's embassy in Australia did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

The links for the aussie flag templates and chat:

Template

Aussie flag Matrix

The links for canvas groups:

[email protected]

Aussie Flag Canvas Matrix

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Last Canvas end:

[post by randomvis]

I'm going to cop flak for this— but I don't care.

I don't even care if I ruin this pub favourite. The truth is more important.

This has gnawed away at me ever since I sat eating a chicken parmi and realized my son's kid's meal, nuggets + chips + salad and sauce is just a miniaturized concept. Rather, the parmi is just the 'adultified' version of the nuggets. You can @ me if you want to argue about the nuances about additional mozzarella, the difference between the sauces or even the number of nuggets versus the size of parmi, but I won't respond. You and I both know now you are eating a kids meal and you need to grow up.

One thing remains constant, crumbed chicken, sauce, chips and salad.

You can't run from it, you are eating a kids meal dressed in an adult's name.

Tip of the iceberg when it comes to examining the corruption of land ownership in Australia. It's hardly talked about. The linked article doesn't even talk about it.

The public as a whole (and traditional owners) should be the only financial beneficiaries of rezoning.

I suspect private maximisation of rezoning profits is the reason behind why urban developments here are almost universally that awful single-story no-greenspace roof-to-roof packed suburban hellscape.

Job cuts continue across the empire as the business model dies a slow death.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/24630642 [email protected]

Highlights

• This study investigates why specialist physician fees vary.
• We consider variation between patients, physicians, specialties, and other factors.
• We find variation between physicians dominates other sources.
• Contrary to common beliefs, patient factors account for little of the variation.
• Our results inform policy to improve price transparency in specialist care market.

More context:

Although Australia has a publicly funded health system that provides universal health coverage, about 44 % of the population holds private health insurance. Specialist physician fees in the private sector are unregulated; physicians can charge any price they want, subject to market forces.

We find that patient risk factors account for a small portion of the variance in fees and out-of-pocket payments

Physician-specific variation, responsible for much of the variation in total fees and OOP payments, could include physician characteristics that patients value, such as bedside manner, experience or reputation, or factors related to physicians’ circumstances or preferences. A key physician-level factor that may drive the variation is the perception of quality or skill differences between physicians. This perception can come from either consumers or physicians themselves about their quality or skill levels in comparison to other physicians in the physician's local market. [...] which can lead to large price variation and non-transparency of fees.

Recommendations

The government, private health insurers and physicians themselves could all play a more active role than they currently do. The government, for example, could mandate the disclosure of price and quality information for all procedures that receive government subsidies, insurers could provide incentives for the disclosure of such information, and physicians could change their referral practice to give preferences to other physicians who are willing to be transparent about their prices and quality.