Laminated chipboard/MDF or natural stone mainly, depending on how expensive ones tastes and budget are. Still wouldn’t want to be breathing dust from either of those though…
As another comment suggests stainless steel is another option, or perhaps even expoxied timber/bamboo. These do suffer from aesthetic and durability issues respectively though when it comes to trying to convince people to use them.
From Term 1 next year, students in Preschool up to Year 10 will not be able to use their mobile phone, smart watch or any other personal communication devices at school.
The train itself isn’t really the slow part for the XPT, it’s supposed to be able to run up to 160km/h. Knowing that only made it more annoying though when sitting in one chugging along at ~80k (or even slower when hot) up and down the north coast line - like most of our lines that track just wasn’t good enough for it to go faster.
Well clearly they’re all horribly dangerous drivers and we need both to lower the speed limits further and show more advertising telling us how going a k over the limit will kill your family.
Bit of a trap setting the speed limit that low there anyway, looking at the road in question it looks like a section where it would easily be safe to drive at 80 so 60 is going to feel very slow.
Brindabella Christian College will need to cease using its car park that was installed without development approval by next month, the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) has ruled....
Indeed, the tax brackets need to be shifted every now and then in order to keep track with inflation (due to not being automatically adjusted). Moving the bracket cutoffs upwards is not a bad idea, though I disagree with the implementation - it really should have been done by raising the tax free threshold and working upwards through all the brackets.
They raised the upper bound of the 19% bracket but left the lower bound the same, so the tax free threshold remains the same. The additional low income tax offset in stages one and two was useful to help reduce the effects of bracket creep on the lower end of the scale but unfortunately it was only temporary.
Engineered stone gets singled out because it has a particularly high silica content (think ~90% silica for engineered stone compared to 30-40% for concrete). It also is commonly used in environments that require benchtop modifcations at install, make wet cutting more difficult than dry cutting when doing said modifications, and have minimal oversight, a combination that leads to people taking shortcuts with dry cutting and incorrect PPE.
doesn’t that mean that they are harmful to themselves if they don’t wear the PPE or the employer is harming them if the PPE is not provided and wearing it is not enforced?
It does, and in an ideal world you wouldn’t need such regulations because people would realise the dangers and act appropriately. The ACT gov recently changed their WHS rules around high silica content material to explicitly require wet cutting for engineered stone and dust management/PPE for stuff like concrete, that should help but actually enforcing it is difficult.
I can see why they’d prefer an outright ban looking at silicosis as the rising public health issue that it’s becoming. You know people are going to be giving themselves a disease that’ll show up in ~10 years and require a lung transplant but it’s difficult to convince people/companies to do everything required to avoid that disease and hard to enforce correct procedures - a blanket ban on the material that’s causing most of the problems is much easier to enforce.
In short: Goods coming in and out of Australia are at a stand still because a major port operator DP World has shut down land operations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle...
Rather concerning really that a potentially hostile actor can jam up 40% of Australia’s maritime freight handling like that. Several days of impeded operations in major ports has got to cause some major problems in downstream logistics issues, I would not envy anyone trying to sort that out.
Punters are switching off the Melbourne Cup, with a majority of Australians reporting they have little or no interest in what was once “the race that stops the nation”....
I was vaguely interested in the Matildas for a hot minute when there was a chance of that resulting in a public holiday, I’m sure I could get at least a little bit invested in other sports if public holidays are involved.
A 43-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly running onto the tarmac and under a plane at Canberra Airport on Wednesday evening (1 November)....
In the conditions in which you’re jumping into one of these you don’t really want much ventilation - too much heat/smoke, and potentially even the fire burning through some of the oxygen from the contained air. Underground might not be an ideal place to be but IMO it’s likely the best of a set of bad choices if you can’t get out ahead of time - dirt is a pretty good thermal insulator.
Bit of an ouch for Victoria, likely going to prevent other states from doing a similar thing (NSW was about to implement one as well) So this would now mean a EV road user tax will need to be done by the Fed
Where? The cheapest one on Gumtree is $10.5k for a 2013 model with its max range apparently down to 98km. The cheapest on Carsales is $11k for a 2011 model (range down to 90km).
Development application for $71m Bungendore High School ruled invalid as town remains without a permanent high school (www.abc.net.au)
Engineered stone will be banned in Australia in world-first decision (www.abc.net.au)
Mobile phones will be banned in Canberra public schools from Term 1, 2024 (www.abc.net.au)
From Term 1 next year, students in Preschool up to Year 10 will not be able to use their mobile phone, smart watch or any other personal communication devices at school.
New Quantum Optical Ground Station allows Canberra to play starring role in space communications (www.abc.net.au)
A new telescope at Mount Stromlo will give researchers thousands of times more information....
Canberra Liberals spill position of deputy leader, dumping Jeremy Hanson in favour of Leanne Castley (www.abc.net.au)
Homebuilders urged to flick electric switch as new gas connection ban looms | Riotact (the-riotact.com)
cross-posted from: aussie.zone/post/4578385...
Sleeper trains are making a comeback. Why are ours being axed? (www.smh.com.au)
‘Something doesn’t add up’: the small Queensland town united in its fight against speed camera fines (www.theguardian.com)
Wombat nicknamed Ian Thorpe after being rescued from Canberra pond by woman in kayak (www.abc.net.au)
A wombat has earned the nickname Ian Thorpe after swimming for nearly 40 minutes before being rescued from a Canberra pond after a thunderstorm....
‘Trifecta of non-compliance’: Contentious car park dispute finally comes to a conclusion in ACAT | Riotact (the-riotact.com)
Brindabella Christian College will need to cease using its car park that was installed without development approval by next month, the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) has ruled....
We could make most Australians richer and still save billions – it’s not too late to fix the Stage 3 tax cuts (theconversation.com)
The Albanese government is about to have to make a really important decision....
ACT government prepared to 'go it alone' in banning engineered stone if national agreement isn't reached (www.abc.net.au)
A Safe Work Australia report found engineered stone poses an ‘unacceptable risk to workers’ and should be banned....
Australian ports shut down over cyber security incident impacting goods moving into and out of the country (www.abc.net.au)
In short: Goods coming in and out of Australia are at a stand still because a major port operator DP World has shut down land operations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle...
Melbourne Cup: most Australians have little or no interest in ‘race that stops the nation’, Essential poll finds (www.theguardian.com)
Punters are switching off the Melbourne Cup, with a majority of Australians reporting they have little or no interest in what was once “the race that stops the nation”....
Woman arrested after allegedly running onto tarmac and under plane at Canberra Airport (the-riotact.com)
A 43-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly running onto the tarmac and under a plane at Canberra Airport on Wednesday evening (1 November)....
Icons of Lake Burley Griffin reach ‘end of their operational life’ | Riotact (the-riotact.com)
They’ve been a peak Canberra experience for decades, but the paddle boats on Lake Burley Griffin have finally paddled their last....
Escaping underground: the eerie new age of bushfire bunkers (www.theguardian.com)
ACT welcomes first Aussie-built electric buses | Riotact (the-riotact.com)
The first of four Australian-made electric buses ordered for the Transport Canberra fleet has arrived in the ACT and is about to hit the road....
'They're meant to be shared': Author Maura Pierlot is leaving books on benches around Canberra for you to find (www.abc.net.au)
Next time you visit your local shops or take a stroll through a park in Canberra, you may just happen across a book sitting on a bench....
Victorian electric car owners win High Court challenge against controversial tax (www.abc.net.au)
Bit of an ouch for Victoria, likely going to prevent other states from doing a similar thing (NSW was about to implement one as well) So this would now mean a EV road user tax will need to be done by the Fed