Australia: News and Views

If like I you live in Perth,WA - you have probably heard of the latest credit card fraud. Its actually EFTPOS cards as well and doesn’t effect just ATMs This is a new technology which has seen over $100,000 stolen from West Australian affected  fast food outlets and customers paying by card. The police and the banks have been coy about saying exactly where the thefts are occuring - which is pretty crap as far as I am concerned. So here is the current list which is circulating naming some McDonalds, Coles, Peak and BP service stations which have been affected. There is no need to shopping at these locations - just pay by cash for the next week or two.

Meanwhile you should be doing the right thing by regularly checking your online statements. If there is a problem you won’t be out of pocket but you need to report it ASAP to your bank and they may have to reissue your cards and account which is nuisence.

Card Fraud Affected McDonalds etc

McDonalds Canning Vale
McDonalds Maddington
McDonalds City
McDonalds Success
McDonalds Cannington
McDonalds South Perth

Coles Southern River
Coles Gosnells
Coles Thornlie
Coles Maddington
Coles Forest Lakes

Peak Service Station Bayswater
Peak Service Station Kwinana
Peak Service Station Maddington
Peak Service Station Mundaring
Peak Service Station Roleystone

BP Service Station Wembley
BP Service Station Carlisle
BP Service Station Manning
BP Service Station Osborne Park

I don’t often get a good laugh from the local newspaper but the “NO” campaign against daylight saving in Western Australia gave me one today - the headline in the print edition is Resetting Clocks and Radios Upsets Daylight Saving Opponents !

Yes you read that right - its “inconvenient” to change your clocks forward one whole hour! Words fail me so I turn to Liberal MP Matt Birney who says “If the biggest problem for the No campaign is having to turn their clocks forward by one hour than we are all in trouble.” That’s possibly why the YES to daylight saving campaign may actually win this - you see all the young people in the state actually know how to change their digital clocks - cool eh!

But for those who are struggling with concept if you want to know how to reset  your clock lets do a step by step…

1. Is your clock digital or analogue (if its got hands its analogue).
2. If its analogue you pull out the little button on the side- the same one you wind it up with - and change the time.
3. If its digital you will need to go to time set or something similar function - change the time and then hit enter or confirm or end to go back to normal display mode.
4. Congratulations - you now know how to change the time - well done!

The other issues people have is confusion (no kidding), getting kids to go to bed (try developing some parental authority).  It causes more traffic accidents as well - I really don’t make this stuff up. Oh and they get more tired because of the dislocation of timezones on the body (try taking an international flights if you want to experience jetlag - anything less than 4 hours makes absolutely no difference at all!)

This blog is still promoting that West Australians Vote YES to daylight saving on the 16 May poll!

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The Rudd government wants you to use the cash payout going into many Australian tax payers bank accounts this week to stimulate the economy - or as we have said before invest in the $900 Kevin telly! Unfortunately what is good for the economy is not necessarily good for the average Australian and their family, in uncertain time paying off debt is a much better idea.

Do you pay off your credit card every month in full? If so congratulations - you are in the minority - but well done you. Most Australians live on credit card debt and that is a pretty stupid thing to be doing when then interest rate on most credit cards is still nearly 20%.  If you have an outstanding debt on your credit card of around $1000 dollars you are paying $20 a year interest right? Wrong - because your balance goes up each month - after 30 days  you will owe about $1016 and then you will pay interest on that larger amount the next month and so on plus all  the other credit card fees: check out the details here

Think about this - if you lost your job and was out of work for a month or two - could you keep up the payments on the stuff you don’t need: not the house, but the car lease, the credit cards, the payments on the all-singing-dancing stainless steel fridge?

Maybe now is good time to take a long hard look at your lifestyle with a view of reducing your credit card and consumer debt, preferably to zero.

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Lawyers, who needs them? Well I’ll tell you this for free if ex-barrister, turned law lecturer Bryan Pape wins his legal challenge to prevent the Rudd government from paying millions and millions of $900 payouts to Australian tax payers he is not going to be Australia’s most popular lawyer.

Brian Pape, has links to the National Party and is now a University of New England law lecture. His argument is that the government is:

[he] will argue the payment is unconstitutional and the government has no power to offer the bonus.

