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Cat

@kelpieunicorns.bsky.social
781 followers 561 following 457 posts

Disability Rights • MAnimalSc • Mother of unicorns & green things • Shows love in GIFs

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Reposted by Cat
💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 17/09/2026
BULLSHIT "“What we agreed to abolish was actually the cashless debit card, and that’s what we took to the election, and that’s the card we actually abolished… There has always been the BasicsCard in place.” "
apcentre.substack.com
Labor rewrites history on cashless welfare as it quietly traps people in income control programs
The Antipoverty Centre is disturbed by Labor's comments regarding the failure to deliver on the government’s promise to end compulsory income control programs such as the BasicsCard and SmartCard.
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
G'day @chrisbowenmp.bsky.social. Here's another thread about the rooftop needs vs opportunities. What can Cth do to enable sufficient rooftop solar + batteries for all to access + run aircon 24/7 in deadly heatwaves? Still unaffordable for many w/rebates. The risk is here now + transition urgent.
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CuntGPT @cunexttuesday.wtf · 16/09/2026
In the past 2 weeks we've been both too cold & too hot indoors. Spring has only just begun. I'm terrified of summer, not just because of our extreme power bills. My heart still isn't recovered from COVID & I had POTS to begin with. CHL & Department of Housing are discussing "feasibility" of aircon.
A screenshot of a line graph comparing 2 weeks of indoor temperature data from my hygrometer. Line 1 in blue goes from 9th September to 16th September and Line 2 in orange goes from 2nd September to 9th September.

On the graph, Line 1 in blue shows we hit a maximum of 27.4 degrees Celsius on 16th September (today) with an average temperature of 21.4 degrees Celsius for the week. Line 2 in orange shows we hit a minimum of 15.8 degrees Celsius on 9th September with an average temperature of 19.5 degrees Celsius for the week.

The World Health Organisation states indoor temperatures between 18-24 degrees Celsius to be the safest for most people in most climates. Outside of that range starts to cause health problems for people with health concerns, which includes me and my partner.
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
That day and my exhausted resignation to the risk it posed to my life is burned into my being. I am already struggling on any sunny spring day over 20°C. How long until the next 49er? Aircon wasn't enough + only usable to 7pm off-grid w/o bigger battery - and is unaffordable for most ON the grid.
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Melissa @artistaffame.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Oh look what happened in 2020 when jobseeker was doubled
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
It’s been 10 years since Robodebt began and there’s still no government commitment to introduce safeguards for automated decision-making tools in the Australian Public Service www.medicalrepublic.com.au/no-more-robo...
medicalrepublic.com.au
No more Robodebt: new push for guardrails on government algorithms - Medical Republic
A new private member’s bill would impose mandatory transparency, human oversight and review rights as automated decision-making expands across aged care, the NDIS and other Commonwealth services.
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Police raided a W.A. psychosocial disability supported independent living group home at gunpoint, handcuffed the support workers. The meth was at a property next door www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
Disabled residents left shaken after police drug raid on NDIS home
A disability support worker opens up about a terrifying police raid on the assisted-living home he was working in, which has left three vulnerable women needing ongoing help to deal with anxiety.
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Floofy with a Chance of Spanakopita @floofytyrant.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Delays in assessment, algorithmic misclassification, inaccessible review processes where urgent needs not recognised, carers pushed to exhaustion, people deteriorate without support, preventable hospitalisations & premature residential aged care entry increase …” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
‘Catastrophic’ fears: health staff made lists of concerning cases days after Australia’s aged care funding tool launch
Exclusive: Documents reveal assessors’ grave fears if client needs are underestimated by tool that can’t be overridden
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Senator David Shoebridge @davidshoebridge.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Absolutely mind boggling that Australia's Signals Directorate has given Israeli phone hacking company Cellebrite secret security clearance to handle sensitive Government data. Our data.
Cellebrite Guardian Completes IRAP Assessment: Achieves PROTECTED Level for Australian Government Agencies
September 2, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT
PDF Version
Independent assessment gives Australian law enforcement, defense and national security agencies a platform for collaborating and managing digital evidence in the cloud quickly and securely

TYSONS CORNER, Va. and PETAH TIKVA, Israel, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellebrite DI Ltd. (Nasdaq: CLBT), a global leader in AI-powered Digital Investigative and Intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors, today announced that Cellebrite Guardian, its cloud-based digital evidence management platform, has achieved an important technical milestone to support its adoption by the Company's customers in Australia. Guardian has completed an assessment under the Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) at the PROTECTED classification level. The assessment was conducted by CyberCX, an Australian Signals Directorate (ASD)-endorsed IRAP assessor.
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Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Politicians and SES threatened Rick with legal action for daring to write a book about Robodebt and to write things in there that were, by then, recorded matters of that Royal Commission. Indefensibly, this continued when he wrote about it for the Saturday Paper, who then 'corrected' agreed FACTS.
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The Northern Cross 👾 @thenortherncross.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Reminds me of this clip from Yes, Minister
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Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Professor of Constitutional Law at Monash, Dr. Luke Beck, says the proposals by the Secretaries Board to limit posting of clips on social media would 'directly and expressly burden political communication'. theconversation.com/top-bureaucr...
A law that seeks to protect against serious and genuine harms and has an incidental impact on political communication can be valid. But each of the Secretaries Board’s proposals targets political communication directly.

