A hike in the price of plastic, due to the oil supply constrictions which will certainly have ongoing costs, could make wool a more attractive alternative again though. So the 40% decline could become a short/medium term decline rather than permanent.

From what I've heard WA has a pretty healthy hemp industry, despite the fact that our govts haven't been that supportive (perhaps that's different in WA). Hemp is an amazing plant useful in hundreds of applications and particularly useful in construction due to its fast growth and qualities for healthy home environments and carbon storage, e.g. this WA company: https://hemphomesaustralia.net.au/hemp-advantages/

Be nice to see something happening with the site, but does anyone really understand what they're proposing with the hemp aspect?

A hemp 'innovation hub' inspired by Middle East tourism businesses and is in communication with the French hemp Society President. Possibly covering hemps use in building materials?

Seems like a woolly brainfart of an idea.

Safe pedestrian access across East Parade remains the precinct’s most significant barrier, according to Xamon. Plans for a footbridge connecting East Perth train station to the Power Station site have stalled...

I mean, there is safe pedestrian access with the shared bike/walking path that goes under the road just after the end of the train platforms. Isn't it overkill to put a pedestrian bridge over the road? I'm guessing it would be built as an extension coming out from the existing platform access footbridge. So it'd make the walk to the power station quicker than going a safe but long way.

I've walked a couple sections, over through Mundaring Weir. Its a nice walk. You'd be able to get sone good shots with your photography as well.

I really should walk it one day, I've been here for almost 40 years

"Eire" how would that be pronounced ee'er, or maybe like "ire".

Edit: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/eire

Didn't see that bit. They can say that all they want, cultural exchange is the nice to have. Puts your comment in a bit more context though. Thought that cultural exchange bit of your comment had come out of left field.

Literally in the article:

The Department of Home Affairs has stressed the main aim of working holiday visas is cultural exchange rather than supplying long-term workers.

Cultural exchange isn't the point though. The 88 day extension is because there is a long term decrease in the numbers of people living in country towns or travelling workers in the country to fill these seasonal roles.

This is in part the agricultural industries own fault for allowing increasingly large tracts of land to be bought by less farmers, or farming companies. I would say, its not all their fault because as a society we've allowed the 'business efficiency' decisions, only chasing lower costs/higher margins = always better, to drive the direction of business in this country.

As an example of how this has affected farming in particular, its meant banks have removed more staff who can assess the viability of an ongoing farm on its merits as an ongoing agricutural venture, and replaced them with more staff who are trained to look at the farm as a basket of assets and the projected revenues rendered from those assets. This model, like in many industries, has made banks far more risk averse to lending to farmers, leading to more farmers selling and moving on, unable to cover cash flow problems. This had the flow on effect of detaching that farmer's whole family from that land and local area. Those families end up moving their lives to the coasts and the cities away from other farmers in the area who might've had the opportunity to employ these family members seasonally on their farms. Now we've reached a stage where the commercial farming corporations are seen as the safer option for lending for too many banks, so even fewer farming families are able to carry on, on the land. These corporate farms are less connected with the towns and land again, which will negative effects on the land, as well as increasing pressure on governments to import more labour who are willing to work for less money and no ongoing stake in the businesses. The agcorps have little stake in the land or towns beyond maintaining a decent return, and the towns and new farmers have little ongoing stake in the agcorps so can be less attentive to the longterm needs of the farm.

And this all began because some guy called Milton Friedman couldn't accept he got a few things wrong in an economics book he could never stop re-editing. The inefficient outcomes of 'business efficiency' decision making are being accepted, but the financial system doesn't accept a different method of assessment yet.

I went off on a fair tangent here, i suppose I ended up only somewhat relating back to your comment.

So, the problem isn't Rottnest. It's that hospitality in regional towns doesn't qualify as remote work. If cultural exchange is the point, having backpackers doing hospitality in towns where people have time for a chat sounds like the right thing.

As to farm work, that's a tough one. We want that to be an attractive option. Not knowing anything on the topic, I can only assume it isn't attractive because workers are not compensated enough for the work.

Kinda surprised it's not already

I am for it.

Just based on the name alone. The sound pleases me greatly.

I know right, $50 deposit? Unreal!

@Gorgritch_umie_killa Back in the days when land was cheap and houses expensive.

Was actually the weekend before. Maybe I should do a post about Sculpture by the sea.

Was actually a Monday a few weeks ago

Went out floating in the creek this arvo, then up to the lookout for sunset.

Not got any this weekend. Wasn't even working on the house to take any pics of broken and bent shit there!

Not sure the writer Cat Williams really answered the question she posed in the title with this article. The subsidies might be increasing demand for fossil fuels, but theres more in the way of the renewables roll out than fossil fuel subsidies.

I'm also not sure the 15% reservation policy has been represented well here. Its a tighter policy, linked to a number of specific projects I believe, which I've read was beginning to unwind due to the gas fields included coming towards the end of their life. So the negotiations for Pluto could be seen as the State Government pro-actively extending the life of the status-quo agreement.

Tbf WA actually has Eagles, and there are big mobs of swans everywhere.

Such a missed opportunity. Its so obvious as well, like we have no bears here. Its some call back to an old team that went bust. What does a team name like the 'Bears' have to do with WA?

Ez premiership incoming 🏆

Wow, that's a fun tidbit, thanks for sharing :)

South Melbourne (now Sydney) adopted the Swan as their logo in 1933 after an influx of WA players.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Swans