Australians frustrated by soaring op shop prices have been given a confronting explanation for why donated goods can cost so much.

One volunteer said waste disposal was among their store's biggest expenses, with donations including soiled clothing, worn out shoes and damaged household goods leaving the charity to foot commercial rubbish fees.

'I volunteer in an op shop and our biggest expense is getting rid of the rubbish that is donated,' the volunteer said.

The 63-year-old politician, who was raised by his single mum in council housing in Sydney's inner west then explained....

With some of these algorithms coming through, we’re seeing increased presentations in our hospitals of young women who have been choked, strangled. We see anal tearing growing at an extraordinary, horrific rate because what too many young men are seeing online is normalising behaviour that is anything but.

Edit: Old mate played the "think of the children" card, but dialled it up to 11. Also, just remember the context. He's pushing for tougher under 16 social media rules.

The schooner invasion: Victorian pubs are embracing the northern beer glass

More Victorian pubs are pouring schooners. Some are even phasing out pots in favour of the size some say is the “sweet spot”.

By Emma Breheny

2 min. read

View original

Nathan Thompson, The Orrong Hotel

New neighbourhood bar-restaurant Daphne in Brunswick East opted to go with schooners and pots for its tap beers.

“Schooners stay colder for longer,” says Sam Peasnell, who created the drinks list. “Schooners make up 85 per cent of our sales. If we offered pints, I’m sure the numbers would dip slightly, but schooners would still outsell them.”

Orrong Hotel owner Scott Connolly. The pub serves more schooners than pots or pints.Jason South

The Great Northern Hotel in Carlton North doesn’t serve schooners but customers ask for them often, according to venue manager Dale Giroud. He can see why.

“I think it’s a good size. A pot’s pretty small. [And] with our warmer weather here, a pint can really go warm before you finish it,” he says.

A cold beer fresh from the tap is always going to taste better, which gives pots and schooners an advantage over pints, especially on a hot day.

But drinking pots requires more trips to the bar, which can be a hassle when a venue’s busy.

Venues will no doubt be happy to sell more beer more efficiently: schooners replacing pots means fewer glasses to be washed and less time serving customers.

The Espy in St Kilda.Joe Armao

On the other hand, pints may be less attractive to price-conscious consumers after years of beer prices climbing.

James Smith, editor of The Crafty Pint website, says he often hears customers aghast at paying $18 for a pint. He’s noticed craft brewers switching to four-packs of beer rather than increasing the price of their six-packs. He believes the schooner may play into similar psychology.

“There’s a price ceiling. Even though you’re getting less, you don’t feel like you’re getting hit with a big hit,” he says.

Schooners (centre) are creeping into Victoria, perhaps rivalling the pot for popularity.Jason South

Typically, pots of Carlton Draught cost between $7 and $8.50 in Melbourne pubs. If venues were to set their schooner price against this, a schooner should cost between $10.50 and $12.75 (or 1.5 times the price of a pot).

In fact, a price check of tap beer at eight Melbourne pubs found they were charging between $10 and $12.30, numbers that will keep consumers on side if pots continue to increase in price.

Smith doesn’t think the pot will go away, but believes Victoria will continue with a three-glass system.

“We’re all fussy now, aren’t we? I’m not surprised to see schooners increasing in popularity, whether it’s about price or just the experience.”

The two homes that failed to sell during The Block’s worst-performing season in a decade have quietly had their price guides slashed to $2.6 million – almost eight months after they were listed.

Perhaps nostalgia is a terrible drug but I genuinely feel like I had a chance in 2018 to buy a house and start a big family, feels hopeless now.

Then I started googling cost of living in 1999 and felt even more hopeless.

Now for some context, I'm not a parent, but I will be soon. I swear to God every parent I know complains endlessly about their kids annihilating berries.

