National unions take to the streets to ‘change the rules’

National unions will hit the streets to stage a series of marches and mass meetings around the country from April 17.The ACTU will start with a mass meeting outside Melbourne’s Town Hall in Swanston St on April 17.Other events will be organised in cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton, Fremantle, Darwin and Townsville.The rallies will coincide with May Day celebrations and were endorsed at an ACTU executive meeting on Wednesday.The executive resolved to 12 days of community action as part of its national campaign to change industrial relations rules.

Source: National unions take to the streets to ‘change the rules’

Wellways – Act On It

Housing is a human right, right?Demand more affordable housing investment and support from our government immediately for Australians experiencing mental illness and on the brink of homelessness. A safe and secure home is important to everyone, right? Did you know 31%* of people experiencing homelessness had a mental health problem? Approximately half of these people developed a mental health problem after experiencing homelessness. Imagine being one of the thousands of vulnerable people needing help, now. We cannot do this without your support. Please sign the petition today so your voice can join the thousands of others sending a strong message to local MPs, demanding more investment into affordable housing and assisting the most vulnerable members of our community. Remove the stigma of mental illness and homelessness. Change your mindset, change a life today. Thank you

Source: Wellways – Act On It

ABC OPEN: Wanted: rock n roll granny shack with wifi || From Project: Open Drum

Elderly people need homes where they can play loud rock music. Really loud, because half of my friends are deaf, writes Lynne.

Source: ABC OPEN: Wanted: rock n roll granny shack with wifi || From Project: Open Drum

Your Silence On Manus And Nauru Is Your Complicity – New Matilda

What Australia has done to people seeking asylum is the responsibility of all Australians, writes Lauren Bull. If you don’t exercise your democracy, you’ll lose it. It’s as simple as that. What is happening on Manus right now is the direct result of decades of silent acquiescence, of politicians being emboldened by a public whoMore

Source: Your Silence On Manus And Nauru Is Your Complicity – New Matilda

‘Never been more traumatised’: 72-year-old nun recounts Manus Island visit

A neatly-made bed sits in a sunlit room, empty and waiting for visiting refugees at the house of 72-year-old Jane Keogh.The nun and former school principal has often welcomed desperate people into her home in Downer. Four weeks ago on Manus Island, she visited theirs.

Source: ‘Never been more traumatised’: 72-year-old nun recounts Manus Island visit

‘I’ll go back and do my time’: Dylan Voller arrested at deaths in custody protest

Former Don Dale detainee and centre of an explosive Four Corners report Dylan Voller says he won’t be silenced after being arrested at a protest in Alice Springs.The 20-year-old and his mother Joanne Voller were among eight people apprehended after marching from the local courthouse to protest against youth prisons and Indigenous deaths in custody on Friday afternoon, Northern Territory Police confirmed.

Source: ‘I’ll go back and do my time’: Dylan Voller arrested at deaths in custody protest

Capitalism Killing You? Income Sharing Could Save Our Lives

“Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away,” Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi wrote in a personal blog post over a decade ago. “Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house… Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise… Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap… Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.”Economic insecurity is the American nightmare. It kills us earlier, messes up our mental health, saps the life out of us. Since Scalzi’s 2005 post, we’ve learned that more than 60 percent of us can’t afford a $500 emergency – which roughly translates to hoping the toothache goes away. That’s a pretty raw deal in exchange for an economic system that’s also killing the planet. And only rarely can we count on others to help us out. They’re either broke themselves, or profiting from our financial instability.“Being poor,” Scalzi wrote, “is relying on people who don’t give a damn about you.”

Source: Capitalism Killing You? Income Sharing Could Save Our Lives

Hastings Point retirees win payout after being forced out of residential-park homes – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Two women who were forced out of their demountable homes by a developer have won a court battle for compensation after a six-year fight.Key points:Developer Tricare bought the residential park in 2011 and issued residents with an eviction noticeTwo women who fought for fair compensation awarded more than $400,000 combinedDecision could have ramifications for an estimated 40,000 residential-park residents in NSWWhen Judy Tucker and Beryl Anderson were told in 2012 by developer TriCare they were to be evicted from the Hastings Point Village in northern NSW, they decided to fight.Between them they had lived at the residential park for 43 years.TriCare bought the park in 2011 with plans to build a retirement village, leaving about 80 residents at risk of homelessness.

Source: Hastings Point retirees win payout after being forced out of residential-park homes – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

20,000 people sent Centrelink ‘robo-debt’ notices found to owe less or nothing

The Turnbull government has admitted it issued robo-debt recovery notices to 20,000 welfare recipients who were later found to owe less or even nothing.Documents presented to Parliament by Human Services Minister Alan Tudge showed the use of automated data matching processes by Centrelink and the Department of Human Services resulted in 19,980 debt notices being issued, all of which were either reduced or rescinded.

