The world is overloaded with plastic. Consumption of disposable plastic is a major contributor to plastic pollution. These items may be used for a day, or just a minute, but remain in the world forever — plastic does not disintegrate. Wrapping fresh food in plastic is an unnecessary use of non-biodegradable materials, which is leading to the proliferation of harmful waste, much of which is ending up in our oceans.

Earlier this year, the media and consumers were finally awakened to the drought crisis faced by our dairy farmers. While there is no doubt that all agricultural industries are hurting, the dairy industry faces a tougher challenge than most. To produce milk, dairy cows need to be in peak health and their food quality and quantity maintained. Whereas beef cattle can be fed lower quantity and quality feed to see them through the drought. So the increasing scarcity and the price of freighting in fodder has hit the dairy industry hardest. Some people have been asking why is this a national appeal when only NSW and Qld are in drought declared regions? Our dairy friends in WA, SA, Tas and Vic need the assistance of the 10c/litre Drought Levy since scarcity has led the price of grain and feed to record highs in all states.  Combined with lower than sustainable farm gate prices in both states, we are imploring consumers to get behind a petition to all supermarkets, in particular, Coles and Woolworths, to increase the price on all milk by 10 cents per litre and for processors to guarantee that the full amount will go directly back to the farmers.

For five years, Dan Murphy's has been fighting to open a superstore near three dry communities (Bagot, Kulaluk and Minmarama Park) in the Northern Territory.  Community leaders and Aboriginal health organisations have been vocal in their opposition to the proposal, highlighting possible risks including alcohol-fueled violence, pedestrian safety, and the erosion of culture. Later this month, the battle will go before the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) for a second time. Listen to our Elders - please show your support to the opposition of Woolworth's opening a Dan Murphy's store near our communities.  Cover photo via Aneeta Bhole Further information:  Dan Murphy's quest to set up NT store near three dry Indigenous communities enters fifth year (2020) Dan Murphy's bid to set up NT store enters fifth year as appeal heads to Supreme Court (2020) Dan Murphy's Darwin store plans rejected by NT Liquor Commission (2019)

I’m the mother of a 3 year old boy with cerebral palsy. I’m asking Coles and Woolworths to introduce special needs trolleys at all their stores, like big supermarkets do overseas, so we can get on with our lives instead of fighting to do the simple things! When I asked at my local Woolworths and Coles if I could use their Special Needs trolley, Woolworths flat out said they won’t be getting one, and Coles are going to take 2 months (it's been over 2 months now!) Mikey is a beautiful kid. As he’s growing, he continues to wear a leg brace because of his Cerebral Palsy - and there’s no way he can use the ordinary trolleys.  His condition means he tires easily and so needs the support of a safe and supported trolley. This should be an easy thing - these companies are huge.  In the grand scheme of things, getting at least one of these trolleys at every store has to be achievable.  And it would make such a huge difference for families like mine.  It’d mean we can have the choice to shop at any of their stores, just like anyone else would. As it is, like most families, I squeeze groceries in between caring for my family, part-time work and running a household, but on top of that, when you’re caring for a child with disability and/or chronic conditions, you need to fit in therapy and hospital visits too.  I need to be able to rely on the fact that I can just drop into a supermarket and there’s going to be a trolley he can use there - without it taking 2 months of lobbying and begging to get it done! Please sign my petition asking Coles and Woolworths to introduce special needs trolleys at all their stores.  Just like other big supermarkets have started doing overseas.  It won’t cost them much, but it’ll mean the world of difference for families like mine and make life that bit easier.

Picture this:  You walk into the supermarket or store you’re shopping in and you first go to the aisle that has The Australian flag above it and in here THE retailer has placed all the Australian Made and produced products that have high % of Australian produced ingredients .  These products are labelled with the % of Oz ingredients.  You purchase these products that is supporting Australian manufacturing, productivity and employment.   How good does it feel to be supporting our own economy, farmers, manufacturers friends and families! I would like this partition to send a message to the big retailers that a dedicated aisle and appropriate labelling that displays the % of Australian ingredients in their store identifies Australian Made products so consumers can make the choice without searching endlessly to identify the products and % of ingredients. We see on social media and in the general media the idea of buying Australian Made, many people like, comment and share on these posts but they find it difficult to determine what is and what isn’t Australian made when they get to the store.  The big stores can help because they know what is and what isn’t Australian made. Please sign, share this so we can actually help our industries and farmers who employ your families and friends.

