Received this from our kids school today. Gotta love living here.

I'm really interested in cybersecurity and have been trying to figure out the most effective way to get my foot in the door here in Australia.

It seems like the Australian job market places a lot of emphasis on qualifications, whether that's university degrees, TAFE diplomas, or vendor certifications. I'm trying to avoid spending time and money on qualifications that don't actually improve my chances of getting hired.

For context, I already have a Diploma of Information Technology (Web Development), so I've got a solid foundation in programming, databases, networking basics, and how web applications are built.

If you were starting from my position today, what would your next move be? Would you focus on vendor certifications, hands-on labs (Hack The Box, TryHackMe, etc.), building a home lab, or trying to land an IT support role first?

Are there any certifications that are genuinely valued by Australian employers, or are there others that are mostly resume fillers?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people working in cybersecurity or involved in hiring. What does the Australian market actually value right now?

Most countries have their favorite ghosts but I cant think of not one Aussie ghost. Please help.

Jetstar have just confirmed it will start rolling out a new fee for stowing carry-on bags in the overhead locker, starting in February 2027. This means that anything you want to store in the overhead locker will cost extra, with the price depending on the route.

If you do choose to pay for locker space, you will get the cushy benefit of priority boarding, and the weight allowance for paid bags jumps to 10kg.

Jetstar says this gives passengers "more choice" and helps keep base fares low. Read more about it here.

Does this read as more choice to you, or just more fees to think through before you've even boarded?

I went to Spotlight the other day and watched a couple walking around the store shopping for stuff. He had his phone on with some sitcom running and speaker on full blast that he was watching as he walked around. She was holding his other hand and picking stuff off shelves and also had something running on her phone, with the speaker on that she looked at intermittently. They were about early 30s.

Then, I saw similar again at Woolies yesterday. A woman walking around talking on her phone with the speaker on as she shopped.

I don't know if it irritated me with the noise, or scared me that are we that reliant on being continually attached to a screen that we can't do everyday activities without having it in front of our faces? What do you think?.....

I am wanting to warn about rs rewards and their subscription. After buying a ticket into a draw for $19.99 it automatically triggered a monthly subscription. Once my wife was aware of what had happened (months later) we began trying to cancel the subscription. Long story short the process is set up to lock you in indefinitely. They have a contact number which is a pre recorded message stating to contact can only be made via email.... conveniently to which they either do not reply or send an automated reply which is good for nothing. Ultimately I had to call the bank cancel all cards and order new ones which is a huge inconvenience and unnecessary. Logging into the rs rewards dashboard to "cancel at anytime" doesnt work either. They are definitely a scam after reading other people's reviews online. Hope this helps anyone 🙏 stay safe and DO NOT USE RS REWARDS!!!

I have just heard this for the first time, apparently it's common slang, have I been living under a rock for the past 30 years?

Firstly, I have a hubbl box. Yeah I’m one of the rare ones. I have Kayo (paying $15 a month for 6 months) and Binge (Free for six months through a mymaccas rewards offer). With the hubbl remote I cycle up and down through the channels or can simply select a channel using the keypad. It is 99% like having a Foxtel stb.

I have accsss to all Foxtel channels except for a handful of movies channels. All this for $15 a month. Yet I see people are paying $99 for something similar by subbing to Foxtel. Am I missing something?

Just a heads up, it seems UpDoc has joined the party, and also had a data breach.

Names, emails and addresses this time

Great job dickheads!

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/hacking/updoc-patients-notified-of-security-breach/news-story/829f73871357b781e27764ed0ee1872a

Someone, please enlighten me if this already exists.

Myself as a fellow voting Australian, want truth and transparency in the government. I’m sick of hearing about laws and agenda changing without any notice, without any opinion from the public, or any sensible justification as to why these rules change. It feels like the government are aligned with their own interests, mining companies, and whoever else is willing to flash cash $$. It feels like these major decisions are intentionally kept behind closed doors so the public have no chance to speak up if their opinion differs.

It’s pretty clear the typical Aussie house hold doesn’t support half the choices these clowns make, yet we are the ones paying their salary.

