• SomeWeeb@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    It isn’t as positive as it sounds. Donation reform is something the major parties have twisted into a method of consolidating their own power. The two major parties have both been losing support to third-party candidates, and these reforms are now being used as a means to stop that.

    The linked article is very brief and doesn’t go into any real detail. Here’s a more in-depth (albeit somewhat opinionated) bit of coverage: https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/11/26/donations-reforms-hoax-major-parties/

    • redwattlebird@lemmings.world
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      5 hours ago

      I suspect it’s largely targeting the teals because the Greens aren’t negatively effected by it. The Libs are losing heaps of ground to them.

      • solomon42069@lemmy.world
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        3 hours ago

        Neither major party has anything to offer the average person this election. Albo sat on his hands until discontent towards Morrison tilted things his way. Dutto is doing the same thing.

        As many observers have said, I believe this is just a form of attrition to starve minor parties of funding, diminish their ability to organise and prevent challenges to their duopoly. Both parties receive money from the same people - mining, sports betting, other pieces of shit in our community.

      • pntha@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        almost entirely directed at the Teals. shame, as well; Dr. Monique Ryan is one of the most level headed, intelligent parliamentarians we’ve had in a long time.

        • redwattlebird@lemmings.world
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          3 hours ago

          Absolutely agree. A lot of the teals are providing a great alternative to the Libs who were pretty much on a gravy train for a long time. It disgusts me that the main parties would prefer to create legislation to inhibit change rather than adapt to what the people obviously want.

  • Dave@lemmy.nz
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    7 hours ago

    Does Australia allow super PAC type organisations?

    Its all good to cap donations but if you can donate to an entity that’s not the party who will run ads and campaign for the party, then it doesn’t really matter that you capped party donations.

    • HamsterRage@lemmy.ca
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      5 hours ago

      The PACs aren’t the issue, it’s that they are allowed unlimited spending. In Canada, where I live, third party spending is capped at $350K per registered partisan group.

      • Dave@lemmy.nz
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        4 hours ago

        Yeah good thought. Could you make a parent group that donates their donations to 100 other groups to get around it, or does Canada have something that protects against that sort of manipulation?

    • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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      8 hours ago

      The picture was corrected for us living in the northern hemisphere … he is actually upside down (like everyone in Australia) which is why his eyebrows are having difficulty fighting gravity.

      • FoxyFerengi@lemm.ee
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        8 hours ago

        Financial or education? I’m mostly dreaming, I have a deathly fear of drop bears giant spiders that has absolutely nothing to do with little cousins throwing dinner plate sized arachnids at me for the lols

        • flueterflam@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          I grew up elsewhere but lived in Canberra (the capital in ACT) for about 4 years. I heard about all the scary, deadly things and was a bit worried also. Long-story, short - it’s very unlikely to be an issue unless you live in certain areas.

          The big funnel-web spiders are mainly an issue in an area north and a bit south of Sydney and reasonably close to the coast. I never saw one of them while living there (except in photos). My understanding also is that the spiders tend to live outside of the urban areas and more in the suburban/rural areas.

          You’re more likely to get into a car accident with a kangaroo than have an issue with those big-ass spiders, from what I was told. They’re somewhat like deer in the US. But less of a joke because they are known to slash people with velociraptor-like foot naila/claws after being hit by cars and assumed to be dead by drivers who get out and check. Death by disoriented/injured kangaroo is scarier than death by spider in Australia for most, and I say this seriously!

          The scariest spider stories I had… 1. out of town for several months and my bicycle had a black widow-looking (the redback, I believe) spider under the seat. and 2. one day, there was some sort of spiders born and sailing on the wind event where little spiders where everywhere (but they weren’t the Sydney funnel-web or redback spiders, luckily).

          • FoxyFerengi@lemm.ee
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            7 hours ago

            I grew up in a place with black widows, giant huntsman, and bafflingly large golden orb weavers. I’ve been moving further north and away from large crawlies for my whole adult life lol

            I’m angling for a conservation job, I enjoy collecting data in the field, so I would likely be spending loads of time where all the scary things live

        • ramsorge@discuss.online
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          8 hours ago

          Everything scary down there is bigger than your hand. Hand sized spiders? My heart is racing at the idea.

          And, both? Are you in a job that is desired? Medical, technology? Something highly skilled. And, are you at least $100k in the black? In cash?