#south Australia

[maureen2musings]

fine_eye_imagery

[unteriors]

Showground Parade, Keith, South Australia.

[toyastales]

Zebra Schist outcrop, Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

[travelmanposts]

kangaroos, Fleurieu Peninsula, Australia: Where untamed wildlife thrives amidst stunning landscapes! 🦘 From kangaroo spotting in the bush to whale watching wonders, every corner.. The Fleurieu Peninsula is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide.The coast of the peninsula stretches from around 140 kilometres from Sellicks Beach in the north to Middleton in the south-east. Wikipedia

[reasonsforhope]

"The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has announced plans to ban political donations from state elections, paving the way for nation-leading electoral reforms.

The state’s electoral amendment bill announced on Wednesday [June 12, 2024] night will ban electoral donations and gifts to registered political parties, members of parliament and candidates. The state will provide funding to allow parties and candidates to contest elections, run campaigns and promote political ideas.

Malinauskas said his bill would put South Australia on the “cusp of becoming a world leader in ending the nexus between money and political power”.

“We want money out of politics. We know this is not easy. These reforms may well face legal challenge,” Malinauskas said.

“But we are determined to deliver them, with this bill to be introduced in the parliament in the near future.”

In a subtle challenge to his federal and state counterparts, the premier told Guardian Australia he thought it was “something that democracies everywhere should be pursuing”.

The Albanese government pledged to introduce spending and donation caps, and truth in political advertising laws, as revealed by Guardian Australia after the 2022 federal election and confirmed by a parliamentary inquiry that reported last July.

The special minister of state, Don Farrell, said last month an agreement between the major parties and the crossbench had not yet been reached. An amendment bill is still expected by the middle of the year.

In order to level the playing field for newly created parties and independent candidates, the South Australia bill will allow candidates to receive donations up to $2,700, although they will remain subject to campaign spending caps.

Those spending caps have been set at $100,000, multiplied by the number of candidates up to a maximum of $500,000.

If the bill is passed, a registered political party will be entitled to a one-off payment of $200,000 before 31 August 2026. Whichever is lower out of $700,000 or the number of party members of parliament multiplied by $47,000 will also be given to parties for operational funding.

Membership fees will be allowed to continue but will be capped at $100 or less a year.

To deter attempts to circumvent the proposed changes, a maximum penalty of $50,000 or 10 years’ imprisonment will apply.

The guide acknowledges the proposal would lead to a rise in the cost of South Australia’s electoral system, but says a tightening of expenditure and party registration rules will keep costs to a minimum.

The Albanese government is under crossbench pressure to introduce electoral reforms before the next federal election.

Lower house independents, including Kate Chaney, Zali Steggall, the Greens, David Pocock, Lidia Thorpe and the Jacqui Lambie Network, joined forces to introduce a bill for fair and transparent elections in March [2024].

The bill contained a suite of reforms including truth-in-political advertising, a ban on donations from socially harmful industries including fossil fuels, and tightening the definition of gifts to capture major party fundraisers, including dinners and business forums."

-via The Guardian, March 18, 2024

[sarahmackattack]

Ok yeah can this be my new like…Professional photo for all purposes? I think this pretty much sums it up.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Down Under with the Desert Goby

Desert gobies (Chlamydogobius eremius) are a species of goby found only in the middle of the desert, in the Lake Eyre drainage basin of South Australia. The permanent pools they reside in are fed by underwater springs, and during the rainy season they may also reside in rivers and streams formed by rainfall.

As a result of living in such a harsh environment, desert gobies are capable of tolerating temperatures as low as 5°C (41°F) and as high as 41°C (105°F), as well as salinity as high as 60 ppt-- twice the salinity of the ocean. To cope with the heat, adults are often observed sticking their heads out of the water and 'gulping' air to facilitate evaporative cooling. Otherwise, individuals spend the bulk of the day hiding under rocks and in submerged vegetation that provides shade and protection from predators.

Although C. eremius can swim, individuals tend to spend most of their time on the bottom of the pond or river in which they reside, and move around using their pectoral fins in a hopping motion. They are omnivorous, consuming whatever food is available. This can include small crustaceans, insects, algae, fish eggs, and detritus. The desert goby's main predator is the spangled perch.

Desert gobies are rather unremarkable in appearance. Both sexes are mottled brown, to better blend in with their environment. In general, males are larger than females, although they don't exceed 6cm (2.36 in) in length. Males also tend have a larger dorsal fin than females. This fin is black, with a white ridge and yellow and blue splotches, and serves to attract potential mates by signalling the male's fitness.

C. eremius mate in the summer, from November to March. Males attract females by constructing nest sites and performing courtship displays. After mating, the female deposits up to 300 eggs in the male's nest, and then leaves to seek out a new mate. The male then cares intensively for the eggs, guarding them and fanning them with his tail to keep them oxygenated. The eggs take anywhere from 10 to 17 days to hatch, at which time they become completely independent. In fact, offspring may travel many hundreds of kilometers from their parents via established waterways and temporary channels formed by rainfall. The average lifespan of desert gobies is one year.

Conservation status: The desert goby has not been evaluated by the IUCN. However, several other closely-related desert goby species are classified as Endangered. Their primary threats come from habitat destruction caused by excessive water draining, and by disruption from cattle and feral pigs.

Photos

Klaus Stiefel

Andreas Svensson

T. K. Lehtonen

[wildsideoflifeencounters]

Mallee ringneck

[featherfrond]

stop.

superb fairy wren appreciation post.

small ^

blue ^

^females and males are equally cute

^ round

not monogamous (76% of young are linked to bird cheating)

extremely suitable name

^ splendid relative

^ lovely relatives

^ purple relative

conclusion: superb fairy wren is best bird 👍

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Short Beaked Echidna, Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia

By Lucca Amorim

[inatcanids]

Dingo Canis familiaris ssp. dingo

Observed by paulcoddington, CC BY-NC

[ningauinerd]

Doing sleepy lizard fieldwork in the Mid Murray today involved bountiful encounters with goofy fellas as usual

This guy is somehow missing the keratin on most of his large tail scales, revealing the bony scutes (osteoderms) beneath. We’re not exactly sure how this occurred, hopefully he’s not scuffed up too bad, but it is quite cool to look at

Then there’s grumps over here, sucking on his pacifier. We named him Cupcake after his delightful personality

Cupcake is now getting clamped because he’s naughty and bit someone (actually just taking a measurement of head depth)

Polite gentleman patiently getting his tail measured (not a sleepy lizard, doesn’t want to be here)

[unteriors]

Angwin Street, Whyalla Playford, South Australia.

[madefortherain]

less than 24 hours since the us election and the state of south australia has already tried to pass an anti-abortion bill to change the language around current abortion legislation. the bill was unsuccessful. but. it was still attempted. and this was only the first try. it took less than 24 hours. america has shown that bigotry is acceptable and it’s already being reflected across the world.

[travelmanposts]

Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Karatta, South Australia: A koala and her joey cuddling in the fork of a tree.. Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Karatta is the best place on Kangaroo Island to see a sustainable population of Koalas in the wild. This is an absolute must for international visitors! Wild & Free.. Kangaroo Island’s Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for its abundant native bird & animal wildlife.... Karatta is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island. Wikipedia

[oceaniatropics]

cave diving at Hell's Hole, Mount Gambier, South Australia