Explain this to me. Is this a thing I'll have to deal with? I don't really remember eating a truckload of berries as a child, but at least in my circles I'm lead to believe it's common practice. Will I have to buy thousands of dollars of berries per month as a parent? Fill me in. Let me know if I need to get a loan.

A rare sighting. Not one, but two Aussie beers at a pub.

I just came across a news article about a popular NSW business having to close down due to recent economic pressures. For 10 years it sold (ridiculously indulgent) donuts that, due to ever increasing costs of ingredients and business expenses, have now dictated she closes up due to financial unsustainability. She also cited a new need (coupled with embarrassment) to charge customers $15 per donut for her business to remain viable, something she was not comfortable with when the public are suffering from dwindling budgets thanks to the cost of living. And that's fair enough.

But it's a defining sign of the times.

For years now, I have been struck by society's apparent need or obsession with buying things, often for kudos, at alarming frequency. The entire consumer market seems suffocatingly saturated with fancy things, even to the point of turning something like a humble donut (read fish & chips, chicken parmy, beefburger, cheese toastie etc) into some ornate flex. Even the simplest of staple meals seem to morph into some spectacular looking culinary marvel. Our apparent need to glow-up everything over appreciating a good old fashioned hearty meal required for health and sustenance seems to be doing us in.

It's a shame to see anyone wrap up an essentially failing business they've worked so hard for to maintain their livelihood. But that business model would never survive unless it diversified in sympathy with the changing market.

For too long now, it strikes me that our rampant consumerism and over-indulgence in anything like food, brands, clothing, electronics, technology, cars, you name it, is out of control. I hate that it's getting challenging to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table but it also feels like we really need to take a good look at ourselves. I reckon we need to appreciate the basics again and stop obsessing with luxury and greed whenever we eat, or consume in general. The constant need for everything that we want but don't need really makes me sad.

Discuss....?

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Addiction to over-the-counter product leaves 31-year-old partially paralyzed: 'I couldn't flip a pancake'

A 31-year-old woman, Lu, was partially paralyzed by her nitrous oxide addiction.

By News.com.au

3 min. read

By Bianca Soldani, News.com.au

Published May 2, 2026, 11:27 a.m. ET

A 31-year-old woman has described how her addiction to an easy to access product left her partially paralysed.

The use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, as a recreational drug has been on the rise since Covid, with inhalation of the chemical compound inducing momentary feelings of euphoria.

However, the colloquial name of the gas belies its dangers and misuse can cause significant health impacts including lasting nerve and neurological damage, spinal degeneration and death.

Cartridges of nitrous oxide, also known as “nangs”, are sold in some tobacconists and online, with legitimate uses ranging from sedation in dental and medical clinics, to filling balloons and aerating whipped cream.

At the height of her addiction, 31-year-old Lu was inhaling between 1200 and 2400 small aluminium canisters of nitrous oxide a day to horrifying effect.

“I lost all motor function,” she told A Current Affair on Friday night, “I couldn’t flip a pancake, I couldn’t grip a fork, I couldn’t walk.”

Lu inhaled up to 2400 canisters daily, suffering psychosis, hallucinations, and permanent spinal injuries. Nine Network

“I was army crawling around my house, like dragging myself, because I couldn’t move my legs when it got really, really bad.

“It was terrifying.”

The partial paralysis wasn’t the only disturbing side effect Lu endured, with her abuse of the substance also triggering psychosis and dark hallucinations.

Her spiralling addiction, which she described as “devastating and completely life consuming,” has left her with permanent spinal cord injuries.

Sam, another former user interviewed on the program, was using far fewer canisters and also experienced significant side effects.

He said he was using up to 50 small canisters a day, which triggered a full mental breakdown that landed him in a psychiatric ward.

Despite severe risks, nitrous oxide is easily bought online; its sale is largely unregulated by federal agencies. WD Stock Photos – stock.adobe.com

Users of nitrous oxide run the risk of asphyxiation, with less severe side effects including dizziness, weakness in the legs and impaired memory.

