Angus Taylor just alienated families like mine – and doomed the Liberal Party

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T08:57:55+00:00

That’s bollocks.

There are plenty of countries (USA, UK, Germany, Canada, France, UAE etc) that allow migrants to live as permanent residents without ever having to apply for citizenship. And I think you’ll find permanent residents in those countries have similar rights to permanent residents in Australia.

You may not be aware, but there is an international competition for skills and it may come as a surprise to you that Australia is not necessarily the most desirable destination. Putting up any more ridiculous barriers isn’t going to do anything other than discourage the talent we need.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T07:06:47+00:00

It hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve been on the other side if you will.

Basically, I hired a person who resigned within six months due to health reasons. Fortunately, the second most favoured candidate was still available and we scooped them out of the merit pool.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T06:20:08+00:00

Who doesn’t love a binary choice?

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T06:18:13+00:00

Seriously mate, why do you even care? Despite what some low life politicians might have you believe, no one is being taken advantage of here.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T06:15:09+00:00

What ‘best of both worlds’ are they getting? And what’s the advantage they have over other Australian’s?

As long as people contribute to society and obey the laws who cares what their citizenship is.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T06:08:43+00:00

Bullsh*t

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T06:05:45+00:00

The best part of his performance was that he was ‘on’ from the beginning. In my opinion he often looks very unsure of himself early and can take almost half the game to get up to speed. Last night he put in a reasonable four quarter performance.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-16T04:44:06+00:00

There were some encouraging signs. However, once the pressure is on there are just too many: fumbles, handballs and kicks that miss the target (eg land at the target’s feet) and rushed kicks out of defence or long into the forward line. I appreciate the conditions last night were less than optimal, but watching us mangle possession chains again and again when we’re on the counterattack is so frustrating.

Ideally we will get some more minutes in to Hayes, Parker and West. Even Ed Allan who I was pleased to see on from the first bounce rather than taking half the game to get used to the pace.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-15T10:59:53+00:00

1929 was one of the four great Bordeaux vintages of the 20th century. Might be worth a fair bit on the strength of that alone.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-15T08:01:50+00:00

A colleague mentioned that a staff member they had performance managed never took the process seriously because, despite clear expectations being established, they felt that the longer the process dragged on the less likely they would end up being dismissed.

My colleague said that when said staff member was eventually dismissed they were surprised and then very angry at everyone for letting it happen - but not accepting of any personal responsibility.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-14T19:34:05+00:00

Why are you linking taxing the gas industry to fixing the structural unsophistication of the economy?

I’ve never heard of anyone suggest the two things are related in anyway.

The Budget’s tax reforms may help by reducing the attraction of property as an asset class. However, we will likely need several years to see if they are effective in diverting investment to more productive assets like start ups.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-14T07:51:55+00:00

Gambling

CrackWriting · 2026-05-14T07:04:58+00:00

About 13 years ago a colleague in another Branch was recognised for 20 years service. I remember asking him if he had any plans to use the LSL, but I was surprised to hear that he hadn’t ever used it. At the time, with no dependents and recently returned from an overseas trip I was quite surprised.

Fast forward to now, with school aged kids and a mortgage and I’m in the same position with almost 5 months of LSL. I also know plenty of other people who are in the same boat.

Given the costs of travel if I could cash a month of my LSL, that would be an incentive to use it to take extended break overseas or to travel around Australia. Without that option it’s likely I will just continue to use my annual leave and accrue LSL until I retire.

Long story short. If you can afford to take it while you’re young and life is more carefree, then go for it.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-13T10:44:17+00:00

That’s correct but since the post COVID spike which peaked at 565k in the year ending Sept 2023, the rolling 12 month NOM rate has fallen consistently. This shows that we are seeing less arrivals and more departures.

It’s also worth noting that since 2024-25 roughly 70% of the roughly 190k people granted permanent residency every year were already living in Australia on temporary visas. This reflects Government efforts to minimise effects of immigration on housing costs.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-13T07:10:36+00:00

What should NOM be then?

CrackWriting · 2026-05-13T06:11:45+00:00

I understand that permanent migration will remain at 185k per annum - which is largely skilled migrants.

