[Shaved Monkey]

Qantas is raising its fuel surcharge again, to as much as $580 on return tickets, in response to skyrocketing fuel prices.

And it won't rule out increasing the surcharge further, a prospect that remains under review, said Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.

"Further increases will be considered if necessary," he warned.

"The revised fuel surcharges cover less than half the increase in fuel costs for the Qantas international business for next year," Mr Joyce said.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel- ... z1Jw7oZYnW



get your cheap travel in on a high Aussie dollar while you still can

[Sixstrings]

$580 just for the fuel surchage? Don't know how the AUS dollar equates to US, but that sounds like a lot.

Here's an idea.. get yourself an account in US dollars. Book your tickets online with travelocity, fly American carriers and let Qantas take their surcharge and stuff it.

[Shaved Monkey]

$1 AuD= $1 USD...... roughly

[Adelaidewonderer]

$1 AuD= $1 USD...... roughly

That was last weeks rate. This week it is $1AUD =$1.07US. With the US debt running as it is, next week it should be up to $1.15US. Soon we will be importing US dollars just to burn them for heating.

[Shaved Monkey]

Those printers are going 24/7 and apparently there is an inexhaustible supply, we may have solved Australias post peak oil energy needs

[Sixstrings]

$1 AuD= $1 USD...... roughly

That was last weeks rate. This week it is $1AUD =$1.07US. With the US debt running as it is, next week it should be up to $1.15US. Soon we will be importing US dollars just to burn them for heating.

Jesus.. you guys are doing well:

Average Wage By State
(Full Time Ordinary Earnings)

Australian Capital Territory $75,514
Western Australia $70,101
New South Wales $65,863
Queensland $63,840
Victoria $62,847
Northern Territory $61,870
South Australia $59,176
Tasmania $55,255
http://www.emigratetoaustralia.org/average-wages-australia.html

Minimum wage in Australia raised to $15 an hour:

Australia Raises Minimum Wage
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704025304575283933964515188.html

Now let's compare to the US average wage:

The national average wage index for 2009 is 40,711.61. The index is 1.51 percent lower than the index for 2008.
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/AWI.html

Our minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

So your dollar is now worth more than ours. And yet, your average wage is almost twice that of Americans, and your minimum wage is over twice as much. 80% of new jobs created in the US this year were all part time, like 18 hours a week in the $8-11 an hour range. We barely created enough of these part time jobs just to account for population increase, much less get the millions of jobless back to work.

Unlike us, I think you guys have universal healthcare? You also seem to have sane, responsible and competent government. I remember reading about your PM raising taxes to pay for typhoon relief rather than getting off track with your debt reduction plan.

So.. with things so bright and sunny in Australia, and the future looking so good, I have to ask why the Aussies on this forum are doomers.

Please tell me something doomy about Australia, cuz from everything I read I'm just not seeing it.

[Shaved Monkey]

Unlike us, I think you guys have universal healthcare?

Yes since the 70s

You also seem to have sane, responsible and competent government.

Not necessarily in all fields, we still stupidly follow the US into every war for oil.
The current leader tossed out the previous leader over wanting to introduce an ETS (carbon trading system) and a Mining tax (that would have returned massive profits to us/the people)
Major CIA /US interference in those decisions
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-dept ... 5967923486
Last US/CIA interference was an over throw of another Government who wanted to nationalise our mining industry the same one that introduced Healthcare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_activi ... _Australia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_John_Boyce
http://nuganhand.wordpress.com/2011/01/ ... ugan-hand/
[/end conspiracy theory]
and our opposition thinks climate change is crap (and according to the polls the majority of the sheeples will vote for them at the next election in a few years time unless something drastic happens)

So.. with things so bright and sunny in Australia, and the future looking so good, I have to ask why the Aussies on this forum are doomers.

Please tell me something doomy about Australia, cuz from everything I read I'm just not seeing it.

