However, after all the chest-beating and threats to blow up search in Australia, the new media giants have come to the table:

Nine Entertainment Co will receive hundreds of millions of dollars to support its newsrooms over the next five years after formalising deals with Google and Facebook for use of content on their platforms.

Industry sources, who spoke anonymously because they had signed non-disclosure agreements, said the two deals were signed early on Tuesday morning, after months of negotiations and the introduction of landmark new media bargaining laws.

...The deals follow a difficult negotiating period which included a decision by Facebook to pull news from its platform altogether and threats from Google to withdraw search from the market. The negotiations were led by chairman and former federal treasurer Peter Costello, chief digital and publishing officer Chris Janz and director of subscriptions and growth, David Eisman.

While the new laws do not currently apply to Google and Facebook, the threat of being forced to comply with them has been enough to make them sign deals.

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/nine-formalises-deals-with-google-and-facebook-20210601-p57wxq.html


How is that not a win? I'll be watching Paul Barry next Monday, that's for sure.

//also this

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/why-google-boss-sundar-pichai-learnt-to-love-australia-s-media-laws-20210527-p57vpj.html

Australia has an amazingly robust and dynamic culture. How did that happen?

For all the problems it has as a country, and every country has problems that's evident, I sure am jealous of people living there.

Sure, I've seen some figures in the right say some pretty stupid things about Climate Change. But's that a standard now, basically no right wing figures are particularly interesting. Say what you want about the old school Austrians, but Hayek and Schumpeter were much more sophisticated than almost anything on the right now.

Not that labor is amazing, that's another topic...

Australia has an amazingly robust and dynamic culture. How did that happen? — frank

It's convict origins made for a very egalatarian culture, which it still is. It's been called, in a famous book from some decades back 'the lucky country' - due to the abundance of resources and the natural bounty of the continent (despite huge swathes of the interior being uninhabitable desert). The Westminster political system I think is superior to the US system. There's also a sense of the 'fair go' which is something people I know who have moved here from America says is lacking there. Not that Australia doesn't have problems of its own.

I've seen some figures in the right say some pretty stupid things about Climate Change. — Manuel

The recent politics of climate change have been utterly tragic here, although it's finally beginning to change. But a labor government successfully introduced on the very first emissions trading schemes, back in about 2012 I think it was, which faced unremitting and intense hostility from the conservatives and the Australian equivalents of Rush Limbaugh. Much to the eternal disgrace of the Liberal-National party, when it got into office, it dismantled that legislation, which was working as intended and would have greatly contributed toward reducing carbon emissions at practically no visible cost to anyone. That was an act of utter political bastardty. (The then Prime Minister was to be forced from his seat in Parliament in 2019 by an Action on Climate Change independent, which was one of the sweetest moments in Australian politics.)

The really poisonous, indeed treacherous, thing that the Conservatives did was politicise climate-change policies for their own advantage, running a scare campaign on the 'great big new tax'. Until then there had been a cautious bi-partisan attitude, that it was something that had to be dealt with for the sake of future generations. About 3-4 politicians from the conservative side of politics totally blew that up in the space of a few months. It was criminal, in my view. They're the elements in Australian politics that are most like the GOP alt-right in the US. Imbeciles.

The current government's hand has been forced as the UK and US under Biden have taken a much more forceful approach and won't let Australia wriggle out of it. Plus the agricultural lobby has well and truly changed its mind. After the catastrophic bushfire season in 2019-2020 the public finally accepted the reality of having to deal with climate change. But you still get the sense the conservative side is being dragged kicking and screaming (with some exceptions at State Government levels.)

Some background.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/gillard-on-climate-action-it-was-done-and-we-can-do-it-again-in-the-future-63753/

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-recent-history-of-australia-s-climate-change-wars

It's convict origins made for a very egalatarian culture, which it still is. — Wayfarer

...was...

Liberal policies have degraded equity greatly since the nineties. Education in particular as become less equitable. Australia is ninth-worst of 77 countries for the equitable allocation of resources between disadvantaged and advantaged schools. Only Colombia, Panama, Peru, Cyprus, Philippines, Mexico. Brazil and Thailand rank lower.

...ok, which it still is in some ways.

Currently Australian Labor, both State and Federal (WA is not counted as they’ve won solely on the back of COVID) has to re-invent itself, come up with a grand vision of some kind, as they look like a party bobbing in the wake of history at this point in time. Badly need some new Bobs (Carr or Hawke, either would do) plus a new script.

Liberal-National party, when it got into office, it dismantled that legislation, which was working as intended and would have greatly contributed toward reducing carbon emissions at practically no visible cost to anyone. — Wayfarer

:roll:

The really poisonous, indeed treacherous, thing that the Conservatives did was politicise climate-change policies for their own advantage, running a scare campaign on the 'great big new tax'. — Wayfarer

I assume that "lobbying" in Australia isn't as transparent as it is in the US, essentially legal bribery, out in the open. Nevertheless, those changes you indicate must have come from coal and traditional energy sectors who just want money now, without thinking about what happens a few years down the road. These "neoliberals" have this sophisticated game of politicizing things which should be obvious under the cunningly labeled term "freedom." And whose against that?

