318 human rights workers and activists murdered. 27,000 lives lost to extrajudicial killings. 122 children caught in the crossfire. In the Philippines, a humanitarian crisis is raging out of control. Since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in June 2016, thousands have lost their lives in his administration’s confected “War Against Drugs” and bloody crackdown on civil society. Emboldened by Duterte’s encouragement to “go ahead and kill [suspected drug dealers and users] yourself”, the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and armed vigilante groups have mercilessly gunned down “suspects” — some as young as 17 years old — on the basis of false or non-existent evidence. Only three police officers have ever been convicted for their role in the killings. Under cover of the COVID-19 pandemic, Duterte has escalated his assault on activists, civil society, and the urban poor. While the Philippines braces for a third wave of the virus, police continue to harass and criminalise community pantries, murder Indigenous land rights activists, and “red-tag” (designate as a terrorist and place on a Government watch list) who dares speak out. As long-term supporters of the Philippine Military and Police Force, Australia has blood on its hands. Yet the Morrison Government refuses to condemn President Duterte and distance itself from his fascist regime. In February, The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Australian security agencies provided “technical assistance” over 3 years to help draft the Filipino Anti-Terror Law that experts have dubbed a “‘human rights disaster”. The law provides legal basis for incorrectly labelling activists and humanitarian and civil society groups “terrorists” and allows their harassment, criminalisation, and murder. The Morrison Government does not publicly disclose the exact monetary value of military aid provided to the Philippines each year. However, the Australian Defence Force provides annual training for personnel from the Philippines Coast Guard and Department of National Defence. The Australian Government has also previously provided military personnel and equipment to the Philippines and trained over 10,000 Filipino army and marine personnel “in urban combat, air strike tactics in an urban environment” — the same tactics used to terrorise Filipinos and Filipino civil society. In solidarity with activists in the Philippines and the Filipino community in Australia, BAYAN Australia, Migrante Australia, and the Sydney and Melbourne chapters of Anakbayan call on Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Peter Dutton to immediately cease all military aid to the Philippines. Will you join us in demanding the Australian Government end its role in the bloodshed in the Philippines by immediately ending all military aid to, and training operations in, the Philippines?

The ability of the media to report freely on matters of public interest is a crucial indicator of democracy. However this right to seek and disseminate information through an independent press is increasingly under attack. If Julian Assange, an Australian journalist can be prosecuted and imprisoned for espionage in the United States, then no media professional or citizen journalist anywhere, is safe to report information exposing government crimes. The United Nations Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer, has called for Assange’s immediate release, asserting that “In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic States ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law”. Recent reports show that the Trump administration and CIA were working on plans to either kidnap or kill Julian Assange when he was a political asylee in London's Ecuadorian embassy. If extradited to the US, Julian Assange does not stand a chance. The Australian government must advocate for one of its own citizens. The people of Sydney want to see justice for Julian Assange and call on our elected representative to do all that she can to help free Julian Assange and bring him home.

The ability of the media to report freely on matters of public interest is a crucial indicator of democracy. However this right to seek and disseminate information through an independent press is increasingly under attack. If Julian Assange, an Australian journalist can be prosecuted and imprisoned for espionage in the United States, then no media professional or citizen journalist anywhere, is safe to report information exposing government crimes. The United Nations Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer, has called for Assange’s immediate release, asserting that “In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic States ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law.” Australia must advocate for one its own citizens, now. The people of Wentworth want to see justice for Julian Assange and call on our elected representative to do all that she can to help bring Julian home.

There are a number of reasons why we should ban fogging in Exmouth, Western Australia: 1. Fogging is ineffective - Fogging is only moderately effective in the control of the mosquito population. For each adult mosquito killed, many more larvae in the water remain unaffected. Fogging kills the adults and that gives temporary relief for the day. But the breeding source nearby is not affected, and the next day there will be more adults that can continue to breed and infect us. Reducing the number of larvae is a more effective measure, which means that oiling achieves better results than fogging. 0.1% of sprayed pesticides actually hit the target pest - 99.9 % go off into the environment (Pimentel, D. PhD., BioScience) The pesticides are actually negatively affecting our bird, bee (including native bee), and dragonfly population more than the mosquito population. The risks on our oceanic ecosystem and marine life is also largely unknown. 2. Fogging is toxic to our health - the pesticides used in vector control are neurotoxins and have been linked to adverse effects in humans. Ingredients used in mosquito fogging - malathion mixed with diesel - are powerful neurotoxins, carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors. Exposure to neurotoxins, even in low quantities, is also associated with numbness of the lips and tongue, nausea, headaches and respiratory problems. For these reasons, many countries have banned open-air fogging completely. Pregnant women, fetuses, infants, and children have a greater risk of getting sick from pesticides. Our children and grandchildren are exposed to these pesticides just by playing on our lawns once the fogging is complete. Airborne pesticides are particularly harmful as they may be easily ingested by humans and wildlife. Pesticide residue can also be left behind on items kept outdoors, such as children’s toys and outdoor furniture, or tracked inside on shoes. Children, the elderly, and the chronically ill are at greatest risk from chemically induced immune suppression. (World Resources Institute) 

