NZers and Aussies: Switching it up

[Stubby]

The nationwide reaction to Cassius Turvey's murder has been encouraging. I have noticed the odd dogwhistling reaction by racists on social media, but overall it has seemed positive. I watched the march go past in the Perth CBD yesterday and there was strong support from observers.

On a side note note, I never realised your grandparents lived in the Midland area, Pax.  Mine did too.  Mum's family were from Midvale and Dad's were from Bellevue. Was it your dad's side or mum's? I will see if my mum remembers them! 

[karaddin]

I wish we'd had a decent level of widespread outrage a few years ago for the murder of Elijah Doughty but at least we're seeing some now. Unfortunately I think your description of the attitude towards Indigenous people in Midland is representative of far more of the country than just that Pax. I really hope we're starting to turn the page on that shit at least.

[Paxter]

2 hours ago, Stubby said:

The nationwide reaction to Cassius Turvey's murder has been encouraging. I have noticed the odd dogwhistling reaction by racists on social media, but overall it has seemed positive. I watched the march go past in the Perth CBD yesterday and there was strong support from observers.

On a side note note, I never realised your grandparents lived in the Midland area, Pax.  Mine did too.  Mum's family were from Midvale and Dad's were from Bellevue. Was it your dad's side or mum's? I will see if my mum remembers them! 

Nonno and Nonna built their home on The Crescent, Midland. Right next to modern-day Midland Gate (home to a Big W, a Target and a Kmart…but no Myer!)

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, Paxter said:

Nonno and Nonna built their home on The Crescent, Midland. Right next to modern-day Midland Gate (home to a Big W, a Target and a Kmart…but no Myer!)

Same surname as you or not?

[Wade1865]

Has anyone here circumnavigated Australia by road; i.e., the “Big Lap?” I’m considering it, and also driving the length of Stuart Highway. More than likely too much, and too dangerous?

[Stubby]

2 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

Has anyone here circumnavigated Australia by road; i.e., the “Big Lap?” I’m considering it, and also driving the length of Stuart Highway. More than likely too much, and too dangerous?

Longest section I've done is from Perth to Vic snowfields. The highway across the Nullarbor was boring and straight - best to do it in shifts or short chunks.  NW WA from Broome to Kununurra has good road surfaces but lots of hazards - mustangs, cattle and camels. Best not to drive at night there. Can't speak for the east coast. Tassie has the worst roads in my experience, and lots of roadkill.

My in laws have done it twice, using camper van, and they do it in manageable chunks.

[Wade1865]

Stubby -- thanks, sounds reasonable. I must see the koalas and quokkas; and it would be amazing to interact with the Indigenous Australians. Don’t care as much about Uluru or urban areas.

[The Anti-Targ]

Quote

A new Herald poll shows that cost of living is by the far the most important issue (56%) for New Zealanders right now, well ahead of climate change (12%), crime and Covid-19.

Not surprising, and mostly understandable. The sad thing is by the time climate change becomes the permanent #1 issue for a majority of people it may be too late. I guess at least climate change came in second.

[Stubby]

On 11/3/2022 at 1:34 PM, Wade1865 said:

Stubby -- thanks, sounds reasonable. I must see the koalas and quokkas; and it would be amazing to interact with the Indigenous Australians. Don’t care as much about Uluru or urban areas.

Best places to see the wildlife will be in dedicated parks. It's likely to be hard to find Quokkas outside of the Perth region. Mainly they are on a little resort island offshore called Rottnest.

[Paxter]

On 11/3/2022 at 12:50 AM, Stubby said:

Same surname as you or not?

Yup, paternal grandparents.

And yes @Wade1865...you won't find any quokkas on Highway 1!!! Rotto only. 

As for Indigenous culture, you will find many tours and museums on offer to learn more. 

[Stubby]

On 11/5/2022 at 3:44 AM, Paxter said:

Yup, paternal grandparents

Mum didn't recognise the surname.  She said your rellies were in the 'rich part' of Midland 

[The Anti-Targ]

Interesting, but probably familiar, read about the spiral into conspiracy and extremism of the first ever person to be convicted of sabotage in NZ.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130396430/graham-philip-trout-fisherman-fanfiction-author-saboteur

Quote

Last week, Graham Philip unexpectedly pleaded guilty to seven counts of sabotage, an archaic law dating to World War II. The law was meant to protect against spies, but will have its first application against a devout Christian and family man who came to be radicalised online.

A wide-ranging suppression order prevents Stuff from publishing the specifics of his crimes, other than to say it involved a series of attacks on critical public infrastructure in late 2021, which – if successful – could have had grave consequences.

It is unclear if details of the crimes can ever be published. But for the first time, Stuff can chronicle the radicalisation of Graham Philip, and how he became New Zealand’s only saboteur.

And he has a brother in Australia who is a cannibal.

[Squab]

On 11/3/2022 at 3:15 PM, Wade1865 said:

Has anyone here circumnavigated Australia by road; i.e., the “Big Lap?” I’m considering it, and also driving the length of Stuart Highway. More than likely too much, and too dangerous?

I have done the trip from Sydney to Darwin and a few other parts numerous times. In NSW and Qld generally, the further you head west, the worse the roads get but there is less traffic. If you've got a lot of time, the Pacific and Bruce highways are good for small coastal towns but the roadworks and traffic make for a very long trip. If you're planning to see any of the reef and you are driving, you're sure to be on the Bruce at some point, especially if you go to Cairns which is beautiful. You can get from there to NT and the Stuart highway through Normanton and Heartbreak hotel but the roads are a lot better if you go down through Mt Isa and Camoweal to three ways/tennant creek. Either way still misses Longreach and Winton which are good to visit.