After the catastrophic bushfire season in 2019-2020 the public finally accepted the reality of having to deal with climate change. But you still get the sense the conservative side is being dragged kicking and screaming (with some exceptions at State Government levels.) — Wayfarer

That's very good to hear. I was reading or maybe I was watching some news from your own ABC that some firefighters during those bush fires were basically accepting that the Australian public simply assumed that this was going to be the new normal. Thankfully it isn't so...

https://reneweconomy.com.au/gillard-on-climate-action-it-was-done-and-we-can-do-it-again-in-the-future-63753/

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-recent-history-of-australia-s-climate-change-wars — Wayfarer

:up:

Thanks

There's also a sense of the 'fair go' — Wayfarer

We have one of those in North Dakota. What's yours like?

We have one of those in North Dakota. What's yours like? — frank

Ours is a not very perspicacious neo-liberal knob-jockey.

Ours is a not very perspicacious neo-liberal knob-jockey. — Tom Storm

Could you expand on that?

A lot less cold :scream: .

Although I most enjoyed the Coen Bros production of it.

It gets down to -40F there.

What's fair go?

probably +40 c

More when climate change really kicks in. 'Birds fall cooked from the sky'.

I was being flip. The idea of the 'fair go' is a key Australian myth. That all Aussies get the same opportunities and understanding. But many people do not and never did get fair goes here - our Aboriginal population, for instance. Like we see in many other countries, neo-liberalism and user pays corporatism has us by the balls and a lot of folk are hurled onto the scrapheap. Hence Scotty from Marketing - we don't have Prime Ministers anymore.

:up:


Yep. It's raid, exploit, and dump. State governments are helpless. Can't go on forever, tho.

ABC bosses block Four Corners episode linking PM to QAnon figure

Nothing to see here. Move along.

I told you months ago it was in Australia. You guys didn't believe me. Pfft.

Apparently it's on this week.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-nightmare-looms-even-as-frydenberg-prepares-his-election-pitch-20210618-p582ce.html?btis

Seventy per cent of all housing wealth in Australia is now concentrated in the hands of the over 65s. [Approx 16% of the population - SX]

The rise in house prices in the biggest cities is simply ridiculous. Take the price of the median Melbourne house. It hit $908,000 last month, according to CoreLogic data. To reach that level, it increased by almost $800 each day, every day, of the year to date. Or Sydney. The price of the median Sydney house reached $1.186 million last month. Which represented a daily price rise of $1220 for every day of the year to that point. So if you were aged 21 to 35, and earning the national average income for people in your age group – $58,635 a year – the price of a Sydney house was rising every day by an amount equal to one week’s wages. The message to average Australians is to despair of being able to do what your parents very likely did – buy a home. What a brilliant national achievement. We’ve priced the next generation out of the ability to buy a home. We have only 26 million people inhabiting an entire continent but cannot supply affordable housing in our major cities.

Re: Morrison's standing at the G7:

This is the diplomatic treatment befitting of Australia’s true global status as embarrassing, unhelpful coal-guzzling climate pariah; a stupid, irresponsible outlier in a shifting world; an unambitious island nation determined to squander the very real opportunity to prosper in the inevitable renewable energy age. No matter how the Australian Government spins this, how breathlessly their propagandists in the press parrot their position, or how effectively our fossil fuel oligarchs lobby against it, this year’s G7 marked the beginning of the end of the age of coal.

All member nations stated that government support for the industry would cease, and re-affirmed pledges to hit net zero emissions by 2050. Along the way, the UK has set a 78% reduction target by 2035 (from 1990 levels), while the USA is aiming for a 50-52% cut by 2030 (from a different 2005 benchmark). Australia’s current target of a 26%-28% reduction in emissions by 2030 sets us at the back of the developed world’s contribution to this global crisis, and our current trajectory has us reaching net zero emissions by 2167. By then, we’ll hopefully be vaccinated against coronavirus.

https://theshot.net.au/general-news/scott-morrisons-australia-is-fucking-embarrassing/

Well Australian politics has just taken a giant leap backwards.

Inevitable and I am surprised it took this long. Barnaby and Scotty are going to be a part of our lives for the next few years, I'm afraid.

They take the Australian public for a bunch of fools and... they're probably right. You'll never meet a more politically apathetic bunch of wankers than Australians I swear.

According to reports, they can’t stand each other. I think Joyce passes the pub test for ‘despicable’ in a lot of people’s eyes (mine included).

According to reports, they can’t stand each other. I think Joyce passes the pub test for ‘despicable’ in a lot of people’s eyes (mine included). — Wayfarer

Doesn't matter if they hate each other. That's often par for the course (even within parties). BJ's a larger than life, larrikin original (even if he is a corporate shill and knob jockey) and that's all that seems to matter.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57562685

Australia's government has lashed out after a United Nations report claimed it had not done enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef from climate change.UN body Unesco said the reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger" due to the damage it has suffered. Key targets on improving water quality had not been met, it said.

Government who has done all it can to ensure the destruction of the reef is mad that they are being called out for having done all it can to ensure the destruction of the reef.

The spin is that UNESCO is being manipulated by the Chinese.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/great-barrier-reef-dragged-into-row-with-china-20210622-p58332

On another topic, isn't it wonderful to see the National Party doing so much to support Scotty in reassuring women that they have their best interests at heart?

Operation COVID Shield

It's all good; we've given it a new spin.

Best part is this link, on the page in which the stated goal is "Building public confidence through clear and consistent messaging."


Find the latest data on Australia's vaccine rollout.

It asks for a login without any way to create one.

This thread is titled as it is for an excellent reason.