What's what?

Unseemly protests in Parliament House. Pyne rightly wants investigation.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/gallery-disrupts-gillar...

There's a time and a place, hippy commo students

Protest? That's not a protest...

457 VISAs

So my best mate has worked for 9 years straight for a big project builder in a professional trade. This project builder operates in 2 states of AU and flogs houses (without the land) for up to $500,000.

In the last few years a company with gangs of non-english speaking workers here on 457 visas has increasing taken more and more work in my mates trade from the same big project builder.

My mate had his own jobs as well as going in and fixing up the dodgy jobs finished by some of these 457 worker gangs.

Last week he was called in for a meeting and told he had lost all work with the project builder, effectively immediately, because the company with the 457 workers will now do 100% of all the work!

How is this right? Aren't governments meant to help out its citizens not foreigners?

Publicise it through the MSM Floyd- name and shame the project builder. A Current Affair, Fairfax, they love this sort of stuff.

Had a similar conversation yesterday with a tradie mate back home- Korean tilers, undercutting everyone on the Goldy and in Brissie.

I remember when the mining tax was being fought against back in '08 ( ?) and discussing it with people from the East coast that were removed from the reality of the situation.

To a man they all rejected the idea of the tax, saying it would jeopardise jobs and investment in the country.

These weren't stupid people and were a mix of blue and white collar.

Just goes to show the influence that the business driven media has on the population.

Same with the selling of Australia's future with offshore workers , foreign ownership laws and unsustainable immigration.

Anyone for it is either Gerry Harvey or .......a Turkey voting for thanksgiving.

Fuck, I couldn't help myself.

Work choices by stealth it is, this is exactly what the Liberals want .... my mates wife wants him to go to ACA and his local MP, but he wonders by doing so he will ruin his chances of getting work from other builders!

Labor , Liberals.....is there a difference ?

http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/build-a-new-melbourne-every-d...

One line in the last paragraph in suggestion of diminished immigration. Not too much weight lent to the idea either. Looks like its big, big , big or.......big for Australia's population. Irrespective of its detrimental effect on Australians.

No difference really (between Lab and Lib) but you do need to change the bedsheets occasionally.
It seems the 457 is more a problem in the mining. Locally, the Chinese are becoming mor expensive than the Lebs, more expensive than the Aussies. It's the quality that snookers them.

The Brains Trust have migrated (pesky immigrants!)

Visa rorts = immigration? Please explain*

As for Mining Tax kerfuffles, they're happening right now in WA. Mini version. The WA Nats put forward a pissy scheme and the Big Miner's union, sorry Minerals Council have been running an ad blitz saying how fucked an idea it is, how it will destroy jobs, mining, life as we know it...

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

* (I'm helping you out here. 444. 500.190. 187)

can anyone explain why the Libs and Labor are equally guilty when it comes to 457 visas ...... no point asking TB he doesn't do answers

They really came to life 07/08 as far as I can recall.

Maybe more 08 (?)

Labor in power.

Especially significant was the allocation of 870 jobs to Chinese nationals on the Cape Preston Sino Iron project.

870 Chinese all recieving lower wages than the EBA, worse conditions.

Could go on and on....

But isn't that enough ?

And that was just the Chinese and just on a single project.

I knew dozens of extremely well qualified Australians trying to get on that project, to no avail.

Testing...testing...

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies" Marx, G.

Turkey - You realise that when you quote someone that it neither enforces their opinion as fact nor makes you as clever as they might be don't you ?

You can go to your grave in the knowledge that you'll never be misquoted at least.

For that to occur you'd have to say something in the first place based on an intelligent , unique thought.

A scenario I've yet to witness.

You do know who Marx, G. is don't you, you muddled plonker?

Use your big IQ...

Talking Turkey = The dancing parrot.

But he's a private dancer, a dancer for money.

Hang in there. Looks like 457 will be rolled back, curtailed. Yep, it has gotten out of control with too many back doors. Both sides will have to agree on this one which is a rarity.

Not sure what the news is Tones but 457 visas should only be the start. Next action is needed on student and investor citizenship rackets and what about foreign nationals buying land here (lease or rent ok) that should stop as well.

Here's some quotes!

"Talking Turkey = The dancing parrot." - Blowin'/Blow-in/Blowie

"But he's a private dancer, a dancer for money." - Andy M

Hah! Strange bedfellows indeed!

And have I brought the Hanson voter and Greens voter together?? Maybe I'm the solution! All we need is for Sippy, or better still, David H. Koch, or even, gasp, Disco-Stu - the Trump brigade - to join the party.

Vote 1 for Talking Turkey's One (Swell) Nation Party. Let's dance! Put on your clown-shoes and dance the blues...

(Cognitive dissidents/dissonance most welcome)

I knew that'd make you jealous Turks!

Homo superior

Fuck sake. Can't post links, even 'post truth' ones!

BUT...

is this a 'Franz Ferdinand' moment?

Sheeeeeit!

Xmas Turkey! White Russians! BURP!

Then the Berlin truck!

Then Slats getting punted!

hey @davetherave, how you travelling buddy? Haven't seen you you commenting for a few weeks.

Ding dong merrily on high!

just put some well placed 'enters' in the link turkeyman. I've been putting one after https, and one after the www. and you don't even have to go through the 'capcha' bullshit. crew can put the links back together easily if they wish....not that anyone reads them anyway...apparently...

