That seems to be what they're working towards here. The ACT already does do land tax for some blocks (basically residential that's not a PPOR) and I wouldn't be surprised to see them expand that at some point to cover the loss of stamp duty.
Who did the machete ban inconvenience exactly?
People who had one and used it for the actual purpose of the tool rather than street fights.
I've had one for a few years now and it's been quite useful, particularly when you want something more portable than a brushhook (which is another useful tool idiots would probably like to ban because it looks scary). I don't live in Victoria but the push to expand the ban would directly inconvenience me.
Believe it or not it's not just the far right who use edged tools, and it's annoying how often people who don't have or use one feel the need to pop up and speak authoritatively about how nobody should use one because they don't (this goes all the way down to pocket knives sadly).
Hopefully those who were promoting the machete ban and trying to convince other states to follow suit see what Blind Freddie could have and realise that they only screwed over normal people rather than those who get into street fights with machetes.
If you've got a storage type water heater they have a sacrificial anode inside to reduce corrosion of the actual heater tank. They're meant to be replaced at intervals (around five years typically) to make the heater last longer.
I changed mine today and it was showing very noticeable wear, I doubt anyone had changed it since the heater was put in around ten years ago (in part because it's installed in an awkward position under the sink so you have to remove the sink to change the anode).
Comparison photos between the old and new anodes:
Technically you should probably get a plumber to do this but it's easily done if you've got a decent sized socket set and are cluey enough to realise you should turn the inlet tap off and have a pull at the pressure release valve before you open the tank.
It will be an offence to use a carriage service to access material on the manufacture or modification of guns and accessories, as well as other explosives or lethal devices.
This has such broad potential for misapplication, but apparently everyone throws critical thinking out the window because guns are scary...
I think the gun number limit is also a kneejerk reaction playing more on people's fears rather than actually being logical, but at least it's affecting less people than the above.
One of the places I work at has a display cabinet showing historical media formats and devices, seeing things in it like the zip disc and the Sony camera that took floppies always makes me feel like Elrond:
From my reading it's going to be the same campgrounds that already exist, but now with a commercial operator being able to book a proportion of the sites before the public can. I don't know if they will physically separate the commercially booked sites but at this point I have seen no mention of expanding or creating campgrounds for this purpose.
I am ideologically against letting commercial operators into this field - I accept the reality that camping fees in national parks are a necessary evil to help with provision of services and reduce false bookings, but I think if such fees are going to exist the money should go directly to Parks rather than have the majority go to a private company. Commercial camping operations should be operating on private land rather than public - that way public access to public land is not reduced and the public gets limited access to land they would not otherwise get to (the camping might even help fund preservation of said private land).
"Every closure of a manufacturing facility is a loss of sovereign capability and compromises Australia's ability to build a more complex and dynamic knowledge-driven economy."
I agree with this sentiment, I don't think it is a good idea long term to lose manufacturing capability and knowledge. I would however prefer that a stake in the company is transferred to the government when they have to spend large sums bailing out a facility due to it being in the national interest to do so.
Last year, Australia showed how unengaged and racist this country remains by refusing to insert an Indigenous advisory voice
Convenient that the author forgot to mention that the very person they're writing about was a vocal No voter. You can say many things about Lydia Thorpe but politically unengaged is not one of them, and while she might be a little bit racist it's definitely not against Indigenous people.
I'll also note that the Tent Embassy had a giant banner hung up urging people to vote No, guess they're all politically unengaged and racist...
I was concerned these recent stabbings would start a push towards screwing over people like me who regularly carry pocket knives, and unsurprisingly it's started. It's rather disappointing how many people go straight to pearl clutching at the mention of a knife even though I and many others have had them on hand as useful tools for decades without feeling the need to stab anyone.
Good. I think the other option - setting a precedent allowing businesses to skirt discrimination laws by claiming their behaviour was art - would have been a rather poor decision.
The Victorians apparently had almost 25000 machetes between those put into their 45 bins and handed back from retailers, that's a lot for a tool you reckon nobody uses or buys. I seriously doubt that any major percentage of that came from the criminals - it was already illegal to carry machetes in shopping centres and have fights with them and they obviously didn't care about that so why would they hand any in just because that was also now illegal.
For the small chance you're not doing some sealioning bullshit with your questioning I've used mine to clear a considerable amount of lantana and crofton weed every time I head up to Grandad's property, as well as controlling a bunch of invasive running bamboo and clearing blackberry from single track runs. It's an effective and useful tool - I just don't make youtube videos of me using it so I guess it's not real in your world.