AusPoll • @AusPoll6 • 15h Federal voting intention (35-54) ALP: 39% (+12) L/NP: 20% (+1) ONP: 19% (-6) GRN: 11% (-2) IND: 5% (-5) OTH: 6% (-) Resolve | 13-18 Apr | n=~600 [subsample from nationwide poll] | +/- 9-14 Mar

Interesting

Female tawny frogmouth sitting on verandah railing, looking straight ahead towards the house.

Female tawny frogmouth now sitting on the hills hoist with her back to the camera. She looks quite chunky.

Male tawny photograph sitting on the branch of a tree.

While I was enjoying my cuppa on the verandah at dusk today, Ms Tawny did her first warm up flight over to the railing. 5 minutes later she flew to the backyard hills hoist. Meanwhile, Mr Tawny was in a nearby tree (last pic).
Go well tonight, you two!
Grainy phone photos below.

Dr Tracy Westerman AM ... 42m • c A few people saying "it's not a fair comparison — Hanson was never in power." Let me explain how parliament actually works. Any member of parliament - government, opposition, or crossbench - can introduce a bill. Hanson has had crossbench power and balance of power positions for 30 years. She has introduced bills. None have passed into law. But here's the more important point. Albanese introduced a climate change bill in 2005 — as an opposition backbencher with no power to pass it. He introduced same-sex equality legislation in 1998 and kept reintroducing it until it finally passed in 2007. That is what conviction looks like. Fighting for something for years before you have the numbers. Hanson has had 30 years and Senate crossbench power. Her own website lists her achievements as blocking other people's legislation and forcing inquiries. The comparison isn't about government vs opposition. It's about what you do with whatever power you have. One of them used it to fight for things. The record is there for anyone who wants to look.

And her follow-up post:

Dr Tracy Westerman AM • @TracyWesterman X.com Anthony Albanese versus Pauline Hanson both entered parliament in 1996. Same year. Same starting line. Nearly 30 years later — here's the comparison. PAULINE HANSON Bills originated and passed into law: Zero. Her COVID vaccination bill failed. Her burqa ban failed — twice. Her immigration plebiscite failed. Her own website lists her achievements as blocking other people's legislation, forcing inquiries, and leveraging crossbench power. Senate attendance rate: 53% - and she's a Senator with no ministerial responsibilities. ANTHONY ALBANESE Bills passed into law in three years of government: -43% emissions reduction target — legislated V 10 days paid domestic violence leave for every Australian worker - Cheaper childcare — subsidy increased from 85% to 90% - Energy price caps on gas and coal - $300 energy bill relief for every household

-National Anti-Corruption Commission -Help-to-Buy shared equity housing scheme -Ban on foreign purchases of existing homes $3 billion in student debt wiped -School funding reform - Gonski fully funded -RBA reformed -Social media ban for under-16s $22 billion Future -Made in Australia manufacturing investment -Wage theft criminalised -Minimum wages up — cumulative $9,000 for lowest paid workers -Two consecutive budget surpluses — first in 15 years -Electric vehicle fringe benefits tax exempted -Parliamentary attendance rate: 83% — as a sitting Prime Minister with international commitments Same starting line. Nearly 30 years apart. One of knows how to govern. The other knows how to complain. 11:09 am • 18/4/2026 • 567 Views

A reminder from Dr Tracy Westerman about Pauline Trumpson’s contributions to our country to date.

Screenshot of a news article with the headline, “Yes we can: Andrew Forrest mocks Murdoch tabloid stories dismissing electric trucks.” Below the headline are the date (16 April 2026), author (Giles Parkinson), and reading time. The article image shows a side-by-side comparison: on the left, a Daily Telegraph tabloid front page featuring a man refuelling a truck with the bold headline “TRY RUNNING THIS ON A BATTERY”; on the right, a promotional image of a large electric mining haul truck with the text “YES WE CAN – 464 tonnes. Battery electric.” A caption notes the image is from Andrew Forrest’s LinkedIn page.

👍
thedriven.io/2026/04/16/y...

Love flitty little silvereyes!

A male tawny frogmouth perched on a tree branch. Its eyes are mostly closed, giving it a sleepy, relaxed expression, and its broad beak points slightly upward. Nestled against its chest is a small, fluffy chick with soft grey down, partially hidden among twigs.

This came up as a memory on my phone. It’s Dad with a baby tawny, but even I didn’t notice the chick until I looked harder ❤️

AusPoll 6 NEWS AusPoll * @AusPoll6 X.com What is your view on how well or badly US president Donald Trump is handling the war with Iran? [from before ceasefire deall • Well: 11% (4% very well) Badly: 71% (55% very badly) Neutral: 18% YouGov | 31 Mar-7 Apr | n=1500

Well don’t vote for Pauline Trumpson’s party then, fellow Australians.

This bounty came from a vine that just emerged of its own volition and colonised the entire side of the yard. It yielded 40 bloody pumpkins. That’s life in the subtropics for ya.

A pile of pumpkins sitting on a kitchen bench.

The good news is that we’re now down to our last 14 pumpkins!

These basils are perennials - this is their third year with no sign of dying. Have to keep hacking them back 😂

2 images of Pauline Hanson with the headline, ‘Politician Who Unravels At The Slightest Sign Of A Difficult Question Would Make A Great PM’

The Betoota Advocate • NO QUESTIONS PLS: As the comment section across the noisiest sections of the internet gets louder about a new Prime Minister, Pauline Hanson is rising to the occasion. The One Nation Leader is this week continuing on her quest to make as much noise as possible about issues she has no actual feasible solutions for and even less chance of actually implementing, in an effort to score political points and wreak chaos for her powerful friends. That has lead to the people who aren't afraid of telling it like it is, but get incredibly offended by someone telling them how he might actually be, calling for Pauline Hanson to be the next Prime Minister. The calls for Pauline for PM have been boosted of course by a surge in first party preference support for Pauline and One Nation. However that popularity, given how on the nose they are with all the other political parties and individuals in our country, means that they are only capable of winning a handful of seats, if they keep up the endless rage for the next few years.

