The people have spoken...

mandate

noun

ˈmandeɪt/

1. 1.

   an official order or commission to do something.

   "a mandate to seek the release of political prisoners"

   • 
     

     
     
   • 
     
   • 
     

     
     

     
     
2. 2.

   the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election.

   "he called an election to seek a mandate for his policies"

   • 
     

     
     

     
     

verb

manˈdeɪt/

1. 1.

   give (someone) authority to act in a certain way.

   "the rightful king was mandated and sanctioned by God"

   • 
     

     
     
2. 2.

   historical

   (of territory) be assigned to (another power) under a mandate of the League of Nations.

   "mandated territories"

During the 1998 election the Liberal's campaigned on their GST policy and won the election.  The GST was implemented (with just a bit of negotiation with Meg Lee's of the Senate) with the legislation passing through both houses.

During the 2007 election Kevin '07 campaigned against the Liberal's WorkChoices policy and won the election.  Labor immediately set about dismantling the WorkChoices legislation and the legislation to do so passed through both houses (noteworthy here that Liberals did not oppose the legislation).

During the 2013 election the Liberal's campaigned against the Carbon Tax and won the election.

In all three elections the victor had received a clear mandate from the electorate.  There can be no confusion and no misunderstanding on this.

Labour did the right thing and allowed the passage of the GST legislation through the houses and the Liberals did the honourable thing and allowed the passage of the legislation to dismantle WorkChoices through the houses.

So right now I simply can't fathom how Labor can not recognise the clear mandate that Liberal has received from the election to dump the Carbon Tax. 

It is beyond rude.  It is beyond arrogant and it is just very, very poor form to say the least.  I just don't have the words to express my disbelief at this latest little sooky-la-la behaviour from the Labor party.

Tony Abbot's campaign was so clear - he was going to dump the tax.  It was his mantra every single day - day in and day out of the election campaign.  At every single opportunity it was his catchphrase.  He did have 3 or 4 other key platforms that he campaigned upon - and he can rightfully consider that he has a mandate for those also.

So Labor, you need to "man up", accept your punishment (ie: the mandate from the electorate) and let the Liberal's get on with the job.  If you want to sook and carry on, do it behind closed doors where we can't see it.


Till next time...

Our job as a parent...

I was listening to FM radio station yesterday morning as I was doing the school run and I heard a comment about a man who'd purchased an apartment as an investment property that will eventually be owned by his son who is currently 5 years old.  The radio station were inviting people to call in and voice their reaction to this little bit of "news".

I was staggered by the comments against what this father was doing!  It was terrible to listen to, to be honest.  

This man's "story" even made the nightly news and some of the printed and online news:

http://brisbanetimes.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/lawyer-buys-710000-city-unit-to-set-up-son-5-on-ground-floor-of-property-market-20131028-2wc2p.html

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/the-best-reason-for-not-buying-your-child-a-property-20131029-2wdod.html

http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/lawyer-buys-710000-city-unit-to-set-up-son-5-on-ground-floor-of-property-market-20131028-2wc2p.html


That the man even wanted to share what he was doing with the media is a little curious, but that's not the point right now.

People....we are parents.  It is incumbent upon us to provide our children with the best possible start in life that we're able to provide for them.  It really is that simple to understand.  And it's almost like an unwritten contract that we entered into the moment that the child is born.

It's our responsibility to do this, so good on this man for doing what he's done.  

There's no question that prices right now are ridiculous, and history tells us that it's just going to get worse in the future.  I always ask myself how on earth my kids are going to be able to afford to buy something when they're adults if I'm not able to help them out.  I wish I was in a position right now to do the same thing for my kids as this man has done for his son.


Till next time...

Another babe-elicious something...

There is a pub on the highway on my route home from school pick up.

It must have recently changed hands as there's new signage and there's been a bit of action there lately.  The signage says "Cold Beer, Hot Girls, Now Open".

The other day as I was driving home there was a really drop dead gorgeous woman with a smoking hot body (except for the gynormous plastic rack that looked as though she was going to float away into the sunset at any moment) standing in front of the pub.  She was wearing black, tight, tiny up-her-crack shorts and a bikini top that barely covered her nipples.  This girl was hot, and she was stopping traffic!

Anyway, she manages to catch the eye of my son (who is 9) and she gives him a little twinkle wave.  You know, the kind of wave that's a bit cheeky, using only a few fingers.

