Tag: federal politics (Page 5 of 6)

Politics: Children in Detention – Seena Akhliqi Sheikhdost

February 16, 2011 / Catherine / 0 Comments

So, there’s a child in detention on Christmas Island because he is an ‘illegal immigrant’. Actually, there are a lot of children in detention in Australia and on Christmas Island for this reason, but for now I’m just going to focus on one, because I am torn between tears and fury.

Seena Akhliqi Sheikhdost was one of the children in the boat tragedy off Christmas Island late last year. His parents both drowned, but he survived, and was of course put into detention, because we are compassionate people who find this an appropriate way to deal with bereaved eight-year-old suspected terrorists. He does, in fact, have family in Sydney, but as an unaccompanied minor, the Government is his legal guardian, and the Government apparently have forgotten why we got rid of Little Johnny, or else they don’t care. They don’t want to release him to his family because they haven’t processed him yet. He has been in detention for more than two months, His first six days in detention he spent without any family, although he had an aunt in the same centre. She wasn’t initially told he was there, you see (to be fair, this was probably bureaucratic stupidity, but there is enough awfulness to go around without adding that sort of thing into it).

As an illegal immigrant, Seena doesn’t get to go to school. He doesn’t get to associate with Australian citizens, either. And while he was allowed to go to the funeral of his parents, he can’t go back home with the family members who are in Australia legally, because he doesn’t have ASIO clearance. And did I mention that he is eight years old?

I find this deeply upsetting to contemplate, which means it’s time to write to the politicians again…

Politics: A Letter in Support of Marriage Equality

November 15, 2010 / Catherine / 0 Comments

Tonight, Parliament is debating a motion in favour of marriage equality in Australia. Which means it’s time to write to the politicians again, to make sure they get it right!

As usual, Getup is happy to help you with this

Here’s mine.

Politics: Liveblogging Decision Day

September 7, 2010 / Catherine / 0 Comments

10:04 am

You heard it first here…

On our intranet as of five minutes ago:

Due to events happening in Canberra today, Their Excellencies, the Governor-General and Mr Bryce have had to cancel their visit to [my workplace] this afternoon. We will inform you when a new date has been confirmed.

Looks like someone will be visiting Ms Bryce and asking permission to form government.

That, or she’s about to sack the whole lot of them…

1:43 pm

Katter has declared for the Libs.

Oakshotte and Windsor are holding a press conference at 3pm.

74-all…

2:47 pm

Still no government.

My favourite article so far today is the one that is speculating rampantly on the basis of scrawled notes photographed on Oakshotte’s manila folder earlier this afternoon.

Every time I go to anyone else’s office, they are busy reloading one of the news websites. There is absolutely no work being done in our lab this afternoon. Everyone is busily speculating on government. And then calling in to me every few minutes to ask if we have a prime minister yet…

So far, we don’t.

3:24 pm

I think I speak for all Australians here when I say, “Oh, get ON with it!”

3:33 pm

ALP! Thank heavens for that.

3:41 pm

Oh dear. Windsor probably should *not* have just said that they backed Labor because they thought Liberal was more likely to go back to the polls fast… because he thought that the Liberal Party would have a better chance of winning.

This is not necessarily the way to convince the part of the country which voted Liberal that you are being impartial and working in the country’s interests, not your own.

On the other hand, I did like Oakeshotte’s remark about nobody having a mandate and that Parliament ought to have a ‘swear jar’ that people would need to put money into if they used the word.

And now I *swear* I’ll stop posting about the election every half hour.

Politics: First Female Prime Minister!

June 25, 2010 / Catherine / 0 Comments

Just a brief post to note that Australia now has its first ever female Prime Minister.

Congratulations and good luck, Ms Gillard – I suspect you will need them.

(rumour has it that Gillard is also Australia’s first ever red-headed Prime Minister, though this is slightly less likely to be politicised as an issue…)

Politics: Asylum Seekers – this is not what I had hoped for from the ALP

April 15, 2010 / Catherine / 0 Comments

So, apparently our spineless excuse for a government has decided that we shouldn’t process applications for residency from Afghani and Sri Lankan refugees. Because clearly when we all voted against John Howard and he lost both the election and his seat in Parliemtn, what we really meant was that we wanted more of the same.

I am absolutely livid. Admittedly, I’ve been cranky all day, but this really infuriates me beyond belief.

Anyway, I’ve just channelled an entire day’s worth of bad temper into an email to Chris Evans, via Getup. If you’re an Australian resident and feel at all strongly about refugees, I urge you to do the same.

