Mojo ♻️

US hits Iran to hurt China? Might backfire spectacularly. ABC's Alan Kohler: war accelerates the shift AWAY from oil — exactly where Beijing has spent years positioning itself to dominate renewables & EVs.

#MiddleEast #ChinaRising #EV #Electricvehicles #Renewableenergy #renewables

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7F6Wkb-7sE

Supercharged inequality: rich investors stifle budget. The current housing crisis isn’t a market failure—it’s the system working exactly as intended for those at the top. While wealthy investors use tax concessions like negative gearing to treat shelter as a high-yield asset, millions of people are being locked out of the basic right to a home. We need a fundamental shift that prioritizes people over portfolios and ends the policies that supercharge inequality.

​#housingjustice #auspol #wealthgap #fairhousing

https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/supercharged-inequality-rich-investors-stifle-023450552.html

The Japanese practice of eating until you are only 80% full, is significantly linked to increased longevity and improved metabolic health. This mindful approach to calorie restriction focuses on stopping before reaching total satiety, potentially slowing the aging process.

#longevity #healthylifestyle #mindfuleating #wellness #science

https://scitechdaily.com/this-simple-japanese-eating-habit-is-linked-to-a-longer-life/

Queensland police arresting people for a slogan at a protest should worry anyone who cares about free speech.
Today it is pro Palestine activists. Tomorrow it could be anyone the government finds inconvenient.
Criminalising political speech is a dangerous road for a democracy.

#australia #freespeech #palestine #auspol #fascism #queensland

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/queensland-government-first-arrests-banned-pro-palestine-phrase/sfz36li0w

Four Corners has long been regarded as the ABC's flagship investigative journalism program – and often Australia's premier current affairs show.
Yet there are several strong arguments why it no longer fully deserves that top-tier status.

#FriendlyJordies #FourCorners #ABC #AusMedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcKp7U1ig3E

The Epstein files aren't just creepy island gossip — they're a leaked blueprint of how US billionaires rig politics worldwide.
Steve Bannon bragged to Epstein about helping tank Labor in Australia's 2019 election via Clive Palmer's $60M anti-China ad blitz.
Peter Mandelson coached Epstein on killing Rudd's mining super-profits tax.
Richard Branson gave Epstein PR tips post-conviction.
Peter Thiel & Epstein toasted Brexit as the start of profitable tribalism.
This is the real interference — not bots, but billionaires. Wake up, Australia.

#EpsteinFiles #AusPol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvkXj577F5g

Another banger from Greg Jericho in Grogonomics today: Labor's got the loudest rumors yet of finally tackling the 50% CGT discount & negative gearing ahead of the May budget. House prices keep skyrocketing (2.7% national jump Dec '25 qtr, 7.5% in WA!), juiced by demand-side handouts like the 5% deposit scheme. Time to stop turning the Australian dream into 'negatively gearing one' & make actual home ownership possible. Chalmers pushing reform, Albo hesitant? Do it properly this time.

#HousingCrisis #TaxReform #AusPol

https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2026/mar/11/labor-government-house-prices-capital-gains-tax-negative-gearing-budget

The Coalition keeps repeating the “half a million migrants every year” line.
Problem is, it’s based on a single post covid rebound year. Migration has already fallen sharply since then.
But the tactic is familiar: repeat a misleading number often enough and hope people stop checking the facts. Trump built a whole political strategy on that.

Facts still matter.

#australia #auspol #immigration #factcheck

https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/liberal-migration-claims-rely-on-outdated-data/

Another day, another big insurer getting called out for screwing over everyday Aussies. Just saw ASIC is suing Budget Direct's underwriter for misleading conduct – tens of thousands of us lost promised online discounts (averaging ~$100 each, totaling millions) when we made basic policy changes like updating an address. They knew about it since 2016 but dragged their feet.
I was one of those customers who bailed on Budget Direct after a massive hike in my premiums – felt like a bait-and-switch that hit right when cost-of-living is already crushing people. These 'budget' brands promise savings then quietly jack up costs or yank discounts without clear warnings.
Good on ASIC for pursuing this – we need stronger crackdowns on misleading pricing and real penalties, not just 'remediation' after the fact. Corporate greed shouldn't come at the expense of working families. Who's switched insurers lately?

#CostOfLivingCrisis #ConsumerRights #ASIC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-27/asic-sues-budget-direct-misconduct-allegations/106395196

Ex-Treasury boss Ken Henry just called Australia's 50% capital gains tax discount on investment properties 'the dumbest of all options'. Says it's flawed, fuels speculation, doesn't boost real investment/innovation. Wants full overhaul: flat 25% tax on all capital income instead. No grandfathering—'I hate it'. Housing debate heating up ahead of May budget.

#Auspol #CGT #HousingCrisis #AusEcon #HousingCrisis

https://www.areanews.com.au/story/9183451/dumbest-option-top-economist-slams-housing-tax-break/

Australia's super-generous property tax breaks—negative gearing + 50% CGT discount—have turned housing into a wealth machine for the already-wealthy. Result? Sky-high prices, falling home ownership for younger gens (36% of millennials bought before 30 vs 55% boomers), and now a hardening class divide: own property (or inherit the means) or get locked out forever. Without big tax reform, this isn't fixing itself. It's entrenching classes.