And each is calibrated to preventing criticism rather than preventing any genuine harm.

The High Court has dealt with a similar case before. In one of the very first implied freedom of political communication cases in 1992, the High Court struck down a law that made it illegal to “use words” intended to bring certain senior government officials “into disrepute”.
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
In a world of bureaucrats who forget that public service involves the public, be the public servant who promptly escalates concerns and gets special circumstances approval of future #NDIS law compilations approved and rolling within days. Cheers, Fed Register of Legislation team! 👏 #Auspol #Auslaw
legislation.gov.au
Future Law Compilations - Federal Register of Legislation
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Rick Morton @squigglyrick.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Well, here goes. I tried to keep it contained. Ridicule is what we use to fight institutional hostility. Make no mistake, that's what this is. rick-morton.ghost.io/deliver-us-l...
rick-morton.ghost.io
Deliver Us, Lord, From Ridicule
On Friday, Defence deputy secretary Celia Perkins began her evidence before a senate inquiry into asset sales by the department and Australian military with an embarrassing manoeuvre. 'In closing, I ...
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
CPSU is calling for an immediate pause on automated decision making in the APS
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the Juice Media @thejuicemedia.com · 03/09/2026
The Australien Government made an ad about carbon offsets and koalas, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative 🌏🌳🐨 💛 produced by our Patrons 🙏 support us on Patreon: patreon.com/thejuicemedia ☕ buy us a coffee: ko-fi.com/thejuicemedia
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Rick Morton @squigglyrick.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
these people are extraordinary in their contempt for the public
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Jane Doe, pretty hate machine @noticingclimate.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The @earthjustice.org case for Australia is important, because companies such as Woodside have decided energy business would be guided by “customer demand and commercial markets”. Woodside does not care about your right to live. fyi @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social @artistaffame.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Woodside scraps long-term emissions and clean energy targets despite windfall oil profits caused by Iran war
Australia’s biggest oil and gas company recorded a 27% increase in sales profit to $1.67bn in the six-month reporting period
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 22/08/2026
"My new house isn’t just a house it’s a home. It has minimum standards. Insulation a water tank, heating and cooling. Exhaust fan in the laundry and bathroom. More than one PowerPoint per room. A heat pump water heater and lots of storage. After just one week my constant coughing eased up."
ko-fi.com
A house should be a home
Artistaffame published a post on Ko-fi
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Reposted by Cat
Rick Morton @squigglyrick.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The National Anti-Corruption Commission told a woman it had completed an investigation into a $9m aged care contracting scandal at Dept of Health. When she asked for the required report, they backtracked and changed their story. From me: www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/law-cri...
thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Exclusive: NACC letters gaslit Meals on Wheels whistleblower
The NACC is refusing to release its investigation into millions of dollars in Meals on Wheels contracts, instead telling the whistleblower she is confused about the outcome.
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 20/08/2026
If you woke up today wanting to present coal, oil or gas as unavoidable and unstoppable, you are helping the CEOs of Shell, Exxon etc make more $$. You should stop doing that; these freaks get enough help from governments already.
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Advocates and other LI members, I need your urgent help getting this request re critical revisions to the last minute debt recovery amendments in front of as many politicians, advisors and bureaucrats as possible before the vote on the NDIS Bill in a couple of hours! #Auspol #NDIS #Robodebt
linkedin.com
🚨 Government Amendments (ST128) on debt recovery 🚨 Many thanks to Senator McAllister's office for returning my call about the further tweaks needed to the debt recovery provisions in ST128. I… |...
🚨 Government Amendments (ST128) on debt recovery 🚨 Many thanks to Senator McAllister's office for returning my call about the further tweaks needed to the debt recovery provisions in ST128. I have a...
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The department admitted there had been no live trial of the final algorithm and was unable to name any expert clinicians who validated it. The government plans to use the IAT algorithm for the NDIS soon as well
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
My botanical explanatory memo on the NDIS Bill debacle: 1) We ain't falling for the pretty purple thing. 2) Be a beetle. 🪲✨ #TheBeetleIsBeautiful www.linkedin.com/posts/cat-w-...
linkedin.com
#thebeetleisbeautiful | Cat W.
Gather round, kids: It's botanical explanatory memorandum time. 💐 On the left, we have a pretty purple flower. If this was the NDIS Bill, Labor would be calling it Salvation Jane. The problem is, we...
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Rick Morton @squigglyrick.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
NDIS next. But you can't review that budget outcome, only get another assessment using the same secret formula. Rinse, lather and repeat.
