Rob Hobson
@themelancholicskr.bsky.social
69 followers 38 following 150 posts
Newshound. Ink still runs in my veins 📸🗞🌏 #auspol international affairs, Asia Pacific, resources & travel. Views are my own, reposts ≠ endorsement. Blog: themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/robert-hobson-2
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themelancholicskr.bsky.social
A Western Australian company hopes its newly opened pilot plant in Kwinana will prove the economic viability & scalability of #hydrogen by making it safe to store & transport, overcoming a significant #industry bottleneck. #news #energy #technology

themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com/2025/08/20/p...
Pilot Plant To Prove Hydrogen Viability
By RF Hobson A Western Australian company hopes to prove the economic viability of hydrogen on an industrial scale with the official opening of its pilot plant in Kwinana, located south of Perth, o…
themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com
Reposted by Rob Hobson
crikey.com.au
Exclusive | Scott Morrison has registered himself as having a relationship with a $2.5 trillion Saudi fossil fuel company whose board member was once appointed by Morrison to a COVID recovery taskforce.
Scott Morrison declares role with Saudi oil company
When he was prime minister, Morrison appointed a Saudi fossil fuel firm's board member to two different taskforce roles in 2019 and 2022.
www.crikey.com.au
Reposted by Rob Hobson
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
"'Pocock said CSIRO's “value to our nation’s productivity, innovation & overall wellbeing cannot be overstated...(& gov must)once again invest in the kind of research that made us the lucky country back when CSIRO was first established'."

#news #auspol #science

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Albanese urged to ‘secure the future of science’ as CSIRO reckons with ongoing decline in funding
CEO Doug Hilton says the agency’s budget allocation ‘has not kept up with the cost of doing science’
www.theguardian.com
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
#mytwocents Knowing who the #robodebt 6 are IS in the public interest, esp after the gov backtracked on its promise to release the sealed Royal Commission chapter earlier this year.

#auspol #news #nacc #corruption

www.canberratimes.com.au/story/908769...
National watchdog defends no robodebt public hearings
The national anti-corruption commission is investigating six public officials tied to the illegal robodebt scheme that resulted in...
www.canberratimes.com.au
Reposted by Rob Hobson
kkarapanagiotidis.bsky.social
The deputy chief executive of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), Jana Favero, said the centre had also seen an increase in the number of people from the US calling its helplines for advice on how to claim protection.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
At least 29 Americans have sought asylum in Australia since second Trump presidency began
Applications from US citizens make up less than 1% of monthly applications but have risen steadily since Trump’s inauguration
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Rob Hobson
crikey.com.au
Under Australian capitalism, big, concentrated companies run by lazy boards and managers make large profits. Where does that money go? In many cases, back to us.
Who's responsible for our dud companies? Bad management, bad governments — and us
www.crikey.com.au
Reposted by Rob Hobson
livesarah.bsky.social
Any member who doesn’t resign from the Australian Parliament Sports Club in protest over this should be viewed as irretrievably tainted and having a conflict of interest on any legislative matters pertaining to gambling.
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
#socialmedia is not #journalism. (It's) a great place to do journalism but the platforms themselves are not replacing the craft', Heinzinger said. 'Journalism is different than sharing the raw feed' (bc) the raw feed can be incomplete or completely false."

#news

edition.cnn.com/2025/10/07/b...
He used to work for X. Here’s what he says is wrong about Musk’s stance on the mainstream media. | CNN Business
X’s former communications chief spoke exclusively to CNN to about why social media isn’t a replacement for journalism, contrasting the opinion of his former boss Elon Musk.
edition.cnn.com
Reposted by Rob Hobson
justinhendrix.bsky.social
Macron remarks are notable- some quotes: "We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks that are controlled either by large American entrepreneurs or large Chinese companies, whose interests are not at all the survival or proper functioning of our democracies."
defenddemocracy.bsky.social
President Macron: “Europeans, let's wake up!

We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.”

defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...
Reposted by Rob Hobson
crikey.com.au
Some of our biggest companies pay little or no tax despite colossal earnings, while others pay full freight. The latest data on company tax is now out — Bernard Keane makes sense of the numers.
Multinationals continue to rip Australia off on company tax
www.crikey.com.au
Reposted by Rob Hobson
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
"Trump’s suggestion that 'we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military' is in tension with a core principle - that the #military should be nonpartisan."

So, should we expect another American revolution?

#uspol #news #mytwocents

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/u...
‘Dangerous Cities,’ the Military, Trump and the Founding Fathers
www.nytimes.com
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
So its a purge of the US military as well as the federal gov workforce. Never waste a good crisis - real or imagined - to consolidate power, right?

Unfortunately this is no surprise - ppl voted for Project 2025 when they voted for Trump.

#uspol #news #mytwocents
washingtonpost.com
Exclusive: The Pentagon plans to impose strict nondisclosure agreements and random polygraph testing for scores of people in its headquarters, including many top officials, escalating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s war on leakers and internal dissent.
Pentagon plans widespread random polygraphs, NDAs to stanch leaks
The Pentagon is planning to require thousands of uniformed and civilian officials to sign nondisclosure agreements and submit to random polygraph testing.
wapo.st
Reposted by Rob Hobson
brucewilliams4.bsky.social
The political career of Scott Morrison was built on punching down at welfare recipients. Yet, in a bitter twist of irony, the architect of the pernicious Robodebt scheme was himself the beneficiary of a massive, secret overpayment when sacked as managing director of Tourism Australia in 2006.
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
"(The) speeches appeared to confirm suspicions... that the country’s top #military commanders were being forced from their posts around the world in order to attend what essentially boiled down to a #MAGA pep rally-absent the cheering crowds." #news #uspol

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Hegseth uses unprecedented meeting to fat-shame generals
The US military's top brass were silent as the secretary ordered a return to the "highest male standard."
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Rob Hobson
motherjones.com
“We Christians are calling on our beloved President Trump and his team to aggressively remove all barriers to Israel’s sovereignty over all the land.”

Evangelicals have become Israel’s most important American allies.
God's "blank check": Christian Zionists are pouring billions of dollars into Israeli extremism
Evangelicals have become Israel's most important American allies.
www.motherjones.com
themelancholicskr.bsky.social
#mytwocents Harrowing viewing but this needs to be told. Bravo SBS for airing this 👏 Bring on ep 2 & 3.

Unfort injustice continues bc of the #robodebt RC report sealed chapter. ALP should've kept their promise instead of dumping Dreyfuss after the election. #auspol

www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-...
Watch The People vs Robodebt
Watch The People vs Robodebt for free with SBS On Demand, your ultimate destination for diverse entertainment. Stream now!
www.sbs.com.au
Reposted by Rob Hobson
motherjones.com
"This blatant double standard reveals that the GOP’s crackdown on Kirk’s detractors has nothing to do with decorum or respect for the dead, and everything to do with political retribution against their rivals."
JD Vance jokes about killing civilians as Kimmel gets yanked off air
A blatant double standard.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Rob Hobson
bloomberg.com
China's Xi Jinping is drawing inspiration from 19th century US in his anti-involution campaign (via Bloomberg Opinion)
How 19th Century US Is Inspiring China’s Xi
John Pierpont Morgan is the model for Beijing’s push to limit over-competition.
bloom.bg