Choose unity over fear and hatred during COVID-19 During this coronavirus pandemic, we urge you to stand beside your fellow Australians to call for national unity and say no to racism against Asian Australians. We are Australians who love this country. However, we are deeply disturbed by the recent rise of racial abuse and vilification of Australians of Asian heritage. In a number of cities across Australia, we've seen Asian Australians violently attacked on the street, abused on public transport, spat on, and more. There's ugly racist graffiti scrawled on the walls of our cities, towns and just the other day a Nazi flag was again publicly hoisted together with the Chinese flag on a cell tower. We need our political leaders to lead by example and unequivocally condemn this abuse. The rising anti-Chinese sentiment brought on by the coronavirus pandemic poses a serious threat to Australia’s national unity. These concerns are backed by the latest data from the Australian Human Rights Commission, which showed one in four people who lodged racial discrimination complaints in the past two months say they were targeted due to COVID-19. To allow abuse of any group to occur jeopardises our social cohesion at a time when we need it most. This is a time for us all to come together. Add your name to stand in solidarity with the Asian community in Australia and send a clear message that you choose #UnityOverFear. This petition will be sent to the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and all members of Parliament for tabling in Parliament as a clear message that Australians are united against racism. The petition supports an open letter penned by 16 prominent Chinese Australians including businessman Jason Yat-Sen Li, GP and author Dr Cindy Pan, celebrity chef Adam Liaw, journalist Benjamin Law and former Australian of the Year Dr John Yu, where they express their concern about the rising escalation in racial abuse towards Australians of Asian heritage. See our full letter here, and please sign and share this petition. #UnityOverFear www.caf.org.au

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. 

We are a happy and settled family living in Seymour, Victoria. Our son Darragh was born in Australia on 18 August 2015. Australia is the only home our son knows. On 3 August 2015 we applied for our family to become permanent residents of Australia. A few weeks later our son was born and soon after he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Our family’s application for permanent residency was then refused by the Australian Department of Home Affairs because they assessed him as having a condition which make him a burden on the Australian community. Despite appealing the decision to the Administrative Review Tribunal, the Tribunal does not have the power to overturn the health assessment and as such unless the Hon David Coleman MP or Hon Peter Dutton MP can help us, we will be forced to leave our friends, family, and the life we have built for ourselves in Australia. The Administrative Review Tribunal has made a recommendation for our case to be referred to the minister.  Darragh has been doing extremely well considering his condition, and we have positive letters from his doctors and specialist stating that he should live a full life and that his disease progression will be much slower than average. His condition has no effect on his cognitive ability and should he wish to finish school and go to University, he has every chance at being successful in a career path of his choosing. Darragh is a bright boy with a positive future ahead of him. We have always felt extremely grateful to live in Australia. I studied here gaining my Masters in Special Education. I have worked full-time as a school teacher and now as an Acting Assistant Principal and my husband works part-time as a bus driver and also volunteer for SES. We have been living in Australia for almost 10 years and have a strong support network here with our friends and family and we are well settled in regional Victoria. Darragh has the support of his inherited Australian family, our large support network in Seymour and the wider Australian community. By signing this petition, you are showing your support for Darragh and his life in Australia and you believe that he should be allowed to stay in Australia and have the opportunity to contribute to our community. Please sign and help us ask the Minister to let our son stay in Australia.

My family and I are being forced to leave Australia in the next 28 days. Currently, I’m on my 13th day while writing this plea to stay in Australia. We have been residing in Australia for 7 years.  I am a school captain at Brauer College in Year 12 and have only 3 more months till finishing my VCE, and my brother is 8 years old. My brother was only one and a half years old when we came to Australia. To him, this is his home. This is our home. Our plea to stay comes from the disapproval of immigration because of my father's health condition. However, my family and I have so much more to offer as we are genuine contributors to our community in country Victoria, Warrnambool. My father is so much more than his health condition however no considerations have been taken as to my father doing his best to improve his condition and even to the extent opting out medical treatments to avoid burdening the healthcare system. He shouldn't have to do that just to keep his family in Australia.  We have built a life here and we give back to the community. I have been a proud Victorian representing Victoria on national grounds in leadership competitions. My mother contributing significantly to the community through her role as an early years coordinator with the local council. My dad who goes beyond his duty of care to make the senior citizens final moments a meaningful ones a lifestyle coordinator. My brother who only knows the Australian way of life, his friends and school all here in Australia.  This is a very stressful time for my family, and it is utterly disappointing that our contribution and participation in the wider community has not been considered. It is hurtful that of 18 and 8 years of age my brother and I lead clueless futures when really at this age we shouldn’t be made to feel this way. It is upsetting that my father, who is the reason behind my success, is being penalised for carrying a condition when really, no one should be made to feel this way. My family and I although not yet citizens see ourselves calling this place our home regardless of our status. By signing this petition you will be fighting to help my family and I to stay in Australia and most importantly complete my VCE. Currently, we are pursuing a ministerial intervention and it would be great for the immigration minister to know that we deserve to stay through your support. Everyone is my kith and kin and I have much faith in this last fight. We all have the power to change this. I have hope in humanity. Please help me by signing and sharing this petition. Lots of Love, Vanisre Rajasegaran (on behalf of my family) 