While the commonwealth would argue that its taxation powers gave it the right to provide the payment, labelling it the Tax Bonus Act did not make it an act of taxation, Mr Pape said.

according to the Herald Sun. Which pretty much goes to prove that lawyers will argue black is white if you pay them enough - or just cause they feel like it, which is what seems to be happening this time.

The tax office wants an urgent decision from the High Court on this one as its due to start printing cheques within days, as payment are due to start being paid in April - just days away.

I’ve said it before - don’t spend those payments until you actually have them in your bank accounts Australians!

Well tonight Australians are asking will they actually get the government payout of $950
It seems that the bonus based on 07-08 tax year is now in doubt as the opposition is not cooperating in the Senate

If the opposition manages to block the aus government payout of $950 for lower paid workers, low and middle income families with children and/or only one major income earner, it would have to make it one of the least popular political moves in modern history!

The $950 bail out to Australians has been generally fairly well received as includes not only the bail out to individuals but also subsidies to insulate homes, add solar water heating and a massive spending plan to upgrade all Australian schools.

Though some families have been heard to ask why? Why does the government keep giving us payouts. A young family with three children and earning less than $50k has been given around $4000 between this proposed government payout and the earlier pre-Christmas payments.

What do you think - will be giving back the government’s payout? I won’t be. Will you be voting for the party that blocks it - though I doubt that will happen - I don’t think so.

Well whatever happens its going to be an interesting few months as Australia struggles with the on-going financial crises.  At least the government is spending more money bailing out individuals than they did to prop up the commercial banking sector - maybe the US government should take note?

Tourism Queensland  now admit that they underestimated the response to their highly paid offer of a Queesland island job on Hamilton Island. The job has moved like wild-fire all over the Internet and with over 1 million hits on the server bringing it down.

Since the web site islandreefjob.com went live on Monday there have been over 2000 applications - but its not too late to apply. The job for “island caretaker” is open until 22 February - after which 11 candidates will be short-listed and flown to Queensland for the final interviews.

No point brushing off your on-line resume though for this one. Applications for the island job must submit a 60sec online video explaining why they are the best person to give the $100k (A$150k ) job. Queensland tourism are looking for applicants who “know how to stand out of the crowd ” and provide the “creative application”. In fact  I think I see the twist - all approved videos are on the site are rated in terms of views and popularity ratings. So basically if you know how to dominate youtube you should do well with this application process for a Queensland island job.

Applications are open worldwide so it might way be your foot in the door if you are considering moving to Australia and no its not just for the young and free - the applicant can bring a few friends/family -afterall there is a 3-bedroom house included in the deal. The site also emphasies that applicants should demonstrate some knowledge about Hamilton Island in particular and Great Barrier Reef in general - so it might be time for a quick geography cram cause people.  Must admit though from what I can see on the site most applicants do appear pretty young - and pretty girls are dominating the ranks at the moment!

Its funny how somethings just catch people’s imagination. The internet is abuzz with people checking out the details of the Hamilton Island job in Queensland we mentioned yesterday. A $100k and an island job seem to be what people want. And yes the job mentioned is legit - its being funded by Queensland’s tourism department. The actual website is still down - blew all its bandwidth for the month probably - typical government!

In fact  a $100k to live on an island in Queensland, or Australia for that matter isn’t that unusual. Thursday Island in Far North Queensland has a number of government jobs involving the administration and essential infrastructure jobs. I am sure most of the medical staff and admins get at least $100k for those jobs. Now Thursday Island isn’t quite as luxurious as Hamilton Island , its a lot more isolated to start off with, but its got a nice tropical climate, its in Queensland  and the house will be free!

Other Australian Islands also pay around the $100k for jobs: remote Christmas Island  where all the refugees end up probably pay the jailors - sorry I mean care staff at least that figure!

Though to be fair to earn $100k in Australia you either have to have some skills in a city or be prepared to work in a fairly remote, and rather less pleasent location. The people who do work on Hamilton Island probably are wondering what they did wrong - they certainly won’t be earning that sort of money.

So if you application for the part-time caretaker/blogger/publicity stunt person on Hamilton Island doesn’t make the short list - you can always sort out your work visa and head out to Australia anyway - there are always job going and remote islands and locations always include accommodation -though rarely is it luxurious!