Here’s the problem we have. By most accounts the only reason the green light hasn’t been given to Ukraine for wider use of the Storm Shadow missile (UK weapon) in their defense against Russia, is because of a US veto. A veto they apparrently only have due to a single component for the weapon coming from the US.

If this is the case, and the US is using their military technology supply chain as leverage with its allies in this way, then Keating is right, and Australians should be concerned about a critical arm of our defense structure being open to that risk.

There is however other possibilities, such as, UK wishing to talk the talk, but not walk the walk on wider military support. In other words essentially agreeing with the US about the risks of escalation, but wanting to be quiet about that fact.

Glad to see DPIRD is doing community engagement at the Royal Show, they should be using every possible community contact point to educate the rest of us on what we need to know to be an effective help for them.

Went back and watched that video, love ‘not just bikes’, those instore scanners are a really good idea, Costlesworthdi should have all employed these by now.

The only reason i can think they haven’t is the same reason i’d assume for independents and IGA’s the cost. Without knowing anymore about the costs, i’d assume its a mix of upfront payments for the scanners, etc, and a, out of proportion, per transaction clip of the ticket for ‘maintenance and service costs’, just like the bank cards have.

I love what you’re suggesting though, use QR codes on each product so customers use the hardware in their pockets to scan out their items as they go.

It would reduce those upfront costs so much, and could be done with less memory bloat like the Maccas type apps. If this doesn’t already exist we should round up some of the more tech focused users/mods/admins on aussiezone and do it ourselves, then use the revenue from that as an ongoing fund for the benefit of ‘aussiezone’ as Australia’s Social Web alternative. Lets do this!

So, I wanted to find a good source for this, but i can’t after a short search and its late, so i’m just going to reply.

but if I did care a lot about the price, I would definitely be wanting to be able to check where I’m going to get the best deal. But I do like being able to check which products they’ve got so I can plan my shop

Prices and range of stock are likely controlled by IGA store owners themselves, this is not Metcash.

Metcash own the brand and do the majority of wholesaling for IGA. I think theres extras, like locally sourced produce, that independent IGA brand operators sell themselves without violating terms of the IGA brand agreement.

Due to the owner/operators of IGA stores having more price and stock control this makes it harder for things like online pricing and stocking, as each store is doing its own thing supplying their local area the way they think.

Like Mcdonalds franchisees the catalogues you get with those prices require the ongoing agreement of the IGA stores themselves.

A central data collection point is more complicated for Metcash/IGA than a single entity like ColesWortAldi. Each owner/operator needs to agree/supply a price and stock level, supply their information back likely working off multiple types of in-house operational systems across the IGA stores (also stock numbers, etc), then receive reflect and display the equivalent information as everyone else.

Its actually not dissimilar to Lemmy and its many servers.

All this said, your point about technophobia is probably very true, sometimes its straight up head in the sand, but also a key issue is these owner/operators run on tiny margins. Significant upfront costs, like built/hard tech often has, with obscure pay offs are a hard sell in these people’s positions, and the stores owners themselves need to put their hands in their own pockets more often than not.

Add to this that the borrowing capacity of an organisation like Metcash/IGA is a lot lower than the ‘single entity operators’ and you get a less competitive and slower moving beast.

Bonus though, the money you spend at an IGA is going to take a lot longer, if ever, to become leakage to some overseas investor, so a good argument for IGA’s is they increase the velocity of money swirling around in the Australian economy whereas others, Costco/Aldi particularly, cause AUD leakage quicker.

CSIRO report confirms renewables still cheapest new-build power in Australia

Its a good point, but this report has and should take this into account.

Edit: thought AFR article was referring to another report, but i think its the same CSIRO report.

The government has also vowed to strengthen the use of ‘use it or lose it’ provisions to prevent land banking of onshore petroleum tenements and ensure more gas is brought to market over the coming decade.

Use it or lose it provisions could do with wider use in this country.

Cheap to do, expensive to prove.

deleted by creator

Its fair to say its skewed.

The point is, comparisons are useful, but the comparisons that are most valuable are from countries (medical systems) estimated to be around the same level of development, and have a similar societal structure.

Good additions might be NZ, Japan, S.Korea, and Canada. (I’m sure theres others)

A better way to do this would be to take apart the US by State, afterall some US states have as large, or larger, populations than the countries listed. This would help account for the wide variability in State to State care. I suppose the reason they didn’t is Federal influence is still large, even in the US, also the infographic would become unwieldy with 50 added lines.