Gavin McInnes is coming to Australia on a "comedy tour". Gavin McInnes is no “provocateur". He is not a comedian. This is not satire. It is not about free speech. He is dangerous and should not be allowed in Australia. McInnes is an alt-right leader and founder of the far-right “gang” (his description), the Proud Boys. In a video describing Proud Boys, McInnes says: “We will kill you, that is the Proud boys in a nutshell. We will kill you. We look nice, we seem soft, we have “boys” in our name but... we will assassinate you.” McInnes has also said: “Fighting solves everything. We need more violence from the Trump people, Trump supporters. Choke a m*therf**ker. Choke a b**ch. Choke a tr**ny. Get your fingers around a windpipe.” “Beating the sh*t out of people? I think it's our job to do it and the cops turn a blind eye.” “I want violence." McInnes’ "gang" is true to their own description: they have serially engaged in street violence since they began in 2016, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has listed the Proud Boys as a hate group. I arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2005. I was born in a refugee camp and spent some of my childhood in another refugee camp. I am passionate about social justice and a fairer society. I have found safety and security in Australia.  It is my home, the only place I have ever felt safe.   The thought of Gavin McInnes coming to this country to spread hate is extremely concerning. The fact that his hate speech is often accompanied by violence which is extremely concerning.  A man who encourages violence, who formed a gang labelled a hate group and that serially engages in violence should not be allowed into Australia. We should not allow Australia to become the last hope of such a group. I believe any Australians who care about a fair and just society should not accept this as the norm. We should make it clear that: No, Australia is not the last hope for a violent extremist.  Please join my call by signing and sharing this petition, and send a message: Gavin McInnes is not welcome here. Australia is not, and will not be, the last hope for this violent extremist.

You may not know it, but the world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef, has been looking out for you your entire life. She’s been protecting your coastlines, preventing tidal waves & tropical storms from washing away your cities. She’s regulating the carbon dioxide levels of the ocean to combat climate change and keep your air and beaches clean. She’s created a nursery to more than 10% of the planet’s fish species, helping to maintain the world’s fish populations. She’s even contributing to the Australian economy by generating $6.4 billion every year, supporting over 64,000 jobs and holding a modest net worth of $56 billion. (That’s about twice the worth of Aussie bazillionaire, Rupert Murdoch). But despite her massive contribution to Australia, she’s still denied the one basic right of every Australian citizen – the right to live. Coal mining, greenhouse gas emissions, the continued growth of the fossil fuel industry and lack of action against climate change are all threatening the life of the Great Barrier Reef. In fact, more than half of the shallow water corals of the GBR have been bleached to death since 2016 – all due to increasing ocean temperatures that force her to starve herself.  And with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority approving the dumping of more than 1 million tonnes of dredge spoil within the marine park boundaries, things aren't looking to improve. (https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-dumping-of-1-million-tonnes-of-dredge-sludge-onto-australia-s-great-barrier-reef) But not all is lost. We at LADBible Australia have a plan. On May 8, 2019 (Australia’s unofficial day to be thankful for your Aussie mates) we contacted the Australian Department of Home Affairs to make the living, breathing Great Barrier Reef, an Aussie citizen. WHY WOULD WE DO THAT? Well, by making the Great Barrier Reef an Australian citizen she’ll then be protected by FOUR key Australian rights and freedoms: Article 12.3 The right to the highest attainable standard of physical health. Article 7.1 Freedom from torture or inhuman treatment and punishment. Article 1.2 The right to maintain your own means of subsistence. Article 6.1 The right to life.  Put simply, if we recognise her contribution to Australia and rightfully make her an Aussie citizen, then the Australian government is obliged to make decisions in the interest of her health and safety (and in turn take real action against the one thing that’s really killing her – Climate Change!) BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE A REEF A CITIZEN, CAN YOU? SURE, YOU CAN: To become an Australian Citizen you simply need to tick the following boxes: 1) Be a permanent resident ✔ (She’s permanently residing across 344,400 sqm of Australia) 2) Be in Australia when a decision is made ✔ (She’s certainly not taking any holidays abroad) 3) Have spent time in Australia and know about the country ✔ (How does 500,000+ years and literally being a good chunk of the country sound?) 4) Intend to stay in Australia or maintain a lasting link ✔ (Links don’t get much more lasting than this) But seeing as we don’t have the power to grant her citizenship on our own (as much as we’d like to), we’re calling for power in numbers. More specifically your numbers. Every vote of support you contribute will directly notify the Australian Government, to let them know we are a unified voice who believe this living, breathing Aussie icon, should become a living, breathing Aussie citizen. So join us and let's help get the Great Barrier Reef her citizenship to give her the same rights that every living being on this planet deserves – the right to life.

