for questions about claims based in Australia, or limited to Australia.
Questions tagged [australia]
81 questions
165
votes
1 answer
Is it illegal to own a rabbit in Queensland unless you're a magician?
From all that is interesting How Bunny Rabbits Took Over Australia — And What The Government Is Doing About It
In Queensland, Australia, it’s illegal to own a pet rabbit unless
you’re a magician. Why? Because for the past 150 years, rabbits have
…
Andrew Grimm
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69
votes
2 answers
Is this a satellite image of Australian bushfires?
This image has been widely shared on Facebook and other social media platforms:
Is this a satellite image of Australia, taken recently to show the currently burning bushfires, or is it a computer render to demonstrate the extent?
Tim
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68
votes
1 answer
Do drop bears exist?
A drop bear is a carnivorous bear that is known well for hanging in the tops of trees, and dropping down on potential prey to attack, hence the name. They eat medium-large mammals, often times many times larger than itself. While there is some…
tuskiomi
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63
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1 answer
Are raptors in Australia intentionally spreading brush fires to smoke out prey?
Articles have been popping up with headlines like the Daily Mail's "Birds of prey are starting fires DELIBERATELY: Kites and Falcons are 'intentionally dropping smouldering twigs' to smoke out mice and insects in Australia". The claim is that some…
RToyo
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40
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2 answers
May only licensed electricians change light bulbs in Australia?
Just researching legal oddities and came across this one:
Dumb Laws in Australia
Only licensed electricians may change a light bulb.
Some sources attribute it only to the state of Victoria.
Does anyone know if it's true or not?
Simon33
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38
votes
3 answers
Does Australia produce unique 'specialty steel'?
Wikipedia quotes Bob Woodward's Fear : Trump in the White House, writing:
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull successfully lobbied President Trump to get an exemption at the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit, arguing "[w]e do this steel that's…
JJJ
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38
votes
2 answers
Is Australian fauna more dangerous?
It's a popular meme, "in Australia everything tries to kill you", often backed up by the list of dangerous animals, such as box jellyfish, variety of spiders, salt water crocodiles and sharks. However it's purely anecdotal, and one could imagine…
vartec
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34
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2 answers
Did Australia ban small-breasts pornography?
There is a widely spread news about Australia banning pornography featuring actresses with A-cup breasts.
Aussie censor balks at bijou boobs
Australia's 'small breast' ban
Australia Bans Small Breasted Pornography
The reason behind:
Senator Joyce…
Mirzhan Irkegulov
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29
votes
1 answer
Did violent gun crime rates rise in Australia after the 1996 gun control laws?
In 1996 Australia passed the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) which greatly restricted the option to legally own some types of guns by private citizens.
The activist site, World Public Union claims that crime is on the rise in Australia since…
SIMEL
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28
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3 answers
Is this a real photo of Australia?
How was this photo captured? Is it CGI? It looks a little odd to me.
EDIT: No, nobody claimed this was a real photo, I was personally curious and skeptical to whether it was, and unaware of the requirement before I posted. (This was my first…
mateos
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28
votes
1 answer
Can kangaroos walk backwards?
Source
From Exploring Nature:
They cannot jump backward because of
their thick, muscular tail. Their long
feet and heavy tail also make walking
impossible, forward or backward.
The Australian 'Coat of Arms' features an Emu and a Kangaroo:
…
Oliver_C
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24
votes
1 answer
Do 20% of Australian children think pasta comes from animals?
Prominently displayed on the front page of noted nutrition advocate Jamie Oliver's web page is the claim that "20% of Australian children think pasta comes from animals".
A google search shows that this meme has spread quite a bit, almost…
Beofett
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23
votes
1 answer
Do wombats share their burrows during fires?
In the wake of the devastating bushfires currently burning in Australia, an image has been widely shared on social media:
Here is one example from Twitter, retweeted 11K times:
While I have an open mind, I am suspicious for three reasons:
It is…
Oddthinking
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22
votes
1 answer
Were 50°C (122°F) days recorded across Australia during the 1800s?
The article Forgotten history: 50 degrees everywhere, right across Australia in the 1800s claims that there were regular recorded temperatures above 50°C across Australia in the 1800s:
Australians have been recording temperatures of over 50C since…
user1605665
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20
votes
3 answers
Is dancing at private New Year's Eve parties forbidden in WA, Australia?
Not The Bee has posted this commentary with a screenshot of some kind of an official WA authorities account claiming that dancing at private parties is not permitted:
I tried to verify if this is the case and I found this info page, where the…
Ruslan Oblov
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