Rick Bayne is a reporter with Dairy News Australia, a sister publication for Country News. He couldn’t resist this sign full of dairy puns when he was visiting the small town of Ecklin in Victoria’s Western District.
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Rick Bayne
The Daily Telegraph has reported that ACT Department of Agriculture staff have been provided with a puzzle and Lego room to help them de-stress from the job.
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Sky News’ Liz Storer has criticised the room saying it was an “absolute joke” and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Two years ago an Irish government department spent nearly 34,000 pounds on an innovation week for civil servants, which included a Lego building event.
The outdoor Lego ‘Serious Play Workshop’ was held in an outdoor pavilion in Dublin, with up to 16 participants attending two different sessions.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said the “facilitated method” was designed for creative thinking and problem-solving of real issues and challenges.
A mooving demonstration
Dairy farmers from across Europe mooved their protesting herd on wheels in Brussels, Belgium, on May 27. Photo: EPA/Olivier Hoslet
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OLIVIER HOSLET
Australian dairy farmers aren’t the only producers unhappy about milk prices.
Dairy farmers from across Europe recently staged a protest at a European agriculture ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
The producers are campaigning for fair pay, with participants from Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Lithuania, Ireland and Denmark all parading under the slogan ‘Fair income for farmers, now!’
Flushed with toilet humour
A kayak, teeth, vapes and car keys.
These are just some of the unexpected items choking Sydney’s sewers over the past year, prompting a move to flush out toilet-blockers.
Sydney Water’s Toilet Blockers Anonymous campaign is reminding people to only flush the ‘3 Ps’ — pee, poo and (toilet) paper — to prevent chokes and blockages, also known as ‘fatbergs’.
Fatbergs are congealed masses of fat, wet wipes and other personal hygiene products that more commonly occur in winter.
Sydney Water crews have attended more than 3699 jobs at a cost of $917 per choke from January to April 2024.
“There has been a significant increase in the number of chokes occurring in our network over the last 12 months,” Sydney Water’s Iain Fairbairn said.
“We are creating an opportunity for people to start an uncomfortable conversation about their toilet habits.
“Some people don't think twice about flushing a tissue or dental floss, but the reality is non-flushable wet wipes, fats, oils and grease, as well as items like cotton buds and sanitary products, are a significant threat to our wastewater network.”
Other bizarre items found by crews responding to network chokes over the past 12 months include kids’ toys, vapes, face masks, tea towels, golf balls, jewellery and crayons.
Customer data showed men aged between 18 and 29 were the biggest culprits when it came to flushing rubbish down the loo.
“Some people are not aware how much damage flushing the wrong thing down the toilet can do,” Mr Fairbairn said.
The new campaign features a group of toilet blockers sitting on the loo struggling with the temptation to flush inappropriate items.
Mr Fairbairn said the campaign uses humour to address a serious issue and encourage people to change their behaviour.
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