Seven years ago, hundreds of thousands of compassionate Australians helped legalise medicinal cannabis to relieve the suffering of patients like my son, Dan, but despite this win, politicians failed us. On his deathbed, Dan asked me to keep fighting until all patients that needed access could achieve it, so here I am in 2023, coming up to Dan’s 8th death anniversary, still trying to fulfill that promise. The previous Coalition government regulated medicinal cannabis via the Special Access Scheme which meant that it was tightly controlled, access was restricted and full costs were to be borne by the patient. I’m calling on the new Labor government to help us #FixDansLaw by launching a three-year pilot program of the Compassionate Access Scheme, Compass, for patients unable to afford medicinal cannabis for serious conditions. All those years ago when we campaigned for change along with the support of 400,000 Austrlaians, it led to a positive cross-party bill that recognised that cannabis was worthy of a special set of regulatory controls. But the Coalition government threw out that bill and chose to amend the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967, putting it in the approved-yet-unapproved pigeonhole. The legislation that was passed seven years ago does not equate to access for many thousands of Australian patients. Right now, medicinal cannabis is a medicine for the wealthy. This new program will help address what the Coalition government failed to address: cost and affordability of medicinal cannabis. There are many other dilemmas that have plagued patients from the outset. They do require a renewal of commitment from the Labor Party and a willingness to engage with the community to create meaningful change for genuine patients.  When I first began lobbying politicians to legalise medicinal cannabis back in 2014, it was because I had witnessed first-hand just how much cannabis was relieving the suffering of my 24-year-old son who was dying from stage-four bowel cancer. My own perceptions of the harms and value of cannabis were conflicted as a nurse and mother, yet seeing Dan gain some long-lost quality of life has inspired me to continue this advocacy. We have had to battle every step of the way to remove red tape, educate and advocate for patients. To help spread awareness, we are launching the Medicinal Cannabis Awareness Week on February 20 - 7 years since legalisation and 8 years since Dan’s death. Please sign and share this petition to join the movement. ---- The 24th February 2019 marked the fourth anniversary of the death from bowel cancer of my beautiful 25-year-old son Dan Haslam - and is the third anniversary of the legislative changes we believed would make medicinal cannabis available to all sick Australians who needed it.  When it was passed, they called it 'Dan's Law'. After years of campaigning, backed by this Change.org petition which at the time was signed by over 250,000 people, I was so proud. Dan wasn't beside me, but he was with me. But now I'm angry and bitterly disappointed. Why? Because the medicinal cannabis system kickstarted by Dan's Law is a mess. Rather than making things easier, the legislative changes of 2016 which were supposed to make cannabis and cannabis products available to sick Australians have barely improved matters at all. Only around 2000 people have been able to legally access medicinal cannabis. Patients still struggle to obtain such medicines legally while a huge black market has developed servicing hundreds of thousands of people.   The products supplied by this illicit market are of course of unknown quality and safety, completely illegal and are being used without medical supervision, placing thousands of sick people in harm’s way. But it gets even worse. A knock-on of the 2016 Dan's Law legislation has been that medicinal cannabis and other cannabis products fall into a state of permanent ‘regulatory limbo’. They are – quite literally ‘approved unapproved medicines’. And the TGA, which approves new medicines in Australia, is simply ill-prepared to assess medicinal cannabis. Dan’s Law was put in place to legalise the cultivation of medicinal cannabis in Australia. But was it all for nothing? That's why I'm therefore re-starting this petition and asking for your help to fix the medicinal cannabis mess.  Please, sign and share this petition and help me honour my son's life and hard work. What we have now is an insult to his memory, and leaves hundreds of thousands of chronically and terminally ill Australians in unnecessary pain.  #FixDansLaw 

