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Campaign for the removal of all gambling ads from Australian mediaRemove gambling enticement from young people Reduce harm done by people becoming addicted to gambling Improve the community in general We simply don't NEED gambling advertising, the industry does... and failure to remove it shows that our government is complicit in driving gambling addiction for profit.60 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Troy Love
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Stop the Debit Card trials . Stop the Privatisation of Social Security Payments to IndueThe Cashless Welfare Debit Card takes away a person's right to choose where they shop, how they pay their bills and does affect where they live. Indue control how payments are made instead of you, your banking and bill paying abilities are affected when you are forced to change to either Centrepay or Indue to make your regular payments. You have to ask permission and provide proof of your bills to Indue Some payments are not accepted on the Indue Card or Centrepay ( Some Car Loans, parents have been forced to hand cars back after defaulting due to Indue unable to allow funds for payments) and you are expected to manage those accounts on your 20% allowance to be paid into your nominated bank. Rents are a problem, especially 3rd party rents, periodic leases, and private rentals, as we have seen many people being left behind in rent, late fees, new charges to change to other methods of paying and some made homeless due to Indue not allowing enough cash to pay their rent. Breach notices and debts, snowballing as other bills fall behind trying to catch up. 80% is restricted to the Indue Visa debit/credit card. Leaving people having to "beg" for approvals to normal things they used to be able to do. Online shopping is restricted, no Ebay. Gumtree, Paypal, Woolworths Online or access to enough cash to be able to purchase secondhand items from Facebook sites, friends, markets etc.Family debt is also a problem to be able to repay loans from families. Most people on some sort of payment for example, a student rely on being able to buy secondhand text books, pay cash room rentals etc, bus trips, with the indue Welfare Debit card there is not enough accessible cash allowed to do such things. Most people on newstart, share accommodations, rent rooms, share houses and utilities and pay cash for those expenses, they also rely on cash for transport on regional buses, secondhand clothing etc. Many people on the card are also working , parents working or partnered with working partners too, we have seen many workers put on this card because they don't have 38 hrs a week full time We have seen across all sites, but most recently the Hinkler site is seeing people struggling as we saw with the first 3 sites, mental health decline, anxiety, stress, depression, sense of worthlessness as people are stigmatised when using the card, public comments when people are seen using the card like " oh that's one of those cards for druggies and alcoholics etc, oh that's that druggy card" etc. When the majority of people forced onto this card have no such problems. How does someone pay their mortgage on Indue??? Mixed info , we know of a farming family who had to change mortgages only to find setting up their mortgage with a new bank they still couldn't pay their mortgage, have now had to work a work around to keep their home,trusted to pay their employees, yet put on the card because they receive part family payments! Some people access cheaper items on Ebay or other online services, like home shopping, many DSP are not able to get out all the time to buy things on a card, at an approved place, We all know there are people in our communities , working and non working that have issues with drugs, alcohol, gambling. This card targets not only those on social security with such addictions, but blankets the majority that do not have any issues, addiction nor financially other than struggling on below poverty line payments and does not address the problems over all in society with the same issues for working people, who can continue to drink, drug and gamble their income away, thus affecting their families too. We would like to see the card scaled back to people on a voluntary basis, with proper supports put in place to help people, Costings should the gov't expand to taking over the Basics Card recipients across the NT and other regions will add up to $233 Million up to 2021 if the Morrison Gov't continue to roll this now program out/ That kind of money could provide good services for those that need it in the community, Housing, Rehabs Councelling *Emergency housing rental crisis funds have been cut as of 1st of Jan 2019 in the Hinkler region, leaving people struggling when Indue does not pay their rents with no where to go for help from losing their rentals! Australians are all supposed to be covered under law equally, The Cashless Debit card see aussies forced onto the card stripped of rights and protections under the social security acts that have been suspended to allow Indue to take over their payments, Privacy, Dignity, Autonomy, Self Determination and Human rights breaches leave card recipients as lesser citizens no longer protected under the law, and stigmatised to be made out to be somewhat lesser for receiving social security payments, combined with the punitive Robodebts, Work For the Dole, Path Traineeships, Parents Next and Job Agencies now more interested in punishments and compliance than helping people get jobs, or receive supports with dignity, The lie if it works just like a normal debit card needs to be called out, along with the media and certain ministers pushing that the card is aimed at Drug, Alcohol and Gambling and Intergenerational Welfare, when none of it is true, It's about control of people and profits for Indue, nothing more,6,352 of 7,000 SignaturesCreated by Kathryn Wilkes
