Many Australians are disenchanted with, what they consider, the excessive and unwarranted pensions paid to politicians on leaving Parliament. No other Australian worker is paid a pension on leaving their employment, or when terminated (i.e. not re-elected), neither are they paid a percentage of their wage. Politicians Pensions should be the same amount, and have the same eligibility requirements applied to every other Australian. Specifically, a Politicians Pension not be accessible until reaching retirement age, be means tested, and equivalent in every way to the age pension entitlements of every other Australian. An ex politician is no different to any other Australian worker and should not entitled any differently with their pension . To quote a recent Treasurer, "The age of entitlement is over."

The current Australia Day public holiday celebrates a nation from the point of white settlement. It does not take into account the sovereign nations that lived here since the time immemorial. Australia is one of very countries that has a national public holiday to honour and pay respect the First Nations Peoples and cultures. It's time this changed. We can't change the past but we can change the future. Let's join together to create change so that we can all celebrate the ongoing custodianship role in caring for this country. We have a number of state and national public holidays to celebrate and/or commemorate religious traditions, British ties to the Monarchy, servicemen, pastoralist and sporting events. Arguably, Australia Day is meant to unite all Australians it is well recognised that this is not a day that is celebrated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Let's demonstrate our appreciation and privilege of having the longest living culture in the world.

According to projections by GetUp, Wyong Hospital could lose up to $281 million in federal funding over the next decade. This is roughly the equivalent of 169 hospital beds, or 313 nurses, or 176 doctors.* These cuts are the outcome of changes to Federal-State funding arrangements made in the 2014 budget, which saw $57 billion ripped from local hospitals over the next decade. The Turnbull Government's recent budget restored just $2.9 billion, locking in $54 billion of these cuts. Meanwhile the Coalition is trying to argue that they have increased health funding. These enormous funding cuts come at a time when the Australian Medical Association and Australian Nursing ​& Midwifery ​Federation are warning of an imminent crisis unless hospital funding is increased. They could mean fewer doctors, nurses, or beds, and longer emergency room and elective surgery wait times. But there's hope. In this critical pre-election period, polling shows that protecting our universal healthcare system is the number one vote-changing issue for Australians. The Coalition's attack on public health is clearly ringing alarm bells for voters, and we have a plan to turn the volume up. In the lead up to this year's Federal Election, people will step up in their local communities to call on their Federal MPs and local candidates to commit to adequately-funded hospitals. Together, we will lay the foundations for a strong and secure future where all Australians can receive the quality healthcare they need. *The funding loss projections per hospital are based on figures provided by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) and hospital bed figures (2013) provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The projections are based on the full $57 billion cuts figure and represent our best estimate given the available data. For more information see: http://www.getup.org.au/hospital-funding

According to projections by GetUp, Westmead Hospital could lose up to $690.6 million in federal funding over the next decade. This is roughly the equivalent of 414 hospital beds, or 770 nurses, or 433 doctors.* These cuts are the outcome of changes to Federal-State funding arrangements made in the 2014 budget, which saw $57 billion ripped from local hospitals over the next decade. The Turnbull Government's recent budget restored just $2.9 billion, locking in $54 billion of these cuts. Meanwhile the Coalition is trying to argue that they have increased health funding. These enormous funding cuts come at a time when the Australian Medical Association and Australian Nursing ​& Midwifery ​Federation are warning of an imminent crisis unless hospital funding is increased. They could mean fewer doctors, nurses, or beds, and longer emergency room and elective surgery wait times. But there's hope. In this critical pre-election period, polling shows that protecting our universal healthcare system is the number one vote-changing issue for Australians. The Coalition's attack on public health is clearly ringing alarm bells for voters, and we have a plan to turn the volume up. In the lead up to this year's Federal Election, people will step up in their local communities to call on their Federal MPs and local candidates to commit to adequately-funded hospitals. Together, we will lay the foundations for a strong and secure future where all Australians can receive the quality healthcare they need. *The funding loss projections per hospital are based on figures provided by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) and hospital bed figures (2013) provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The projections are based on the full $57 billion cuts figure and represent our best estimate given the available data. For more information see: http://www.getup.org.au/hospital-funding