The infographic format is probably too simple for the kind of information its trying to communicate.

A better way, from a US centric perspective, might be to use some sort of vine with bunches of States and comparable countries by their side in their appropriate bunch. Say, and i’m just guessing here, Vermont in a bunch that includes Switzerland, while Mississippi might be in a bunch that includes countries with less successful health outcomes.

Well thats interesting. So we could look at how Switzerland and Germany do things to improve.

Although we should remember in such a complex system nothing is ever as simple as ‘change un peu, et voila!’

Incorporate noise muffler noise into hoon laws. Instant motorcycle crushing.

I don’t fully get why qld labor are staring down the barrell of electoral wipeout. I understand the part about the way qld gov is set up leads to more of a winner take all scenario. But i don’t really see what Labor have failed on so hard to warrant such vehement electoral rejection?

In other words, where’d it all go wrong?

Edit: Or right, depending on your perspective.

I think i’m gona start using ‘scum goblin’.

The LA metro? Like, theres a passenger/commuter train in LA?

Changes to liquor policies explained

For those interested in the changes being implemented, below is from the website.

What has changed?

The Director Liquor Licensing (DLL) has reviewed the former suite of 54 liquor licensing policies to reduce duplicated or outdated requirements.

A new, consolidated suite of 14 policies has been introduced that make it easier to do business in Western Australia, helping to promote a vibrant local hospitality and tourism industry.

The core requirements of most policies have remained the same, in line with the Liquor Control Act 1988.

The policies are in effect from 29 August 2024.

Key changes:

• Under 18s can now clear used glasses along with dirty plates as part of the approval for juveniles to be on a licensed premises policy.
• Applicants can use planning documents such as a development approval or occupancy certificate to support their application.
• The entertainment condition policy has been updated to set out which licences the entertainment condition is imposed on.
• Applicable conditions under the extended trading permits (ETPs) policy are less onerous. For example, it is now possible to apply for extra trading hours when a WA-based band is playing rather than only interstate acts; and for extended trading hours to be granted on a Sunday before a gazetted Monday public holiday.
• The fire safety standards for licensed premises policy remain substantially the same, but are more clearly described.
• The harm minimisation plan policy documentation has been streamlined so that only 1 document is needed instead of 3. The description of what applicants are asked to provide is clearer and includes some practices that mitigate risk to assist applicants.
• The lodger’s policy more clearly sets out those requirements, including that a lodger can have 6 adult guests, and licensees can apply for an increase to the number of adult guests when alcohol is being consumed outside of trading hours.
• The occasional licence policy has been updated, more clearly setting out those requirements.
• The old public interest assessment policy has been replaced with a simpler form which allows the applicant to more easily explain why the application is in the public interest.
• The residential premises policy provides updated information on the limited circumstances under which a residence may be a licensed premises.
• The responsible promotion and advertising of alcohol requirements remain substantially the same, including that promotions must not encourage the rapid or excessive consumption of alcohol.
• The security licensing conditions policy explains what factors make an event or premises high risk, and under what circumstances the DLL may relax standard security requirements if there are appropriate harm minimisations strategies in place.
• The special facility licences policy now contains clearer information on the operational requirements of each prescribed type of licence, with outdated restrictions on certain licence types removed.
• The temporary bars policy remains substantially the same but the licensing arrangements are more clearly described.
• The old Producer’s licence policy has been removed. Producers are no longer required to have 1.5 hectares of vines or the ability to produce 5000 bottles of wine per year.

I don’t know, I feel like there was some unnecessary derision there.

I like this place because we have discussions, sometimes weeks long, about the subjects, not the users.

Good ideas in this article.

We need to change our practices after the experience of last summer alone, The Big Dry, Joe Fontaine, et al , contijuing what we’re doing can only increase more risk for forrest and homes, or environmental collapses followed by increased agricultural hardship.

Missed the next two lines,

Less bike lanes

Free parking

Induced demand

More traffic

You guys turn up to vote in Local Gov elections? I think most of ours are postal. I wonder if that means NSW turnout is better?

How the WA government plans to fix its ‘broken’ environmental approvals process James Carmody, 14 Dec 2024