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Save the Aboriginal Butterfly CaveAn important Awabakal women’s place – The Butterfly Cave – is at real and immediate risk of damage from a subdivision being built 20m/65ft away. It's contextual bushland setting will be destroyed. If we lose the Butterfly Cave it will be an environmental and cultural tragedy. We have witnessed the destruction of too many precious sites in bush and city Australia. The desecration must stop and it must stop NOW. Women's business matters!52 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Annie Freer
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Save GEND, EURO and MEMS Majors at UWA!As a student at UWA the proposed cuts to Arts Majors is a great cause of concern. I believe that my university should pride itself on creating graduates who have an understanding of global issues and have received a broad education, rather than being an institution that just focusses on what will earn them the most money in the short term. Decisions like this not only affect students currently enrolled in the Gender Studies, European Studies, and Medieval & Early Modern Studies Majors, but all students at UWA as I believe this decision greatly harms the integrity of the university. No figures have been provided as to why these majors aren't financially viable, and it's unclear why it is them who have been continually under attack, rather than the university carrying out a proper Faculty-wide review. Having done units from these majors in the past I can testify to their high quality and the passion of the lecturers and tutors. The fact that the majors haven't been well promoted in the past, especially as they have been continually under attack, is the root cause of any under-enrolment. If the university truly valued these areas of study the best solution would be to promote them more widely to incoming students, rather than cut them all together. UWA has the only Medieval and Early Modern Studies and European Studies Majors in the state and Gender Studies is extremely important as a study of the current and past oppressions of women. These majors all have an important place at UWA, especially as a university that claims to produce 'global citizens'. In the interests of preserving UWA's reputation as an institution that values a broad range of areas and puts the education of its students as its number one priority I urge the Faculty of Arts to reverse its decision.717 of 800 SignaturesCreated by Emma Boogaerdt
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No jab no play ... no jab no payPlease sign this petition if you believe parents have a right to choose what's best for their children and don't have to pay penalties for a well-informed decision. After all by trying to take away family and childcare payments from low income families who conscientiously choose to selectively vaccinate or not vaccinate, the Australian government is putting parents in the impossible position of having to choose between feeding and housing their families and vaccinating their children against their will, THIS IS NOT LEGAL CONSENT, IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND IT IS BLACKMAIL!6,136 of 7,000 SignaturesCreated by Britta Gisder
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End Domestic and Family ViolenceWe have probably all heard the statistic: one Australian woman dies at the hands of a partner or ex-partner every week. But so far in 2015, women are being murdered at double that rate, and in Queensland alone in 2013-14 there were more than 66,000 reported incidents of domestic and family violence. It's time to act. Urgent steps must be taken by our leaders and policy makers now, to ensure this shameful epidemic no longer ruins the lives of generations of families. Rest assured, someone you know has been affected by family violence. Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, whose own son, Luke, was murdered last year by his father, has campaigned fiercely for short-term and long-term change. In the long term, let's change the entrenched attitudes and gender inequalities that help create the environment for domestic and family violence in the first place (such as through respectful relationships education in schools); but in the short term, let's improve the support services and responses from organisations such as the police and courts, so victims know they are not alone. Rosie is supporting our campaign, and we are supporting her. Get on board and help be a force for change.2,503 of 3,000 SignaturesCreated by Christina Ongley
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Wonthaggi Cemetery Save and PreserveWe want to be proud of the Wonthaggi Public Cemetery's historic grounds and the very special areas in which to honour and celebrate life. We need the grounds to be kept in pristine condition all year round for safe access to and from grave sites for all population groups including senior citizens and members of the public with a disability - even people with an injury or temporary disability.19 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Les Larke
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Change 26 Jan to Commemoration Day and 1 Sep to Australia Day for all AustraliansYesterday I heard on the radio news that a highly regarded Indigenous Elder refused to accept his Australia Day Award. That was perfect timing for me as I have been trying to change Australia Day for the past 5 years. When I was in year 12 in 1971, my maths teacher invited me to a week long camp at Lane Cove National Park, Sydney. I did not realise what sort of camp it was initially. I soon learnt that it was the yearly camp to reunite Indigenous siblings who were still being separated and living with different White families. I made many friends there and reflected that had my cousins been born into a family with an Indigenous mother, they too would have been taken away to live with White families. I still live with the shock of what that week was about to this very day. It tore at my heart to try to comfort two precious sisters who were about to be separated again for another LONG year. That was something I have NEVER forgotten. The camp was pervaded with PANIC that last day. I feel that we all need a Commemorative Day on 26 January. There is still much healing to be allowed and this day will also include minority groups such as mine - complex trauma, people from war-torn countries, and even asylum seekers who are feeling political unrest and torture. We all carry traumatic memories that need time to heal and given the respect of the nation to give us this day each year on 26 January.We need a national, inclusive Commemoration Day on 26 January to be dedicated to the memories of all the events that brought/bring/will bring the original generations of the First Peoples in Australia, the invaders and their generations of offspring, more recent migrants and their families, and asylum seekers together to actively remember the actions of past others and to celebrate the survival of all minority groups against enormous odds. Then we need to bring everyone together into the present time with an all inclusive Australia Day on 1 September, the first day of Spring. Then and only then will Australians be able to start growing up emotionally.87 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Lucy Adams
