What's making News, 2025

[Hairs]

Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath frontman and reality TV star, dies aged 76.
[url]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-23/ozzy-osbourne-dies/104766804]/url]



You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Hairs]

Bowen and co are F-tards of the highest order!  Why don't they put wind turbines up around that waste of money establishment called Parliment House and make it off grid! 

Foo

This ideology that this government is taking for gospel is breaking this country.
And we are to blame, because we are letting them do it to us.
.

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[prodigyrf]

Seems we've passed the halfway mark for those doing the carrying-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/global-leaders-in-benevolence-50-per-cent-of-aussies-rely-on-government-for-income/ar-AA1J82c1
All hail the Magic Pudding in Canberra 

[Hairs]

Seems we've passed the halfway mark for those doing the carrying-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/global-leaders-in-benevolence-50-per-cent-of-aussies-rely-on-government-for-income/ar-AA1J82c1
All hail the Magic Pudding in Canberra 

Late last year, a report was released that stated, 1 in 5 Australians are reliant on the NDIS.
Either as a recipient, delivery a service or a supplier  to the industry.
Hey. I  install home aids through various OT's in our area, and some of the mark ups I've seen on the same products I purchase from from the same suppliers is mind blowing. Uo ti 500% on a toilet chair, a shower chair.  a custom shower rail.


You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Foo]

Late last year, a report was released that stated, 1 in 5 Australians are reliant on the NDIS.
Either as a recipient, delivery a service or a supplier  to the industry.
Hey. I  install home aids through various OT's in our area, and some of the mark ups I've seen on the same products I purchase from from the same suppliers is mind blowing. Uo ti 500% on a toilet chair, a shower chair.  a custom shower rail.


You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

You're not the first to state this!  It's obscene how these suppliers are guaging the service. 

Foo

[Pottsy]

You're not the first to state this!  It's obscene how these suppliers are guaging the service. 

Foo

Have to agree wholeheartedly, the wife is a NDIS recipient and we often have the discussion about mark ups on items required, it's a bit like workers compensation, just sit back and watch the margins increase.
We now source items we require by shopping around making no mention of NDIS funding, when we buy we then ask for an invoice showing our NDIS number, we then pay the invoice and submit it to our plan manager. This then at least helps to reduce the ridiculous margins suppliers sometimes charge. If the govt was serious they would do a bottom up investigation of the prices health care providers charge for things like speech path, podiatry, physio etc. Recent changes have seen many of these charges reduced by the government but they still remain obscenely high in some instances.

[Hairs]

You're not the first to state this!  It's obscene how these suppliers are guaging the service. 

Foo

I've had OT's mention to me that I'm a quayer of the cost as well known local Deliverers, in installing products.
As I understand things, there are only a couple of suppliers of eg, hand rails modular or prefab, so the costs are roughly the same for all installers.
The cost of installing is where huge cost to the taxpayer is.

I may of mentioned here before this.
I have been told that house cleaners, they don't even use their equipment or products are charging the NDIS @ %120 per hour.
This seems to be an exceptable price to pay within the industry.

I doubt they would have public liability, I could be wrong.
They haven't completed an accredited course. Eg trade, apprenticeship or equivalent.
Don't carry 30K worth of tools.
You would think they would have completed a Police check/working with Children. ABN.

Anyway, the system IMO is broken, but nobody wants to know about it, except to blame someone else.



You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Fizzie]

If the govt was serious they would do a bottom up investigation of the prices health care providers charge for things like speech path, podiatry, physio etc. Recent changes have seen many of these charges reduced by the government but they still remain obscenely high in some instances.

What we've seen recently is physio etc still charging us when we're seeing them on a Care Plan Have to wonder if how much they're also charging Medicare

[GeoffA]

What we've seen recently is physio etc still charging us when we're seeing them on a Care Plan Have to wonder if how much they're also charging Medicare

I guess they'd call that the "Gap Fee".....

[prodigyrf]

Life not only sucks in front of jet engines it seems-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/family-of-man-sucked-into-mri-machine-speaks-out-following-his-death/ar-AA1JemiA

[Brij]

I've had OT's mention to me that I'm a quayer of the cost as well known local Deliverers, in installing products.
As I understand things, there are only a couple of suppliers of eg, hand rails modular or prefab, so the costs are roughly the same for all installers.
The cost of installing is where huge cost to the taxpayer is.

I may of mentioned here before this.
I have been told that house cleaners, they don't even use their equipment or products are charging the NDIS @ %120 per hour.
This seems to be an exceptable price to pay within the industry.

I doubt they would have public liability, I could be wrong.
They haven't completed an accredited course. Eg trade, apprenticeship or equivalent.
Don't carry 30K worth of tools.
You would think they would have completed a Police check/working with Children. ABN.

Anyway, the system IMO is broken, but nobody wants to know about it, except to blame someone else.



