On the QUT case, from how I understand it the problem may not be the law (18C PLUS 18D) but the handling of the case.  The complaint over Wood's FB comment should have been solved after conciliation stage if the people involved were competent at their jobs.  It should not come before a court. The University and then the Human rights commission should have solved this dispute at square 1.

That it even got to the courts what a shit law it is.  The real racism here is white  students being banned from an indigenous only 'safe space' because being white they were presumed to be rapists and murderers.  That Cindy Prior is one nasty bitch.

If that silly law didn't exist, the delicate woman who is using family history of white man abuse to push her case wouldn't have a leg to stand on. 

The pure facts is that young person (or at least the original tweeter) are being fucked over for expressing an opinion. 

But according to the law, she does not seem to have a case (at least, the comments I have read, maybe some more serious things were said).
That's why I dont think the law here is the specific problem but the process followed. 
(..and as I believe in limits to free speech, I also believe you need a law like 18C).

I think there has to be a line drawn somewhere but it seems as though the law can be abused far too easily. 

There is an article in the Australian today by a lawyer in the QUT case. Dont agree with 100% of what he says, but he is spot on here (my emphasis) when he says that AHRC has failed and needs fixing:



It seems pretty obvious that the AHRC did not do its job in the QUT case.

lol so no Morrison has changed his tune from the budget having an expenditure problem to having a revenue problem whilst also harping that class warfare with his "taxed and tax nots" bullshit claim.

If you think there are too many people not paying tax ScoMo, try looking at the big end of town that move their profits off share ala Panama Papers ffs.

Huge chunks of revenue to be raised there. 

That and jobs, people aren't paying tax because there aren't enough jobs (inb4 hur dur Gen Y dole bludgers).

-PB

I get saddled with debt for an education, I'll be unable to afford a house and start a family and I'll be unable to find a job due to our unregulated university system which just shits graduates out.

All this too feed the entitlements and tax concessions (negative gearing etc) of rich boomers who actually received handouts - free education, low-cost housing and an abundance of jobs. Then they bitch and moan whenever someone even suggests we take a look at asset testing things like housing for the pension, or even god forbid you've got to work a year or two longer. 

But yeah, we're the entitled ones right?

-PB

Love it!!

CLP to be wiped out in the NT today. 

We're lucky, interest rates are historically low. 

Half the idiots that go to university are lucky they're allowed on campus grounds to waste $30k of tax payers money failing three degrees. 

I finished uni 3 years ago, paid off the degree and bought a house. Get a degree in a field where there is demand rather than bitching about how life dished you lemons. 

You will opportunity able to afford a house-but not necessarily the house you feel you deserve, and certainly not as easily as you imagined.

You will have opportunity to start a family, but it will not be as easy as you imagined.

You will be able to get  a job it but will not be as good or as high paying as you imagined and quite possibly not even one you want.

And it IS your parents and their parents fault.

Because rather than tell you that's how things have always been, they told you that you were........

SPECIAL.

Wow such bitter entitlement stef. 

I would be thanking the Federal Government for getting involved if I were you. 

The Victorian Government has to be the most looney and corrupted Government in Australian history.

I bet Victorians are counting the days to the next election, poor buggers! :crazy:

3 university students have accrued over $700,000 worth in legal fees defending themselves against 18C when an indigenous student took exception to some rather innocuous remarks that they had made. I can't recall what these remarks were, but when I first read them, they didn't even appear to be racist to me. 

Really sad situation because these young kids are now in huge debt, don't have the money to pay their legal bills and their lives are probably permanently destroyed because even if you google their names, they are being attributed to labels of racists. 

They will probably have to leave the country and start their lives over. 

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/qut-student-faces-200000-bill-in-facebook-post-racism-row-20160415-go7951.html

But, whether she has a chance or not, the students defending themselves have amassed over $200K in legal fees each! 

You need to be very selective about the degree you choose to do. There is no point in doing a useless Arts degree with no prospects in the future.

You don't even have to go to university to earn a descent packet. If I had my time over again, I would have done a Photography course in TAFE and become a Photographer. That's because I am a keen photographer right now, and enjoy this hobby. You can express yourself, is technical and also very creative.

Plus you can earn $6000 just for a wedding if that tickles your fancy. Now that is good money. 

You have to be very careful when you say that the only solutions are to tax people more, and include owner occupied homes as part of the Asset Test. If you remove these incentives, then chances are young people will not bother to make the sacrifices necessary to buy a home. 

I think the problem here is that young people are just not patient. Everyone wants a big home in a nice area. Well you need to learn how to walk before you run. There are many affordable options in our cities. They might not be what you want, or in the right area, but it's a start.

Blaming the baby boomer generation sounds like sour grapes to me. 

Oh look. The guy who knows about everything. 

Not really mate, all I want is the same entitlements that those before me received.

Is that so much to ask for? 

My life isn't bad, I just get peeved when people perpetrate this stereotype that Gen Y are good-for-nothing entitled brats when the reality is that their predecessors got far more in entitlements and were born into more prosperous times. 

Also, just remember this. We need to live within our means. There is an expenditure problem in Australia. It is in fact out of control with literally Billions wasted every year on even extremely obscure things which would make most of us cringe. 

Government has to try and address this FIRST. You just can't keep burdening 50% of households with an even greater tax burden. They are at breaking point right now. 

If Government does nothing, then the deficits will increase. In about 10 years we will surpass the Trillion Dollar mark. To reduce the deficit, Government will then be forced into taxing 1 in 2 households further. It might sound good to those who are net beneficiaries today. But tomorrow you will not be a net beneficiary and you will be in the 50% who are being slugged paying up to 50% in tax. You won't be liking that then.

So be careful what you wish for. 

you will live longer, have more opportunoties in life, probably see more of the world than your parents. 

As I said, the process followed by the human rights commision was badly flawed. 

We don't have an expenditure problem, we have a revenue problem.

-PB

A lot of it has to do with attitude and attitudes are getting worse. Half the undergraduates we take on for experience have poor work ethic and/or a short attention span.

Gen-Y also love to tell us how hard they have it. Bitching gets you nowhere. There's far too many late'-sipping-beanie-in-the-middle-of-summer-wearing-hipsters who want everything without having to work for it. Sorry that you have to pay for an education. I mean why can't everyone have a free university degree? What a shame. Why not 2? Why don't we let everyone study a business degree for free for 2 years while they find themselves and post daily inspirational quotes about strength on facebook? Then they fuck off around the world for 2 years and we end up wasting 20k on them for nothing. Seems fair right?

 Not all of you are like that of course but it's getting painful dealing with early 20's people who've spent the better part of 4 years raping themselves with study but bitch and moan about having to get to work at 7am 1 day a week.

We have both. Too many ministers and senators with too many entitlements on the tax payer doing sweet FA.

If you're making students of all people spend that amount of money because you're a sensitive bitch you need your teeth kicked in.

So you want more tax?

Problem with this thinking is that we can do what we want, just up taxes to pay for everything. 

That's not good Government!

Where are the old guard of Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard and Costello when you need them? 

These were the last good Governments Australia ever had. Now, Australia is far worse than an African tinpot! 

The economy is always changing. Yes I would love for all Australians to have a free tertiary education. It would be a great thing. But the reality is we can't afford it. 

Maybe we could have afforded it 30 years ago, but we have not been able to afford it ever since. So it was abandoned as a policy. 

Greece has a free education for everyone. It still does even after austerity. You can get a fee  free degree in Greece. Different culture there. Education is rated higher than Health. In fact, they rate Education over anything else.