Editors: Margaret Hinchey Marie Butcher
margaret@lifequestoz.net mbutcher@mercy.org.au
CONTENT:
·
· Make Indigenous Poverty History
· Action to be taken
MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY
Industrial Relations
Anti-terrorism laws
· Proposed changes to Australia’s Federal Election Laws
· On the record:Guidelines for prevention of discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record
· Mercy Global Concern
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You are invited to an ECUMENICAL SERVICE to launch the campaign to
Make Indigenous Poverty History
WHEN: Wednesday 2nd November at 7.30pm
WHERE: St Patrick's Cathedral Parramatta
For more information please contact NATSIEC on 9299 2215 or grussell@ncca.org.au
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ACTION TO BE TAKEN
You could choose to write on each or just one or two. Points have been listed to help you compose
your letter or email. The addresses of relevant Ministers or others are also listed.
While we sometimes wonder if our letters have any effect, to do nothing is not an option when so
many of our hard-won freedoms are at stake. So let’s do our bit for the future of this threatened nation.
MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY
· Australia is in danger of becoming an international embarrassment on aid and remains the only major developed country not to significantly commit aid to meet the United Nation’s blueprint for halving world poverty,
· The Australian government is lagging 16 out of 22 OECD donor countries in terms of its level of overseas aid. And our ranking is expected to plunge further to 19 out of 22 when new pledges from other nations are considered.
· At present we give just 0.28 per cent of our gross national income in overseas aid, which ranks us 16 th out of these 22 OECD nations in terms of how much aid we give as a proportion of our wealth. Unless we increase our aid levels, we are set to slip further down to 19 th place. By increasing aid to 0.5 per cent of GNI, however, the Australian Government could significant improve the lives of more than 32.7 million people in our region of South East Asia.
· Australia now stands as the ‘odd man out’ in failing to deliver a blueprint for substantially increasing overseas aid to 0.5% by 2010, in line with reaching the UN target of 0.7% by 2015
· After showing great leadership in responding to the victims of the tsunami, the Australian government has failed to follow the lead of other developed countries and commit extra funding in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS CHANGES
- The Howard Government has agreed to a Senate Inquiry into the biggest workplace law changes in 100 years but it will be one of the shortest Inquiries on record.
- The Senate needs to have a comprehensive look at the Government's proposed new laws and examine the impact they will have on the take home pay and basic entitlements of Australian workers.
- Thousands of Australians have emailed, phoned or written to Senators calling for a proper and thorough Senate Inquiry.
- It is an insult to those people and the millions of Australian workers and families whose basic rights will be affected by the laws that the best the Government can do is a slap-dash six day Senate Inquiry.
- This is a clear sign that the Government is simply not listening to the Australian community.
For further information an excellent paper has just been published by John Ryan from the Australian Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (ACCER). It is available on the Online Catholics web www.onlinecatholics.com.au
On the Industrial Relations Issues please check the Social Action page of the Leaders of Religious Institutes Queensland http://sao.clriq.org.au/ir_campaign.html You will find the following resources:
Briefing Paper - Money over Humanity - Changes to Industrial Relations in Australia
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS FORUM: TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER, 6PM
Unequal Power: Who will be the big losers in IR changes?
Eva Cox (chair)
Alison Peters, Unions NSW
Mimi Zou, LHMU
Minna Knight, Australian Business Limited
Sally Moyle, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The Howard Government's proposed reforms will transform industrial relations in Australia by setting up a system that assumes that workers can bargain with employers. What happens to those workers and potential workers with limited power? While skill shortages will give some workers increased bargaining power, what happens to others? Good employers don't need legislative control but who controls the bad ones and many ordinary ones? Join the panel of speakers above to discuss these questions and look at groups who may have problems. Who is most likely to be affected adversely; what will happen to pay equity; how work/life balance will be affected and what about those moving off welfare?
Tuesday 08 November 2005
18.00 for 18.30-20.30
Mitchell Theatre
Level 1
280 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000
Admission free but please book (02) 9262 7300
ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS
- Because of the Government’s unnecessarily underhand method of bringing the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 forward we the citizens of Australia have every right to fear what t will do to our civil liberties.
- Great credit to the ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope for having the moral courage to break ranks in order to inform the public of what they have a right to know – how the Australian Government wants to circumscribe their freedom.
- The Bill provides that outsiders may not even speak about whether or why or how detainees suspected of terrorist offences are being held or what they think of it. The penalty; five years. This is a savage curb on free speech.
- The State Labor governments have caved in to the scare-mongering for fear of being accused of “going-soft” on terrorism. They may yet regret the loss of liberties they have brought on the Australian people.
- Should basic democratic rights be thrown away at the first hint of danger?
- Parliament must be allowed to devote as much time as it needs to consider and refine these radical changes to our democratic rights.
All letters to Federal Parliamentarians can be addressed:
The Hon ……….
