Close the Gap shines spotlight on national
disgrace
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| Tuesday, February
9, 2010 |
For most of us the appalling state of Indigenous
health is conveniently out of sight and out of mind. But on March 25 - Close the
Gap Day - we will all be put on the spot: we can do as most
Australians have done for decades and look the other way or we can lend
our support to ending this national disgrace.
Here are the facts: Indigenous children die at
more than double the rate of other Australian children.
Indigenous men
and women die up to 17 years earlier than other
Australians. Many
Indigenous people suffer chronic diseases, which are entirely
preventable and have virtually been eliminated for other
Australians ... More
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Humane policy impossible on Christmas
Island -
Amnesty
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| Wednesday, January
06,
2010 |
In early December 2009, an Amnesty International
research team
visited Christmas Island to inspect the immigration detention
facilities and to investigate the human rights situation.
"There's genuine goodwill on
the part of many
people on Christmas Island - including Department of Immigration staff
and the local school and hospital - to try to make the best of the
extremely difficult conditions they are facing," writes team
member Jessica Baird, Amnesty International Australia's Media and
Public Affairs Coordinator.
"Despite the goodwill however,
the isolated
location of Christmas Island makes it simply impossible to implement a
humane immigration policy there ... More
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Australian Democrats vote almost
doubles
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Higgins By-election 2009
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| Thursday, December
10, 2009 |
The Australian Democrats almost doubled
their percentage of first
preference votes compared with the Higgins result in the 2007 general
election.
The low voter turn-out on December 5 of 63,204 (71.70%) compared with
83,778 (93.77%) in 2007 had little effect on the Liberal's win in
percentage terms ... More
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Four Wheels Good; Two Wheels Bad
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New Bikie laws would breach civil liberties
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| Thursday, November
26, 2009 |
The Australian Democrats condemn in the strongest
possible terms agitation by the police officers trade union for new
Victorian laws that criminalize motorcycle riders.
Such laws would breach many of the fundamental civil liberties enjoyed
by all, oppress an innocent minority and foster a culture of
intolerance ... More
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Human rights violations outrageous -
Amnesty
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| Saturday, November
21,
2009 |
"In the heart of this
first world I found scenes more reminiscent
of the third world. That Indigenous peoples experience human rights
violations on a continent of such privilege is not merely
disheartening, it is morally outrageous. The moral imperative to
eradicate such poverty is no less an imperative on government than to
eliminate torture." Irene Khan ... More
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Exempt left-handed from Climate Change
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| Sunday, November
15, 2009 |
Today's announcement by Climate Change minister
Penny Wong
excluding the agricultural sector from the costs of the Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme under proposed new compromise legislation is
ridiculous and mistaken, say the Australian Democrats, and opens the
door wider to further lobbying and rent-seeking by major polluters ... More
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Greens Surrender Freedom
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| Monday, November 2,
2009 |
Clive Hamilton, The Greens’ candidate in the
Higgins by-election expects us to abandon a wide range of important
freedoms by trumping them with the hideous spectre of child sexual
abuse. His position is morally bankrupt, say the Australian Democrats.
It
delegates to government a power they plan to misuse before it even
exists.
“Hamilton affirmed his support for the Rudd Government’s Internet
Filter scheme as recently as a week ago. His position is
breathtakingly naive and ... More
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Australian Democrats Nominate Collyer For
Higgins
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| Friday, October 30,
2009 |
MELBOURNE: The Australian Democrats have
preselected David Collyer to contest the Higgins by-election on
December 5 caused by the resignation of Peter Costello.
“We are the voice of middle Australia, the party of moderation and
progress,” Collyer said at the announcement.
“I see great dissatisfaction and a sense of alienation among voters
over the management of the ... More
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Asylum seekers: myths and facts
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| Wednesday October
28,
2009 |
The debate surrounding the arrival of asylum
seekers by boat has descended to a level reminiscent of the Tampa and
Children Overboard affairs.
The federal opposition appears to be calling for
a return to the
draconian policies of the previous government while the Prime Minister,
Kevin Rudd, has wrongly described asylum seekers as "illegal."
That and other common myths and misconceptions
are quickly dispelled in a Fact Sheet, Myths
and Facts about Asylum Seekers, produced by the refugee advocacy
group, A
Just Australia. Here is a summary: ... More
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8000 Hiroshimas!
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| Monday October 5,
2009 |

Australia has the world's largest known reserves
of uranium and is second only to Canada in uranium exports. Five years
ago Australian uranium
exports had already produced about 80 tonnes of plutonium - enough for
about 8000 Hiroshima or Nagasaki size nuclear bombs.
In July this year Environment Minister, Peter
Garrett, approved uranium mining at Four Mile mine, 10km from the
existing Beverly mine in South Australia. The limited mainstream media
coverage of Garrett's decision focussed on the local environmental
issues while the wider ramifications ... More
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Global climate wake-up call today
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| Monday
September
21,
2009 |
Today more than 2400 Climate Wake-Up Call events
are scheduled in 130 countries. The Global Wake-Up Call is a joint
effort of the TckTckTck
Campaign, named for the "tck"ing of a clock as
time runs short.
Groups involved in the campaign include Avaaz, 350.org, Oxfam, Greenpeace
and the
producers of the film "The Age of Stupid",
which will showcase the Wake-Up Call at their global premiere.
Azaaz says, "Everywhere, from Berlin to Buenos
Aires, people will gather in peaceful, spontaneous 'flash mobs' in
public places ... More
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Intervention infringes indigenous human
rights - UN
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| Tuesday, September
1,
2009 |
As UN Special Rapportuer, Professor James Anaya,
ended an 11 day visit to Australia he expressed
concern at the discriminatory aspects of the Northern Territory
Emergency Response. Whilst commending the Government for some positive
innitiatives he said others contravened Australia’s human rights
obligations. Professor Anaya's complete statement is reproduced below
... More
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