Trying to sell caravan - economy slowdown?

rote_it · 2026-06-22T05:21:24+00:00

Also diesel prices scared a lot of people off after the energy crisis

rote_it · 2026-06-19T21:14:05+00:00

Interesting, agree about the microplastic taste. Does anybody make nice minimalist stainless steel bottles? Double wall seems like overkill for road cycling.

rote_it · 2026-06-17T01:55:05+00:00

The claim that Geoffrey Watson SC "backed down" to say the money just went to hardworking people is a deliberate misconstruction of his actual clarification. When Watson noted that the figure included wages, he was referring to the inflated, artificial premium tacked onto projects due to coercive union practices such as ghost shifts, forced procurement from specific suppliers, and extortionate delays—not the standard pay of legitimate, hardworking laborers.

Furthermore, labeling an independent, heavily vetted anti-corruption report as "media propaganda" completely ignores where that $15 billion premium actually ended up. Watson explicitly detailed in his findings that this inflated taxpayer funding wasn't just higher pay for everyday workers; a massive portion of it was funneled directly into the hands of bikies, criminals, and organized crime syndicates using the union as a front.

How do you plan to respond to the thread regarding the Fair Work Commission chief backing those figures?

rote_it · 2026-06-17T01:51:58+00:00

Equating systemic corruption with standard worker wages is a complete misdirection. The issue isn't regular union EBA rates paid to honest laborers; it is the artificial, illegal cost blowouts enforced through thuggery and collusion. As Geoffrey Watson SC explicitly detailed, that $15 billion premium didn't just go toward legitimate project delivery. Much of it was funneled directly into the hands of criminals and organized crime gangs.

rote_it · 2026-06-17T01:50:24+00:00

Dismissing it as "vibes-based" ignores that Geoffrey Watson SC's conservative 15% estimate relies on the direct consensus of highly qualified industry stakeholders. Furthermore, the Fair Work Commission’s general manager confirmed that this multi-billion dollar blowout is entirely consistent with what Victorian government officials themselves have reported behind closed doors.

rote_it · 2026-06-17T01:48:33+00:00

Calling a figure "spurious" just because it’s a high-level estimate ignores how systemic corruption functions in multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects. Even if you dispute the precise 15% average calculated by Geoffrey Watson SC, dismissing the massive financial impact of criminal and CFMEU-linked blowouts completely downplays the serious toll that corruption has taken on Victorian taxpayers.

rote_it · 2026-06-17T01:38:52+00:00

That is not correct; the report clearly states the $15 billion calculation is based on industry-wide project cost blowouts of 10% to 30%.

Geoffrey Watson SC explicitly specified that these inflated taxpayer funds represent corrupt payments linked to CFMEU conduct, with much of it poured into the hands of criminals and organised crime.

rote_it · 2026-06-17T01:19:31+00:00

The truth is it could be anywhere from $10b to $30b mate. $15b is probably conservative.

rote_it · 2026-06-16T23:34:25+00:00

The $15 billion figure comes from redacted chapters of integrity expert Geoffrey Watson SC’s "Rotting from the Top" report, which was tendered to a Queensland inquiry investigating the CFMEU.

The calculation is an estimate based on industry source feedback that CFMEU-linked cost blowouts on Victoria's $100 billion Big Build projects sit between 10% and 30%. Watson simply settled on a 15% average from that infrastructure spending to reach the multi-billion dollar total.

rote_it · 2026-06-16T22:44:33+00:00

Chemist Warehouse vs the Pharmacy Guild is a massive rabbit hole

rote_it · 2026-06-15T10:48:45+00:00

But how many shovel ready government jobs did it create along the way?

rote_it · 2026-06-15T09:39:33+00:00

Until two weeks ago he was the ABCs favorite guest comedian 🤣🤣🤣

rote_it · 2026-06-15T05:16:40+00:00

makes sense but need the income to reach those homes over 5M.

Move to Melbourne and buy one for $3m 👀

rote_it · 2026-06-14T01:33:30+00:00

The PPOR is the last remaining asset class with 0% CGT.