House of Representatives (or The Senate)
Canberra ACT 2600
Emails of various members:
The Prime Minister (no email published)
Attorney General Philip Ruddock (no email published)
Peter Costello The Treasurer (no email published)
Kevin Andrews Employment Kevin.Andrews.MP@aph.gov.au
Mark Vaile Trade Mark.Vaile.MP@aph.gov.au
Kim Beazley Leader of the Opposition Kim.Beazley.MP@aph.gov.au
Kevin Rudd Shadow Foreign Affairs Kevin.Rudd.MP@aph.gov.au
Nicola Roxon Shadow Attorney-general Nicola.Roxon.MP@aph.gov.au
Wayne Swan Shadow Treasurer Wayne.Swan.MP @ aph.gov.au
Stephen Smith Shadow Industrial Relations Stephen.Smith.MP@aph.gov.au
Bob Sercombe Overseas Aid Bob.Sercombe.MP@aph.gov.au
Jon Stanhope ACT Chief Minister stanhope@act.gov.au
For all senators email addresses: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/email.htm
For all members' email addresses: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/Email.asp
A good web to keep is the following that will give you all the information about members of Parliament: http://www.aph.gov.au/whoswho/
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A LETTER ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO AUSTRALIA’S FEDERAL ELECTION LAWS
CLRI has sent a letter that could be used re changes to these laws.
Dear Local Member
I write in regard to recent proposals by Special Minister of State, Eric Abetz, to change Australia’s Federal electoral laws. In particular, I am concerned about the proposals to close the electoral rolls as soon as an election is called, and to restrict all prisoners serving a full time sentence from voting in Federal elections. Both proposals appear to restrict Australians’ rights to be part of the democratic process.
Minister Abetz argues that the existing seven day grace period to enrol and change enrolment details after an election is called places pressure on the AEC which makes the occurrence of fraud and errors much more likely. The minister has not backed up these assertions with data from the Australian Electoral Commission.
In the grace period before the 2004 election, 423,993 changes to enrolment were processed. 78,816 were new enrolments. It seems, in the absence of evidence of widespread fraud, that these changes would simply operate to deny citizens their right to vote. Given that elections are not held on a set date, these changes would require citizens to anticipate the calling of an election to ensure that they were on the roll, or had their enrolment in the right electorate. A large number of those who enrol in the grace period are young people voting for the first time. The special minister’s proposals appear to be calculated to make it more difficult for these people to participate in the democratic process.
The Minister also argues that all prisoners serving a full time custodial sentence should be denied the right to vote. Some people convicted of criminal offences are sent to prison for a period. This deprivation of liberty is judged by the courts to be an appropriate punishment. Minister Abetz’s proposal would subject these prisoners to another, very serious punishment not sanctioned by the courts. These proposals violate Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that:
Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity… without unreasonable restrictions:
(a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives;
(b) To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors;
(c) To have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in his country.
Additionally, these proposals will disproportionately affect Indigenous people, who are 15.8 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous people.
Prisoners are denied their liberty as punishment for their crime. Being able to vote gives prisoners the chance to participate in the world outside prison that they will eventually rejoin. Retaining the right to vote demonstrates a commitment to rehabilitation for prisoners. Removing the right would be a backwards step.
I urge you not to support the proposals put forward by Minister Abetz.
Sincerely,
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ON THE RECORD: GUIDELINES FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ON THE BASIS OF CRIMINAL RECORD
Human Rights Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski would like to invite you to the launch of On the Record: Guidelines for the prevention of discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record in Sydney on 11 November 2005.
On the Record will be launched by the federal Attorney-General, the Hon. Philip Ruddock MP.
On the Record seeks to provide information and practical guidance on how to prevent criminal record discrimination in the workplace. It covers existing anti-discrimination and related laws, as well as best practice principles when recruiting or employing someone who may have a criminal record. A selective summary of On the Record - 'Key Points' will also be available at the launch and on the Commission's website.
Launch date: Friday, 11 November 2005
Time: 3.30pm
Venue: HREOC Hearing Room, Level 8, 133 Castlereagh St, Sydney
Refreshments will be served.
Please RVSP by email to stephenduffield@humanrights.gov.au
For further information about criminal record discrimination please visit the website at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/criminalrecord/index.html
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MERCY GLOBAL CONCERN
http://www.mercyworld.org/projects/mgc/index.asp
Briefing Notes
Briefing Notes: October 2005,
Number 2: The Inequality Predicament: Report on the World Social Situation 2005
www.un.org/esa/socdev/rwss/media%2005/cd-docs/fullreport05.htm
The global commitment to overcoming inequality, or redressing the imbalance between the wealthy and the poor, as clearly outlined at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen and endorsed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, is fading. Eighty per cent of the world’s gross domestic product belongs to the 1 billion people living in the developed world; the remaining 20 per cent is shared by the 5 billion people living in developing countries.
Reports
Number 1 :Swedish Prime Minister acknowledges the work and contribution of Sister Carol Rittner rsm.
“At the end of the last Stockholm International Forum Series, I pledged that the Swedish government would compile a report. The book Beyond the ‘Never Agains’ is the outcome of that pledge.”
Special Reports
Number 1:More than a Numbers Game?Ensuring that the Millennium Development Goals Address Structural Injustice
In 2000, the member states of the United Nations signed the Millennium Declaration. In it, they committed themselves, among other things, to meeting certain development targets subsequently referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals offer targets if poverty is to be reduced by half by 2015...
Announcements
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Celestino Migliore Apostolic Nuncio. Permanent Observer of the Holy See
The Delegation of the Holy See continues to devote attention to the follow-up process of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, as well as to the subsequent Outcome Documents. Despite some positive advancement in the condition of women in today’s world, vulnerability remains a constant in women’s lives.
Click here for full article...
Our Mission Remains Vital
In the past year I have read many attacks on the United Nations -- quite a few, but by no means all, in the pages of this newspaper.
That pains me, because I have served the U.N. all my life. I have done, and am still doing, everything I can to correct its imperfections, and to improve and strengthen it. And I believe profoundly in the importance of that task, because a strong U.N. is of vital importance to humanity.
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