Once you get north of Katherine, Litchfield National Park is awesome and I think better than Kakadu. The Stuart highway is 130 for a lot of it and is a good road so easy to do. I definitely recommend Mataranka hot springs if you are travelling anti-clockwise as its an oasis after a long drive through not much at all. If you want to do the full Stuart highway, have a look at the Ghan as you can put vehicles on it and get out at Alice. If you really want to see the outback, you could go from Alice to Boulia down the plenty or from Yulara to Laverton on the way to Perth.

Any trip you do will have to be planned around weather. You don't want to be north between mid-December and Easter as you will get flooded somewhere. Tourism in Tassie is pretty much closed (except for MOFO) outside of that time anyway so its good to do the south during our summer. 

Hope this helps.

[Wade1865]

28 minutes ago, Squab said:

I have done the trip from Sydney to Darwin and a few other parts numerous times. In NSW and Qld generally, the further you head west, the worse the roads get but there is less traffic. If you've got a lot of time, the Pacific and Bruce highways are good for small coastal towns but the roadworks and traffic make for a very long trip. If you're planning to see any of the reef and you are driving, you're sure to be on the Bruce at some point, especially if you go to Cairns which is beautiful. You can get from there to NT and the Stuart highway through Normanton and Heartbreak hotel but the roads are a lot better if you go down through Mt Isa and Camoweal to three ways/tennant creek. Either way still misses Longreach and Winton which are good to visit.

Once you get north of Katherine, Litchfield National Park is awesome and I think better than Kakadu. The Stuart highway is 130 for a lot of it and is a good road so easy to do. I definitely recommend Mataranka hot springs if you are travelling anti-clockwise as its an oasis after a long drive through not much at all. If you want to do the full Stuart highway, have a look at the Ghan as you can put vehicles on it and get out at Alice. If you really want to see the outback, you could go from Alice to Boulia down the plenty or from Yulara to Laverton on the way to Perth.

Any trip you do will have to be planned around weather. You don't want to be north between mid-December and Easter as you will get flooded somewhere. Tourism in Tassie is pretty much closed (except for MOFO) outside of that time anyway so its good to do the south during our summer. 

Hope this helps.

Squab -- thank you; very helpful! Just looked at the Ghan, and I love that idea. Combining road and rail sounds ideal, actually.

Actually, will probably post my plan for you guys to pick over before I execute, hahaha.

I could see myself jumping the gun and doing this adventure in 2023, but my intent is 2024. At least 3 months dedicated, but I may go all out and make it 6 months.

[The Anti-Targ]

14 years after the previous govt came into power partly on the promise of achieving pay parity with Australia, the NZ minimum wage has come close to achieving it. When they took power in late 2008 the difference between NZ and Aus was 16%. It inched down to 14% in 2017 the year the previous govt lost the election (actually the major party in that govt won it getting the most seats by a pretty decent margin, but they couldn't find enough friends to get a majority). Now the difference is 1%.

Curiously that has not translated to closing the NZ-Aus gap in the middle. My son and his wife can go to Aus and both earn much higher salaries in their respective professions. If the Aussie salaries in their fields were only 1% higher they wouldn't be thinking about making the move.

[Paxter]

When good news is bad news…unemployment in Australia ticks down to a 50-year low. Pretty awesome for jobseekers, but a pain the arse for borrowers, as interest rates will have to continue to climb into the new year. 

[The Anti-Targ]

Indeed. if there is ever a demonstration that the current economic system is basically evil it's that when we need to cool down the economy we have to kick poor people from the minimum wage to the unemployment line.

[Jeor]

18 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Indeed. if there is ever a demonstration that the current economic system is basically evil it's that when we need to cool down the economy we have to kick poor people from the minimum wage to the unemployment line.

Pure capitalism by its very own nature is pretty evil from that viewpoint, which is why governments need to intervene in the markets to provide essential services (health, transport, etc) and subsistence payments (unemployed etc). But with interest rates there's not much that can be done. I think if there were an easier way to raise interest rates without economic pain then governments would have tried it. But in the long run, if inflation got out of control, the low-income people are going to get taken to the cleaners there as well. Inflation is probably one of the greatest economic problems you can have.

[The Anti-Targ]

3 hours ago, Jeor said:

Pure capitalism by its very own nature is pretty evil from that viewpoint, which is why governments need to intervene in the markets to provide essential services (health, transport, etc) and subsistence payments (unemployed etc). But with interest rates there's not much that can be done. I think if there were an easier way to raise interest rates without economic pain then governments would have tried it. But in the long run, if inflation got out of control, the low-income people are going to get taken to the cleaners there as well. Inflation is probably one of the greatest economic problems you can have.

In a neoliberal capitalist economy where the state is only allowed to intervene to only partially mitigate the pain and suffering of capitalism, sure. But the thing is we don't have to live in this economic dystopia. The problem is we have macro-economically illiterate people as our elected leaders who are being told how things are by people who's macro-economic thinking is still stuck in the bad old gold-standard days.

[Stubby]

So the Victorian election campaign is throwing up some good stuff.

The LNP sledging of Dan Andrews is woefully inept. It's like the ads are written by parody accounts.

And while they are universally failing to score any hits, the LNP is itself being investigated by the Electoral Commission for irregularities in its campaign.

Good times.