We’re meant to have mandatory sentencing laws for violent crimes, but two women who brutally attacked a paramedic while he was resuscitating an unconscious man just dodged jail time. Paul Judd, is the brother of a good mate and a great bloke. As a paramedic he devotes his life to keeping us alive and safe. Paul and his colleague Chenaye were viciously attacked as they were trying to save a life. Two women jumped Paul, punched him repeatedly and broke his leg. Despite the law saying that violent crimes have mandatory prison sentences, they got off scot free. That’s why I’m asking you to join me in calling for a review of the court’s decision. While these women get on with their lives, laughing and swearing outside the court, Paul has still not been able to return to work after three operations. It’s gross injustice and we, the people of Victoria, will not stand for it. We’ve had enough of this leniency and not feeling safe in this state. Our emergency services workers deserve better - we demand the courts to impose the mandatory sentencing required by law to show this appalling behaviour is unacceptable in all cases.

Close Schools/Colleges/Universities down for an appropriate amount of time amidst COVID19.We would like the government to at least consider closing schools/colleges/universities down in the coming weeks or as soon as possible, in addition to taking necessary actions to prevent further spread.More detailsWe would like the Government or Parliament to enforce this action due to the growing fear among parents and students that attend school. The ability to focus or concentrate is affected in addition to the growing fears of the Corona-virus. In our view, the government and health officials around the world are more "reactive" rather than "proactive". This will result in more spread as time is given for the virus to do so. We hope to come to an agreement as soon as possible in a timely manner.

Sacred Djab Wurrung birthing trees are due to be cut down by VicRoads any time now. Some of these trees are over 800 years old and have birthed more than 10,000 Djab Wurrung babies. A blockade and embassy to protect this sacred cultural heritage has been set up to stop the planned removal of 3000 trees, including 260 large old growth trees. These trees are irreplaceable, not only for the Djab Wuurung people, but also as important habitat for Australia's growing number of threatened species (please see attached article below). A road however, can be redirected. We ask that this impending destruction by MRPV/the Roads Corporation  be halted immediately, more appropriate respect for the concerns of the Djab Wuurung community be taken into consideration, and that the trees and the site are protected. Elders have asked that imagery of the sacred trees not be used online. I ask that this request be respected. EditI previously stated that these trees are important habitat for the endangered South Eastern Red Tailed Black Cockatoo. I have since been informed that these particular birds are the subject of a government funded project to protect remaining habitat around Casterton, where there is a colony of approximately 1500 birds roosting and nesting. However, habitat loss is of very serious concern for a growing number of Australian native wildlife. Australia is the world leader in biodiversity loss, with more than 1300 flora species and 450 fauna species currently threatened with extinction. Please see this article to learn more: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/deficient-and-doomed-to-fail-experts-roast-threatened-species-plan-20180608-p4zkc3.html Image: Funereal Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) illustrated by Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841) for John Gould’s (1804-1881) Birds of Australia Please go to the Djab Wurrung Embassy website for directions to camp https://dwembassy.com/ information centring on the environmental catastrophe developing in this cultural precinct is available here https://www.fixfreewayfiasco.org/

High-rolling tourists visiting Crown Casino are being invited to hunt and kill wombats at a luxury hunting lodge on an 809-hectare (2000 acre) property backing on to Murrindindi Scenic Reserve. The lodge is run by a Chinese businessman, who is a Crown casino partner with alleged crime links. Wombats are one of our iconic native animals. Wombats are protected in every other state in Australia. Common wombats are a protected species in Victoria, except in 193 districts including Murrindindi where the animals have been declared unprotected wildlife.   Tensions are boiling over in the tight-knit community, with neighbours reporting they feel “scared” of unlicensed and inexperienced shooters firing powerful weapons close to their properties. I think locals are completely justified in being concerned for their safety as well as that of the effect on their livestock.   How is killing a wombat sportsmanlike?  I care about our native wildlife as I know a lot of other Aussies do as well. Please help me change legislation to include protection for wombats in all areas of Victoria.