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Support the Casino to Murwillumbah Rail Service(Background) The Casino to M'bah line was opened in 1894 and operated until the NSW government closed the service in 2004 despite widespread community opposition. The last service on the line was an XPT that only ran twice a day. REOPENING THE CASINO-MURWILLUMBAH RAIL LINE FOR COMMUTER SERVICES TO CREATE AN INTEGRATED PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE: •Significantly increasing population (Northern Rivers has the highest predicted population growth in NSW) •We have a high reliance on private cars. Rising petrol prices, climate change. Rail would be better for the environment by reducing our co2 emissions. •To reduce Traffic congestion at Byron Bay, Lismore, main highways, local markets and festivals. Rail would provide infrastructure to deal with Peak Tourism periods •Reduce Road maintenance (buses create more road damage than cars). •To reduce the Northern Rivers Road Toll, which is the highest in NSW. The Pacific Highway is the most dangerous road in NSW. and there is an accident on Bangalow-Lismore Rd on average once a week. We are losing far too many local lives on our roads, including accidents involving vehicles, hitch-hikers, cyclists or trucks. •Reduce the high rate of drink driving in the Byron Shire. •Many towns are currently not connected by public bus services. The Railway connects most towns to the regional centre Lismore, and to tourism hotspot Byron Bay. Connects residents to essential services. •Trains cater for elderly, disabled, wheelchairs, bicycles and surfboards •Support locals accessing Education, Housing and Employment, Community Health, Youth ,and Mental Health Services, eg. ‘Headspace' in Lismore •Will create jobs, reduce social isolation, addresses local social issues and disadvantage •Promote Northern Rivers Regional Tourism: Heritage Rail, access to recreational activities including local markets, beach, galleries, local produce, festivals, beautiful scenery, country towns, National Parks •A Rail Trail Study has been announced, but rail trails work much better when integrated with a train service, especially through our terrain and dispersed towns. •Freight HQ at Casino provides freight opportunities as the rail is adjacent to many mayor supermarkets and industrial areas, and the local area produces crops such as sugar, soybeans, nuts and coffee. Putting road freight onto rail will make local roads safer •If the High Speed Rail is built in the future between Sydney and Brisbane via Casino, rail travel times from the Northern Rivers to Brisbane will be reduced to 2hrs or less, and will be more efficient than road travel2,484 of 3,000 SignaturesCreated by Angela Burgler
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Younger siblings must not be excluded after Public School boundary changes.Schools in the Inner West are experiencing increasing enrolment numbers. Catchment areas are being reduced for schools under enrolment pressure. Families finding themselves involuntarily placed out of catchment due to boundary change, are being told that their younger children are now not allowed to attend school with their older siblings. These measures are unreasonable and unjust. Families who have had long associations with the school, and children who have built friendships and trust with the school are being forced to leave by the exclusion of younger siblings. After boundary change, consideration is not being given to the younger siblings made out of zone. Only children yet to start school from within the new catchment are being guaranteed enrolment. More border changes are coming and the group of families finding themselves in this unwelcome position is going to grow. We support the changes that need to occur to control school numbers but solutions must take into account the welfare of existing pupils and their families. Please respect our children's and families need to be able to attend the same primary school. Respect our families' association with the school community. Don't force families into a position where they have to withdraw their children from the school they love in the middle of their schooling.1,075 of 2,000 SignaturesCreated by Catherine Sengupta
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Prime Minister to urge U.N. & member countries to hold urgent summit on Refugees/Asylum Seekers*Current processes trap people in untenable circumstances, without hope, access to health, education, appropriate housing or physical and emotional safety. *Tragic loss of life occurs at sea or by self harm, or violence and incarceration without cause, because - WE - do nothing to provide intelligent, humane alternatives. *People in 1st world countries are wrongly encouraged to see refugees/asylum seekers as undesirable, dangerous, and a threat to our well-being, life-style and living standards, and to loose their ability to empathise, or to recognise that - there but for the grace of God, Buda, Allah, or even Hughie, go I -. *Asylum seekers all over the world, in every major country, are currently vilified, forced into illegal activity to survive, separated from families for very long periods of time, and incarcerated in appalling environments with no hope for the future.55 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Susan Abbey