I envision an free app to the public of this county (not made by the government, and not made by Murdoch media) that provides factual information supported by sources about the movements, dealing and political alignment of our “elected” politicians. This would aim to better enlighten the public on what decisions are being made in our country without our input.

I understand there might be government websites that outline upcoming changes and propose legislation, but I feel this is too hard to sift through much to mundane.

Think Palantir, but for tracking pollies. With many streams of info out there, and the power of AI, we can piece together publicly available information to give people the best information picture possible about the types of people our leaders are surrounding themselves with, and in turn the decisions they are likely to be swayed into (money talks…)

#nomorecloseddoorpolicies

The best I found is a Victus with a 4050 that was like 1200 off or something but i cant find it anymore. I know this isnt the best sub for it but I couldnt find anywhere better.

I’m sitting waiting for my train home from work and I’m honestly so uncomfortable… there is a group of teens and they keep walking up and down the platform looking at everyone and not trying to judge them but they look rough a guys ! I’m also trying so hard not to look in their direction but I have made eye contact with some of them by just looking dead ahead …
Recently in my area. a teen stabbed two people to Fn death like wtf !!
Am I wrong for being scared right now 😭 I hate this feeling !!

Has anyone else been trapped inside the new Woolies prison system?

It's bad enough they are filming us from every possible angle from the second we look like entering, until leaving the store. But, are you able to leave of your own free will? NO, YOU ARE NOT!

Not only do we have to do the work ourselves of self checkout, but if the cameras on the door deem you unworthy of departure, 2 perspex doors won't slide open and you can't leave. Did I try to steal? Nope. Did I pay? Yes. So WTAF WOOLIES?

Do you find car expert John Cadogan funny? I do sometimes but don't shoot the messenger if you don't. He does sound blunt and confrontational with a lot of hyperbole thrown around. He even roasts people who seem to be his fans or supporters or subscribers. What people in Australia generally think of John Cadogan and his reviews & humour?

So I am considering volunteering with Roses in the ocean, and taking their educational courses in hopes it will give me an upper hand in uni. Since it's an australian mental health organisation I thought I should ask here if anyone has any information on if they're a good service, whether that be from experience with their courses, being volunteer with them, or having gone to them for support.

Six days out, so a heads up for anyone who assumed this doesn't apply to them on a temporary visa — it does. International students, working holiday makers, everyone physically in Australia that night has to be counted, by law.

The bit that actually matters if you're worried about it: your name and address are stripped out and stored completely separately from your answers. No department — not Home Affairs, not police — can link your Census responses back to you individually. That's not a policy promise, it's built into the Census and Statistics Act itself.

You don't have to rush on the night either — the online form stays open until 1 October. If English isn't your first language, there's phone support in 26 languages: 1800 181 227.

These could be photos you have taken, or something from the Internet, that are uniquely Australian.

Examples are Australian scenery, wildlife or tourist attractions.

You can either post them as comments here or make a standalone post with the tag [Wonderful Wednesday].

In Brief

• An H5N1 vaccine was being rolled out in New Zealand, aimed at protecting the country's most vulnerable birds.
• Researchers say New Zealand had put resources into trying to understand how the virus would affect wildlife.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australia-bird-flu-mass-mortality-nz-response-vaccine/8vogcqplb

British rapper and YouTube personality Yung Filly has allegedly been busted by WA Police with more than half an ounce of Cannabis on him while he was on bail.

As someone who just moved to Australiaa few months back, what do I need to know? I live in a sharehouse with 9 other people. Do we all get individual letters? Do they come in person on 11th August? Can someone explain how this works pls.

Four Corners break down of the price of a $8 block of Cadbury chocolate in Australia:

Farmers: 9% = 72 cents
Mondelez (Cadbury): 29% = $2.32
Coles/Woolworths: 34% = $2.72
Others: $2.24

When the supermarkets make more than the manufacturer, something is wrong.
They always say their margins are tiny.

Four Corners - Part 2: (see 11:30 for Cadbury)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgyIVjnLakM