General Coronavirus chit chat thread - non-travel specific

[CaptJCool]

Grrr... disturbing reports - if true - about lack of social distancing at our airports for arriving passengers. And reports that border force are saying social distancing 'is not our problem'.

Typical public Kafka response.

It is their problem. They are Johnny on the spot. And EVERYONE needs to get behind enforcing physical distancing

I can excuse the cruise ship only because the full-scale ban apparently didn’t include 4 vessels including the Ruby

If this is their attitude in time of crisis, God help us in the good times

 

[amaroo]

Now the matter of travel insurance has been settled, we can look forward to the discussion on landlord insurance for the ones that took out "tenant protection".

All of our policies are with AAMI - all with tenant protection. Let's see how that goes...

 

[Pushka]

@amaroo - is this right re the Business Relief package for small business? My accountant just rang and said that the headlines shouted that small business would get a minimum of $20000 cash injection to assist with the cost of people being kept employed - BUT - the detail is that this will only work as a credit when lodging the BAS statement each month on the PAYG being deducted on that part of the Instalment/BAS. Do the bods not realise we have to pay people cash and that monthly credits are pretty much useless?

I did know that the $ was based on the PAYG submitted each month, then second package said a minimum of $20,000 - but business need Cash flow not just credits!

 

[amaroo]

@amaroo - is this right re the Business Relief package for small business? My accountant just rang and said that the headlines shouted that small business would get a minimum of $20000 cash injection to assist with the cost of people being kept employed - BUT - the detail is that this will only work as a credit when lodging the BAS statement each month on the PAYG being deducted on that part of the Instalment/BAS. Do the bods not realise we have to pay people cash and that monthly credits are pretty much useless?

That's correct, the wheels keep turning and the BAS statements will (must) continue to be lodged.

 

[Pushka]

That's correct, the wheels keep turning and the BAS statements will (must) continue to be lodged.

Yes, registered that, but giving a business a credit of lets say, $2000 a month will not keep all employees employed for longer while a cash injection would!

 

[amaroo]

The Government has been very cunning with how they're doling out the cash. BAS statements and Centrelink all create a paper/electronic footprint. Can you imagine how many people currently lining up for the dole have lived their life totally off the grid. The amount of new information the authorities will collect will be very interesting.

Post automatically merged: Mar 26, 2020

Yes, registered that, but giving a business a credit of lets say, $2000 a month will not keep all employees employed for longer while a cash injection would!

It does, if you intended on paying your obligations.

 

[Tropic]

Interested in proposals that Australian Government (taxpayers) extend welfare payments to non citizens including international students, kiwis etc? Should government pay to repatriate australians who travelled overseas in full knowledge of pending pandemic? Lots of demands on the public purse, increasing every day. And people should keep in mind that the government will at some time once this is over go through its records to weed out those who have claimed welfare fraudulently. Like night follows day.

 

[amaroo]

Interested in proposals that Australian Government (taxpayers) extend welfare payments to non citizens including international students, kiwis etc?

About 3/4 of a million Kiwis are asking the same Q.

Call Jacinda and get her CC number

 

[Pushka]

The Government has been very cunning with how they're doling out the cash. BAS statements and Centrelink all create a paper/electronic footprint. Can you imagine how many people currently lining up for the dole have lived their life totally off the grid. The amount of new information the authorities will collect will be very interesting.

Post automatically merged: Mar 26, 2020

It does, if you intended on paying your obligations.

We have cash reserves. And plan on keeping our EA. Based on the now reality of the Business Assistance we wont be keeping anyone else now. The tax credits dont actually make much difference if they are going to be dolled out like this. I'm cranky now.

 

[Tropic]

About 3/4 of a million Kiwis are asking the same Q.

Call Jacinda and get her CC number

I'd be ok with us paying half for 3 months if Jacinda coughs up the rest. ANZAC spirit and all that.

 

[amaroo]

We have cash reserves. And plan on keeping our EA. Based on the now reality of the Business Assistance we wont be keeping anyone else now. The tax credits dont actually make much difference if they are going to be dolled out like this. I'm cranky now.

Taxes still need to be collected and paid. There has been no relaxation, so the tax credit is a cash injection. It's just done very smart so it can be tracked and reviewed. Anyone that starts lodging dodgy BAS statements will get caught. IIRC you also had to be registered for PAYG withholding by a certain date in March .... that's another safety net.

 

[Pushka]

Taxes still need to be collected and paid. There has been no relaxation, so the tax credit is a cash injection. It's just done very smart so it can be tracked and reviewed. Anyone that starts lodging dodgy BAS statements will get caught. IIRC you also had to be registered for PAYG withholding by a certain date in March .... that's another safety net.

Agree on that - its all about timing though. Closure for us happened over night prior to Government restrictions to travel. Cash injection to all business might give space. But in reality, for many, it will be the end of their business. Very very sad for young people just launched on their career (my kids in that mix but I suspect one is safe due to essential services) but for us, unless we can morph our business, and which we are trying to do right now but that costs money to develop, then by July I suspect its all done and dusted.

