An urgent message from an Indigenous leader September 3, 2009

Source: Get Up! Australia
Dear friend,

We’d like to share a message to you from an Indigenous homelands resident, Barayuwa Mununggurr:

“We all have equal rights to be clothed, to be sustained, to have shelter, and this also includes our homelands, big and small. These are places of significance to us, that have our songlines, where our names come from, where our dance comes from, where our art comes from, and where our law and culture comes from – it makes us who we are.

Next week we are meeting with the Government to look at ways in which we can work together in partnership for our future in our Homelands. But we can only solve this together. When we walk into meetings at Parliament House, it would make us so confident to have thousands of Australians there in spirit – then I’m sure they would hear us.”

Can you help Barayuwa by signing a petition to secure the future of these vibrant homelands?

www.getup.org.au/campaign/Homelands&id=747

Homelands are small remote communities where Indigenous Australians are living on land that has nourished their mothers and fathers for thousands of generations. They are demonstrated success stories. Homelands mean better health and longer life expectancies. They are areas where locals are applying traditional knowledge to ‘care for country’ and tackle climate change through traditional burning techniques and carbon preservation. Plus they are the source of much of Australia’s beautiful Indigenous art.

But these success stories are under threat. The NT Government plan to funnel funding increases into just 20 ‘growth towns’, leaving over 600 communities with woefully inadequate resources. In effect this will force homelands residents off their lands to access services that are often hundreds of kilometers away. The Federal Government needs to step up and ensure these communities receive the funding they need.

Next week Barayuwa and a delegation of leaders from homeland communities are meeting the federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs. At stake is the survival of over 600 unique, vibrant Indigenous communities.

The Government think they’re meeting with just 8 people next week. But imagine if those 8 can carry with them the support of tens of thousands more – a pile of petition signatures so large it takes all of them to carry it in.

Can you make it happen? Watch this personal video message from the homelands and sign the petition before Barayuwa presents it to key politicians next week:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/Homelands&id=747

Thanks for being part of this,
The GetUp team

PS – The future of over 600 vibrant Indigenous communities is under threat. Support Indigenous leaders by signing this petition before they present it to key politicians next week.

HUMAN RIGHTS – HAVE YOUR SAY February 25, 2009

YACVic Update
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HUMAN RIGHTS – HAVE YOUR SAY
Did you know Australia is the only democracy without comprehensive Human Rights protections? This might be about to change for the better. The Federal Government has started community consultations about human rights, and is asking whether we need a bill or charter to protect them. It’s time for young people to have their say about this
decision – because it’s your right.

Working with some amazing young people, the Australian Human Rights Group and Youthlaw have put together a range of easy to use tools so young people can have their say easily, safely and quickly.

There are 3 ‘youth friendly’ ways young people can get their message
to the government:

1) They can use our easy online opinion form at
www.humanrightsact.tv/submission
2) They can send an SMS to 0428 415 939 saying what human rights are
important to them, or how they want them protected. Remember to include your name and post code, and we will forward it to the
consultation for you. Messages cost your standard text message rate.
3) Make a videoblog, or youtube clip, and upload it at
www.humanrightsact.tv/submission

Submissions must be received by May 29.

Save the Net! February 19, 2009

Update from Get Up! Australia

As young people- our lives have become accustomed to constant internet use.  We are in the information age, where everything we have ever wanted to know takes a few taps of keyboard keys and a  click of a mouse.

Imagine if we suddenly could not access certain sites because the Government blocked it? I don’t want someone telling me what I can and can’t view. What do you think?

Here’s the background from Get Up! Australia and a recent email.

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The Federal Government is planning to force all Australian servers to filter internet traffic and block any material the Government deems ‘inappropriate’. Under the plan, the Government can add any ‘unwanted’ site to a secret blacklist.

Testing has already begun on systems that will slow our internet by up to 87%, make it more expensive, miss the vast majority of inappropriate content and accidentally block up to 1 in 12 legitimate sites. Our children deserve better protection – and that won’t be achieved by wasting millions on this deeply flawed system.

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Click here to sign the petition and then send the link to your friends!

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet/442

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Update from Get Up! Australia

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I’ve just had some really exciting feedback on your campaign against the Government’s proposed mandatory internet filter, and I wanted to share it with you as our campaign starts to heat up again in 2009.

Over $45,000 has been raised so far – meaning our online ads have been seen over 3.5 million times. A senior political adviser close to the issue in Canberra has just told me: ‘I can’t read a story about the filter without seeing your ad pop up all over the page. It’s being talked about constantly.’

In other words, your campaign is getting noticed in the places that count the most: the halls of Parliament. They know that the campaign is backed by over 95,000 signatures – including yours – on our petition. They know this issue won’t go away.

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to pressure politicians and those who want these plans to succeed. The online ad, generating over 3.5 million impressions so far, has been complemented by an interactive widget that allows people to spread the word through their own sites, and sustained media coverage – click here to see some examples.

Some of the most popular websites your ad was shown on so far include news sites like The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, News.com.au, and other sites the most engaged internet users visit every day, like CNet, Lifehacker and Facebook.

Now that the Parliamentary year is back in full swing, the ad is continuing to show on significant national news websites.

If you’d like to see it in action, here’s one place you can see the ad at the moment: News.com.au.

With live testing of the filter about to begin, there’s never been a more important time to ramp up our efforts.

That’s why I’m excited to keep this campaign going with more high-profile and attention grabbing advertising, renewed efforts behind the scenes, and more bold campaign actions. We’re also working on a soon-to-be-announced forum bringing together business, industry, politicians and the blogosphere to discuss the filter.

I can’t wait to make it happen with you.

Thanks,
Simon Sheikh
GetUp National Director

PS – We’re confident a sustained campaign can see a victory on this issue. Getting this petition to 100,000 would send a strong signal – click here to send it to your friends and get us to 100,000. You can also donate here to help ensure the campaign is ongoing.