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👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.
What a day.
I’ve just spent the day deep in the belly of the beast — at the Australian Gaming Expo here in Sydney - but more on that shortly.
First up: I’ve got two stories from yesterday for you to catch up on. The first was about Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who cannot help himself when it comes to the leadership ambitions he may (definitely) have.
Usually, to play it safe, politicians will throw their support behind the leader in public settings — but Hastie has had a habit of making his future intentions quite clear in the clean up that has followed the Coalition’s heavy loss at the election.
On Sky News this past weekend the shadow home affairs minister had another crack at telling the people at home “yes, of course I will… but not now.”
Must make his party leader, Sussan Ley, feel great.
You can watch that report here.
I also did some digging into Tasmania’s announcement it would end greyhound racing — and what the potential political ramifications are for newly-elected (but still) Tassie Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
You can watch that report here.
Now let’s crack on 🗞️
It’s so much fun!
🗣️ Why did he say that?
Today I went to the Australasian Gaming Expo at the International Convention Centre in Sydney. The first thing I thought when I walked in was: OMG they built another casino in Darling Harbour.
There were pokie machines everywhere and, more notably, salespeople trying to sell them to every pub, club, RSL and casino represented by any number of folks walking around like a lost dog in a shopping mall.
I won’t lie, they weren’t the friendliest bunch to me. I’m guessing they saw my name tag that said “NEWS“ on it and realised I wasn’t worth the time of day. Maybe because they thought I’d ask them about the billions of dollars Aussies lose to gambling every year… and if so, well — yeah, I probably would have.
I did manage to overhear some of the sales reps doing their pitches — which is where I heard today’s quote.
Other highlights included:
Robot waiters - apparently, in test runs, people aren’t freaked out by them and will put their glasses on top.
Finding out different machines work better for different markets. Turns out people from NSW, QLD, and VIC don’t just prefer different footy codes.
The smell of excess aftershave.
All of the sales jargon these guys were using - player experience, what is the player chasing and what’s building anticipation.
Absolutely no one wanting to talk to me about the G-word (gambling)
For my full report on the AGE check out today’s video:
Around the Grounds 🦘
Across the country, things are happening at a local level that have an impact nationally. Here’s the stories you might not hear about in the traditional media.
1️⃣ $2400 to walk dogs? Where else but Sydney
I know Sydney is an expensive place to live. I live there! But I was reminded of that immediately after returning from a couple of days in Townsville, quickly watching the price of my coffee shoot into the stratosphere.
But as Huw Bradshaw at the North Shore Lorikeet reports, it’s not just the little thins. The price of being a dog walker in the North Sydney LGA could become A LOT more expensive following a recent local council meeting.
The proposal presented to the council would see a fee introduced for professional dog walkers as well as personal trainers, kayak tour operators and companies that organise weddings on council land.
A fee structure was not detailed; however, permit prices in other local LGAs may give a guide.
In a nearby suburb, Lane Cove dog walkers are charged $2,400 annually for a permit along with a $70 registration fee.
A local dog walker told Huw it would be the small businesses that suffer.
North Sydney Council has put the report out for consultation, so now it’s up to the public to have their say…
I wonder how that will go down.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
2️⃣ Power preparedness in regional NSW could be a sign of things to come
I’ve been trying to show as much of the work Ellie Chamberlain has been doing over at the Mid North Coaster as possible, especially around the storms that recently struck the area — and what it’s taking for folks to recover.
What more could the community be doing to prepare, anyway? After another storm swept through northern NSW on the first weekend of August, 32,000 homes and businesses went without power for days.
One solution is composite poles made of Fibre Reinforced Polymer. Which are stronger against fires, floods and storms.
A spokesperson for Essential Energy said “New South Wales and southern Queensland, particularly along the east coast, have experienced a growing number of extreme weather events in recent years.”
The other big thing is for residents to be prepared to be without power for days.
In my own opinion, I think as soon as you sign a lease in a regional centre, you should be given a guide on making a storm/cyclone kit. With the way the climate’s going, these moments are only going to become more intense.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
That’s it from me. I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to this email and I’ll be on the other side 👋
I’ll be back on Friday.
Cheers, Archie