CoronaVirus ==> Empty Shelves

[FenceFurniture]

If anything, spending on the grog is the best for the government as : 1: its made here, generally 2: its high in taxes, so the government gets it back almost instantly 3: by letting the Peons buy this they are shortening their lives, so 4: less pension to pay!

Well, not quite WP. Those that are shortening their lives can very often become a huge medical burden in the years before they are fully pickled. Even more so for smokers, and cigarettes are mostly made within Oz too.

[GraemeCook]

My mate has gaming and prize machines in clubs, pubs, milk bars etc and he said his takings went up 50% for two weeks after the last cash stimulus handout

Pubs and clubs are all closed. What's a milk bar?

[Beardy]

I don't think I'd read a whole lot into that because there are people who will always spend money on that sort of thing, but I don't think they are all that big a percentage of the population. And just because they blow it on slot machines doesn't mean the stimulus won't work in the broader community.

Yes the stimulus worked fine for him and Jerry Harvey along with many others but that is what they intended to happen anyway.

[BobL]

Well, not quite WP. Those that are shortening their lives can very often become a huge medical burden in the years before they are fully pickled. Even more so for smokers, and cigarettes are mostly made within Oz too.

Not to mention, motor vehicle accidents, domestic and other violence, including the cost of policing all this.

[forrestmount]

Forrest, I think that your memory might be faulty.
My memory is that Rudd's "cash splash" was based on welfare recipients and those tax payers who lodged a tax return showing taxable earnings less than some amount.
and it didn't matter when the matter when the return was lodged -- I recall a case where a tax payer received the "splash" several years after it was legislated.


after a bit of Googling source: The RD Guide To The 2009 Australian Government Stimulus Package Handouts - Insurance Articles - Rate Detective

How much will you get [from the Rudd "cash splash"]?
Depending on what your total income from all sources was last year [2007-2008 tax return]. The payment will be:

• $900 if your taxable income is up to and including $80,000
• $600 if your taxable income is between $80,001 and $90,000, and
• $250 if your taxable income is between $90,001 and $100,000.

If you earned more than $100,000 last year you won't receive a benefit payment.

I was only 26 and only working the one job back then most definitely not earning over 100k.


Wait up you said my memory might be faulty . This could be harder to fix than most things...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Beardy]

Pubs and clubs are all closed. What's a milk bar?

They are those places that don’t sell milk anymore

[BobL]

Things change fast in the testing space.
Here the list ranked in terms of most numbers of tests

Screen Shot 2020-03-28 at 1.12.20 pm.png
But there's a BIG difference between #tests and tests per capita.
On this list USA and Russia are last, whereas Korea/Spain/AUS are at the top

Suggest taking the Chinese and Russian numbers with significant pinches of Salt.
We're lucky we're still at 17 positive cases/capita - still have a chance if social distancing can be enforced.

[doug3030]

And just because they blow it on slot machines doesn't mean the stimulus won't work in the broader community.

I bet all the illegal drug dealers will be all stocked up and ready to capitalise on the windfall. No taxes going back to the government on the first transaction in that chain.

[FenceFurniture]

Suggest taking the Chinese and Russian numbers with significant pinches of Salt.

And even the USA figures, given that many of their tests were useless. Wwho knows how many false -ves are in there.

[FenceFurniture]

This is just one reason why Boris Johnson is an idiot (and a dangerous one too, just like Trump):

from a few weeks ago:
"I’m shaking hands continuously. I was at a hospital the other night where there were actually some Coronavirus patients & I shook hands with everybody. People can make up their own mind but I think it’s very important to keep shaking hands."

Wonder what he thinks now.

[Kuffy]

so, from this I can conclude that you work for the Government in an occupation deemed in the current environment "essential".

yes, or no?

If no, and I seem to recall you mentioning in the past week that you work for a truss manufacturer, what will you do when the economy tanks and no houses are being built? What will your weekly wage be in 4-6 week's time when the coronavirus unemployment peak hits? Will you be able to afford your mortgage (or rent) along with food and utilities?
People can't secure a mortgage to buy a new house when they are "temporarily unemployed" or on reduced hours and at current projections that will be about 50% of the entire workforce.

I don't work for the government. I currently work building roof trusses. I won't speculate as to what my wage will be in 4-6 weeks time because it would be a blind guess at this point. So long as it is minimum wage, then I'll be no worse off. I guess that's one of the perks of actually working for SFA

[GraemeCook]

.....We're lucky we're still at 17 positive cases/capita - still have a chance if social distancing can be enforced.

I am becoming increasingly optimistic, Bob, and the indications are that policies are starting to work. However, all of us, must be increasingly vigilant to ensure the measures are fully enforced and retained long enough not to be self defeating.

Those idiots photographed in most newspapers this morning, especially The Australian, are a serious worry. Also a worry is the editorial stance of The Australian which increasingly seems to be arguing the case for business over human lives.

Here are the official Australian government figures for daily new cases of the virus. Of critical importance is that there has been no growth in daily new cases for four days - ie the exponential growth rate in infections has been stalled.

Aus New Cases 1.jpg

And the same figures from Worldometers. I have absolutely no idea why there is a disparity in the figures. Worldometers say that they source data from host government ind international agencies, but do not actually identify sources.

Aus New Cases 1.jpg

[Source:































[Source: Australia Coronavirus: 3,573 Cases and 14 Deaths - Worldometer ]

[Tccp123]

My mate has gaming and prize machines in clubs, pubs, milk bars etc and he said his takings went up 50% for two weeks after the last cash stimulus handout

Thank you! I rest my case your honour!

[FenceFurniture]

Thank you! I rest my case your honour!

I don't think it is clear what your case is, apart from not giving stimulus payments for purposes or goods you don't approve of, or to people you don't approve of.

[FenceFurniture]

Some statistics that I think would be useful for comparing Australia to the rest of the world would be how many people returned here from overseas (and where from) in the last 6 weeks in comparison to other countries who have a lot of travellers. Expressed per capita in relation to infections could tell a particular story.