Australians are strenuously opposed to Brumbies being shot. We seek Legislation at a Commonwealth level and non-lethal management plans that will protect sustainably managed mobs for all future generations. Brumbies hold significant cultural and social value for most Australians. Today’s wild-living Brumbies are bloodline descendants of War horses.  Brumbies have featured in books and film. Who hasn’t read The Silver Brumby or The Man From Snowy River or seen the film? The Australian wild living horse, the Brumby has become Iconic. The Heritage and iconic value of the Australian Brumby has been recognized internationally in film and books, with many statues and commemorations erected in their honour in Australia Australian Brumbies supported soldiers in the Boer War and World War 1.   Australia's Light Horsemen are legendary, a part of our Commonwealth War Effort, and 'Bill the Bastard' was “one of the bravest steeds”.  Brumbies living in the Bogong High Plains have been tested and recognized as having Waler DNA, the same as their forebear the brave War horses who supported our soldiers at Beersheba.  Brumbies are bloodline descendants of those War horses and live today in the Bogong High Plains, the Eastern Alps and in other parts of the Australian Alpine National Park. The Bogong and Alpine Park Brumbies hold unique Heritage value to the Commonwealth of Australia and all Australians, being bloodline descendants of War horses that played a role in the Commonwealth of Australia War efforts, and descendants of the army remounts Light Horsemen rode. 136,000 horses, predominantly Brumbies were mustered and trapped from the Great Alpine Park, and followed Australian soldiers to war. Only one returned to Australia. Link to Anzac.org.au and 88 entries about Light Horsemen and War Horses https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/search/content?keys=War%20Horses Despite  there being significant constituent demand for protection and conservation of wild-living Brumbies, including from  indigenous Australians, State Governments in both New South Wales, Victoria and Canberra, continue to engage in barbaric and cruel shooting sprees of wild living Brumbies  based upon “inconclusive” or any evidence that Brumbies harm the environment and native wildlife they have evolved with, symbiotically,  for over two centuries. These shooting sprees, have been nothing less than barbaric, leaving many Brumbies with non-lethal single shots to the gut, neck and other parts of the body, dying in a cruel and barbaric manner. The shooting sprees fail to support Standard Operating Procedures or comply with Best Practice for management of wild horses. The treatment of Brumbies in this country in each State has caused and continues to cause community hostility and unhappiness due to the nature of its cruelty and inhumane treatment. It is asserted, wild-living Brumbies must be given special consideration notwithstanding they are an introduced species, based upon the cultural/ historical link, the contribution made by the forebear of today’s wild-living Brumbies to the Commonwealth War efforts and the nature of the special bond between Light Horsemen and Light Horses, the forebear of wild-living Brumbies, and their cultural and social history in this country. We must find ways to protect and respectfully conserve surviving wild-living mobs of Brumbies, failing which we will tear down not only innocent sentient creatures but the connection  our Light Horsemen had and continue to have with Brumbies, their children and their grand-children,  immortalized in bronze statues across Australia,  the most famous Brumbies that carried our soldiers into war in Bersheeba and the Boer War, and recreated in social demonstrations of ridden and led mounts at Anzac Day ceremonies across Australia every year, at the opening of football events and ceremonies. Brumbies are part of our cultural history BRUMBY ACTION GROUP Photo Credit: Paul McIver    

UPDATE: Thanks to your support, Victoria and Western Australia have announced that they will ban single-use plastic bags! Only NSW is yet to act - keep up the pressure! Encourage Premier Gladys Berejiklian today to #BanTheBag! The Project has teamed up with Clean Up Australia to call on NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, and WA Premier Mark McGowan to #BanTheBag. These three great Australians could see single-use non-biodegradable plastic bags banned across Australia, thanks to existing bans in South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, the ACT, and an impending ban in Queensland. Support for existing bans is overwhelming. In South Australia, 81% of the consumers strongly support the ban. As do 73% of Territorians, and 70% of Australians living in the ACT. Currently, Australians use an estimated four to six billion plastic bags each year. That’s 10 million bags every day. Every minute, we send 7,150 plastic bags to landfill. But 80 million plastic bags never make it to landfill, and instead end up in our litter stream, killing 100,000 birds and marine life every year. On average, it’s estimated we use a single-use plastic bag (like you’d find at Coles and Woolies) for just 12 minutes. And that same bag could take up to 1,000 years to break down. A plastic bag you use today will share this planet with your great great great great great great great great great great great great grandchildren. Many countries around the world, from China to Italy, Papua New Guinea to France, Taiwan to The Netherlands, have already banned plastic bags. But despite supporting in spirit, the banning of plastic bags, the Premiers of NSW, Victoria, and Western Australia are yet to lead on the issue. We want them to #BanTheBag so that Australia is not left behind as the rest of the world addresses this serious and avoidable environmental disaster. So who will lead the way. NSW, Victoria or Western Australia?  Who will ban the bag first? Gladys Berejiklian, Daniel Andrews or Mark McGowan? Whose name will our great great great great great great great great great great great great grandchildren read in their history books? Once you’ve signed, contact these great Australians directly and encourage them to lead the way and #BanTheBag! GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN NSW PREMIER EMAIL: office@premier.nsw.gov.au PHONE: 02 8574 5000 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gladysnsw/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/GladysB