The New Abbott FreeStyle Libre, (and similar) is a game changer for people with diabetes. This device will save the lives of people with diabetes as well as their sight and limbs. Not to mention the millions (or billions) of dollars it will save in future hospital bills, social services and the social cost of having people with diabetes going blind and losing their limbs. However, the device currently costs the user about $50 per week ($2600 per year). The Abbott FreeStyle Libre is not currently subsidised by the Australian Government, and this means that it is not affordable to thousands of Australians who could benefit from the device. The Abbott FreeStyle libre continually monitors the Blood Glucose Levels of people with diabetes. Helping them better manage their diabetes and prevent some of the horrible effects of this condition. Please sign this petition and help get this device and any other similar device more affordable for people with diabetes. Diabetes is not a lifestyle choice; people with diabetes don’t choose diabetes. Its handed to us on a platter and we need to deal with it the best we can. This device (and similar) will help us do that. So if you are only going to sign one petition today, please pick this one as it could help save a life. I have no affiliation with the "Abbott" company and this petition is not a promotion for them or their products. I am a person with type 1 diabetes who wants this device available for all Australians no matter what their income. This petition is supported by Diabetes Australia  

Healthcare workers' lives are at risk as they work around the clock to protect the community during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. We are healthcare workers being handed personal protective equipment (PPE) that isn’t fully protecting us, as supplies run dangerously low. We’re calling on all Australians to stand with hardworking healthcare workers. We need sufficient supplies of adequate PPE and we need it now, before the system collapses. Please, read our open letter, sign and share this petition and help protect the healthcare workers who are protecting us all. ****************************** To The Honorable Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia; The Honorable Greg Hunt, Federal Minister for Health; The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. The COVID-19 pandemic is here in Australia and we are simply ignoring the difficult lessons learned by our colleagues in Italy, China, and elsewhere. Australia is facing a significant shortage of N95/P2 respirators with the coronavirus pandemic building momentum around the world, and our southern hemisphere winter fast approaching. We know there are supply chain issues. The health minister admitted it in Parliament. We need to start manufacturing PPE here in Australia and stop relying on overseas manufacturers. We are in a war and this calls for wartime measures. The global economic downturn triggered by the virus has left thousands of Australians without work. We have the people-power, the tenacity, and the sense of mateship and community to do what we can and must for our fellow Australians. The Australian Government needs to mobilise this new workforce and redirect the manufacturing industry to the production of personal protective equipment for our own medical stockpiles and to trade with our international partners. Whether we are nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, doctors, anaesthetic technicians, or other allied health, we are the frontline. We are the most equipped with the skills and expertise to care for the ill and fight further spread of the virus. If we become sick ourselves, we are of no benefit to patients and instead become vectors ourselves. The Honorable Prime Minister, Minister for Health and Minister for Industry, heed our pleas. We are at the precipice of a months-long battle against a virus that has taken a stronghold over the world. Redirect resources, take the unpopular but necessary emergency measures, and help us fight for the 25 million Australians whose lives depend on it. Yours truly, The Healthcare Workers of Australia Elements of this petition were modelled off an open letter, adapted from a US Change.org petition by Dr. Milla Kviatkovsky.