Newstart Allowance has not been raised in real terms since the 1994 Federal Budget, when the payment was raised by a mere $2.95. Over the last two decades, the payment has stagnated, falling increasingly behind the rest of community, and creating widespread poverty for unemployed people. At $260 per week, or $37 per day, it is one of the lowest unemployment payments in the developed world, and well below the poverty-line. Newstart is now only 18 percent of the average wage, and 41 percent of the minimum wage. The low rate of Newstart profoundly affects the well-being of unemployed people, as well as making it harder for job-seekers to search for work. - 40 percent of Newstart recipients unable to pay their bills on time or see a dentist - 46 percent are only able to afford second-hand clothes most of the time - 44 percent of those surveyed reported having unsustainable levels of debt, owing more than they could afford - A majority turn off their heating and cooling to save money - 32 percent have skipped meals over the past year - 25 percent were suffering from 'housing crisis' – were spending more than 50 percent of their income on housing - 20 percent reported not having enough money for essentials like housing, food, and electricity - 63 percent reported that their income had fallen behind cost of living over the past two years - More than half are unable to raise $2,000 in the event of an emergency With government data indicating there are roughly five job-seekers for every job, Newstart is not a short-term payment. Over half of the roughly 750,000 unemployed people in Australia, through no fault of their own, are stuck on the payment for long periods, simply because there are not enough jobs to go around. Raising Newstart is affordable. The increase could be easily funded through budgetary measures that would not only affect small groups of very well-off people but would raise significant amounts of revenue. Savings generated from scrapping negative gearing ($15 billion), eliminating superannuation tax concessions for those on high incomes ($10.5 billion), and closing various tax loopholes for big business, could fund the long-overdue increase to the payment, with billions of dollars leftover. These figures dwarf the cost of raising Newstart: increasing the payment by $100 per week would cost roughly $4.5 billion per year.

For labour market entrants facing an economy with 40% of us in insecure work, the choices (for those aside from a lucky few) are largely between waiting to be notified of shifts via text message, rolling short-term contracts in the public sector, or studying for years and years to end up in the same trap anyway. And that’s all before the economy really tanks. We create enough value for everyone to have a basic living income. Australia is one of the richest countries in a world that has never been richer. Our GDP is on track to reach AUD$73,123.05 per capita this year. That we live with poverty, insecurity and economic anxiety is a matter of political choice, not necessity. We create enough value for everyone to have a basic living income. That’s why I’d like to propose every citizen, every permanent resident, receive a basic income of AUD$30,000 per year. No exceptions. No means testing. A universal minimum income. Imagine the creativity, innovation and enterprise that would be unleashed if every citizen were guaranteed a living. Imagine the savings with no centrelink department required to police and punish citizens. Universal income provides the material basis for a fuller development of human potential. Social enterprises, cooperatives and small businesses could be started without participants worrying where the next pay cheque would come from. Artists and musicians could focus on their work. More of us would be freed to volunteer our time for the public good. Some workers would no longer be faced with the unenviable position of having to choose between supporting their families and degrading their local environment. And all of us would have the option to pursue further education. Universal income won’t solve all our problems, but it puts us in a stronger position from which to start to solve them. A universal income would drive productivity growth and innovation across many fields. All while guaranteeing consumer demand. True prosperity and progress never came from cutting margins here and there but rather from radically new ways of doing business.

AUSTRALIA NEEDS A FEDERAL ICAC NOW! Either through direct guilt or sheer folly the Major Political parties have displayed a "lack of will" or perhaps a "lack of courage" to tackle the corruption and rorts that breed within the membership of their ranks. While the ALP and the LNP continue to reject ongoing calls from the public for the formation of a Federal ICAC, corruption at a Federal level in Australia continues to be blatant. The guilty become further emboldened by a lack of Federal oversights. Meanwhile our MSM (Main Stream Media) seem to turn an almost "blind eye" to the endless Federal corruptions and rorts. MSM rarely even gives scant attention to the "pervading corruption" that runs through Australian Federal politics. This petition has been created to raise public awareness of this ongoing, unacceptable, disgusting, situation! AUSTRALIA NEEDS A FEDERAL ICAC NOW! Australians are well aware that corrupt Federal politicians are within our midst. We understand that corrupt corporations have perverted our political process. Australians have been calling for years for the connections and deals of politicians and corporations to be unveiled, investigated, and if required, prosecuted. However, Australia's Federal politicians refuse to enact a Federal ICAC voluntarily. It is therefore up to "we the people", to highlight this issue via social media until change is enacted. The guilty cannot be permitted any longer to corrupt our democracy. Please sign and share the petition. TY

An 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!