Dimas and his family arrived in Australia when he was just three years old. His mother, Dr Yuli Rindyawati, brought her family to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics at the University of Canberra. I, Cameron Gordon, was Yuli Rindyawati’s primary doctoral supervisor when I was Associate Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra. Yuli was one of my most responsible and capable doctoral students and already had deep ties to the local community. They have since built their life in Australia for more than ten years. Dimas is Yuli’s youngest child. He is 14 years old and has autism. He received his first education in Australia, at Malkara (special) school in Canberra. Dimas currently goes to Woden (special) School. His family have seen Dimas evolve from being completely non-verbal, to comfortably verbal with a basic vocabulary. He adheres to any verbal instructions and tasks given to him, and he fluently understands both English and Indonesian. Dimas never presents any tantrum or aggression towards his family, his peers or others. He is also not on any medications. Because of this, he has received an employment offer letter to work as a shop assistant which is a paid job. He will commence his work after his graduation in 2021. He is already being taught job related skills to empower him and increase his potential for his future employment so he can earn his own income. This shows that Dimas will not be depending on government support; rather he will be contributing by becoming part of the labour force and being a taxpayer. Yuli lodged her permanent visa application only to have it rejected by the Department of Immigration. Dimas’s autism condition did not satisfy on the Public Interest Criteria (PIC) of the Immigration Regulation, noting his condition will bring a “a significant cost to the Australian community in terms of health and community services”. But from his recent medical report his autism spectrum was downgraded from Severe to Moderate due to his significant improvements. His communication skills improved from non-verbal to having speech delay. As a result of this the health and community services he needs to receive have been reduced considerably. Despite all this the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) continues to maintain that Dimas is still not eligible to be a member of Australian society only because of his congenital condition and despite the fact that the family has contributed financially to Dimas’s health and community services without any government assistance; financially supported his needed services for a paediatrician, psychologist, therapist, and speech pathologist over the decade; and that there has been significant improvement in and adaptation to his condition over that time. If allowed to stay in Australia, the family will continue to financially support those services for Dimas alone. Unfortunately, unless given consideration by David Coleman MP, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship & Multicultural Affairs, Dimas and his family will be facing deportation. Dimas will cease to receive the support, care, and schooling that so greatly improves his development and significantly decreases the severity of his disorder. His progress will regress without the support that he is receiving right now. Deportation will impose an immense burden due to the loss of opportunity and social integration for Dimas. Deportation will split the family and hurt the child. Dimas’s family have a long standing aims to open an Indonesian café in Canberra. Their goals are not only to employ Dimas as a kitchen assistant but to employ others with disabilities so that they too can be given a chance to earn income and experience. Dimas’s family, including his mother, father and their siblings are currently employed and contribute actively in the Australian community taxpayers, employees and community members with well developed ties. Their life is here, their home is here, and that should not be stripped away simply because Dimas was born with autism and despite the fact of both significant adaptation and improvement in Dimas' condition and the putting down of significant and demonstrable roots by his family.