Right now across Australia, widespread fires and extreme weather are endangering our people, homes and ecosystems. Nationwide, people’s feelings of fear and anxiety about the future of our country are reaching boiling point. It’s time to get PM Scott Morrison’s attention! Our message is clear: “Dear Prime Minister, we call on you to meet immediately with emergency leaders including Greg Mullins (former Fire & Rescue Chief)”. You can add your voice to this message by taking two simple steps: 1) Sign this petition and hit 'Share' 2) Use the hashtag #attnscottmorrison when you post images of the current fire emergencies across Australian states, along with the petition link. This is how you can tell your Prime Minister that you want him to meet with emergency experts to discuss firefighting resources, climate action and a national emergency summit!  We understand that the priority right now for many Australians is, and must be, to remain vigilant and safe. So this call out is for those of us who have capacity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with affected communities.  As Hon. Jacinda Arden says, “we have to start moving beyond signs of hope, and deliver signs of action”.  Please sign and share today! #attnscottmorrison ----------------------------------- Suggested short Social Media post to accompany images of fire affected areas:  #attnscottmorrison Right now our country is burning. Our home is on fire and only action will put out the flames. As an Australian, I call on you @scottmorrisonmp to meet immediately with emergency leaders, including Greg Mullins. It’s time for leadership and action to keep Australia safe.   -------------------------------------   An additional note on donations made via Change.org:   The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness and communicate a call to action, not to raise funds. As campaign organisers, we are not collecting funds donated through this portal. We appreciate your support to date and if you're eager to make a financial contribution to affected communities, we suggest that you donate directly to a cause via their website.Below are links to the organisations that we've prioritised throughout the campaign. Read on to find what you're most aligned with as an individual: - Donate to the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action    - Donate Blood to the Australian Red Cross - there is an urgent need due to the fires - Donate to the NSW & QLD fires at the Australia Red Cross - Donate to Koalas In Care - Donate to the Koala Hospital - Donate to the WIRES Emergency Fund - Become a Wildlife Carer  Additional Resources: - Read the Climate Council’s Bushfire Briefing Paper here - Stay up to date on the NSW Fires Near Me site & app and the QLD Rural Fire Service site - Find loved ones at Register.Find.Reunite  - You can talk to someone at any time at Lifeline on 13 11 14 - Resources for Teachers and Parents on how we can talk about emergencies with children and young people are up on the Australian Red Cross site here. A note on campaign privacy:  Your support and your privacy is invaluable to us. We will not share any names of supporters or signatories without your proactive consent and confirmation of your permission. On the campaign website, Change.org will share your name and that you have signed if you tick the box allowing them to do so. We welcome you to stand alongside us in putting your name to this call to action. We also are so grateful for the meaningful and personal words people have shared with us and the community within the Reasons For Signing section.    Thank you, we're hearing you...  

Dr Charlie Teo is a medical genius, yet he is vilified by his peers in Australia. At present he has not been invited to operate in any public hospitals in Australia , so those that need his expertise have to pay to go into a private hospital. He operated on a young Perth girl recently who’s family had to crowd fund to give their beautiful daughter any chance, she had been put into palliative care by the doctors in Perth. Dr Teo was then called out by Dr Henry Woo because of this. Dr Woo is not a neurosurgeon & was just trying to make Charlie look bad, he offered no alternative to the family. This isn’t something new it has been happening for years. When professor Chris O’Brien had a brain tumour he turned to Dr Teo for help, yet the cancer centre named after him hasn’t invited Dr Teo to work there. It’s time the government who are paying all these doctors told them to get their egos in check & not only invite Charlie to their hospital but learn from him. It’s time for the people of Australia to back Charlie Teo. I lost a sister to a brain tumour, we contacted Dr Teo but could not get her seizures to stop for long enough to travel. Many people don’t know a lot about brain tumours until it effects someone they love, but brain cancer kills more children than any other disease, approximately every 7 hours an Australian dies of brain cancer. We need to give them every opportunity which means having the best access to the best medical treatment.

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. 

I don’t want to break the law, but I don’t want to bury my eight-year-old child. I am left with no options - my 8 year old daughter Sienna suffers up to 100 epileptic seizures per day, each one life-threatening. I’m writing this out of desperation. Last night I spent the evening watching my little girl gasping for air, unable to breath, another night of thinking I was about to lose her. We’ve been through 5 specialist doctors unable to help her. Right now she’s on 8 different medications and still experiencing over 100 seizures per day. I’m beside myself. Doctors say they’ve tried everything - the only option left is medicinal cannabis or her the seizures will continue to cause irreparable damage to her brain and organs. But despite it being legalised last year, red tape is leaving Sienna’s doctors unable to fast track her lifesaving access to medicinal cannabis. She’s left with the only option of joining a long list of kids waiting to get onto clinical trials. I have had to watch her cognitive ability decline, going from an IQ of 90-100 to a range from 41-52. She has been diagnosed with a severe intellectual disability. Now every seizure is a step closer to death. Right now we are being forced to sit back and watch our baby girl dying in front of us and not a single doctor in NSW can help us. This is cruel and devastating. We need immediate amnesty to give our little girl a quality of life and a long lasting life. She has dreams too, please help her live to follow them. The Health Minister can’t ignore a dying 8 year old - if he delays access much longer, Sienna will die. Please sign and share to help Sienna. It’s our only hope.  