Air pollution is a silent and invisible killer, directly responsible for the premature deaths of 3000 Australians each year, and afflicting thousands more. Even at levels that are undetectable by smell, noxious gases and particles in the air can impact your health. Air pollution is a direct cause of many common life-threatening illnesses including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary cancer, leukaemia, birth defects and immune system defects, cardiovascular problems, heart disease and stroke, liver and other types of cancer. Currently, communities like mine in Morwell, state governments, and the public health care system are unfairly left to bear the burden of air pollution-related illnesses and environmental problems. Polluters like GDF Suez Energy, the owners of the Hazelwood mine, have shown that they won't clean up their act on their own - we need a strong legal framework in order to enforce our rights to a clean environment free of pollution. Please sign the petition and lend your voice to all individuals and communities who are impacted by air pollution.

For the health of your customers, and I guess it must be important to Bunnings Warehouse, the ban of glyphosate based weedlkillers has to be a wise move. Some have criticized this consensus report from the WHO but truly must not know the meaning of "slow poisoning" or "precaution". So far I can mention that it has been banned from all french gardening centers, Switzerland centers Coop and Migros, German giant retailer Rewe, also the countries of Columbia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica and more. There also are about 30 000 health professionals in Argentina (one of biggest user of Roundup) calling for the same ban. moreover a team of international scientists based in New Zealand reported that widely available commercial formulations of RoundUp, 2,4-D and dicamba can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance in common disease-causing bacteria. I suppose that this does not come as a surprise and hope that Bunnings Warehouse will also use the precautionary principle and remove all products containing glyphosate from its shelves. You hopefully also know that the use of these weedkillers depletes the soil and washes down in our rivers, causing more environmental damage and also comes back into our drinkable water (an American study also found that 93% of women tested positive to glyphosate in their breast-milk). I include here a list of links to broaden anyone's knowledge on the matter: http://templatelab.com/iarc-monographs-112-02/ http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/aug/07/supermarkets-garden-centres-weedkiller-ban-cancer-glyphosate-monsanto http://theantimedia.org/more-european-countries-banning-glyphosate-monsantos-roundup/http://www.truthwiki.org/glyphosate/ http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/2015/05/30/the-end-of-monsanto/ http://www.naturalnews.com/042553_roundup_glyphosate_breast_cancer.html http://sustainablepulse.com http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/883578 http://www.i-sis.org.uk/glyphosateCausesBirthDefects.php http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/05/30/why-the-netherlands-just-banned-monsantos-glyphosate-based-herbicides/ http://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IPTG-1-104.pdf http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com/article.asp?issn=2152-7806;year=2015;volume=6;issue=1;spage=45;epage=45;aulast=Samsel http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045%2815%2970134-8/abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25067936 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955666/#!po=65.0000 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3958316/#!po=61.1111 http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/4/4449 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24434723 http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756170 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584913003262 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23000283 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22120950 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22200534 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20012598 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19539684 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx800218n http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17486286 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15929894 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15451553 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12765238 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12148884 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx1001749 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1638308

How can a group of people, including high profile people have a say in what cultural background you are when they don't know you? We have been fighting to be apart of a Native Title process and was told that we have no connection because of our other cultural background. Our families have connections with the land and sea for decades, since the mid 1800's. My cousin had to travel to Melbourne to get a DNA testing to prove to the authorities and groups of people that they were wrong about us. We have the proof now that we belong to the country we live on in Bowen, therefore the Native Title Tribunal and land councils processes are failing in many ways . Don't allow anyone tell you, who you are, when you know, who you are.

Function 1: Provision of environmental services Like any ecosystem, verge gardens provide the environmental services commonly associated with plants: Filtration of air, Reduction in the urban heat island effect that raises neighbourhood air temperature in summer, Slowing of rainfall runoff and assisting it infiltrate as soil water rather than be lost to the stormwater drain, thus obtaining a use from it before it returns to the water cycle, Provision of habitat for insects, birds and small reptiles, Carbon sequestration in organically-rich soils. Function 2: Making productive use of urban land Kerbside gardening makes productive use of land in urban areas. It puts to practical use small patches of land that are otherwise neglected or planted to simplified plant communities—such as lawn verges—that are unproductive or that may consume excessive water and fossil fuels in their maintenance. Verge gardens offer Council a solution to reducing their carbon footprint in line with Environmental Policy. Function 3: Boosting biodiversity As mixed edible plantings, verge gardens attract insects and other small animal species that interact through food webs. This is the basis of their biodiversity value. Flowering species attract bees, providing habitat for pollinators in residential areas. Function 4: New ways to engage with public space Taking responsibility for a kerbside garden provides a new means for people to engage with public space. In this sense, shared gardens enhance community engagement with public lands and encourages members of our community to take a more proactive role in public space management.