Children have a greater risk of developing asthma by age five after pesticide exposure within the first year of life. 3. Fogging is also toxic to other insects and animals, such as butterflies, dragonflies and bees - these beautiful insects are particularly sensitive to pesticides. Malathion is highly toxic to bees and other beneficial insects, some fish, and other aquatic life. When bee populations are greatly affected by pesticides, food production in the area could be affected because of the lack of pollination. Pesticides are also harmful to many other animals, including those that are natural predators of mosquitoes. Most pesticides used in fogging are toxic to fish, which are very important for the eradication of mosquito larvae. Frogs, geckos and birds, which also eat mosquitoes, could also be affected by pesticides. We would like to suggest the following alternatives to fogging: 1. Responsible housekeeping and maintenance -Remove all sources of stagnant or standing water if possible. The eradication of breeding grounds in personal and commercial spaces are much more effective tools in the fight against Ross River virus and Barman Forest virus than widespread fogging is. 2. Relocating the budget to spending the money to destroy and control breeding zones, rather than on fogging. Safe alternatives exist such as garlic and cedar sprays which can last for a month. This should also decrease the current expense that the Health Department currently accrue. 3. Replacing pesticides with natural mosquito repellents such as garlic, peppermint or lemon oils or citrus-based sprays. Turpentine and eucalyptus oils, garlic extracts, surface oils, extracts of orange and lemon peel will all control mosquito larvae. Cinnamon Oil is better for repelling mosquitoes than what is being used. 4. Increasing community effort - The responsibility for eliminating breeding grounds in one’s own home and garden, while reporting possible breeding sites in public spaces to the relevant authorities, lies with everybody. We all need to play our part to keep the mosquito breeding grounds at bay. 5. Increasing and protecting the number of mosquito predators, such as dragonflies and bats, which are both highly effective ways of controlling mosquitoes naturally. The spraying of pesticides kills those natural predators as well as mosquitoes, and because mosquitoes have a shorter reproductive cycle than their predators, following every spraying there are more mosquitoes than there were before, as a number of studies have shown. If you need to control mosquitoes, do not spray; instead, remove standing water (in which mosquitoes breed) and consider introducing dragonflies to the area. Did you know: o A single bat can eat between 6000 to 8000 insects each night. o A single frog can eat over 100 insects in one night. o Dragonflies can eat 30 to 100s mosquitoes per day. The Exmouth Community are strongly advocating for the use of an effective and non-toxic method for reducing the risk of mosquito borne illnesses in Exmouth. Until a safer solution is researched and implemented, we are requesting that further fogging be put on hold.

Children and fur babies safety is extremely important. Excited children and puppies frequently dash towards the rear exit of Ardrie Park. Some run onto the road before parents can catch up.

Children and fur babies safety is extremely important. Excited children and puppies frequently dash towards the rear exit of Ardrie Park. Some run onto the road before parents can catch up. Cars often travel at speed along this road. Neighbours have witnessed scary near misses. A safety barrier and gate to prevent a likely traumatic accident is important.