#HousingCrisis #NegativeGearing #PropertyTax #WealthInequality #Australia #Cgt #TaxTheRich

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-27/australias-lax-property-tax-has-created-a-class-system/106391788

CBA uncovers ~$1B in suspected fraudulent home loans — some using AI-generated fake docs. Bank self-reported to police & ASIC. No direct losses (loans being repaid, secured by properties), but this screams industry-wide vulnerability.
Whistleblowers + NAB's $150M case triggered deeper scrutiny. Criminals are levelling up with AI forgeries.

#Banking #AIFraud #Australia #CyberSecurity

https://theconversation.com/why-commonwealth-banks-1-billion-suspected-loan-fraud-should-change-how-we-bank-and-do-business-277083

Another day, another expert explaining how negative gearing and the capital gains tax halving are straight-up welfare for landlords and speculators.
Meanwhile young people can't buy a shed in the outer suburbs.
If this isn't class warfare from above, I don't know what is. End it now.

#AusPol #NegativeGearing #HousingCrisis #TaxTheRich

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXL2tGtNMJ0

Parliamentary Budget Office drops the truth bomb: 59% of the 50% CGT discount bonanza goes to the richest 1% (earning >$362k).
The system is rigged—tax breaks for millionaires while housing becomes a fantasy for the rest of us. Scrap this inequality engine.

#CGTDiscount, #HousingCrisis, #Auspol #BuildSocialHousing #NegativeGearing

https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2026/feb/25/capital-gains-tax-discount-federal-budget-coalition-tax-cuts-for-the-richest

Former RBA governor Bernie Fraser just told a Senate hearing the 50% capital gains tax discount is a rort that should be scrapped entirely. He called out the 'toxic' cartel of existing homeowners, property developers, and vote-chasing politicians who love skyrocketing house prices because it pads their pockets and wins elections. Meanwhile young Aussies are priced out forever. Time to tax unearned wealth properly and make housing a home, not a casino. Abolish the CGT discount – one small step to fix the generational theft. #CGT #Auspol #HousingCrisis #TaxTheRich #EndTheCartelb https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-24/former-rba-governor-bernie-fraser-calls-out-toxic-tax-debate-cgt/106381176

Nature is finally healing in the Galápagos! After 180 years of absence, giant tortoises are once again roaming Floreana Island.
​This isn't just a win for the tortoises; it's a massive victory for the entire ecosystem. As ecosystem engineers, these 158 juveniles will help reshape the landscape, disperse seeds, and pave the way for other species to thrive. A huge shoutout to the scientists and the local community who spent decades making this "extinction reversal" a reality.

​#galapagos #conservation #rewilding #goodnews #wildlife #nature #eco #sustainability #heritage #tortoise
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/158-giant-endangered-tortoises-released-on-galapagos-island-for-first-time-in-180-years/

Aussies are stunned: Treasury just confirmed we’ll rake in $2.7B from beer excise in 2025-26… but only $1.5B from PRRT on our massive offshore gas exports. We’re one of the world’s biggest LNG exporters, yet multinational gas giants pay less tax than punters pay on a slab.
This is broken. Gas companies dodge super-profits tax with endless deductions while everyday drinkers get slugged. Time to fix PRRT, slap on real royalties or a flat export tax, and build a proper sovereign wealth fund for future generations—not corporate handouts.
Why are we taxing beer harder than billion-dollar gas rip-offs? Tax the extractors, not the exhausted.
#PRRT #GasTax #ResourceRent #AustraliaInstitute #TaxJustice #EndCorporateWelfare

https://tinyurl.com/3yctcwvy

Denmark is painting the town red—for the bats. In a world-first initiative, the municipality of Gladsaxe has switched to red LED streetlights along key roadways to protect local nocturnal wildlife, particularly bat species sensitive to artificial light.
The core scientific insight is that traditional white and blue light spectrums disrupt bats' echolocation and feeding patterns. Red light, however, offers a safe, sustainable alternative that maintains public safety while preserving the local ecosystem.
This isn't just a quirky experiment; it's a smart blueprint for eco-conscious urban planning. The shift reduces light pollution and energy consumption, demonstrating how city infrastructure can meet global sustainability goals (like the UN SDGs) and successfully coexist with nature.

#RedLights #Bats #LightPollution #SustainableCities #UrbanPlanning #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #Denmark #GreenTech #SmartCity #Environment #EcoFriendly #LEDlights

https://indiandefencereview.com/denmark-just-switched-to-red-streetlights-solving-a-problem-every-modern-city-deals-with/

Calling Wilcox’s cartoon “unacceptable” misunderstands both satire and journalism. Political cartoons are meant to be provocative, compressed and confronting. They exaggerate power relationships to expose hypocrisy and danger, not to offer polite balance. This cartoon does exactly that. It highlights unchecked US imperial behaviour and the hollow language of “freedom and security” used by institutions like NATO while aggression proceeds regardless. Discomfort is not a flaw, it is the point. If a cartoon criticising military power is deemed unacceptable simply because it offends those aligned with that power, then the problem is not the cartoon. It is a shrinking tolerance for dissent and satire in public debate. Wilcox is doing a great job. #politicalcartoons #satire #pressfreedom #imperialism #media #theage