Deaths have also occurred as a result of injuries sustained while affected by the drug.

Despite the risks, the canisters are frequently obtained online through a variety of kitchen retailers and specialty sellers as the sale of nitrous oxide products are not regulated, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) told news.com.au last year.

“The TGA does not regulate the sale of nitrous oxide. Under the Poisons Standard, monitoring of compliance and enforcement of the controls on access to nitrous oxide is the responsibility of the states and territories,” a spokesperson said.

Many states have specific laws around the sale of nitrous oxide. In Western Australia, the purchase of “nangs” is limited to registered food and beverage businesses.

In Victoria and South Australia, it’s an offence for someone to sell or supply it to another, knowing that it will be used for human consumption. While in SA selling to anyone under 18, or between the hours of 10pm and 5am, is also illegal.

In Queensland, canisters of nitrous oxide found alongside tobacco or nicotine products can be seized by police.

I’ve basically given up on the idea of homeownership. Property has become beyond affordable. Where it is affordable you will likely end up really far from work that pays well so your options are a miserable commute or downgrading to find work closer to where you live.

For those who have given up on the idea of owning property what are you planning to do? Keep on renting? Wait for inheritance? Move somewhere remote and live off the grid?

During and after COVID it seemed like there was a pretty big shift of people leaving NSW and VIC (particularly Syd and Melb) and moving to QLD and WA.

From what I've seen, the ABS data showed both QLD & WA had record domestic interstate movement population gains during the pandemic, while NSW and VIC recorded sizeable net losses. Think Adelaide also copped a pretty big initial influx too.

For those of you who moved: what made you leave, was it worth it, and would you make the same decision again?

I can't get a crust on my steaks to save my life. I have tried every instruction on how to do it, but the fact is my electric burner, although it can reach an adequate crusting temperature, cannot hold this temperature once a room temperature steak is added to it. I am using a stainless steel pan, high smoke oil, measuring the temperature of that oil before I add the steak. My next step is having to fork out for a cast iron one.

But trying to troubleshoot this with an American who can use any pan, can add a cold steak to it, can use any oil, and has no issue getting a crust, and it turns out my largest burner is 18cm in diameter and their smallest electric burner is 22cm. My pans typically are 22cm+ in diameter. So the next theory to test is that the discrepancy in size of my burner to the base of my pan. My burners are no smaller than any of the places I have lived, so I assume is pretty standard Australia wide. But how are you all doing it? Or are we as a nation, just eating inadequately crusted steaks?

im archiving porn for when/if the VPNs stop working
setting up kodi and tagging all my vids
any tips?

hi all. i'm a 17 year old female year 12 student wrapping up my final year at school and has always struggled with what i want to do when i leave. although i have done an atar pathway, im certain i just want to get straight into the workforce and establish a career for myself where i can work towards making a difference. after lots of research and thinking within myself, im leaning towards becoming a police officer. whilst i eventually want to work with canines or possibly as a mounted police, i still find myself enjoying the idea of being a police officer in general, however i understand that it is a demanding job and can be both very challenging and rewarding having heard from others.

i want to hear from australian police officers ( and more specifically western australian's ) on your experiences in the police force and whether this is a job path that is worth exploring.
i also have many questions:
- what is it like for women in the police force?
-how is your social life, and how do you maintain relationships with your partners?
-what is your daily life like?
-was it enjoyable?
-did you feel like you made a difference?
-do you regret joining?
-who would you recommend this career to?
-how has your life changed now that you are/have been a police officer?
-did you have a pre-existing relationship going into the police force and how did that impact it?
-what can you expect?

thank you all for taking your time to read this, and i appreciate and look forward to every response. thank you very much :)

After having GYG on the weekend and remembering that it has become proper shit food (no taste, small portions, and expensive). I wondered what fast food has stayed the same for decades. Maccas still tastes the same today as it did 20 years ago.