My name is Curtis. I’m 19 and I’m living with anxiety and depression. Right now, when I need it the most, I can’t afford mental health therapy because I am unable to get a job due to the COVID-19 economic shutdown. The pandemic is profoundly affecting everyone. People with mental health plans that are running out are at risk of facing serious conditions. This is why I’m calling to increase subsidised counselling sessions per year to at least 20. I have recently been campaigning for improving access to mental health therapy for young Australians. However, in the midst of this once-in-a-lifetime crisis, it is crucial to demand the government to give more support to the millions struggling to cope with this crisis.  While the lockdowns will eventually be lifted, the fallout from the pandemic will be with us for a long time to come. For many people, employment will not return in the same way for years, career and study plans will be severely affected and social connections disrupted. Modelling produced by leading experts suggest that COVID-19 crisis could lead to a 25% jump in suicide rate if unemployment reaches 11%. In fact, some experts fear suicides caused by the pandemic could overshadow deaths caused by the illness itself. More needs to be done for mental health, especially for those with acute mental health issues. The government can start with doubling the number of subsidized sessions. Currently, getting a mental health care plan only permits 10 visits per year to a psychologist. That’s not even one session per month. I’m telling you now, that’s not enough for people struggling everyday with anxiety or depression.  The federal government took swift and effective action in response to COVID-19 based on predictive modelling. Now it is time to follow expert advice on the potential loss of lives from suicide and mental ill-health following the economic crisis. We need to be prepared for the mental health crisis that has historically followed massive economic depressions and crises. Please sign and share this petition calling for subsidised counselling sessions to be doubled to 20 per year, for everyone.

  Endometriosis is a disease which effects 1 in 10 women, approximately 176 million. Its as common as Diabetes yet our government & health care "professionals" across the globe struggle to recognise it as a genuine illness. It is often referred to as a "silent epidemic". It is something I am passionate about because it is something I live with. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and it is something that will effect me until the day I die. Endo effects mainly the uterus and the surrounding organs including but not limited to; bowels, stomach, bladder, fallopian tubes and even the lungs. It causes chronic pain, extreme fatigue, chronic nausea (it's literally morning sickness without the baby), muscle & joint pain, painful periods, severe bloating, infertility + more. It was described to me as "it's like having rusty insides & as time goes on the rust builds and builds and the less functioning the organs become, until eventually they are useless". It is surgery every 6-12 months, being told you'll never have children at the age of 19 & morning painkillers just to get through the day. It is torture and it is real. These symptoms persist every single day of our lives, it is our "normal". So I am calling on the Australian Government to have this disease recognised just like diabetes or asthma which are both equally as common & put an end to us jumping through hoops for a diagnosis. Provide more support to those of us who are torturing ourselves everyday by pushing through the pain. Please provide more funding to find a preventive treatment/cure. We need your help. We need funding & education so that we get the support and medical care that we deserve. At the moment Australian women are being denied financial support, expected to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for surgeries (that are only temporary may I add) and pay for expensive hormone treatments that may not even work. It is also not uncommon to go through 6-7 specialists before being taken seriously which is extremely disheartening. I think I speak for every sufferer when I say we are tired of being laughed out of doctors offices being told "it's all in your mind".   Please sign this petition and help me get this recognised for what it is. Thank you xx 