You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

6 or 7 years ago when I started turning a hobby into an income I worked out that if i wanted to charge a realistic fee for service that wasn't just offering a charity service it had to be about $100/hr to cover a bit of insurance, some tools and equipment (laptop, car expenses.......), only getting about 30 hrs of chargeable hours per week, covering 6 weeks unpayed time per year (4 weeks annual, some sick leave and public holidays) and if did go full time a better income than I was getting at the time (about $70-80K, can't recall exactly) and better super.

So $138/hr possibly isn't that bad considering they have to cover travel costs etc.
I actually now charge nearly that for my hobby, sitting at home driving a laptop, and I sometimes think it isn't enough.

[OldPaj]

To me, it doesn't matter what it is or what area it is, when there is government money available, there will be people lining up to rip it off. And they get away with it time after time, because in many instances, there is little or no checking conducted by the various government schemes.

[Hairs]

Oldpaj,
I totally agree with you.
An eg was Rudd's Building school halls, covered learning areas and classroom.
At the time, our local primary school received two new connecting class room to replace two demountable units.
You could search each project and the costing were there.
These two modular classrooms had a total cost of over 2 million dollars.
In the costings, there was a stated "Contractors ensentive fee" of $170 000.00
I questioned this and was told it was awarded to the contractor, because they had win the tender.
Our school wasn't the only one in the Clarence Valley to benefit from that scheme. I just wonder what the total cost to the taxpayer was.



You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Hairs]

Brij
"So $138/hr possibly isn't that bad considering they have to cover travel costs etc"

$50 is what I've found to be the rate paid by the NDIS.
So how nearly 3x that is a bit rich IMO.

Unskilled labour, earning more than trades qualified is one of the reasons we have a skill shortage in this country.
I read an article the other day, with the upcoming 2032 Olympics. The promised venues that need to be built, the country doesn't have the trades now for infrastructure, let alone new projects, some will not be built.


You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Bird]

.........

[Fizzie]

.........

Ah, the news was so bad that it was censored to prevent anybody knowing about it! 

[prodigyrf]

Oh boo hoo but it was designed for 15-16 yr old school leavers living at home with mum and dad-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/apprentice-tradie-forced-to-work-85-hours-a-week-as-dire-pay-issue-exposed-draining/ar-AA1JlQBz
and you didn't get to drink in pubs or vote until 21 before the Whitlam Govt in 1972. Now they reckon 16 yr old Gretaheads should vote which is fine by me as they can go to adult prison too 

[Hairs]

Oh boo hoo but it was designed for 15-16 yr old school leavers living at home with mum and dad-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/apprentice-tradie-forced-to-work-85-hours-a-week-as-dire-pay-issue-exposed-draining/ar-AA1JlQBz
and you didn't get to drink in pubs or vote until 21 before the Whitlam Govt in 1972. Now they reckon 16 yr old Gretaheads should vote which is fine by me as they can go to adult prison too 

Prodigyrf,
The left have been toying with this for sometime now, lower the voting age.
Rudd use to love having his picture taken with school kids, as if he was a rick star.
Even albo has that stupid, 'look at me' look on his face taking selfies with kids.
Sure, there are kids that are switched on, but there are many that have no idea, no different to many adults.

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[prodigyrf]

Reef n Beef or go easy on the salt I suppose-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/aussie-cattle-company-unveils-beef-with-unexpected-benefit/ar-AA1K4KkU
As if People Who Eat Tasty Animals care unless it's tough and tastes like what comes out the end 

[Hairs]

Are you Fa$%en  kidding.
'Bizarre' bail condition placed on accused killer Ayman Manly sparks outrage'
[url]https://7news.com.au/sunrise/outrage-over-bizarre-bail-condition-placed-on-accused-killer-ayman-manly-amid-ankle-monitoring-chaos-c-19643761]/url]

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Bird]

Are you Fa$%en  kidding.
'Bizarre' bail condition placed on accused killer Ayman Manly sparks outrage'
https://7news.com.au/sunrise/outrage-over-bizarre-bail-condition-placed-on-accused-killer-ayman-manly-amid-ankle-monitoring-chaos-c-19643761]

The move is because the state discovered that company BailSafe had shut down without advising authorities.

someones arse will get kicked.

[Bird]

More good news!
https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/petrol-diesel-hybrid-or-ev-what-new-road-user-charge-could-mean-for-you/news-story/f9a07f6b0b0173c2aac16588b765c342

[Hairs]

About time.
This Green ideology BS has to stop.
Subsidizing it is a false utopia.

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Fizzie]

More good news!

a large ute or SUV such as a Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger or Toyota LandCruiser Prado uses approximately 10L/100km

Wow, need to get one of them, as even the Imu uses ~11 round town & ~15 when towing!

[Hairs]

WTF is going in Victoria?
You can not replace a Gas appliance  with a new one, it has to be electric.
Machete laws, ?
Primary schools telling boys if they want to be girls they can, and now rejecting self defence laws.
Ok, I don't live in Mexico, but it's S$1t.
In NSW, we have a state government  about to ban wood fired heaters and remove local government planning laws, re subdivisions on flood Plains because communities/LGA are knocking back developerment on these areas, yet the state wants developers.
Hmm



You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.