COVID19 continues to wreak havoc on the lives of many. For 2 years now, Victorians have been in and out of lockdown with major events cancelled and being forced to isolate away from family and friends. During these 2 years, infertility treatments have been threatened to stop and many peoples cycles have been cancelled. This is a devastating blow to the many people out there experiencing infertility and turning to treatment as a last (or only) resort in order to have a family.  On 6/1/22, it was again announced that IVF treatments will be cancelled ‘to free up more health resources.’ Experiencing infertility is considered as stressful as a cancer diagnosis, loss of a family member or going through a divorce. It increases anxiety and depression, childless women are at higher risk of suicide and 13% of women going through IVF experience suicidal ideation. This recent decision is likely to create a mental health crisis among the infertile, who are already dealing with copious amount of synthetic hormones running through their systems and the incredible financial strain placed on them by requiring treatment.  For those of us who have experienced infertility and pregnancy loss, every day we live without a baby in our arms is hard. And now the added stress of not knowing when treatments will be reinstated. IVF is NOT a choice. Politicians should NOT be allowed to decide on the timing of anyones reproduction.  Women in their late 30s/early 40s (or those with low ovarian reserve) do NOT have time to wait to start their family, as their egg quality declines with each passing cycle. The decision is potentially taking away peoples chances of ever having a family and totally changing the trajectory of their lives. This isn’t just about missing out on having a baby, it’s potentially never seeing your toddler walk, never doing a school drop off, having no one to have Christmas lunch with, no one to visit you in the retirement village when you’re grey and old. For many, IVF is the ONLY option to have a family, so expecting people to ‘just try naturally’ during this time is misinformed and offensive.  As detailed in a petition from 2020 when this is exact situation arose - “Treating a pregnant woman is not the same as treating a COVID19 patient.  The resources used are not shared.  IVF should not be put in the same category as those with elective surgery.  There are many private clinics which can continue to practice IVF without any stress or strain placed on medical resources and in fact will continue to keep our economy and spirits alive. Our fertility specialists should be empowered to act and continue IVF treatments at their discretion.” - IVFGOTTHIS By signing this petition, you’re helping to remind the Authorities that we IVF warriors are many. Show them that we will not sit by and allow this to put a pause on achieving something we’ve worked so hard for. 

It's every parent's worst nightmare. There have now been five deaths from drug overdoses at music festivals in the last few months – just like my son Daniel who died at a festival in January 2012.My world fell apart when police arrived at my door to tell me my boy had died at a festival. There's no other word to describe it but horror.What devastates me further is knowing we could stop this madness. 5 young people, daughters and sons, have died in a year. My son made a mistake in taking a drug. It wasn't what he thought it was, and it killed him.Doctors and experts are saying Australian festivals need to urgently introduce 'drug checking services' to stop more deaths.They're common in UK and other countries. The 'pill testing' services tell people exactly what substance they would be about to take – and it's helping stop deaths. The Queensland Government are considering it, but too many kids are dying and it's not yet policy.I can't get my son back but I want to make sure no-one else has to go through the hell of losing their child to a mistake like I did.I'm pleading with you – please help me stop more young people dying at festivals this summer. Introduce drug checking services.Please help me save a life by sharing my petition.

Trying to “Pray the Gay Away” nearly killed me. I’m not the only one.LGBTQA+ conversion practices cause depression, self-loathing and even suicide. I prayed to God asking him to either heal me, or kill me. I was so depressed, I wanted to die. The trauma associated with that part of my life still affects me - how could it not? How is this legal? I don’t want to see a single person harmed by an ideology that tells them that something that is innate in them is evil or demonic or needs to be ‘healed’. Please, sign this petition calling for the Prime Minister and the Health Minister to work with each state to protect the most vulnerable and outlaw LGBTQA+ conversion practices and their advocacy nationwide. It has no place in Australia and certainly not in the lives of minors. *UPDATE* This petition focuses on legislation/regulation to prevent LGBTQA+ conversion practices. This is a good start, however to effectively curtail the LGBTQA+ conversion movement, a much broader response is needed. After signing this petition, please read the recommendations in the survivor statement at www.SOGICEsurvivors.com.au

Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula is sending an SOS.  Some of our last remaining pristine remnant bushland, which provides vital habitat and a biolink for our native animals, koalas, birds, small mammals and plants, is at risk of being destroyed by a massive new open pit quarry. The Ross Trust, who own and operate Hillview Quarries, has applied to bulldoze, blast and mine between two sections of the Arthurs Seat State Park.  If approved this monstrous quarry could see 93 acres of remnant bushland and native habitat bulldozed to open a 107 acre, 190 metre pit. The area they want to destroy is about the same size as Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. The size of the pit would be roughly the same as 21 MCGs. They intend on mining the area for 70 years.  They will cleave Arthurs Seat State Park in two, destroying the biolink for our koalas and other Australian animals. All to extract and crush granite that the State’s own research shows is more readily available elsewhere.  The mine will create dust, noise and truck traffic on an unprecedented scale. That’s unthinkable in a prized tourist region. It will also be about 800 metres from the boundary of a primary school and child care centre. Our children deserve much better. What makes this quarry untenable is that the Ross Trust is a philanthropic charity that has a mission to protect and preserve native flora and fauna. Destroying some of our last wild spaces on the Mornington Peninsula is fundamentally incompatible with the Trust’s own mission. Please - will you answer our SOS and help us #SaveArthursSeat By signing this petition, you will be sending a strong message to the Ross Trust that this new mega-quarry is unacceptable and that they should withdraw their application. You will also be telling our State and Federal politicians that the public will not stand for the destruction of Arthurs Seat. We are a grassroots community group up against a powerful and well-resourced mining developer. The only way we will win this fight is if we can demonstrate a groundswell of opposition to this massive new quarry. Please add your signature and share as widely as possible with family and friends. We will keep providing updates. For more information: SaveArthursSeat.com