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Warwick Gow @warwickgow.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Amazing journalism here revealing the extended horrors of Aus Labor's handling and upcoming changes to NDIS.
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 16/08/2026
"I note your comments in the ABC article “NDIS minister says government ‘not contemplating’ need to delay cuts” today, specifically “the government will not leave people without support”. The government, your government, already leaves people without support."
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Good morning! 🌅 Unless you're Mark Butler and haven't answered these Palantir x NDIA questions yet whilst intending to ram the NDIS Bill through any time from tomorrow, with extraordinary automation powers...
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 15/08/2026
leave a person without the support they need to be safe remove necessary 1:1 or 2:1 support force a person, directly or indirectly, into a group home. override an individual assessment without an exemption process operate without reasons, evidence, review rights and proper parliamentary oversight
everyaustraliancounts.com.au
The most dangerous power in the NDIS Bill is hiding in plain sight - Every Australian Counts
Every Australian Counts is here to make sure the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is delivered as promised and is the best it can be. Find out how the NDIS process works and hear real stori...
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 15/08/2026
Spoiler: He wasn't an "NDIS participant"
abc.net.au
Fraud officials charge another over alleged $5 million NDIS dishonesty plot
Continuous investigations have led to the Australian Federal Police arresting an Adelaide man as he attempted to leave the country, following the previous arrest of a 48-year-old woman in June.
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Yeah, I think Butler and the NDIA have some serious questions to answer before they vote on said powers. As in, this weekend, because the vote on the Bill could be as early as Monday morning. Please amplify over there too if you can. #Auspol #NDIS #NDIA #Palantir
linkedin.com
Hell of a weekend for this FOI to drop. I would like a very clear answer to two questions before the Senate votes on the NDIS Bill: 1. Fraud Fusion Taskforce agencies have contracts with Palantir… |...
Hell of a weekend for this FOI to drop. I would like a very clear answer to two questions before the Senate votes on the NDIS Bill: 1. Fraud Fusion Taskforce agencies have contracts with Palantir. I...
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Hell of a weekend for the NDIS Palantir FOI to drop. Note: - scope was for *potential* use - 22 docs refused - timeline similar to Crack Down on Fraud biz case - FFT agencies have contracts even if none listed for NDIA 📣 @squigglyrick.bsky.social @asherwolf.bsky.social @jeremynadel8.bsky.social
righttoknow.org.au
Palantir - a Freedom of Information request to National Disability Insurance Agency
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I am requesting any correspondence between Palantir Technologies and the agency since May 2020 and any documents since 2022 that mention how the NDIA could use Pa...
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The AFR is reporting a deal has been done. Over our dead bodies (literally), and the opposition of the AHRC. #Auspol #NDIS #Disability #HumanRights www.linkedin.com/posts/cat-w-...
linkedin.com
Human Rights Commission urges Australian Government to ‘hit pause’ on NDIS reform Bill | Cat W.
In the same HOUR the Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for the Government to halt the NDIS Bill, the AFR is reporting a deal has been done. I’d say over our dead bodies, but that is what...
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Vanessa Smith @normalness.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
NDIS Functional Capacity Query normalness.com/2026/07/30/n...
normalness.com
NDIS Functional Capacity Query - Normal Ness
A quick email I wrote to the Technical Advisory Group after seeing this press release.   The TAG secretariat is available at: TAGSecretariat@health.gov.au   Good afternoon Technical Advisory Group, I ...
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Vanessa Smith @normalness.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Feeling all the frustration on this topic today. So many good jobs out there, but so few will hire me because “oooh scary” I need to do a desk job at my desk not their desk.
In public, disability and employment is often talked about in terms of entry level employment only.
Within a report published by WWDA there was an interesting comment:
“Employment supports tended to be catered to entry level jobs and were not tailored to people's capabilities.
Those with physical disabilities or chronic conditions reported the only available jobs involving manual labour or lifting which was not possible due to their disabilities.
Other people mentioned that support with their employment would be valuable for roles above
entry level."This is completely in line with my experiences.
There is an expectation that if you're disabled, you lack skills and experience.
I do not need help with resumes, experience, references, or skill building. I have all that.
On social media a while ago, I posed the question: I have two degrees, how many does it take to overcome ableism?
(Yes, that's an oversimplification, but that's the point.)
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Senator Lidia Thorpe @senatorthorpe.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
When I say Labor is all talk and no action, this is exactly what I mean. The Albanese government has just rejected hundreds of recommendations from the United Nations aimed at improving the terrible state of human rights in this country. nit.com.au/30-06-2026/2...