My son got so excited about it!  "Mum", he said, "she waved at me like this" and proceeded to demonstrate the little twinkle wave.  The smile on his face said it all!  It made his day.

Meanwhile I'm thinking to myself 'he's only 9, how can that excite him?'  Which led me to start thinking about DNA and the pre-configuration of the sexes, but that's the subject of a different post.

Anyway, the incident was quickly forgotten...

The next day, or possibly the day after, I picked my son up from school.  There was no 'hello mum'.

The first thing he said was "mum, are we driving past that pub again?".

He's 9, and all I can think is my goodness....typical male already!


Till next time...

Out of the mouths of babes...

I was at a school function one night this week.  It was a compulsory event that all children in the junior school had to attend and at some point perform in.  My daughter is 5 and in Kindy.

We'd arrived a little early and were waiting to go in to the Town Hall when one of my daughter's teachers arrived.  We were chatting and the teacher started talking to my daughter.  

The teacher asked my daughter "what do I teach at school?" 

My daughter's response: "I don't know....all the boring stuff."

LOL. 


Till next time...

A laugh a day keeps the Dr away...

Thank you Michael Smith - This post gave me a good laugh!


Till next time...



source: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/10/other-passengers-slowly-became-aware-she-was-watching-the-craig-thomson-parliamentary-statement-.html

And the rest of the day?...

Well, if I were a betting woman I think I would have won.

He did get up for about an hour at around 4.30pm to go outside and do some more tackling practice with son.  

When they finished he also got the shower ready for said son (set the water temperature), then he proceeded to sit on his fat arse on his red chair looking at the computer till he went to bed, which was about 11.45pm.

By contrast my afternoon consisted of everything I mentioned in my post yesterday, except I was too tired to even contemplate entering our business accounts in to MYOB.  Instead I collapsed on the couch and watched Limitless with Bradley Cooper....geez, I love Bradley Cooper!!

Again, someone shoot me!


Till next time...

Almost a day in my life...

It's Sunday, about 1.00pm and I look around my house and start to withdraw into my own thoughts.

Here's what I was thinking about:

7.15am - get out of bed, wash my face, brush my teeth, greet my children and ask what they want for breakfast

7.20am - start brewing an espresso for myself and hub

7.25am - start cooking a ham and egg breakfast for son and start preparing cereal for daughter.  Sip on espresso whilst cooking.  Start to hear signs that hub is up

7.35am - start cooking egg and mushroom omlette for my breakfast

7.40am - sit down and eat my breakfast.  Hub walks in and greets family.

7.50am - hang out washing that I'd programmed to start in the machine at 5.30am

8.00am - unpack dishwasher, get clothes for kids, get dressed myself

8.15am - start packing dishwasher and clean the kitchen

8.35am - put another load of washing in the machine

8.40am - can't remember what I was doing at this time, but various short conversations with children and hub take place whilst in the middle of doing odds and ends

9.00am - hub takes son outside to do some tackling practice.  I go and watch for a few minutes

9.10am - I announce that I'm heading out to do a small grocery shop and leave

9.25am - I arrive at shopping centre and shop

10.45am - I arrive home and commence bringing in grocery bags from car.  Find hub and children inside, children playing around and hub sitting on his red chair on computer watching youtube videos.  TV on in the background.  Hub offers to help with bags which I accept

10.50am - I commence unpacking grocery bags and putting away groceries.  Hub resumes sitting on his red chair watching the computer

11.05am - I've finished unpacking groceries and notice alot of natural yoghurt in the fridge so resolve to make frozen yoghurt for desert for the kids

11.10am - bring in first load of washing that's now dry and commence hanging out second load of washing that completed its cycle whilst I was shopping

11.30am - unpack dishwasher for 2nd time

11.35am - commence making frozen yoghurt mixture

11.45am - put frozen yoghurt mixture into churning machine

11.50am - re-pack dishwasher for 3rd time today

11.55am - try on pair of shorts that I bought this morning

12.00noon - general tyding up of the house

12.20pm - frozen yoghurt ready so scoop it into a tub for freezing but dish kids and hub up a small bowl each as a treat

12.30pm - empty contents of freezer and start defrosting it (old fridge/freezer and hub left the door to the freezer open overnight last week and it created crystals everywhere....really gave me the shits because I'd only defrosted it a week beforehand)


So, that's what I was thinking about....everything I had done, finished, accomplished since I'd woken up.  From then till now went something like this:

1.15pm - freezer re-packed and start washing all the dishes that don't get washed in the dishwasher.  Look at hub and make mental note he has not moved since he helped me with groceries....start wondering how soon after I left to go shopping he actually plonked his fat arse on that stinking red chair.  Start mentally reviewing my day and this timeline.  Notice my tomato seeds have started to sprout (little experiment to see if I can grow tomatoes....I can't grow herbs, but maybe tomatoes are different?)