No future planning,
massive shift to the right politically,(this government is a labour part but 20 years ago would have been considered a conservative government)
right wing media and conservative politics blowing the refugee hating dog whistles
Uneducated rednecks being the most potent politic force that politicians try to appease.
Compulsory voting at elections means governments are decided by what the mortgage belt thinks (and they dont think much more, than what the right wing shock jock tells them too, as they drive to and from work, or what the right wing paper screams at them that they read it in their breaks)

on a plus side
the Greens hold the balance of power in the senate from July for at least the next 3 years meaning even if the conservatives get into power they wont be able to pass their laws as they please and the current reform government has to make some proper reforms.

[kiwichick]

and back to qantas

the eurozone has said they will impose a levy on australian airlines because australia doesn't have a price on carbon

the us has said it will appeal to the WTO

[Sixstrings]

and back to qantas

the eurozone has said they will impose a levy on australian airlines because australia doesn't have a price on carbon

the us has said it will appeal to the WTO

Are they imposing a levy on US airlines?

I'm sure China gets a free pass on this, as usual..

[Pretorian]

Please tell me something doomy about Australia, cuz from everything I read I'm just not seeing it.

Well about 10 years ago all foreign programmers I knew in AU wanted to move to US, thats all I can say.. Australia is extremely rich in resources and still not very many people are out there.
If US managed to get rid of its human ballast it would be better than AU, I can tell you this much.

[kiwichick]

pretorian

australia is probably already overpopulated

Prof. Tim Flannery estimates Australia's sustainable population is between 6 and 12 million

see his book "The Future Eaters" first published1994

[SeaGypsy]

The reason we follow the US to war is not because we need the oil, at least that is far from the primary reason.
The real reason is because without the USA's support in a military sense, Australia would most likely have already ceased to exist. Some younger, more naive posters may dispute this position, nobody with a solid understanding of our geopolitical history would.

[radon]

The reason we follow the US to war is not because we need the oil, at least that is far from the primary reason.
The real reason is because without the USA's support in a military sense, Australia would most likely have already ceased to exist. Some younger, more naive posters may dispute this position, nobody with a solid understanding of our geopolitical history would.

It looks like the Australians would be better off if acquired the nukes technology. But the US would not let them, would they.

[Shaved Monkey]

The reason we follow the US to war is not because we need the oil, at least that is far from the primary reason.
The real reason is because without the USA's support in a military sense, Australia would most likely have already ceased to exist. Some younger, more naive posters may dispute this position, nobody with a solid understanding of our geopolitical history would.

Or you could argue the reason we wouldn't exist without the US, would be the US would be doing the invading and destabilising to get our resources.
We have arguably the most resources per head of population in the world, most are foreign owned, you don't think every nation on earth who owns a piece wouldn't want to guarantee supply.We could disband the military and become neutral and have the world step up up to protect us, instead of jumping into bed with the US as a sole partner.
The US alliance may still be the reason we don't exist when the US tries to hold on to empire and our resources as China grows to take its place and military conflict breaks out, resulting in us having to choose between the old regime or the new regime.
Hopefully peak oil will collapse both empires before that happens

[SeaGypsy]

We have arguably the most resources per head of population in the world, most are foreign owned, you don't think every nation on earth who owns a piece wouldn't want to guarantee supply...

That's not it. Clearly you have spent no time living in poor countries. An open treaty would force working visa restrictions to ease, upping population whilst downing living standards. If you knew how many Asians want to come here simply because of relative wages (about 50 times in real terms) you would realize why we need a greedy former British Empire colonial strategic partner.

We could disband the military and become neutral and have the world step up up to protect us, instead of jumping into bed with the US as a sole partner.

As per above.

The US alliance may still be the reason we don't exist when the US tries to hold on to empire and our resources as China grows to take its place and military conflict breaks out, resulting in us having to choose between the old regime or the new regime.

Very likely, eventually, but only if...

Hopefully peak oil will collapse both empires before that happens

Doesn't happen.

[Loki]

Major CIA /US interference in those decisions....blah blah blah

Oh jeez, why don't you just take responsibility for your own foibles rather than blame the US for all your problems. How childish. I've been to Australia a couple times, I seem to recall seeing some adults there, try acting like one....