The problem is, the US is $28tn in debt. Our $850bn will bring us close to exceeding US debt per capita. When Greece went belly-up, its debt was only $110bn although Australia and the US are lucky that most of its workers pay tax. All those figures are in AU$.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Pete, Rosemary says she agrees with you about the cabin fever - except for the part about the booze!

Ian,
Oh no no , Tell her I'm referring to common beer drinkers. Not civilised people who have a love of the Red Grape.
I hope you two are in hiding working from home etc etc ,

Pete

They are predicting an upturn in family violence!!

Doesn’t surprise me whatsoever. When certain people can’t supply for their family due to job loss sometimes they can’t face the truth or don’t know how to release their built up pain so they turn to violence. Of course I don’t condone such things. It makes me ill just thinking about it but it’s what happens.

Scomo’s going to go down in history. Whether as the worst PM or the last, who can say? This may be the last straw for our government. Reformation? Possibly. ~2.5 million people aren’t going to just sit around on the streets doing nothing. The problem is there is a lot of people who haven’t lived through a recession and don’t seem to understand that these things can happen and have happened many times before thus they go mental robbing and stealing. The difference this time is that the final nail in the coffin is a virus after a long fire season from global warming just to throw a spanner in the mix.

Now we face the potential of having Australia sold off to China which simply can’t happen! I’d rather die then live in a communist Australia. Obviously this is worst case scenario. Our government has already sold far too much land to China! Our government needs to pull its finger out or be replaced with someone who will do what we need rather than what China wants!

I can clear one thing up - Scott Morrison is definitely not the worst PM we've had. Right now, he's the only one in Parliament I'd trust to lead the nation out of the current crisis. I don't agree with all his views but he is simply the best fit for these times.

Malcolm Turnbull on the other hand....

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

"The problem is, the US is $28tn in debt."

I notice that two of the heavily-indebted so called "P.I.I.G.S." nations, Italy and Spain, are hit hard by the Corona while more economically healthy Germany has only suffered lightly!

Similarly, heavily-indebted USA has got the corona bad, like New York City - but affluent Manhattan is less affected than its chaotic debt-laden boroughs like Queens and The Bronx!

So debtors are not only reckless with money, but also their health.

NewVista: I think you'll find demographic attributes of the most heavily-affected regions of the various high rate of infection and high death count countries come into play, such as urban population density, median age, socioeconomic conditions, recent travel and the impact of local tourism on non-travellers. Culturtal norms such a promenading (Italy) and spending a lot of time in cafes are also a factor.

As for the wealthy, there are stories of Aspen skiers testing positive but continuing to go about their normal daily lives, and like the famed Lewy the Fly, spreading disease with the greatest of ease.

"Posting on the Forum."

7. Comments specifically pertaining to religion, politics or other potentially extremist causes shall not be posted on any forum here.

Lets keep personal views on politics personal ?

In this never before extreme case, where the politicians are running the show, it is pertinent, to not hide the truth.

In the case of NSW. It is appropriate to question the insanity which has placed life in danger by letting people off of boats, they have now done the unthinkable and instead of controlling it have succeeded in spreading the damn thing all over the place.

This cannot be ignored & is appropriate to vent our fury: It really is up to Brad to chastise the ones that have gone one step too far.

I am in the danger zone for this virus and clearly as my lungs went down three weeks ago from another cause & could take another 3 to recover, one cannot be impressed as in this scenario, they are susceptible to pleurisy and infection: So they do this?

Marcc,
Hope you feel better mate no fun not being able to breath well.
Keep away from people and stay on the farm .

Pete

Just received an email from Commbank regarding my commercial mortgage, the key bits of which are:

QUOTE: We know times are tough for many businesses right now, and that maintaining cash flow may be difficult as the coronavirus continues to affect the economy. That's why we want to give you one less thing to worry about and provide some relief during this uncertain time.

Your 3 month repayment auto-deferral

We are automatically deferring all repayments on your account(s) listed below for repayments due between 1 April 2020 and 30 June 2020. We will be in touch in May to confirm whether you'd like to extend this deferral for another 3 months, from July – September 2020, in line with the Australian Banking Association (ABA) scheme.

What are the implications?

For the duration of the deferral period, interest and charges will continue to accrue at the agreed rate and time on any outstanding balances and add to the total loan balance. This means that the total amount of interest payable will be more than it would have been under the original contract term.

So, at least the banks are getting on board. The question is: will landlords defer rent payments? I believe legislation is in the wings to prevent evictions based on inability to pay rent as a result of this virus.

To clarify, regarding politics - forums with a specific purpose, such as these usually ban political discussions of any sort, no matter what. However I have always been a bit lax with all the rules here just as long as people remember their manners. I can't see anything in this thread that would bring me toward pressing the close button. If the debate remains civil I am happy to let it proceed. If it descends, things may have to be reviewed.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

With regard to the cruise ships docking at Circular Quay, there is a Commonwealth-State blame game though the bottom line is that it is the Australian Border Force that decides who gets on and off ocean liners and cruise ships, not the NSW Department of Health. The NSW Port Authority owns the terminal but they don't control the 'border'. I think Gladys Berejiklian was a bit previous when she took the blame for it and in response to questions just said words to the effect of "lay it on me".

The bottom line is, we should have done what WA is doing with two cruise ships currently lying at anchor off Fremantle. Make them stay out there until such time as the virus has passed. If need be, set sail for Christmas Island and put the crew and passengers in quarantine.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Can we stick governments and keep individual names out of it?

That was a Freudian slip, obviously I meant to government