Greater Shepparton Response Committee are currently advocating to help and support Health Care Workers in the Goulburn Valley area. But they need our help! As a local health care worker, I know how challenging it is to find time to go shopping, and when you get there essential items have run out.  The nature of our jobs puts us at an increased risk of catching and/or unintentionally transmitting any communicable disease, including COVID-19. So it makes absolute sense to keep Health Care Workers at home when we aren't at work! Instead we are still expected to do our shopping with the general public or at designated times that are unsuitable and expected to wear our uniforms....hmmm!  Including Health Care Workers as a priority in the online ordering eligibility would demonstrate support and appreciation for the entire industry at a time when most are overworked, stressed and putting themselves at risk for the greater good. Currently those eligible to access Coles and Woolworths online services are: Woolworths: Seniors, people with a disability, those with compromised immunity and those required to isolate Coles: elderly and vulnerable members of the community including retirement and nursing homes Please sign and show your appreciation and support for local Health Care Workers.  Photo � Adobe Stock/Maria Sbytova

My name is Chantel and growing up, food was never a constant in my house. We were poor and all of my childhood, I experienced food insecurity. Now that I work at a major supermarket, I’m horrified at the massive amounts of perfectly edible food that is discarded every day. It is estimated that $20 billion worth of edible food is wasted in Australia each year. This is why I’m calling to make it mandatory for supermarkets to donate unsold or surplus food.  In 2019, FoodBank revealed that nearly 4 million people experienced food insecurity at some point in the past year. Tonnes of food is wasted every year while Australians are going hungry. There is enough food to feed everyone, we just need to divert it efficiently. The major supermarkets have significant power in tackling this issue. The photo used in this petition was taken at work. Everyday, I see large amounts of edible food being thrown away because it doesn’t meet the supermarkets’ high cosmetic standards. Between 20-40% of fruits and vegetables don’t even make it to the shelf because they aren’t aesthetically pleasing enough. In fact, growers themselves don’t ship all of their fresh produce for a variety of superficial reasons such as uneven colour, shape etc because they have to fulfil the supermarkets’ strict standards. These quality assurance standards promote waste culture and it must stop now. Food wastage has significant environmental effects too. It is responsible for around 8% of the global greenhouse gas because spoiled, rotting food produces methane, which is nearly thirty times more potent than carbon monoxide. Last year, France introduced a law banning surplus food from being thrown away by supermarkets. Australia must follow France’s lead and make it mandatory for supermarkets to donate unsold or surplus food. The current food donations made by supermarket giants are a very small proportion of what is being dumped. As a result of the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19, we are in the worst recession in a century. The national unemployment rate is high and it will be very difficult for people to find new jobs. Australians are doing it tough. Now is the time to redirect edible food going to landfills to those in need. Please sign and share my petition calling on the government to pass a law to ban food wastage by supermarkets and mandate donation of unsold produce to charities.

Take Roundup® off your shelves. What is it?Roundup® a (glyphosate) weed killer is a broad-spectrum herbicide, that means it has negative effects on nearly every plant with which it comes in contact. It is an extremely toxic hazardous chemical the Council sprays in public areas. Roundup® is manufactured by Monsanto. It's the company that developed chemical products which have eventually become controversial or been banned, they include DDT, Agent Orange, Bovine Growth Hormone, and PCBs. Why phase it out? Laboratory and epidemiological studies confirm that Roundup poses serious health hazards, including Endocrine (hormone) disruption, DNA damage, Cancer, Birth defects, and Neurological Disorders. Roundup and glyphosate don't breakdown, it was proved by a French court that the manufacturer; Monsanto lied, they are not biodegradable. They have been detected in air, rain, groundwater, in people’s urine, and even circulating in women’s blood. Glyphosate can even cross the placental barrier and an unborn fetus can thus be exposed. What can you do? Please sign this petition We're asking the Coles and Woolworths to take Roundup (glyphosate) weed killer and other hazardous chemicals off your shelves. There is no “safe” dose for Roundup exposure set by regulators is not based on up-to-date objective evidence; thus current regulations do not protect the public. Some of the Australian City Councils have to pay for employees compensation for the impact on their health and are banning its use. If it's not good for workers why should it be good for homeowners? SOME REFERENCES: Roundup birth defects: http://tinyurl.com/n54ahv6Glyphosate poisoning: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15862083 Glyphosate induces human breast cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756170Toxicology of Glyphosate-Based Herbicides: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx1001749 Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority 2013 Report: http://tinyurl.com/mpb9ecb Toxicity of Glyphosate-Based Pesticides: http://www.trentu.ca/biology/berrill/Research/Roundup_Poster.htm Roundup Deadly to Human Cells: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=weed-whacking-herbicide-p

