(We) can do better

This article has been adapted from a double-sided A5 leaflet.

How is this democracy!?

The overwhelming majority of 98 submissions[1] from the Australian public strenuously oppose the Albanese government’s foreshadowed “Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation)” MAD bill. Any objective perusal of the debate about the MAD bill in Hansard [2] shows that the government clearly lost the argument on both the 6th and 7th November. In spite of losing the argument, the MAD Bill was still carried 78 votes to 66. Every Labor member voted for the bill, whilst the Greens, the Independents and every member of the Opposition voted against it.

See also: Citizens Party press release of 19/11/2024, Close to victory against MAD censorship bill—the Greens must also reject it.

Guest speakers: Scott Breschkin Marine Conservation Officer with The Nature Conservancy Australia and Josh Davis, Pesticide Action Australia, on pesticide use in coastal reserves around Port Phillip Bay.

"Do you think that Blackrock and Vanguard and foreign governments should be our major investors in housing?" asks Senator Bragg of Senator Katy Gallagher. This is a revealing and informative video, especially on the issue of how Labor is trying to attract funding for 'rent-to-build' housing from bad overseas corporations, which will likely create a new level of debt enslavement in Australia

Make Victoria Greener: Prominent botanist and academic, Dr Greg Moore OAM has called for the Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, to vote for common sense and ensure Victoria’s environment is secured for the future by adding $1 billion in tree canopy.

How you can help : Download, print and distribute the double-sided A5 leaflet Ask your Senators to block Labor’s Orwellian “Misinformation Bill” . Ask your Senators to block the M.A.D. bill in the sittings of the Senate which commence Monday 18 November. The bundle of double-sided landscape-oriented A4 printed sheets will have to be carefully guillotined down the middle to give two bundles of double-sided landscape-oriented A5 printed sheets.

Biko Konstantinos has done a fantastic expose of PM Albanese's awful censorship laws that are up for voting in the Senate on 18 November 2024.

Mornington Peninsula at Arthurs Seat (Wonga) is under threat -  we must say NO to a proposed EXCESSIVE EXPANSION.

Developers are proposing a $25+ million expansion in a STATE PARK, which includes:

A roller coaster like luge up and down the hill, altering the natural landscape
An intrusive bridge over Arthurs Seat Road at the summit
An eight-story viewing platform
A second restaurant at the top station
A major redevelopment of the lower station

On Saturday, 2 November, SPA attendees at the "Curtin Sustainability Fair," sponsored by Teal politician Kate Chaney in Perth, faced an unexpected disruption. Their aim was to raise awareness about the ecological impacts of population growth. However, their efforts were met with unexpected resistance.

(PDF containing transcript can be found here) Genocide is reliant on the dehumanisation of others to justify inhumane action. Since 7 October, we have heard Netanyahu describe Gaza as a city of darkness and ask people to flee or face certain death. Of the Palestinians, Netanyahu says: 'We are facing monsters.

(PDF containing transcript can be found here) I heard you Madam Ambassador, but what nerve you have t

A few days ago on a trip to Bali I went for a walk with a friend through the rice paddies near Sebatu.  2./3 of the way through our circuit we came across 2 new roofs (traditional style terra cotta like material) We peeked in and saw that the new owners were there doing some finishing touches to one of the new villas. My friend chatted to them in Indonesian and it turned out the male of the partnership had studied at Monash Uni .

A new report released today by Women’s Health Victoria (WHV) reveals major ongoing inequities in abortion and contraception access across the state, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities in some regional areas.

The Realising Access report provides, for the first time, data showing that people from disadvantaged communities in Victoria are more likely to seek abortions after nine weeks, which drastically narrows their healthcare options.

The Queensland government faces the voters every 4 years on the last Saturday of October; this year it’s the 27th. What are the issues? Our two-party system offers up a smorgasbord of options. The Laberal duopoly are truly diligent in their effort to identify their differences at election time. Given how studiously they avoid addressing the underlying causes of our most pressing issues, they are to be congratulated for fooling as many people as they do that there’s a choice.

"Australia is clearly taking sides and showing disregard for the many Australians currently in outright despair." The Independent Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) has expressed alarm about Australia getting involved in the fighting in the Middle East by letting other countries use our air bases up north. IPAN advises that Australia should quickly pull back and not help with the fighting.

What moral right does CHIA, a large, well-auspiced professional organisation, have in fueling animosity against local government candidates who defend their communities' planning powers and their right to veto subdivisions - key pillars of self-determination?

"Protection for consumer deposits in Australia's construction sector is vital as insolvencies rise, threatening the stability of the homebuilding industry," writes Dr Bradley Hastings[1] and Professor Peter Swan.

Click on the image to read Report No. 44.

You know those big infrastructure projects, and activity centres, that the Victorian government is ramming down our throats, telling us it will bring 'jobs' and 'affordable' housing? Well, Australian industry is being sidelined on these projects. Weld Australia—which represents thousands of local welders and fabricators—is calling for immediate action against the Victorian Government’s offshoring of steel for major infrastructure projects.

Update, 2/10/24: Of 25 submissions I could only find one that supported this legislation. The remaining 24 were strongly opposed. Unfortunately, I narrowly missed the dead-line, so my own submission, included below, was not included.

IPAN Public Meeting Friday 4 October, 6 pm, Perth Library, with speaker Dr Carmen Lawrence, "Sleepwalking into War ? Breaking the US stranglehold on Australia: Peace or War? Also Senator Fatima Payman, Dr Carmen Lawrence, Professor Lisa Natividad and Senator Jordon Steele-John; Wakeley Award Winning Journalist Sophie McNeill will be the MC.  There will also be a press conference.
 

While the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 purports to aim to enhance transparency and accountability among digital platforms, it does not adequately protect users from arbitrary actions by governments regarding the content they post.

Without a mature discussion on population growth, the housing crisis will extend for years to come, according to Sustainable Population Australia (SPA). SPA National president Peter Strachan says there is deep denial within the government that population is the main factor driving housing demand.

Once upon a time, the Australian government declared it did not support Israel nor the Islamic, in the Six Day war — it was to stay ‘neutral’.

Whitlam says his government was “blackmailed by some Jewish hero’s, on the other side of the world to the conflict.”

History reveals… https://t.co/uwvD88ePjw

September 13 marks thirty years since ideologues took control at the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo to stigmatise the idea of stabilising population numbers, falsely claiming it led to human rights abuses.

Click on the image to read Report No. 43.

Click on the image to read Report No. 42.

Click on the image to read Report No. 41.