nit.com.au
UN recommendations on Indigenous rights largely rejected by Albanese government
The Albanese government has rejected key United Nations recommendations aimed at improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including calls to raise the age of criminal respo...
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Tim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 28/06/2026
Yesterday I mentioned a very exciting, but distressing report that I helped on that is out today. You will be hearing more about it, but here's the first bit of coverage:
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 28/06/2026
Everywhere in the Hunter
abc.net.au
Report finds 'extensive' coal and gas presence in schools and children's sport
Santos, BHP, Woodside and others have an "extensive presence" in childhood settings through more than 260 programs, a new report identifies, as senators say classroom programs and lessons written by t...
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Human Rights Concerns Raised After Australia Rejects UN LGBTQIA+ Recommendations www.starobserver.com.au/news/human-r...
starobserver.com.au
Human Rights Concerns Raised After Australia Rejects UN LGBTQIA+ Recommendations
Human rights advocates have expressed disappointment after the Government declined any recommendations relating to LGBTIQ+ Australians
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 27/06/2026
Watch it (three episodes) here www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-...
sbs.com.au
Watch The People vs Robodebt
Watch The People vs Robodebt for free with SBS On Demand, your ultimate destination for diverse entertainment. Stream now!
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Rick Morton @squigglyrick.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
The heat in Paris this week has been unbearable and inescapable. rick-morton.ghost.io/canic-at-the...
rick-morton.ghost.io
Canic! At the Disco
Each year, on the summer solstice, Paris and most of France becomes what is essentially the world's largest outdoor party for Fête de la Musique. Bistros, restaurants, cafes and sundry businesses sat...
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Melissa @artistaffame.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Did you know Australia sells 80 percent of its coal and gas to other countries for them to burn. Our government then wipes its hands and acts like it’s the other countries problem. Climate change doesn’t listen to borders what’s burnt off in other countries still affects us here.
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 27/06/2026
All of those points still stand. And yeah I have written an posted a lot on all those things Here's a little taster:
phonakins.com
Anzac biscuits cost more at the food bank than Aldi. That’s it. That’s the title.
So, I got access to a FOI (freedom of information) request about a grant “Grant agreements and expenditure reports for identified grants with Oz Harvest, SecondBite, Foodbank Australia”…
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 26/06/2026
A BABY DIED AFTER BIRTH HERE TWO MONTHS AGO www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...
abc.net.au
Wagga Wagga homeless told to leave camp or face enforcement action
Homeless people in Wagga Wagga's Wilks Park camping area have been ordered to remove all personal belongings by July 7.
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Jane Doe, pretty hate machine @noticingclimate.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Maybe we'll see the answer to that question @richard.wickedproblems.earth c/o 10 Australians who are taking a case against our government to the UN via @earthjustice.org: #hardtruthscase #humanrights #climatecrisis
earthjustice.org
Hard Truths: The Australian Coal and Gas Exports Case
We are 10 Australians who argue the Australian Government is failing to meet its obligations under international human rights law.
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Make a band bigger? INXS of 1.5° 🔥🥵
youtu.be
INXS - Burn For You
YouTube video by INXS Videos
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Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) @wwda-au.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
#WWDA is deeply concerned that the Senate Committee’s interim report recommends the #NDIS Reform Bill be passed without requiring any real or substantive changes. No one should lose supports under the NDIS, until alternatives are available, fully funded and tested. Read more: buff.ly/vLKDa7r
[Image description: This tile has a blue to purple gradient background. Text reads: "Media Statement: WWDA says NDIS Bill should not pass as it stands. Women With Disabilities Australia".]
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Cat @kelpieunicorns.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
#HardTruthsCase #ClimateChange @earthjustice.org @envirojustice.bsky.social @humanrightshrlc.bsky.social #Australia
abc.net.au
INTERVIEW: Why these sisters are taking their climate fight to the UN - triple j
Ten Australians have lodged a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee over Australia's coal and gas exports. The group say the government is failing its human rights obligations by c...
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💜 phonakins 🍉🌲 @phonakins.com · 24/06/2026
"But the boarding house was found to be financially unviable under the Housing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), returning a rental yield of 2.75 per cent." this is why it needs to be PUBLIC housing because housing is a service and a right and doesn't need to turn a profit
abc.net.au
Successful appeals pave way for Sydney boarding house to become luxury homes
A rundown boarding house which was once a haven for vulnerable people in inner Sydney is set to be converted into luxury apartments.
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