 

[CaptJCool]

Taxes still need to be collected and paid. There has been no relaxation, so the tax credit is a cash injection. It's just done very smart so it can be tracked and reviewed.

Anyone that starts lodging dodgy BAS statements will get caught. IIRC you also had to be registered for PAYG withholding by a certain date in March .... that's another safety net.

Having worked in the ATO, I EXPECT you are right. From what I can gather from my 3 siblings, the advice is not to pay the PAYG-W and the tax credits will tide businesses over. It frees up some cash to pay some wages now the free-fall has begun.

It’s probably a pipe-dream to think it will enable businesses to remain open until 27th April but it gets more people stood down later than earlier. Which is important given it’s still a month before the $550 payments flow.

Of course those capitalist thriver corporations who’ve ALREADY run out of money have stood down staff. And refuse to get shareholders to cough up more.... well, logistics tell me it would take time to get the money in the door.... but since they exhibit hoarding behaviour unlikely to want to anyway

People cough about survivors (Centrelink) bumming around and spongin off the public purse and now look at all the large corporates bumming around and “sponging off the public purse” Socialism much?


Capitalism is a small group of people collectively getting a lot of cash which didn’t involve doing any labor.
Socialism is a large group of people collectively getting a lot of cash which didnt involve doing any labor....

 

[Must...Fly!]

A favourite monument in Washington DC is the FDR monument and seeing the Centrelink queues today reminded me of it. Here is a part of that monument : View attachment 210560

It is a fabulous monument. Was there 3 weeks ago, very expansive and different compared to the other (more grandiose) ones.

Edit: oops just realised which thread this was so slightly OT...

 

[Max Samuels]

About 3/4 of a million Kiwis are asking the same Q.

Call Jacinda and get her CC number

Hahahaha - yeah it is times like this that remind me, if we are such a terrible country with terrible leaders etc, and if Arden is "wonderful" etc etc, why do so many kiwis live here? Fact: after Auckland, Sydney is the 2nd most populous Kiwi city...

 

[Pushka]

It is a fabulous monument. Was there 3 weeks ago, very expansive and different compared to the other (more grandiose) ones.

Edit: oops just realised which thread this was so slightly OT...

Definitely OT but I agree, fabulous. Im doing this in small font so JT doesnt see it.

 

[get me outta here]

Yes, agree I love this monument and FDR's sentiments therein. The grandiose ones feel almost distasteful. Mind you, the Vietnam Memorial is really good too.

It is a fabulous monument. Was there 3 weeks ago, very expansive and different compared to the other (more grandiose) ones.

 

[Lynda2475]

So........ asking staff to work from home where possible, but then asking them to not VPN in to the corporate environment. So how exactly do they work from home effectively?

All corporate/office based roles at my employer have had mandatory WFH since Monday 23rd, but about 70% started the Monday prior. Without connecting to the VPN we are able to use to use Microsoft Teams (for video conferences and voice calls, document sharing), Outlook for email, Workplace (office verson of face book), edit documents in owrd/excel/powepoint etc, launch citrix sessions to remote connect to test labs etc. Also those with work provided laptop (so not contractors) can also use Jira and Cunfluence, access some file servers, HR app etc with an RSA code from their phones (again no vpn).

I only connect to the VPN when i need to use certain app soo far that has just been the e-business apps (to raise purchase order or receipt goods). Then once done I disocnnect and keep on qwith everything else.

Stats form our IT guys this moring said we have had up to 4000 concurrent users on the VPN, but given there are 8000+ employees it shows lots can get buy wityhout being on the VPN.

Office have been really good about checking in on people, starting groups to make up for lack of office chit chat, they realise mental health will be a struggle for many.

 

[serfty]

I only connect to the VPN when i need to use certain app soo far that has just been the e-business apps (to raise purchase order or receipt goods). Then once done I disocnnect and keep on qwith everything else.

Stats form our IT guys this moring said we have had up to 4000 concurrent users on the VPN, but given there are 8000+ employees it shows lots can get buy wityhout being on the VPN.

My role is technical, and I need regular access to any of 30 separate servers at any particular time. VPN is essential. I can use SaaS facilities outside of that but as @Flashback indicate it still needs SSO and hence some level of portal access.

 

[Lynda2475]

Yes but if ANZ is like where i work, they havent said no VPN, they have asked people not to connect to the VPN except where abolsutely necessary. Some of my team need to be on the VPN all day because like you they do a lot of tehcnical work, but lots of others like me only need to do so on occasion fpr certain syetems which I dont use all day.

FYI a lot of the intranet sites and apps that use SSO when in the office or on VPN, just ask me to login in again and then add a RSA token code now that Im WFH off vpn - this is somethign our IT folks just added over the last week or so.