That will likely be made easier by the government continuing to do fuck all about the very real issues that make ordinary Australians feel forgotten and poorer than previous generations. While Pauline is extremely unlikely to be become PM in our lifetime (ya never know), it's definitely a good sign that she completely melts whenever she is asked anything that looks remotely like a difficult questions. Like where the fuck she's getting this 300 million dollar figure for Ben Roberts Smith prosecution from? Or if she has nay interest in costing any of the random unimplementable policies she pulls out of her arse? Or if maybe it's kind of rich she carries on about being tough on crime when she hires a convicted rapist? Cause you wouldn't get asked any tough questions if you were PM. And you definitely don't need any answers. More to come.

Betoota cutting through Pauline Trumpson’s bullshit here.
www.betootaadvocate.com/politician-w...

Blue banded bee hovering above a basil flower, with basil leaves in the background.

Love our blue banded bee visitors!

Letting our massive basil bushes go right through the flower stage seems to keep all the local pollinators happy. I used to snip the flowers off, but not these days.

This is wonderful!

A tawny frogmouth perches on palm tree branch, its mottled brown feathers. A long, thin leaf crosses in front of its face, partially obscuring its beak, while one eye is slightly open in a narrow, sideways glance—giving the impression of a subtle side-eye despite its otherwise still, camouflaged posture.

This one’s for everyone who needs to channel Ms Tawny’s side-eye energy today. Go well.

Orban lost! The people won! Bloody excellent news to wake up to for a change.

Lovely-looking girl!

Trusted news for Victoria (@heraldsun) on Threads ANDREW BOLT: Defending Ben Roberts-Smith is being made a test of our patriotism. But these allegations could not be swept under the carpet and our response to them is a measure of both our integrity a...

www.threads.com/@heraldsun/p...

Published in the Herald Sun today.

I have a simple question for the people angrily defending Ben Roberts-Smith, claiming a war hero is being persecuted by woke civilians judging soldiers in battle from the comfort of their sofas. Do you think Australian soldiers should be allowed to shoot unarmed prisoners? Are you fine if our soldiers shoot prisoners in the back? Machinegun a one-legged man whơ'd surrendered? Murder a handcuffed man already injured after being thrown off a cliff? What would you say of Nazis whơ'd (allegedly) done that? Of Islamic State terrorists whơ'd slaughtered captives? Be honest. -Andrew Bolt HS

Andrew and I agree on this.

A photo of a sign next to a pond and wildflowers, with trees in the background, saying: Developers see 'unused land'. Wildlife sees the last place to stay alive.

Yes, human use is not the only use - and all uses are interdependent.

Breaking: High Court refuses to hear Bruce Lehrmann's appeal The High Court was Bruce Lehrmann's last legal avenue to challenge the outcome.

The latest episode in the Contemptible Men Interacting with the Australian Justice System series has just dropped.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

#fuckcapitalism
#fuckTheOnePercentClub

Grainy pic of two tawny frogmouths perched on either end of the stair railing at our house.

Looks like the tawnies are doing just fine back at home while we’re away camping. Here they are this evening after their little warm up flight but before they took off to hunt for their dinner.
Photo credit: our security camera.

I’m perhaps one of the few humans on earth with no interest in whatever humans are currently doing near the moon.

Yeah sure, sounds nice!

4m ago 11.41 AEST Ben Roberts-Smith arrested for alleged war crimes Nino Bucci Ben Roberts-Smith, the former Victoria Cross winner and Australian solider, has been arrested for alleged war crimes. The Australian Federal Police and Office of the Special Investigator are set to speak in Sydney shortly after midday about the arrest of a 47-year-old at Sydney airport on Tuesday morning. The arrest of Roberts-Smith was first reported by the Nine Newspapers • Ben Roberts Smith. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Good news

A banksia shrub with clusters of cylindrical flower spikes at different stages, ranging in colour from pale yellow to rust brown and grey. The spikes are surrounded by dark green, serrated leaves.

A larger banksia tree densely covered with many upright flower spikes in shades of cream, yellow, brown, and grey, showing buds, fresh blooms, and spent flowers among thick, leathery green foliage.

Close-up of a pale yellow-green banksia flower spike in bloom, its cylindrical head densely packed with long, fine tubular florets radiating outward. The centre shows a slightly darker, reddish-brown core where the florets attach. Surrounding the flower are stiff, dark green leaves with sharply serrated edges, fanning out in a circular pattern.

A younger banksia flower spike before opening, appearing as a tall, narrow cylinder covered in tightly packed, bead-like buds in pale green and soft pink tones. The spike rises from a rosette of long, rigid, dark green leaves with pronounced saw-tooth edges, set against a background of woody branches and foliage.

Look at these excellent banksias we saw on our walk yesterday arvo. Iconically Australian and very bloody beautiful.

Tawny frogmouth sitting on a branch looking directly at the camera. There’s a skinny parallel branch in the way, stopping her from standing up straight and kinda digging across the back of her head. She seems fine with it though and stayed there all day for several days in a row. This was despite there being plenty of other more comfortable roosting spots to choose from.

Another comedy pic from the archives, from the era when Ms Tawny was committed to roosting on a branch which had an awkwardly low stick above it. It never seemed to bother her though.😅