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Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Everyone in Australia can see Melbourne has lost its 'spark' and that it's 'haemorrhaging cultural capital'
Melbourne 'ugly' and claimed its biggest strength is its pubs in a scathing takedown. Betoota Advocate editor Clancy Overell said Victoria's capital had 'lost their spark and everyone can see it except for them'. 'Poor old Melbourne really hasn't recovered from those lockdowns have they,' he wrote on LinkedIn. 'When your city is actually that ugly, you kind of need a thriving nightlife to make up for the fact you don't have a Harbour or beach. 'Even the majestic Brown Snake that winds and sparkles its way through Brisbane city is an asset to the Queensland economy, despite the fact that it is extremely tidal and floods like every five years. 'But what's Melbourne got going for it nowadays? A comedy festival that prioritises the niche-est subcultures that ever existed on Smith Street? 'A flash casino? I don't even think they claim they have the best coffee anymore.' Overell conceded Melbourne's 'pubs are alright', but claimed this positive was 'a sign of a cultural deficit'. The editor claimed the city is full with 'for lease' signs due to hospitality owners going out of business. 'The "Most Livable City" is haemorrhaging the cultural capital that they once boasted after decades of masterfully navigating the intersection of sport, arts and dining,' he added. In the satirical post, the editor argued immigration 'from Greece or Italy' should be encouraged to help the city and stated it should focus on improving its nightlife. Overell made it clear he was only criticising Melbourne and praised regional Victoria. Victorian PR executive Felicia Coco agreed: 'As a born and raised Melbournian you pretty much nailed this and ngl it's sad. 'Idk maybe if we keep taxing small biz to death it will get better? 'But one thing we do have going for us is the burgeoning tag/s***graff movement.. it's giving halfway-house core. Vacant-and-vandalised is the new booked-and-busy.' Another added: 'Tbf, the squeeze on hospitality, live music, and culture at large is real. And I've often found myself suffering the same lament.' However, others jumped into defend Melbourne, with one commenting: 'It is sad to see non Victorians trying so hard to insult Melbourne. Even satirically, they just don't get how cool we are...' Taking aim at Sydney, one wrote: 'Funnily enough though, once or twice a year I suddenly feel rejuvenated about it all. Because I have to travel to Sydney. 'Go for a walk after 9PM and it might as well be one of those docos called "AFTER THE COLLAPSE" or something where they predict what the world will look like without humans.'
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘What's Melbourne got going for it nowadays?': Betoota Advocate editor roasts Victorian capital
Australia's 'most liveable city' has become a shell of its former self that is 'haemorrhaging cultural capital' — and 'everyone can see it except for them', one commentator claims. Betoota Advocate editor Clancy Overell shared a harsh take-down of Melbourne on LinkedIn on Monday, mocking the Victorian capital's 'unwarranted sense of national importance'. 'Poor old Melbourne really hasn't recovered from those lockdowns have they,' Overell wrote. 'When your city is actually that ugly, you kind of need a thriving night-life to make up for the fact you don't have a harbour or beach. Even the majestic Brown Snake that winds and sparkles its way through Brisbane city is an asset to the Queensland economy, despite the fact that it is extremely tidal and floods like every five years. 'But what's Melbourne got going for it nowadays? A comedy festival that prioritises the niche-est subcultures that ever existed on Smith Street? A flash casino? I don't even think they claim they have the best coffee anymore. 'One thing I will give them is that their pubs are all right. But if that's your biggest strength, it's usually a sign of a cultural deficit. 'The AFL is a hell of an experience, but it's better at the Gabba or SCG anyway. Polo in Portsea? I dunno. A car race for rich Europeans? 'The fact remains, the city is covered in 'For Lease' signs because their once world-renowned hospitality operators have been driven into bankruptcy by a manipulated commercial real estate market that relies on unsustainably high rental yields (Ponzi scheme). 'The 'Most Livable City' is haemorrhaging the cultural capital that they once boasted after decades of masterfully navigating the intersection of sport, arts and dining. 'At this point, all that Channel 9/CFMEU drama is the most interesting thing about the place. 'A Toronto-style 'Vacant Properties Tax' would be a good place to begin. Maybe they need to encourage more immigration from Greece or Italy again. Maybe they need to stop mythologising their schizophrenic weather patterns and focus on the night-life. 'They've lost their spark. And everyone can see it except for them. 'This is not a criticism of regional Victoria. This unwarranted sense of national importance is purely a Melbourne phenomena. The Goulburn Valley's canned fruit industry plays a far bigger role in the lives of non-Victorians. 'Melbourne really needs to get it's act together before they start measuring their d***s in a federal cabinet reshuffle. 'This isn't 'Power Without Glory' — it's more like 'Power without Relevance'. What do you people really have to offer? Maybe focus on that.' A number of locals agreed with the sentiment. 'As a born and raised Melburnian you pretty much nailed this and ngl it's sad,' PR executive Felicia Coco wrote. 'Idk maybe if we keep taxing small biz to death it will get better? But one thing we do have going for us is the burgeoning tag/s**tgraff movement … it's giving halfway-house core. Vacant-and-vandalised is the new booked-and-busy.' Another added, 'Ooof this hits hard.' It comes after business leaders and politicians gathered at a symposium last week to discuss how to prepare for an influx of another 3.5 million people into Melbourne over the next three decades, as the population swells to nine million. '[2050 Melbourne] is one where a nurse can afford to live close to work,' Premier Jacinta Allan told the gathering. 'Where a student from overseas can feel part of our society, where people starting a business can connect with the world around them.' Among the 'big ideas' put forward were 'green bridges' full of plants and shrubs connecting skyrise buildings to keep people off the street, and 'chatty benches' around the city where people can sit and talk to strangers, the Herald Sun reported. But experts have warned that the city is already struggling to cope with the roughly two million extra residents added this century, leaving doubts about how it will manage the millions more coming. 'The huge challenges of population growth aren't in the distance,' said Bob Birrell, president of The Australian Population Research Institute (TAPRI). 'They are here with us.' More congestion, a greater strain on infrastructure, higher demand for housing, an increase in cost-of-living and a decline in liveability are all on the cards, Dr Birrell warned. The nation's capital cities grew by a combined 427,800 people in the 2024 financial year, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data, marking a 2.4 per cent increase. Melbourne led the charge, adding 142,600 people to its population in just 12 months, followed by Sydney at 107,500 people. Net overseas migration accounted for the overwhelming majority of growth. While economists largely welcome Australia's booming population, which contributes strongly to the country's fiscal stability, it comes at a cost. 'A rapidly growing population requires a huge infrastructure build,' Dr Birrell said. 'Unfortunately, Victoria doesn't have a great track record when it comes to infrastructure.' The state is already facing an uphill battle in delivering the needs of Melburnians today, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on crucial projects. Some of them are either delayed or over budget — or both. The state is forking out about $26 million a day in interest repayments on a staggering $188 billion worth of debt. MacroBusiness chief economist Leith van Onselen said Melbourne was quickly transforming into 'Hellbourne'. 'All Melburnians have felt the negative consequences of this population explosion,' he wrote. 'Infrastructure has become overburdened, congestion has increased, and housing quality has deteriorated as Melburnians have been squeezed into shoebox apartments or postage-stamp-sized lots on the urban fringe. 'What planet are these dills living on? There are no plans to develop the necessary infrastructure and services to cope with the projected 3.5 million population influx. 'Policymakers merely want to cram more people in and turn Melbourne into the megacity, Hellbourne.'
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Albanese might get Trump on the phone, but voters can't get Palmer off theirs
Welcome back to your daily election wrap. Stephanie Dalzell will catch you up on news from the campaign trail. Anthony Albanese today freely gave up the secrecy shrouding cabinet confidentiality he usually protects. "Ask any of the cabinet colleagues," he warned a reporter at the National Press Club. "They'll explain why it's a bad idea." The "bad idea" in question was, as the prime minister dubbed it, the "verballing" of Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke about the Voice to parliament referendum on the Betoota Advocate podcast. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) Wong had appeared on the Betoota Advocate podcast, where she said the proposal of a Voice to Parliament may in future be viewed in a similar way to the long, but ultimately successful, campaign for same-sex marriage. If the prime minister will forgive me for verballing, she basically said people would one day look back and wonder what the fuss was all about. Loading Instagram content "You said that an Indigenous Voice to Parliament is gone. Your minister, Penny Wong, seemed to suggest it may not be gone forever," the journalist said. Albanese swiftly responded, arguing that was not what Wong had said at all. But the mere suggestion that perhaps in a decade the Voice could be viewed differently to how it is now, presented itself as an opportunity for the opposition. The Coalition has been desperate to talk about the Voice, and it's little wonder why — the referendum not only marked a devastating result for many First Nations people but also a turning point in the government's fortunes. The Coalition's numbers started to surge in the polls, and now that those numbers have fallen behind Labor, it's been searching for the way back. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton took large liberties with what Wong had said, declaring Labor had a "secret plan" to bring back the Voice to Parliament as a "first order of business". He also declared a Voice was "inevitable" under Labor. Later, Wong was forced to clarify, telling SBS: "The Voice is gone." The Voice to Parliament has bookended this term of government, being the first promise of the prime minister the night he was elected, and now again a feature — this time in the final week of this campaign. But this is 2025, not 2023. And the matter on the ballot on Saturday is about the parliament, not a voice to it. Call me maybe,Trump Few teenage girls have waited by the phone for a boy to call more than Anthony Albanese has waited for the US President. And just like many teenage boys, Donald Trump is now suggesting he might in fact call — right when Albanese needs it least. For weeks, Albanese has been plagued with questions about why he has been unable to get Trump on the phone to try to secure a carve-out on tariffs. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Recently, he went so far as to But now, right when the campaign is coming to an end, Trump has declared "they are calling and I will be talking to him, yes". It's very unclear who exactly Trump is referring to, or what the nature of the call will be. Does he mean the prime minister? The ambassador? Is it a trade chat, or is he talking about whoever emerges victorious on Saturday? But regardless, rather than a long distance call, Albanese is trying to create a long bit of distance from Trump this close to the election. Gone are the days of politicians being rewarded for being close to Trump, just ask Canadian Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, who not only lost the election but also his seat in the parliament. The pollster John Black, who is also a former Labor senator, has dubbed this moment a "Trump bump", where leaders are rewarded for creating space, rather than closeness, with the global disrupter. When asked about US-style politics Albanese told News Corp voters "don't want that here", and has instead sought to push Dutton in to a Trump-shaped trap, trying to outline similarities between the leader of the free world and the leader of the opposition. When Dutton was asked to respond about whether voters saw him aligned with Trump, he gave a long-winded answer that encompassed the fuel excise cut, the ute tax, and home ownership — anything other than directly answering the question. Unsolicited text messages spamming unsuspecting voters While Albanese has struggled to get Trump on the phone, many frustrated voters are now struggling to get Clive Palmer off theirs. A slew of unsolicited text messages from the Palmer-backed Trumpet of Patriots are spamming millions of unsuspecting voters who are deeply frustrated they're unable to unsubscribe. Even the prime minister's fiancee Jodie Haydon hasn't been spared, in what Albanese has labelled an "extraordinary vanity exercise". Photo shows Palmer poses in front of his new logo, a lion with a trumpet with flags on a yellow background Political texts from parties are frustrating voters on social media in the week leading up to the election, but they are completely legal. It has sparked questions about electoral reform, with Albanese declaring he'd be "happy" to ban texts from political parties but wasn't sure if it would fit in with "other legal requirements". Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie declared the major parties also use mass text campaigns — which are legal — but said there's one key difference. "It's just that Clive Palmer's got more money than what they have and he's spamming a lot more," Lambie said. "The only time you'll see the major parties come together, is when they're doing things like electoral reform, when it suits themselves and they want to try and get the independents out… It's absolute filth." Voters have been spammed by a slew of unsolicited text messages from the Clive Palmer-backed Trumpet of Patriots party. ( ABC News: Ian Cutmore ) These messages are expensive and, largely, inefficient — as they are not targeted. In the 2022 campaign the same method proved to be largely unsuccessful, but there is something to be said for name recognition when people go to cast their votes — and that's what Palmer's paying for. Inflation drops without recession or jump in unemployment Timing counts for a lot in the fortunes of governments, and the release of inflation figures all but guaranteeing a future rate cut — three days out from polling day — has provided Labor with additional momentum as it heads in to the home stretch. Headline inflation has remained steady at 2.4 per cent, but the Reserve Bank's preferred measure of consumer prices — trimmed mean inflation — has now also fallen within the RBA's target band for the first time in more than three years. That is significant — and notably, unusual — because trimmed mean inflation has now fallen from a peak to 6.8 per cent to 2.9 per cent, and it has occurred without a recession, or any material increase in unemployment. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 The consequences of sustained hip pocket pressures don't often favour incumbent governments, but these figures have provided Labor with a clear line to spruik the economic credentials so often attacked by the Coalition. Treasurer Jim Chalmers declared it was a "powerful demonstration of the progress" made in the economy, and proof of "responsible economic management". Markets are now broadly expecting the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates at its next meeting just after the election. The inflation figures were there for both sides to spin, with the Coalition arguing people were still doing it tough. But with underlying inflation now also sitting in the target band, another line of attack for the Coalition has been eliminated. Photo shows Monique Ryan Amelia Hamer pre-poll signs Liberals say the Boroondara City Council threatened Amelia Hamer's implied constitutional freedom of political communication when it took down her signs. Good day for... Households, with lower inflation and a likely interest rate cut on the way. Bad day for... Liberal candidate for Kooyong Amelia Hamer, whose signs were once again confiscated, this time by the local council who said they presented a risk to pedestrians. What to watch out for The Coalition's costings will be released tomorrow, but given a sizeable percentage of the electorate have voted, it means many people have cast their votes without broadly knowing the total cost of Coalition policies. Where pollies have been Catch up on today's stories Loading Having problems seeing this form? Try
Herald Sun
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Herald Sun
Penny Wong hints the Voice isn't over
Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong has predicted the Voice will one day be 'just like marriage equality' and people will wonder what the controversy was all about. In her first ever podcast appearance, Senator Wong has hinted that it's not all over for the 'Voice to Parliament' despite the Prime Minister insisting it was 'gone'. Senator Wong has told the Betoota Talks podcast that Mr Albanese had proceeded with the best of intentions. 'He's not a pull the pin kind of guy,'' Senator Wong said. 'Yeah, [Anthony Albanese] thought it was the right thing to do and, you know, a lot of First Nations leaders wanted the opportunity. 'I think we'll look back on it in ten years' time and it'll be a bit like marriage equality don't you reckon? 'Like, I always used to say, marriage equality, which took us such a bloody fight to get that done, and I thought, all this fuss, it'll become something like, people go 'did we even have an argument about that?' 'Like, kids today, or even adults today, barely kind of clock that it used to be an issue. 'Remember how big an issue that was in the culture wars? Blimey, just endless.' The proposed constitutional change in Australia would have created a permanent body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to advise the Parliament on laws and policies affecting First Nations people. Voters rejected the policy that would have ensured the body would have been enshrined in the Constitution, ensuring a formal mechanism for Indigenous voices to be heard in decision-making processes. Liberal leader Peter Dutton has criticised Mr Albanese for proceeding with the Voice referendum. 'I think the nation was aghast when the Prime Minister spent four, $50m and sought to divide us over the voice debate on heritage and on cultural grounds,' Mr Dutton said. PM grilled on abandonment of the Voice Anthony Albanese was grilled on Sunday night about his decision to abandon the Voice following the failure of his term's referendum. 'The Voice, you told us, was important for Australia. It was important for who we are, for our standing in the world. It was a polite request from Indigenous people and you dropped it cold afterwards. Why?' Mark Riley asked. 'Because I respect the outcome. We live in a democracy,' Mr Albanese said. 'Do you still believe in it?' asked Mr Riley. 'It is gone,' said the Prime Minister. 'What is your personal view? Sorry-' Mr Riley pressed. 'We need to find different paths to affect reconciliation,' said Mr Albanese. Betoota Advocate podcast and the ALP Senator Wong joined the hosts of the Betoota Advocate podcast, the satirical news publication that has been quietly contracted to run an election podcast strategy for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party. A Labor campaign has previously confirmed that Diamantina Media, the runs the podcast, was contracted to provide advice on 'new media' strategy through the Federal Secretariat. Senator Wong says journalists 'obsessed' she's a lesbian But the appearance went slightly off-piste after the mother of two made jokes about playing a 'straight bat', which she joked was 'quite a funny joke for me, isn't it?.' She also revealed that some journalists were 'obsessed' with her being a lesbian but she later worked out it was important to a lot of people. 'I did sort of encounter some people who were... fixated. I remember one bloke asked me something, I said, 'Do you ask John Howard what it's like to be married and straight?''. She also revealed that when she got the Foreign Affairs job she said 'I'm prepared to work really hard, but I'm not prepared to have a divorce and never see my kids.' The Beetota Advocate has previously run a series of satirical news stories about Senator Wong organising the Prime Minister's bucks party that were an elaborate joke. 'Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has had a big morning, it can be confirmed,'' the article said. 'Wasting absolutely no time getting about her work, Penny has been frantically researching solutions to one of the biggest issues on her plate – Anthony Albanese's Bucks Party. 'It's believed Penny has also been sure to invite one of Albo's dodgy mates from school, who can help look after the group in Bali.' Originally published as Penny Wong predicts Voice to Parliament will be 'just like marriage equality'