Source: 20,000 people sent Centrelink ‘robo-debt’ notices found to owe less or nothing

Mission Australia – Act On It

Together, let’s end homelessnessIf you believe all Australians deserve a safe and secure place to call home, sign your name to demand action from our government for greater investment into social and affordable housing.On any given night 105,0001 Australians – including more than 44,0002 children and young people – don’t have a place to call home.It’s a heart-breaking reality, one that’s unacceptable in a wealthy nation like ours.Not enough is being done to help the growing number of Australians who are struggling to pay the rent and for whom home ownership will never be an option. For over 650,0003 individuals and families on lower incomes, minor changes in their circumstances – a $10 per week rental increase, or an injury that stops them from working – could force them into homelessness.Australia’s severe shortage of affordable homes for low-income individuals and families is a crisis threatening to explode. More than 200,0004 people are currently on social housing waiting lists across the country, and we need our government to commit to a national target of 200,000 new social and affordable housing properties as a real solution to homelessness. There’s no place for inaction – tell our leaders more needs to be done.If you believe all Australians deserve a safe and secure place to call home, sign your name to demand action from our leaders for greater investment into social and affordable housing.

Source: Mission Australia – Act On It

When it comes to buying alcohol in Alice Springs, this NT couple says the law treats them very differently – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Gabrielle Wallington never has a problem with Northern Territory Police when she goes to a bottle shop, but it is a different story for her Aboriginal partner.Josef Jakamarra Egger is an Aboriginal man who grew up in the Central Desert and teaches high school in Alice Springs, and said he is stopped by police every time he goes to buy alcohol.”In the last three days I’ve been stopped four times by police at the bottle shop,” Mr Egger said.

Source: When it comes to buying alcohol in Alice Springs, this NT couple says the law treats them very differently – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Australia’s Biggest Welfare Scam – The Orima Evaluation of Indue

Just when you thought it was as crazy as it could get discovering that Indue’s contracts alone for the famed Cashless Debit Card Income Management Project exceeds$60 MILLION DOLLARS!OF TAXPAYERS MONEY

Source: Australia’s Biggest Welfare Scam – The Orima Evaluation of Indue

Andrews government to give housing, food to asylum seekers facing homelessness

Asylum seekers will receive housing, food and other necessities from the Victorian government after the Commonwealth cut off their support.The Andrews government will provide $600,000 for the asylum seekers living in Victoria so they “don’t starve on the streets”.

Source: Andrews government to give housing, food to asylum seekers facing homelessness

UN expert accuses Turnbull government of using ‘punitive language’ in welfare debate | Australia news | The Guardian

A United Nations special rapporteur has criticised the Turnbull government’s approach to social protection policy, saying its framing of “welfare” appears designed to prejudice the debate against welfare recipients.Philip Alston also criticised the government’s prohibition on community legal centres using commonwealth funding to lobby for legislative change, saying it has reduced the space for civil society.Alston, UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, made the comments while in Australia to deliver a series of lectures on human rights and social policy.

Source: UN expert accuses Turnbull government of using ‘punitive language’ in welfare debate | Australia news | The Guardian

Traditional owners lose appeal to block Adani mine

Traditional owners have faced another legal setback in their quest to block Indian giant Adani’s proposed megamine in central Queensland.A small group of Wangan and Jagalingou people, who have a native title claim over the proposed site of the coal mine in the Galilee basin, on Tuesday  lost an appeal against an earlier Brisbane Supreme Court ruling that the granting of leases in the area were lawful.

Source: Traditional owners lose appeal to block Adani mine

Dylan Voller’s path to healing: Turning years in detention into a voice for kids inside – RN – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Dylan Voller never set out to be a spokesperson for Indigenous youth. Not so long ago he could barely imagine himself breaking the cycle of incarceration he’d been caught in since he was 11 years old.”I think young people, when they get locked up, have that mentality that they’re going to be stuck in that cycle. They think that once they go back the second time or third time that’s the only way to keep going,” he said.

Source: Dylan Voller’s path to healing: Turning years in detention into a voice for kids inside – RN – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Deborah McKenzie: ‘failed by the regional healthcare system’ | The Transcontinental