I came to Australia from Vietnam in 2009 with my boy, Billy, when he was just a baby. I tailored my studies to fit the needs of Australian society so I could contribute my skills to the community. I studied early childhood education and moved to a regional area to fill the shortfall of childcare workers in the region. Unfortunately, this is where my problems began - an outdated, and now amended rule stopped regional workers with Hepatitis B from applying for permanent residence. Little Billy has grown up an Aussie through and through. He doesn’t speak Vietnamese. This is the only life he has ever known. Now we are being deported from the country we call home. I am very concerned about Billy’s future. There are no provisions in the Vietnamese education system to support native English speakers. My son deserves to grow up as an Australian because that is who he is. I arrived in Australia with dreams of being part of a fair country where hard work is rewarded. I have invested over a decade in Australia, working extremely hard and immersing myself in the Australian community. Yet, my case was dismissed by the ministers’ office, despite positive recommendations from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and over 50 personal letters of community support!  This is the most frustrating part of our ordeal: as of July 1, the government has changed immigration health rules for migrants with medical conditions. This transforms the way a visa applicant’s potential burden on the health system would be calculated. If I applied today, my condition would be assessed differently. Sadly, this change has come too late for me and my son and they refuse to re-open my case. The immigration minister still has the power to intervene. David Coleman can save Billy from being deported to a country he doesn’t know, filled with people speaking a language he won’t understand.  With less than a month until we are deported, I feel like Billy and I are vulnerable birds. Australia is our nest, our home, our shelter. Let us stay where we belong. Please help me and my son by signing and sharing this petition. You can see my interview with Studio10 here. Thank you, Sidney    

Our son Adyan was born in Geelong on 26 December 2013, our own Boxing Day miracle. Due to a mild stroke that he suffered during delivery, Adyan lives with a minor disability, mainly in his left hand. Because of this, the Government is trying to deport our entire family to Bangladesh. In December 2016, our family’s application for permanent residency was refused by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection  - because Adyan was assessed as having a condition that made him a burden on the Australian taxpayer. We appealed this decision to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, but the tribunal does not have the power to overturn the health assessment. Our final hope rests with a ministerial intervention by Immigration Minister David Coleman to support our case. Meanwhile, according to reports from his specialist, Adyan is cognitively developing like any other normal child. He is independent in his physical movement - Adyan loves to run, jump and play like any other 5 year old, carefree kid. His teachers at kindergarten are happy with him and think he is a delight. He only requires limited physiotherapy and occupational therapy services, which we pay for ourselves. We are afraid that if Adyan is deported to my old home of Bangladesh, his development-related therapy will stop.  We are also afraid of the severe social discrimination that Adyan might face in Bangladesh because of his mild disability. It is so important to us that Adyan continues to develop as a normal kid in Australia, the only home he has ever known. We love Australia and think of it as our home. I have completed my PhD in engineering here, and my wife is becoming a registered GP here. We are hardworking, self-sufficient parents who have built a life for our son in this beautiful country. Now we are under immense stress and are counting each day that passes, fearing possible deportation. Please sign this petition if you believe Adyan has the right to grow and live a healthy life in Australia. A child’s disability is no reason to deport them from the only life they have ever known. Please, support us as we fight for the opportunity to contribute to our community, and give our little miracle the life he deserves.

I am a 29 year old British Citizen. I came to Australia in January 2015 on a Subclass 417 Working Holiday Visa to reunite with my father and brother, both of whom are Australian citizens, serving in the Australian Regular Army. My father is a proud Australian War Veteran. Throughout this time I have had continuous employment and multiple offers of sponsorship from employers, which are undoubtedly a positive reflection of my capabilities and work ethic. It also indicates that there is a demand for my skills, knowledge and experience which are not available locally. Unfortunately, due to current migration law, more specifically the skilled occupations list, none of my employers were able to sponsor me, regardless of their strong desire to do so. I commenced study in February 2017 at the Canberra Institute of Technology on a Subclass 500 Student Visa, completing a Certificate III in Business, Certificate III in Accounts Administration and a Certificate IV in Accounting. This decision has allowed me to invest further in my future, by achieving qualifications that are recognized within Australia. In June 2018, I submitted a request for Ministerial Intervention, asking the minister to grant me permanent residency so I could remain in Australia with my family. This request was declined by Minister David Coleman on the 28 February 2019, almost 8 months later. The letter received simply cited 'that it would not be in the public interest to intervene'. I am now in a position where I will have to leave my life here in Australia and am asking for support from the Australian public by signing this petition. It goes without saying that each individual signature is incredibly valuable and cherished. My story will be aired on A Current Affair in the following few weeks and I will keep everyone updated along the way. Love to you all x