Michael Gardner
@getmg.dev
Existing at the intersection of people and technology. In Melbourne, Australia. He/Him, Father, Husband If you ask for donations, I will block you. This isn't the place for that.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
After five brutal years of Taliban rule, Afghan women and girls need our help – and I have a plan | Gordon Brown
Even in the face of appalling repression, girls yearn to fulfil their educational potential. We must set up a global fund to help them, says former UK prime minister Gordon Brown
theguardian.com
Arguably it was the $10b North East Link cost blowout that delayed Airport Rail. Better assessment of major projects before they start, including benefits and costs, is vital. Read our letter in The Age today.
Has hell frozen over? You know metro has been a smashing success when even the Northern Beaches wants one
Learning the #piano for the last year and a half, I’m astounded by process of learning, the tangible, physical and mental process of learning. Lately I’ve found that speaking the name of a note in my head as I look at it is helping me remember the notes and identify them faster.
Back on BSKY.app after a long break, here to chat, say hi and meet strangers until they don’t appear like strangers any more.
a cartoon character from the simpsons is holding a clipboard and says hi everybody .
ALT: a cartoon character from the simpsons is holding a clipboard and says hi everybody .
media.tenor.com
Here’s a great article by Dan Vallone over at the American Institute for Boys and Men about how veterans groups build connections among boys and men. It’s a very interesting idea and one I’d like to pursue in my local setting (not for veterans per-se, but for boys and men).
Bands of brothers: How veterans groups build social connections among men and boys
Veterans embody “no one gets left behind,” showing how service and community can fight men’s loneliness and build lasting connection.
aibm.org
"For essentially the last 25 years every single resources minister, bar one, has left Parliament and gone to work for the resources industry." - Senator Larissa Waters at our Revenue Summit 2025 @larissawaters.bsky.social #auspol
Here’s a great article that introduces you to ACT - how to tolerate annoying things. It also has some great follow up reading and resources to help you go deeper.
How to tolerate annoying things | Psyche Guides
Hassles are part of life, but the way we react often makes them worse. ACT skills can help you handle them with greater ease
psyche.co
There’s some really strange priorities in our planning system right now.
YIMBY Melbourne@yimby.melbourne · 9mo agoVictoria's planning system turned 9 well-located homes into one. This is why we have a housing crisis.
What's the single biggest driver of the housing crisis? According to a new Grattan Institute report, it's our own urban planning rules. The path out of this crisis runs directly through bold reform of these rules. A must-read. 👇
Matthew Bowes@mbowes.bsky.social · 9mo agoHousing in Australia is both too scarce and too expensive. Yet our major cities are among the least dense of their size in the world. Our latest Grattan report show how we can reform our urban planning rules to allow for more homes and better cities. 🧵
My goodness that’s a long time. I hope there’s no loan costs being paid while they wait.
YIMBY Melbourne@yimby.melbourne · 9mo agoIn 1999, it took 55 days to get a permit for 10 dwellings. In 2023, it took 371 days. Victoria’s new reforms will get it back down to 60 days. This is why it’s critical these reforms pass →
I think we’ve become so accustomed to saying no with regards to planning that that there’s a whole section of society that simply stopped asking the question in the first place. Let alone why not??
YIMBY Melbourne@yimby.melbourne · 9mo agoSaying no to saying no. Victoria’s new planning bill will make it much easier to build homes across our state. But they are at risk of not being passed in the upper house →
“Gas companies treat tax as optional, and they leave the rest of us with the cleanup bill for the natural disasters that they are turbo charging.” - Australian Greens Leader Larissa Waters at our Revenue Summit 2025 @larissawaters.bsky.social #auspol @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/opinions/251... Australian gas exports are displacing renewables not coal, great piece by @ketanjoshi.co on @thepointau.bsky.social
Australian gas exports don’t cut coal overseas, and here are the charts to prove it
The point.com.au
thepoint.com.au
Listen to the bloke unable to stop his right hand from moving
The Australia Institute@australiainstitute.org.au · 9mo agoBecause Australia gives so much of our gas away for free, Japan gets it so cheap it makes a profit selling it to other countries! "We are disincentivising Japan to do anything about their emissions." - Chief Economist Greg Jericho at our #RevenueSummit25 @grogsgamut.bsky.social #auspol
City of Melbourne has taken FIVE years to plan *one* affordable housing project. Melbourne cannot afford these delays. It's time to get on with it.
Sorry my friend. We know how this plays out. Years of roadworks disruptions, and then the new lanes will up with traffic within a year or two, and you're back to square one. Ultimately to keep cities moving efficiently, we need to get more people out of cars. Full story: www.theage.com.au/na... ($)
50 years ago, #Melbourne trains mostly ran every 20 minutes in the evening. Our population has almost doubled since then... but in 2025 they run FEWER evening services, mostly every 30 minutes. Time for State Government to fund #MoreServicesNow
Overly broad application of heritage restrictions: ❌ make housing more expensive ❌ make our neighbourhoods older & less diverse We need to let our neighbourhoods change with the times!
New Australia Institute research reveals that QLD has missed out on almost $400 million after Adani sold discounted coal to Indian companies. ‘It’s time Australian governments started charging for Australian resources and stopped giving them away for free.’ @rodcampbell.bsky.social #auspol
Victoria's new rental reforms are a good step forward. But let's be clear: in a housing shortage, renters have little bargaining power. We need to build more homes AND have robust regulations to truly empower tenants.
Keating makes the point that Labor should spend some political capital. My wish list: Be brave. Ditch AUKUS. Stop worshiping the “market” Fix CGT and -ve gearing. Tackle poverty reduction Housing as a human right. Establish a modern Housing Commission. Build public Housing. .
my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵) www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports
CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.
consumerreports.org
First they came for Brighton and I didn't speak up because I was not rich...
Great to see the Victorian Government grandstanding for more housing.....
