Such financial policies further exacerbate rising economic and social inequality, which is one of the greatest threats society faces. It sends the message to less advantaged young people that they don't matter as much as others. The Government wishes to spend $5 billion more per annum on those children who happen to be born into fortunate families. This is a kick in the guts to the working class, who also want the best for their families. This government once again wants to prop up incredibly wealthy institutions, at the expense of fairness and equality for the majority of the emerging generation. Let's show them we won't have it!

Gas is bad for our planet - it’s a dirty and dangerous fossil fuel that fossil fuel corporations need to stop burning as soon as possible to give us any chance of avoiding a catastrophic climate future. The past two years have shown us that we are already living with the dangerous effects of a heating planet - with bushfires and floods raging across the country. Not only that, gas is bad for our health. As a retired GP I saw firsthand how many of my patients suffered from asthma. And according to the Asthma Council, burning gas inside produces nitrogen dioxide, which can exacerbate asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Why wouldn’t we clean up our homes with clean electricity instead? Canterbury-Bankstown Council have developed a country-leading plan to ban new gas connections and cut emissions. As many of us as possible need to get behind it! Sign my petition today.

Tassal salmon is responsible for a growing number of environmental catastrophes in Tasmanian waterways from to the Derwent estuary to Huin river and with their planned expansion in Storm bay, Bruny Island and several undisclosed sites around the Tasmanian coast. The cost to the environment and the local communities is seen through the impacts to clean drinking water, algae blooms, continuous industrial activity 24/7 and annihilation of marine life and entire marine ecosystems under and surrounding the salmon farms. Rather than managing Hobart’s drinking water for public risk, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) – Tasmania’s environmental regulator – gives the appearance of existing only to enable the expansion of the salmon industry. Rather than improving hatchery standards to an acceptable level, it sanctions more and larger hatcheries on Hobart’s water catchment. Basic measures such as drum filters do not address the vast amount of dissolved nutrients – ammonia, nitrate, phosphorus – which hatchery fish release through their gills, along with decayed faeces and food, into the source of drinking water for half Tasmania’s population.

The Village is the town’s premier attraction but currently locals can only get their by driving; extending the walking/cycling track to the village would not cost much but would greatly improve the exercise options of local residents.

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.

The $4b project is projected to cut the time for a Geelong - Melbourne trip to 50 minutes. This is 5 minutes longer than the 2006 Regional Fast Rail express train trip of 45 minutes. For this sort of money we should be embarking on true High Speed Rail with an estimated Geelong - Melbourne trip of 17 minutes ( http://www.megarail.com.au/ ) The MegaRail proposal with stations at Avalon Airport and Werribee will greatly enhance the livability and and economic strength of Melbourne's west as well as Geelong and could be built with the $4b currently available as a privately co-funded Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) project. The State Government $50m Geelong Fast Rail Study announced in March 2018 promised train speeds of between 250kph and 300kph. This proposal using conventional V/Line Trains and a third track between Werribee and Laverton is a total cop-out and if Geelong lets it happen we will never get a decent High-Speed train service.

To get to the shops from the cinema and vis versa you have to cross multiple roads. the paths are uneven and unsuitable for scooters, wheelchairs, bikes or hoverboards. My dad is in a wheelchair and has to travel on road and through the busy carpark to get from the cinema to the shops.

If fish farms are established in NW Tasmania's pristine waters then there will be a massive negative impact on our environment, economy and society. Wynyard, Burnie, Sisters Beach, Table Cape to Stanley's economies are based on a clean, green and unspoiled image. If the NW Brand is tainted by its association with industrial fish farming, and the rapidly accelerating negative press and opposition it is generating, then our economy will be severely impacted. The very reasons that attract visitors and residents to NW Tasmania are diametrically opposed to the industrialisation of our pristine marine environment. Our way of life and quality of life are under threat just so companies and shareholders can make even more money. We reject private corporations & the government making profits off the backs of pristine waters & residents

Bribie Island is a flora and fauna sanctuary. Over one third of the island is National Park. Development has accelerated with little planning to cater for this unique Island and its natural flora and fauna. The local Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council does not have a plan specifically for the management of this unique and beautiful, but fragile Island. Kangaroos, Wallabies, snakes, birds and lizards are killed on the roads almost daily. The emus are now extinct on the island as a result of human impact. People move to Bribie Island for its "Liveability" The flora and fauna are part of that. People don't want to see dead kangaroos on the footpath outside the school or the Police euthanasing (shooting) a badly injured kangaroo in their front yard. This already happens too often. Development of the island must proceed with the fragile nature of the flora and fauna in mind: not at its expense. It will only get worse if nothing is done.

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.