“She was a vulnerable girl and she wasn’t protected.”Confused and angry, Malcolm McKenzie and his wife Dorothy McKenzie still can’t quite grasp the events leading up to the death of their daughter Deborah in March of 2013. Deborah had been released from hospital after a suicide attempt, just 24 hours before taking her life at her Davenport family home. The coronial inquest into her death has identified multiple shortcomings in Deborah’s care and “a number of matters connected with the issue of suicidality in patients presenting in a country hospital that are ripe for change”.With a documented history of self harm dating back to 2008, Mr McKenzie believes more could have been done to prevent his daughter from taking her own life.The McKenzie family are fighting to be heard so that positive change can come from their personal tragedy.“If there’s something we can get from this it’s that we don’t want to see other people suffer from losing their children,” Mr McKenzie said.“This is an opportunity for us all to work together to see change so that people can get the right treatment, because there’s a clear lack of service and a lack of investment in our town around people’s health.”FAMILY: Malcolm and Dorothy McKenzie have built a garden in the their Davenport home as tribute to their daughter Deborah.Hospital management ‘suboptimal’Following the inquest into Deborah’s death the  Deputy Coroner has been scathing of the management of her care at Port Augusta Hospital, labelling it as “suboptimal” at best.On March 11 2013, Deborah was rushed to Port Augusta Hospital where she was admitted and treated by the rostered general practitioner following a suicide attempt.Deborah was listed as being of ‘moderate risk of self harm and suicidality’ during her nursing assessment.According to the risk domain scoring matrix, a high risk of suicidality involved psychiatric diagnoses with severe symptoms or an acute precipitating event.The coroner said that in Deborah’s case “one would have thought that there had been such an event”.”They asked if she had a mental health history and they didn’t go back to find out her records, if they had of gone back through her records they would have seen that she was really at high risk of hurting herself.”- Malcolm McKenzieDeborah’s incorrect risk assessment meant there were no suicide precautions implemented in her treatment.The next morning Deborah received another “superficial and inadequate” assessment from a mental health nurse, resulting in her being discharged without being attended to by a doctor.Although hospital records indicate Deborah had a family member present with her at her time of discharge, this person has never been identified.Deborah’s brother Zaheer McKenzie, a respected member of the Leigh Creek police force, saw his sister by coincidence in the hospital car park immediately following her discharge and said he did not see her with anybody.Mr McKenzie was disappointed that the hospital had not reached out to him or his wife, despite their obvious concern and involvement in their daughters life.“I know she was over 21, but they didn’t ring me and my wife to say she had been released, she was vulnerable and she needed someone with her,” he said.As part of the inquest Professor Robert Goldney, an Emeritus Professor Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide with over 40 years of clinical experience, gave an expert review of Deborah’s management at the Port Augusta Hospital.Professor Goldney expressed a firm view that Deborah should have been kept in the hospital longer than she was by means pursuant to detention under the Mental Health Act 2009.The coroner concluded that Deborah’s death would have been preventable if “she had been stopped, by whatever means, from leaving the Port Augusta Hospital.”“They didn’t take her seriously otherwise they would have kept her in there of they would have had a release plan,” Mr McKenzie said.“I want people to be accountable, they’ve got a duty of care for everyone.”PORT AUGUSTA HOSPITAL: The coroner has made 12 recommendations pursuant to the death of Deborah McKenzie, many of those relating to the lack of mental health staff in regional hospitals.The gap in regional healthcare According to a report released by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in June, suicide rates in rural and remote Australia are twice as high as in metropolitan areas. The report also found that compared to city people, mental health services are only available at a fifth of the rate to those living in regional Australia.At the Port Augusta hospital there is no psychiatry department or unit with psychiatrists, registrars or mental health nurses.The void is filled by general practitioners and mental health liaisons who are unqualified to provide adequate and robust assessment.Largely represented in 12 of the coroners recommendations was the need for Port Augusta — as a regional hub to many remote areas — to have a fully-fledged mental health team compl

Source: Deborah McKenzie: ‘failed by the regional healthcare system’ | The Transcontinental

Australia’s offshore detention centres ‘terrible’, says architect of system | Australia news | The Guardian

Paris Aristotle says ‘what has been put in place is not what was recommended’ and there is not a ‘skerrick of evidence’ it deters asylum seekers from boarding boats

Source: Australia’s offshore detention centres ‘terrible’, says architect of system | Australia news | The Guardian

Suspicion, moral panic, punishment: empathy for homeless people is a choice | Doug Cameron | Opinion | The Guardian

Nothing illustrates the growing divide in our society between rich and poor than growing rates of homelessness.If we are serious about tackling inequality, surely making sure people have a safe place to sleep at night, a secure place to call home, a place to wash and eat, a place to raise a family and be cared for, must surely be a policy priority.Public discussion of the housing affordability crisis has focused on the challenges faced by first homebuyers in a market rigged against them.Meanwhile, there is very little discussion of the challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness; people for whom the whole system seems rigged against them. People right at the bottom of the housing market and on whom the failures of our housing system inflict the most pain.

Source: Suspicion, moral panic, punishment: empathy for homeless people is a choice | Doug Cameron | Opinion | The Guardian

About street trees | SAVING OUR TREES – Marrickville municipality

Someone asked, “Why go on about street trees?”Trees are good for us.  Street trees (or public trees) create enormous financial & aesthetic benefit for human beings, not to mention the benefit to wildlife.  The benefit of street trees can be summarised as the following:

Source: About street trees | SAVING OUR TREES – Marrickville municipality