The National Disability Services Scheme has changed many peoples lives including that of my daughter who is 12 and has Down syndrome. The planning role needs to sit with the National Disability Insurance Agency in order to preserve transparency of services. Little is being said about the partner LAC’s but recently my daughters plan moved from NDIA to APM. I was not informed and I have no choice it seems. This is not transparent and these partners look and act like the NDIA but they are contacted but the govt. My details were sent to them without my consent. Here is some of what has been written in the past. I just want to have the plan sit with the NDIA and not a contractor and that seems to have been removed from our control. Not choice and not control and not what the NDIS is about. Professionals who know a person with a disability need to provide input into support needs not an assessor who has never met the person and is contracted by the government to meet KPI's. References: https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/thewest.com.au/politics/inquiry-into-ndis-independent-assessments-c-2693586.amp https://www.themandarin.com.au/92967-investing-in-administration-matters-ombudsman-links-capacity-of-ndia-to-backlog-of-complaints/

The federal government is letting us down on this issue. We need all local governments to take a leadership role if we are to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change and have a liveable future for our children. Nearby Indigo Shire has declared a Climate Emergency. So has Albury City Council. Alpine Shire has committed to net-zero by 2023. Tell our councillors we want them to take this issue seriously and keep our city liveable, by taking urgent action to reach net-zero emissions as soon as possible.

Young transgender people face enough hardship without the attacks of transphobic politicians. More than half of non-binary and transgender youth have considered suicide, according to studies [1] - and that's why it's vital that we ensure this harmful bill is voted down. The Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill 2020 would "prohibit schools, teachers, and training courses from teaching gender fluidity", which the bill defines as “a belief there is a difference between biological sex and human gender and that human gender is socially constructed.” This means that a teacher or counsellor would be sacked and disaccredited if they: a) used a students' preferred pronouns b) mentioned transgender issues in the classroom c) opposed transphobic bullying in the playground d) did not hide that they themselves were transgender Although Mark Latham may seem like a fringe crackpot, he is a powerful figure in state politics. Latham's anti-trans bill now has the open and uncritical support of the NSW Liberal parliamentary secretary for education. [2] In December 2020, he got his way with a "clean out" of 42,000 professional development courses for teachers based on whether they taught gender and sexuality content. [3] A second bill by Latham, which acts as a state version of the federal government's proposed "Religious Freedoms" bill, would give bigots in public positions immunity from consequences of spouting their anti-LGBTI, anti-abortion and anti-women bigotry. This bill has been supported by 11 of 14 members of a parliamentary committee, including 3 out of 4 ALP members on the body. [4] All of this shows that this is not a matter of letting the politicians stop him. If we do not challenge Latham publicly, his bills will only appear more and more safe for other MPs - especially the huge Liberal majority - to entertain them, and eventually pass them either in part or in whole. The community must come out publicly and in large numbers to defeat this bill, and put pressure on all politicians to back down from his discriminatory legislation. References: [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2020/07/15/largest-survey-of-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth-says-more-than-half-seriously-considered-suicide/?sh=2444b33f3404 [2] https://alastairlawrie.net/2021/03/11/nsw-liberal-parliamentary-secretary-for-education-supports-bill-to-erase-trans-kids/ [3] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/20/is-mark-latham-running-education-policy-in-nsw-no-but-the-direction-is-concerning [4] https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/shield-not-a-sword-committee-backs-new-religious-freedom-laws-20210331-p57fni.html

The Library is a community literacy service, a meeting place, a technology hub and a support to education.  The Library also provides Council Services on site: payment for rates water and sewerage services; animal registrations; internet and computer access for those who don’t have such luxury at home; viewing of Council plans and policies; lodging a general inquiry to Council; and book clubs, knitting groups and mindfulness groups. Please sign and share this petition! The Entrance community deserves a Library and Council Services venue. You can also show your support of The Entrance library by making sure you pop in and borrow the twenty items permitted, or making a Council request using the Council Services.

Andrew Laming has admitted to the accusations levelled against him in regard to his treatment of women, taking inappropriate photographs and stalking. This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable, not only of people in general, but more so from the people who sit in our parliament and other elected places. The only reason that can be attributed to his remaining in the Liberal party is fear on the part of the government that they may lose power. This is about ethics and standards of behaviour which cannot be tolerated. This is an opportunity for the Prime Minister and to show leadership and send a clear message this behaviour is not acceptable in the Liberal Party. They set an exceptionally poor example to society as a whole as to what is acceptable. The standard you walk past is the one you are prepared to accept. Let us not walk past this one.

Julian Assange is an Australian citizen who has committed no crime. He is suffering physically and mentally in prison for performing a public service. There is so much at stake here, our right to know about crimes committed by our governments, a free press, as well as a gross violation of this Australian citizens rights. Wills want our MP to help free him so he can come home to his family.