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STOP THE UNLAWFUL VIOLENT KILLING OF PROTECTED NATIVE KANGAROOSArticle showing my dedicated work with Kangaroos in Canberra Times http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-city-of-animal-lovers-20120714-222rk.html. Click on link to view final poll results: http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/canberra-times-final-kangaroo-killing-poll-results-closed-25512/?preview=true&preview_id=748&preview_nonce=0370f2d679 . An abuse of rate/taxpayers money that cost over $200,000, and an abuse of the government and government department's positions, ignoring expert advice outside the government. Please check out http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/?sn=l, http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/protected-native-violent-kangaroo-killing-in-the-act-7-june-2012/. Native grasses are not threatened by the kangaroos, but by human activity, including toxic sprays. ANIMAL WELFARE - Click on the links below, to view kangaroo cruelty and horror. Kangaroos are killed in an extremely inhumane manner. Legally kangaroos killed are required to be killed by a single shot to the brain. there are instances where kangaroos are not killed in this manner. As a result, the kangaroo is shot agonisingly in the jaw, neck or the body, flees in response and will suffer a prolonged and painful death. These joeys are killed often by shooters smashing them into the ground, against tow bars of cars or with a metal pipe or other blunt instrument. Alternatively, when not caught, an out of pouch joey will be left to fend for itself and will generally die of predation, starvation or dehydration.This is not to mention the stress suffered by kangaroos from hearing shots being fired and from being chased down by shooters. Please click on or copy and paste this link into your browser to view more information on Kangaroo abuse and sign as well: http://www.change.org/petitions/chief-minister-environment-minister-greens-party-prime-minister-stop-the-unlawful-violent-killing-of-protected-native-kangaroos ‘....anyone who intentionally tortures a dog or cat is a threat to public safety, and should be dealt with severely," DeSteph said in a statement....DeSteph told ABC News he plans to send the legislation to other state lawmakers and work with national animal welfare groups to get the law introduced across the country. There have been studies that show a connection between animal cruelty and many other crimes, from drug and firearm offenses to battery and sexual assault, according to the Humane Society....’The same applies to Kangaroos and all other animals, the entire animal kingdom, not just cats and dogs.The Government’s proposed Animal Welfare Bill should be citing the same as above to immediately stop the Kangaroo killings to arrest and lock up the Government officials responsible for the Kangaroo killings since 2004-2019.The Animal Welfare Bill cannot be in compliance with the Government,the Government has to be in compliance with it The kangaroo management plan is conjunctional, incompetent, and not based on any scientific facts. The only objects that are causing the destruction of grasslands, woodlands, threatened species and ecosystems are tams staff and their shooters, the cattle they put into all the nature reserves after killing all the kangaroos in 2011 because the grass was too long, and the government that fails to listen to the experts, to end this unlawful violent, unnecessary killing that will drive our protected native Kangaroos to extinction. Click on this link for more information: http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/wildlife-carers-group-wcg-visit-to-callum-brae-nature-reserve-etc-full-5-day-work-experience-student-wes-placement-report-trained-by-wcg-founding-president-nora-preston-4-8-july-2011/?sn=l We require the government department TAMS/TCCS (have changed their name or relevant Dept)authority who deal with applications to kill protected native species, and applications for the native wildlife rehabilitation licence to be removed from TAMS/TCCS or relevant Dept and handed over to Wildlife Carers Group. We require that the Eastern Grey Kangaroos, along with other persecuted macropods and native wildlife to be placed on the Critically Endangered list, AUSTRALIA WIDE. We require changes in the legislations/Acts and policies in the ACT, and Australia wide, to ensure that all protected native wildlife are protected and not be allowed to be killed. Wildlife Carers Group Wildlife Rehabilitation Licence to include FULL TERM REHABILITATION OF SICK INJURED ORPHANED NATIVE EASTERN GREY KANGAROOS, AND ALL OTHER ENDANGERED NATIVE WILDLIFE THAT ARE CURRENTLY OMITTED FROM THE LICENCE. The unlawful entry and stealing of my wildlife from my property by tams, the rspca and the police occurred as a result of me taking the Conservator of Flora and Fauna to court for the unlawful violent killing of the kangaroos/animal cruelty in 2012, to stop the unlawful violent killing and to have the Acts and policies that govern these policies changed. This action against me was more abuse of taxpayers money and vexatious by the government. To see the full reports please click on these links: http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/rspca-selling-stolen-wildlife-belonging-to-wildlife-carers-group-act-greens-party-offer-the-act-rspca-1million-rspca-animal-cruelty-continues-super-trawler-petitions-1912/ Full story on unlawful entry and theft of wildlife, click on these links: http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/unlawful-entry-and-seizure-of-wildlife-letters-sent-to-canberra-tmes-but-not-published-28812/, and follow the other links about tams, the rspca, the chief minister that follow these reports. http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/?sn=l http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/wildlife-carers-group-visit-to-antarctica-melbourne-aquarium-competition-ongoing-animal-cruelty-by-rspcamore-211212/?preview=true&preview_id=868&preview_nonce=c1ce95b73f.1,386 of 2,000 SignaturesCreated by Lady NORA PRESTON