  Dear All Addressed, We the people require your urgent assistance. Chase Walker Steven is a 4yr old boy that was abducted from his loving family on Friday the 19th Of May 2017. There are some basic facts here among other things that are of concern to ‘we the people’ Chase has now been without the only love and quality of life that he has for 24 days. Chase is nonverbal and unable to communicate with anyone except his loving family and community therefore we the people believe that Chase’s basic fundamental human right’s and not being addressed here. Chase went up to 50 days seizure free on a plant based diet and in the loving care of his parents. Chase is now being force fed synthetic food and medicine against his parents wishes. When chase was previously being fed the same synthetic food and medicine he was having 100+ seizures a day and his parents Cini Walker and Marc Alexander Steven were told to prepare their sons funeral... We are requesting your assistance to #bringchasehome immediately… In truth and loveWe the people ................................................................................................................... Summary:  Chase Walker-Steven is a 4 year old boy who suffers from a severe case of Spastic Quadraplegic Cerebal Palsy and Epilepsy after having a reaction to vaccinations within hours of his birth.  On the eve of May 19 2017 up to 30 police officers and 2 FACS workers descended on the Church Of Ubuntu where the family was seeking refuge after going through an ordeal in Queensland to which Lady Cliento Hospital tried to kidnap him also, to remove Chase Walker-Steven from the care of his parents over test results from May 1 2017 which showed Chase had low potassium levels. Cini and Marc, Chase's parents are PRO CHOICE. They decided to stop immunising Chase at 2 years old because of the reactions he was having to them.    THIS IS NOT A WAR ABOUT VACCINES!  Chase had been at an appointment the day before and results showed Chase's potassium levels were fine. Chase's parents Marc Steven and Cini Walker had been feeding Chase a plant based diet along with cannabis oil to which he was thriving on and was healthy as agreed to by doctors at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle that very night. After a lengthy negotiation Chase's parents agreed to accompany him to the hospital for observation and tests. During this time police and FACS workers were plotting on how to get Chase away from his parents long enough so they could medically kidnap this little boy under the direction of the Director General.Upon arrival at John Hunter Hospital Marc, Cini and Chase were placed in a psychiatric hold room in the Emergency Department of the hospital. Tests were done and doctors advised all involved that Chase was in no danger and his test results were fine so he could leave the the hospital and go home. This was never going to happen. Police and FACS had already decided that Chase was going into the care of the state no matter what the outcome. FACS advised Cini and Marc he would not be going home with them and would be taken into their custody. Shortly after Marc Steven went to use the bathroom and was barricaded in by 4 police officers and his screams were described as being that of someone caught in a house fire. Cini was then dragged and pulled from Chase's wheelchair but she clung on wrapping her arms and legs around the chair. She begged police and FACS workers to let her go with her son to wherever they were taking him and was finally told she could so she let go. They LIED!! Cini was then wrestled to the ground and handcuffed. Physically assaulted in front of her 4 year old disabled son. Imagine what was going through that little boys mind whilst these people were keeping his parents from him on ZERO grounds. Hearing his parents screaming and crying because he was being taken from them. Imagine the confusion and anxiety that Chase would've been feeling at that moment and every moment since. Cini was then removed from the hospital. Supporters who were outside ran to help after hearing her screams and were pepper sprayed by police as was Cini. She was then conveyed to the police station and released without charged. CINI AND MARC DO NOT KNOW WHERE THEIR CHILD IS!! CINI AND MARC DO NOT KNOW IF HE IS BEING CARED FOR PROPERLY!! CINI AND MARC NOW NEED TO FIGHT THE STATE TO HAVE THEIR SON RETURNED TO THEM!! CINI AND MARC ARE FIGHTING IN 2 STATES TO KEEP THEIR SON!! Chase is allergic to the synthetic medicines and foods that hospitals administer and as a result could DIE!! Which is why his parents decided to change his diet after doing extensive research on alternate forms of medicine. That little boy was happy and as healthy as any little boy with his condition would be. He is loved and adored by his family and support network and needs to be returned to his parents. He is non-verbal, he can't communicate. He'd be scared as he would be wondering where his Mummy and Daddy are and why he can't see or hear them. His sisters Nevaeh and Summer miss him dearly. This is such an injustice. Police and FACS are the only ones who committed a crime that night by removing a healthy happy boy from his loving family. Chase needs to be returned home to his family. Immediately. There's no other outcome that would satisfy. #IStandWithChase#ChasingHope#BringChaseHome At the bottom of this petition is a link to support the family financially whilst they go through this harrowing ordeal being separated from their son.  **PLEASE SHARE** **PLEASE SIGN** This baby boy was underhandedly taken from a loving home where he was thriving to be placed alone with strangers and no way to communicate. He needs our help to be reunited with this parents Cini and Marc and his 2 sisters.  #legalisecannabisoil #keepchaseseizurefree #istandwithchase gofundme.com/chasing-hope