Got it!

nice vid, I feel I didn't do it justice cutting it off at the three minute mark

might give it a full run later

Wishing the Swellnet proletariat Merry Christmas ... today I leave for a place of no phone nor internet nor fresh water but hopefully some waves. See you grumpy bastards next year and don't be late.

Merry Christmas Floyd.

Get a couple for me will ya ?

I'll be flat out dodging cyclones I think.

But you never know what kind of Christmas miracles they might throw up either....

Hey up fellas, Merry Xmas to both of you, and the rest of the hoi polloi.

I've been entertained, enlightened, and at time enraged by the comments on Swellnet. Looking forward to more of the same next year.

Hope everyone gets a wee bit of something under the tree and down the beach over the holidays.

and most of all, never forget the importance of family and friends.

All the best to youse.

Yes.... May a 5k offshsore groom a 12 second period 4 to 6 foot consistent swell at your fave...... And may any bad news be of the fake variety..... Cheers, pin heads :)

I'll drink to that one Doggo.

Good one.

Sippy, if you can watch that for an hour, you're higher than those two freeks. Having said that, it is that time of the year! Huzzah! Festivus! Krampus!

merry xmas swelldogs

cheers for the entertainment over the last 12 months

Merry Xmas all! Good to get a little Mid Coast Chrissie present yesty arvo!

yeh special vid that one, I reckon I'd be pushing repeat with a head full of shrooms...60 minutes just wouldn't be enuf!!

there must be some swell up your way with that cyclone blowin?

though NW cyclones seem kinda mysterious, they just don't seem to produce like east coast ones.

anyone want to hazard a guess if that's contributing to the current swell in indo?

I'd imagine it does a little but most swell seems to still come from the deep south lows looking at the swell charts.

missing those synoptic charts btw, swell charts are much a muchness from all sites, but you guys have the best synoptic ones in the business, could you prioritise that over Christmas drinks possibly??

I would say merry xmas but I'm a grumpy grinch and Christmas is purely the festival of the consumer! but enjoy your holidays regardless

Nothing wrong with a bit of mystery in this day and age.

But , ahhh, in the meantime - cheers for the heads up regarding surfing conditions and everything surfing 2016 Swellnet team.

Christmas goes off Sypkan.

Let it go and jump on board .

A nominal and agreed upon finish line for society and all it's endeavours , an opportunity to reunite with fellow travellers on a parallel life journey, family and friends, presents, fine food and piss.

Merry Christmas

that's all ya giving me blowin?

was just a general question

I know of a few spots, I'm not asking where and when, just if ya having any luck.

I don't reckon we're coming to crowd you out....well I'm not anyway, I've got a lot of love and hate for the NW, not enough love though. seems a lot like darwin, tide and coastal flatness being key.

I agree Christmas is alright for the things you mention...except the presents, half end up in the bin before the sixth month of the new year. how many stubbie holders can an old man use? and the plastic! plastic talking santas, reigndeer ears, disposable bbq aprons with cocks on and in, novelty novelties for the sake of giving and saving face, it does my head in, but each to their own,...enjoy the indulgence

Enjoy the season and hopefully a break for all of you.

Have enjoyed the banter from you miscreants, but ambivalent about overdoing my input. Still love my writing, but can't help that occasional sense that throwing stuff on the internet is not far removed from a madman screaming at the white walls with his strait-jacket fitting snugly.

It's been a hell of a year. Full on, but I haven't minded what has happened. The old way of doing things is so severely corrupted and bankrupt, I just see Trump and Brexit and the rise of the nong, racist, right as being the whimper that the world ends with.

I'm hopeful, but that hope is borne of an idea that we can't really get much more fucked up. Everything about rampant capitalism is wrong, and perhaps we will work our way towards a real third way, not that fake Tony Blair type.

Here and elsewhere some have posted about the rampant consumerism of Xmas, and the rest of the year also. Quite a few years ago I was walking through the 7th level of hell, (any Westfields shopping centre) and just looking around at the crap, the plastic rubbish on sale, the fashion shops, the shoe shops. It hit me clearly just what a fucked system it all is, reliant on people spending all their hard earned on rubbish so that companies can employ people so that they earn wages so that they spend money on crap. Talk about a snake eating itself, just this never ending senselessness.

But buying surfboards far more often than can be reasonably justified is quite ok. It's far and away my main consumer vice.

Good year to all, we are living in interesting times.

And to all those tradies being screwed over by 457 visa importing companies, I especially wish you well. Those visas aren't supposed to be going out if there are resident Australians willing to work. That isn't just opinion, that's actually the law. If any of you are in unions, get them to chase this hard on your anonymous behalf.

True, true BF. Amongst all the consumerism it's very easy to lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas - that Santa died on the cross for our sins.

:-) Says it all Stunet.

Hoping to come visit and get out in the water with you in 2017.

I look forward to it.

Heh batfink, the 457 visa rort is coming to an end. It has been abused by all parties and has to come to an end. Unions aren't much help but a letter, email to your local politician would help.
Aus is not 'fucked up'. No one forces anyone to buy anything.

penis-head.

(Jeez! How's the swearing filter now! What's next general 'blasphemy'? George is getting upset!)

Merry whatever!