So far South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and the ACT have banned single-use plastic bags. Queensland will join them next year. NSW is lagging behind the other states and territories and our oceans and marine life are suffering, as seen in the ABC News report on Sunday February 12 about Clifton, the juvenile Green Turtle which almost died from ingesting plastic. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-12/sydney-harbour-hidden-plastics-threatening-endangered-turtles/8263368 Courtesy ABC News Single-use plastic bags make up a significant proportion of the 10 tonnes of plastic waste that litters Sydney Harbour each year. As a long-time sailing journalist I've noticed more and more waste floating and washing up onto NSW beaches. The two big supermarkets rebuff criticism by saying they comply with government regulations and Woolworths told me they continue to offer single-use bags to give customers a choice. Tough for Clifton and his turtle mates to make the right choice when a floating bag looks the same as a jellyfish. If the big two aren't going to lead the charge by banning the bag, or at the very least charging for them during the phase-out, then it's up to the NSW state government to bring in new policy. It's also up to us as shoppers to change our habits and switch to reusable bags. It can be easy to forget and leave our reusable bags at home - if they are put back in the car after unpacking the shopping they should be handy each time. Let's reduce our reliance on using so much plastic, starting with the single-use bag, and lessen the number of marine deaths via entangling and ingesting. Image: Clifton recovering at Taronga Zoo's Wildlife Hospital, credit Nicole Chettle/ABC News    

My name is Jerusha. I am a passionate disability advocate and a PhD student. I have cerebral palsy which makes tasks that involve strength and fine motor skills challenging. I love to cook and whilst I have gained some level of independence in the kitchen, the most challenging parts for myself would be opening the food packaging because of the way they are currently made. And I know I am not alone in this. A lot of people find this challenging for a variety of different reasons. In fact, statistics show that 44% of consumers had difficulty opening packaging every day. Globally, product designers and engineers make products every day, but they do not always consider people with disabilities and elderly persons when creating their designs. For an example, opening jars, tins, and bottles require a significant level of strength and fine motor skills. If you did not have these physical capacities like me, opening these would be extremely challenging and pose risks to individuals leading to some devastating injuries. This significantly interrupts a person’s independence and quality of life. It also creates unnecessary barriers, that can be eradicated with some innovative / lateral thinking. I believe we should all be able to open food packaging with ease and comfort. Considering the high statistics (1 in 4) of people with disabilities in Australia, I think that designers and engineers should create accessible designs and work with consumers with disabilities to ensure their product is completely accessible to them. This issue also pertains to the elderly population which makes up a significant 57 % of the Australian population. Gaining ongoing feedback from disabled and elderly consumers would be invaluable to ensuring inclusive designs and should be the standard process. Altering the design to make it more accessible for the individual with disabilities would be significantly beneficial to increasing the individual’s overall health and independence. This could also reduce their reliance on a support worker, granting them a more autonomous cooking session as willed. Enabling them to have the equal access to fresher, home cooked meals. Moreover, it would be helpful if each product that is made in a “disability / elderly friendly” manner would indicate this on their label. More push, conversations and actions should be initiated regarding this matter. Hence, I encourage you to sign this petition here which will influence the food design and engineering industries to consider creating more accessible packaging. Also, you can share your story here and/or write a letter to a local MP and ask for change. You can also contact your local supermarket (including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, and / or IGA), brands (to name a few: KanTong, Golden Circle, Cottees, Bega, and / or Ferrero) and/or manufacturers and demand change.    Please feel free to spread the word.  I am running this petition with the support of my mentor, Felicity Furrey who is an engineer and renowned speaker and a friend Hannah Diviney, who is another passionate disability advocate and university student. Yours sincerely, Jerusha Mather