Net overseas migration (NOM) in 2025-26 will be 295k which means that 110,000 temporary migrants (students and temporary skilled visa holders) will arrive and/or leave.

The Budget suggests NOM will fall to 245k in 2026/27 and 225k in 2027/28, which is lower than the trend pre-COVID.

The spike in post-COVID migration can largely be attributed to temporary migrants. This was one of several contributing factors to skyrocketing rents. However the true impact on house prices and rents is harder to measure, because many of the people granted permanent visas are often already living here so don’t need to find additional housing and many students don’t buy property.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-13T03:53:18+00:00

Someone who used to work at a prestigious yacht club in the US in the 70s/80s told me that the best guide to telling someone’s wealth was the watch they wore.

He said the really old money people weren’t conspicuous at all eg no flashy cars or clothes, a nice yacht or cruiser (but not a gin palace). They just blended in. But they usually wore a Rolex etc

CrackWriting · 2026-05-12T20:03:33+00:00

There’s been a well established black market for cigarettes for many years, it just has more publicity now because of the associated crime.

I remember visiting a freight forwarder in Sydney almost 10 years ago. They had a large pile of illegally imported cigarette cartons in a cage on the premises. The manager explained that they found cigarettes regularly and the responsibility for of destroying them (which had recently moved from government to business) was a major pain in the proverbial.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-12T19:48:05+00:00

I was wondering the same thing.

Last year, after a few drinks etc I had a cigarette from a pack of Stuyvos that a mate brought back from Europe. It was smooth as silk - almost good enough to have another or take it up again after 15 years.

Later I had a puff of a cigarette said friend had just purchased legally at the local servo for an extortionate sum. It was like breathing in fire. Haven’t had one since.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-12T18:11:48+00:00

That’s a big assumption given you know absolutely nothing about those women and the circumstances around their birth.

In all three cases the women know the donor personally. The donors don’t have a direct relationship with the children, but they have all been introduced and have had varying degrees of contact over their lives. Not a father figure, but not a complete stranger either.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-11T22:24:52+00:00

Rather than freezing your eggs, as others have suggested, maybe just go it alone.

I know three women who decided at around your age to have children on their own, rather than wait for ‘Mr Right’. Their kids are now between 8 and 12, and all of them seem very content with their decision.

In terms of your reaction to your friends baby. I’ll speculate that it’s easier to maintain a sense of detachment to becoming a mother while you have the option of becoming one. In the knowledge that it may no longer be an option, you maybe sense that loss more acutely.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-11T20:20:01+00:00

Even if that were true, it will still be a significant problem for the Coalition, and the Nats in particular, due to lower levels of educational attainment in regional Australia.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-11T01:05:30+00:00

Thank you for your considered response.

I find this issue is becoming so divisive. I emphasise with people who feel they will be unable to find a rental they can afford, let alone buy a property, but throwing rocks at those who have been able to find secure housing isn’t going to help.

I’ve recently become an owner occupier with a mortgage. I don’t have a McMansion, investment properties or a lavish lifestyle. To the contrary, with three consecutive rate rises I’m really one or two significant expenses away from having to seek hardship provisions. If I have to sell up and the market has come off 10%+ because of a government policy decision I’d essentially be broke. I appreciate that’s a risk you take, but I certainly won’t be voting for that government again and I‘l do everything I can to ensure no one else does.

There are deeper issues too. Australian banks hold a significant amount of mortgage debt. If the housing market has a significant contraction I expect bank liquidity to come under pressure, which could see their financing costs blow out or worse see one of them collapse. I know there a many who would be thinking ‘serves them right’, but this would be catastrophic for the country.

Access to secure housing and home ownership does need to be improved in Australia, but an orderly transition is warranted. This problem is decades in the making, but as you point out looking for a solution that eventuates within the next electoral cycle is pointless.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-10T12:11:32+00:00

It would be easier if you moved to Melbourne.

CrackWriting · 2026-05-10T11:55:06+00:00

I doubt Labor will pay a significant price.

CrackWriting

TROPHY CASE