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  • Showing only topics with the tag "australia". Back to normal view
    1. New social isolation rules implemented in Australia

      Frustratingly (and in keeping with how confusing the messaging has been from the Australian government on all aspects of this pandemic), there is no single easy source that lists these new...

      Frustratingly (and in keeping with how confusing the messaging has been from the Australian government on all aspects of this pandemic), there is no single easy source that lists these new restrictions in a nice simple format.

      https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-29/public-gatherings-limited-to-two-people-coronavirus-covid-19/12101162

      https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-29/scott-morrison-coronavirus-covid19-two-person-rule-explained/12101212

      https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/elderly-australians-told-to-self-isolate-at-home-outdoor-gatherings-restricted-to-two-people-20200329-p54f1g.html

      • All gatherings, whether indoors or outdoors, are limited to 2 people. Exceptions apply for people you're living with (you're already sharing germs with them). However, previous limits of 5 people for weddings and 10 people for funerals still apply.

      • People should only leave the house for necessary activities, such as: shopping for supplies, exercising, medical care, work, school.

      • Elderly people should stay home and self-isolate. This applies to: healthy people over 70; unhealthy people over 60; indigenous people over 50. (And if we ever needed evidence that indigenous people have worse health than everyone else, this announcement proves it.)

      • Public playgrounds, outside gyms, and skate parks will close.

      These rules are all advisory, rather than legal. However, individual states can choose to enforce them legally.

      10 votes
    2. The Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory will proceed to a more comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services over the next 48 hours

      News article: The Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory will proceed to a more comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services over the next 48 hours in...

      News article: The Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory will proceed to a more comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services over the next 48 hours in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.

      For non-Australians: New South Wales and Victoria are Australia's two most populous states. Between them, they contain about 60% of the Australian population. They naturally also have the highest number of coronavirus cases.

      The Australian Capital Territory is a land-locked region totally surrounded by NSW. It's the home of our capital city, Canberra. It's small in population but, if NSW is clamping down, the ACT pretty much has to follow.

      10 votes
    3. Angry PM Scott Morrison accuses General Motors of letting Holden 'wither away' after taking $2bn in subsidies

      Angry Scott Morrison accuses GM of letting Holden 'wither away' after taking $2bn in subsidies For context: Holden is an Australian home-grown brand. It became a subsidiary of General Motors in...

      Angry Scott Morrison accuses GM of letting Holden 'wither away' after taking $2bn in subsidies

      For context: Holden is an Australian home-grown brand. It became a subsidiary of General Motors in 1931, but it started manufacturing cars in Australia from 1948. The 1950s FJ Holden is an Australian icon. The Holden Commodore was the family sedan for Aussies all through the 1980s & 1990s. Aussie car lovers fell into two tribes: Holden or Ford. If you ask any Aussie to name a few famous Australian brands, Holden will get a mention.

      General Motors stopped manufacturing Holdens in Australia a few years ago, but they assured us that Holdens would continue to be made (albeit overseas) and sold here.

      Now the brand itself is being axed, at the end of next year.

      14 votes
    4. 'The Stranger' was Australia's first locally-produced science fiction television show and one of the first Australian series to be sold overseas

      ABC's media release: 'The Stranger' was Australia's first locally-produced science fiction television show and one of the first Australian series to be sold overseas. (Ignore the references to...

      ABC's media release: 'The Stranger' was Australia's first locally-produced science fiction television show and one of the first Australian series to be sold overseas. (Ignore the references to 'Doctor Who'; the only connection they have is that they were both science fiction shows made in the mid-1960s. I suspect that show is name-dropped just to get people's interest.)

      I've been watching this show. I'm 5 episodes in, which means I'm up to the last episode of the 1st season, with another 6 episodes in the 2nd season (only 12 eps in total).

      It's bad but also good (not in the "so bad it's good" way). The production isn't great: the special effects are low-grade, the sets are ordinary, the acting ranges from hammy to wooden, and the writing is clunky. However, despite all that, I find myself hooked. I want to know what's going to happen next. It's an interesting premise: the remnants of an alien species eking out an existence inside a rocket-equipped moon, having left their home planet after an unspecified ecological disaster, to seek out a new home. The plot is good enough to drag me along with it. It also has historical curiosity value.

      I doubt it's available outside of Australia, but here's the streaming link. Be warned: it's very slow-paced to start with. The first episode doesn't even mention aliens, and the second episode only has hints.

      7 votes