My (probably incoherent, since I was and still am furious) email is below. It doesn’t cover any of the suggested talking points. Sod the talking points. Our entire immigration policy is filled with racism, xenophobia and a complete lack of compassion and it’s an utter shame, which I, for one, have had enough of. Anyway, if you find anything in it useful, please feel free.

Politics: We Are Sorry

February 13, 2008 / Catherine / 0 Comments

My workplace actually broadcast the apology, both in the Lecture Theatre and on the big screen above reception. Unfortunately, due to a slow start this morning, I still managed to miss most of it. I did get to watch the last five minutes of Rudd’s speech, and then the first five minutes of Nelson’s, before I couldn’t stand it any longer and had to leave.

I’m sure all the Australians reading this have seen the text of the Apology far too often today, but I’m posting it anyway. It deserves wide coverage, and it’s nice for my overseas readers to see that the Australian government is actually capable of getting things right occasionally. This has been a long time coming.

Continue reading

Politics: Changes to Electoral Law

April 4, 2007 / Catherine / 0 Comments

The government has just passed legislation closing the voting rolls at 8pm on the day the election is called. This means that anyone who is not already registered to vote on that day will be unable to vote at the next election.

This legislation will particularly disadvantage young people (first time voters who would not yet be registered) and, I would think, the less well-off; non-home owners or new home owners (people who have moved house in the last 3 years and have not updated their registration would not be eligible to vote in their new electorate, and possibly not in their old one either) – in other words, the people most likely to vote against the current government.

Apparently, they are also bringing in new legislation on April 16 that will make it harder to register for voting generally, which is just charming.

I do wonder about the legal inconsistency of all this, since voting is compulsory – it seems that the government is making it very difficult for disadvantaged people to obey the law.

In any case, if you are an Australian reading this, please, please visit the AEC website and make sure you are currently correctly registered to vote.

And please also consider signing this petition to the government to overturn this dangerous piece of legislation.

We have a really, really good electoral system in this country, and it would be a shame to see it eroded.

Politics: Indigenous Land in the Northern Territory

August 6, 2006 / Catherine / 0 Comments

Getup just notified me that the Government is trying to pass a Bill to pressure Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory into giving up their land for the next century, in exchange for securing basic services (such as housing and schools). I gather the current land rights act expires this year, and the government does not want to renew it. They are trying to rush this through on Tuesday, and have done a fine job of avoiding consulting anyone, particularly, of course, indigenous populations.

I admit that I know virtually nothing about the issues involved with this, and do not have time this week to research them, so I am not going to try to write anything especially eloquent here. But if you are Australian, I’d appreciate it if you would go here and read more: http://www.getup.org.au/campaign.asp?campaign_id=36

And if you are more knowledgeable than me, please call your senator, or write in your blog and let others know about this. I can’t imagine any way in which this would benefit the Aboriginal community in Australia, which has quite enough problems without losing one of the few assets it has.

Politics: Racism and Moreland

March 22, 2006 / Catherine / 0 Comments

Just thought I’d re-post this email that was just sent to me:

Moreland Community – Rally and March
Stand Up for Multicultural Communities
Racism will not divide us: Muslims are welcome

12pm SAT April 1st
Cnr Glenlyon and Sydney Rd (Outside Brunswick Town Hall)

supported by Moreland Council, Socialist Alliance, Carlo Carli MLA, Moreland Peace Group, Moreland Greens, Stop the War, Civil Rights Defense

After ten years of playing the race card, Howard and Costello have made recent comments singling out Muslims as antagonistic to
“Australian culture”. Tony Abbott, recently inteviewed on Lateline said that,” the purpose of multiculturalism is not to say that all cultures are equal”. These comments represents new heights in promoting community division.

This new wave of divisive politics deserves a community response. The Moreland area typifies multicultural Australia. Let set an example and send a message that Muslims and migrants are welcome in our community.

Just to add my two cents – I overheard a conversation on a tram yesterday about how the area is ‘no longer a good place to raise children’ and ‘not nice, like it was 15 years ago’ apparently in response to some local (admittedly annoying, but no more so than usual) teens of arabic descent making a lot of noise on the tram. I was fairly horrified, but as an eavesdropper, didn’t feel that I could respond. I’m wishing I had now. I am disturbed at the way racism seems to be becoming endemic in our culture…

Politics: RU-486 – Time to thank your Senators

February 19, 2006 / Catherine / 0 Comments

Here’s the first part of my potted summary of the Senate debate on the TGA reform. This post is very long, but not as long as the three Senate Hansards (transcripts of parliamentary debates) that I waded through in order to collect this information. I’ll work on one for the House of Representatives during the next week, if I have the energy… I make no promises though – I’ve spent nearly 8 hours on this so far.