An echoing, frightening gust

 


It was a stupid arrangement all along. He had set the trap long ago; and now it had reached full circle, those hungry worms and vicious teeth hanging from the cave ceiling, those tendrils of venom which made it unsafe for anyone to come near him.

Fly fishing across the fate lines, the difficult precision required their full concentration, even at their level of cognition. 

This country, bound for hell. The old Australia, disintegrating in front of their eyes. The treachery, deceit and dishonesty which lay all about, the reason for their urgency to get back into the house, their embarrassment in front of their bosses, that they had tried to kill him in such a base and lame way. He knew they were after him. No, it wasn't paranoia. They, too, could fly fish the fate lines and see what lay ahead.

The City at the End of Time. The Country at the End of Time. The Species at the End of Their Time. 

All of it echoed, the chanting, the deceit, the temples in which those withered humans gathered, there at the edge of village, the mildewed slabs of masonry hanging in disrepair, and all around: treachery. 

They had killed themselves; taken themselves out, these blindly stupid organisms. Old Alex walked through a defeated population, his heart broken, and knew there was almost no path to survival. He called on the medicines of the future to decipher the plot. He remained silent. The country careened into obsolescence.

NEWS

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government has faced sharp criticism over its handling of AI data centre regulations, after backing down on a push to require states to power them primarily with renewable energy. Energy Minister Chris Bowen had earlier indicated the Commonwealth could use constitutional powers to override resistant states, but the retreat has been portrayed as a policy flip-flop amid concerns about energy prices, water use, and grid impacts. Critics, including climate experts and opposition figures, argue the government risks mismanaging the AI boom by failing to set clear, consistent rules early, potentially locking in higher costs for households. 

theguardian.com

Migration policy remains a major flashpoint, with the government accused of delaying a promised overhaul while net overseas migration stays elevated and housing pressures intensify. Opposition voices, including from One Nation and the Coalition, blame high immigration levels for exacerbating the housing shortage, cost-of-living strains, and infrastructure strain, claiming the government has “botched” the settings and broken earlier commitments. Polling shows rising support for populist alternatives like One Nation, driven heavily by voter frustration on this issue, as Labor pushes the review further into the long grass. 

canberratimes.com.au

Recent parliamentary deals on NDIS spending cuts and online gambling advertising reforms have drawn fire from independents, Greens, and disability advocates as betrayals of vulnerable groups and public expectations. The NDIS changes, aimed at curbing growth and saving billions by shifting some participants, are criticised for risking reduced supports and job losses in the sector despite earlier Labor opposition to similar measures. On gambling, the Labor-Coalition agreement allows sports jersey logos to continue until 2032 in a transition period, which independent senator David Pocock and others have condemned as inadequate and a failure to meet the moment on harm reduction. 

theguardian.com

Broader economic and institutional critiques centre on living standards, tax policy, and perceived arrogance toward independent bodies. Opponents highlight persistent cost-of-living pressures, multiple interest-rate rises since Labor took office, and what they call the largest collapse in living standards among developed nations, alongside broken election promises on negative gearing and capital gains tax changes. Tensions with the Productivity Commission—after the WA premier labelled it “east coast clowns” over GST arrangements and Albanese ruled out immediate changes—have been called a line crossed, with the Commission itself expressing disappointment at personal attacks and the lack of engagement on reform. 

afr.com


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