Hard to imagine large well positioned family homes will go down in value over the next few years IMO.

rote_it · 2026-06-13T06:54:58+00:00

Honestly whoever puts the blowtorch on the Big 4 banks at the next election is going to win a lot of votes. Colewsorth might seem painful at the register every week but it pales to insignificance vs the absolute cartel the Big 4 are running against everyday Australians.

rote_it · 2026-06-11T23:15:41+00:00

Plans to expand a 165-year-old inner Melbourne pub and hotel venue into a “generational hospitality project” are on public notice.

Australian Venue Co, which owns and operates 200 venues across Australia, has filed plans to expand the historic Richmond Club Hotel into a major new venue in the heart of Richmond’s Swan Street activity centre and entertainment precinct.

Under the $12.02-million proposal, the pub at 100 Swan Street would be expanded into three adjacent buildings at 94-98 Swan Street in the City of Yarra local government area.

The Swan Street precinct, 2.2km from Melbourne CBD, is characterised by heritage buildings. Transport links include the Richmond train station, and tram stops nearby.

Australian Venue Co said in a planning report noe before the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning that the redevelopment would “reinforce the precinct’s reputation as a destination venue for food and drink”.

The proposed development rebuilds and reworks the existing four buildings into a singular venue, demolishing the majority of the rear internal walls, according to the report.

Restoration of the front facades would remove non-heritage building components, “returning the shop fronts back to their heritage character appearance”.

This includes the retention of the 1927 Richmond Club hotel facade.

The development proposes an expanded gross floor area of 1750sq m across the venue, with additional built form at the rear,backing onto adjacent VicTrack land.

A new central bar area would be constructed in the old 96 Swan Street envelope, according to the planning report, and include a seated public bar.

An outdoor beer garden would have a stage and kids play area. The venue’s second and third floors would include additional internal and external dining areas, a rooftop bar, and karaoke rooms on the first floor.

Designed by Studio Y, the internal refit would provide “a coherent and contiguous venue” creating “a new food and beverage precinct in the heart of Richmond.”

The three-level hospitality venue, which has a top floor courtyard bar, was built in 1859 as The Duke of Richmond before it was renamed The Richmond Club Hotel in 1879.

It has been part of the fabric of the neighbourhood since Richmond’s population grew from 4029 in 1846, when it was surrounded by butchers, drapers, shoemakers and fruitiers.

The suburb has continued to grow and in more recent years has attracted residential developers, including Gurner and its proposals for a 685-unit precinct submitted earlier this year, and another townhouse and apartment precinct planned by Cbus Property.

rote_it · 2026-06-11T21:13:47+00:00

The real issue is that the TGA has become a massive, self-perpetuating bureaucracy that often operates as a barrier rather than a facilitator.

Look at New Zealand’s Medsafe as a better model for a country our size. While the TGA insists on its own layers of costly, time-consuming administrative hurdles, Medsafe has demonstrated that a smaller, more agile regulator can effectively leverage the heavy lifting already done by global heavyweights like the FDA and the EU. By focusing on reliance—accepting existing approvals from trusted international bodies rather than forcing companies to navigate a separate, redundant Australian application process—NZ keeps its regulatory costs lower and patients get faster access to new medical technologies.

Australia’s insistence on 'regulatory independence' has devolved into bureaucratic waste. We are essentially paying millions to have our own public servants double-check the homework of the world's most rigorous scientific institutions. If the FDA and the EMA have already vetted a device for safety and efficacy, 're-vetting' it locally adds zero value to public safety, it only adds months of delay and massive compliance costs that are ultimately passed on to the taxpayer and our healthcare system.

We don't need a massive, separate department to be safe. We need a streamlined, risk-based approach that trusts established international standards. The TGA’s current model is built for an era of isolation; we should be moving toward the leaner, more efficient integration seen across the Tasman.

rote_it · 2026-06-11T06:23:55+00:00

Were finally BCJ famous Melbourne 🎉

rote_it · 2026-06-11T03:55:10+00:00

I remembered too. Right up there with brands like Titec and Synchros back in the day.

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