1.15pm - get something to eat for the kids and start weighing and cooking my lunch

1.40pm - I finally sit down (first time since I sat and ate breakfast) and eat some lunch

2.00pm - start constructing this blog post

2.20pm - (right now!!) about to wind up this blog post.  Note hub still sitting on his fat arse on the computer.  I mentally review what else I need to do today:

• Wash daughter's hair
• Get school bags ready
• Iron school uniforms
• Cook dinner (home made hamburgers)
• Have a shower and wash my hair
• Make sure all school notes have been read and responded to where required
• Prepare school lunches for tomorrow
• Get kids off to bed
• Take computer into lounge room so I have some company whilst I enter our business accounts into MYOB

What will he be doing tonight?

Well, I'll take a bet he'll be sitting on his fat arse on his red chair watching the computer or the TV.

Someone shoot me!


Till next time...

Who REALLY needs protection?...

Consumers are not dumb.  That's right - consumers are not dumb.

Even more importantly - they do not need to be saved from themselves!

People ask me why I hate (yes, hate is a strong word, but I doubt I can use any lesser word) the construction industry so much and all I can say is that it's not a fair industry.

What other industry do you know of where external consultants, an engineer for example, is employed and instructed by the clients, designs his work and then the builder has to build it in accordance with those designs and then it's the builder who has to provide the warranty. 

We're not engineers.  How do we know if the design that the engineer has drawn is adequate?  Why should I have to provide warranty for that?  And....the warranty lasts 6 or 7 years!!

Where's the fairness in that?

What other industry do you know of where the clients fuck-arse around making decisions (selecting a tile, for example), doesn't make their decision in a timely manner thus severely affecting the critical path and blows out the construction program, then refuses to pay the delay costs associated with the delay THEY created?

Where's the fairness in that?

In this state we have Department of Fair Trading and the Consumer Tenancies and Traders Tribunal.  They are consumer protection devices because apparently consumers need protecting.

Well, I ask, WHERE IS MY PROTECTION???

I have a client who has delayed my progress on HIS house by 94 days.  That delay costs somewhere around $1,200 PER DAY, and that's not even counting the cost of missed opportunity because I'm stuck on his shitty house. 

That client now owes me $140k (in very loose round numbers).  Where is my protection against that? 

The client refuses to pay. 

I still have to hand him a completed house whilst he owes me all this money? 

I ask again, Where is my protection against that?

Now, I have to go and spend the equivalent in legal fees to recoup the delays costs I'm entitled to recoup.

How is that fair, I ask???

I have another client who's house was completed and handed to them over 12 months ago now.  Twelve months after they've been living in and enjoying their new home they decide to launch proceedings in a jurisdiction against us for....wait for it....our delay is delivering them a completed house.  They've also claimed for variations they agreed to (in writing might I add), and defects.  Their claim amounted to $150k or thereabouts.

Where is the fairness in them being able to do this 12 MONTHS AFTER THEY MOVED IN??

What's more, the variations they're trying to claw back WERE AUTHORISED IN WRITING BY THEM.

What's more even still, they never even notified us of any defects so how were we supposed to deal with them?

Where, again I ask, is the fairness in that.

So, what do I need to do?  What anyone who's the defendant in a $150k suit does.  Defend themselves!

So, I'm forced to go and spend almost the equivalent defending myself.

The clients forget all the work we did that we didn't get paid for.  The clients forget all the margins we forewent just so we can get the job done quicker and help their budgets.  The clients forget about all the information they never provided to us in the hope they could trick us and force us to provide things that we never knew about in the beginning.  The clients forget about all the changes they made during construction, and all the times they took forever and a day to make decisions, that all cause a knock on effect in the delivery program for the house.

Again, I ask....where is the fairness?

Where is MY protection against the consumer's stupidity??? 

The consumer does not need to be saved from me - rather, it is I who needs to be saved from the blasted consumer.


Till next time...