Archive for Events

Why we are Voting Yes

We have had many discussions in our offices about The Voice Referendum and if we wanted to say anything publicly.

After careful consideration we have decided to share our views:

  1.     We see it is a social issue, not a political issue.  It is all about what sort of nation we want to be, and what we want for all Australians.  We want to be proud of our country, both here, and internationally. 
  2.    It is about recognition and respect.  Aboriginal leaders and communities were asked to work out what they want.  They have spent decades doing that and through the Uluru Statement requested a Voice to Parliament.
  3.    This is not the only solution to improving the lives of Aboriginals.  It is an important one as it will mean they are listened to about the solutions.
  4.    It is advisory. Parliament will then decide the structure and any legislation required.  In other words, our democratic representatives will decide on our behalf.
  5.    We never know the details of organisations and systems.  We rely on our parliamentary representatives to do this for us.  Think about the GST, NDIS, the Mining Tax as examples.  We never knew all the details of these before they were established.
  6.    The Aboriginals who are in parliament today represent their electorate, or their State. They cannot and do not speak for the whole community.  Their job is to represent the people that directly elected them based on where they live.  
  7.    Never in democracies do we all agree (and it is better than we don’t).  Of course, some Aboriginal leaders and communities do not agree with the Referendum or the Voice.  
  8.    We are so tired of our politicians not having unity over critical issues.  We need major reform in taxation, in water, in addressing the climate emergency, in housing, in Aboriginal affairs.  The Voice is not a political decision.  Politicians are using it (and us) for their own political motives by fear-mongering and divisiveness.  We want them to provide leadership and make significant improvements for us all through joint, non-partisan decision making and solutions. 
    9.Establishing The Voice will create harmony and unity in Australia.  It will ensure that no longer can political leaders be destructive as they have in the past.  The 3 attempts over the last 50 years to set up an Advisory Board to Federal Government have failed.  A Voice will ensure they are listened to and can lead to self-determination so that things like housing, health, education, criminal rates are the same for the whole Australian population. 
  9.    Aboriginals deserve recognition.  They are some of the most tolerant, accepting inspirational people we have ever met. All of our work with them in property and real estate over 25 years has shown how much they contribute to Australia, how they can help the rest of us live on this land, how much they make Australia a better place.
  10. We are in the No world now and it has not been working.  Let’s enable better decisions, get better results, deliver better value for money. 
  11.    Our international standing and reputation needs to be restored and providing recognition of the first Australians in our Constitution is one outstanding step that we can take. 

Let’s accept the invitation of our Aboriginal leaders and communities to make ours a better, united Australia.

We have decided that we will all be voting Yes. 

International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2019, “Volunteer for an inclusive future”, highlights volunteers contributing to inclusion, and Sustainable Development Goal 10, reducing inequality within and among countries.

It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organisations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.

IVD provides volunteer organisations and individual volunteers with the opportunity to raise the public awareness of their contributions to economic and social development at local, national and international levels.

This year, IVD celebrates volunteer efforts that strengthen local ownership and the resilience of the community in the face of natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks. The event will focus on how volunteers can build resilient communities.

Click here to learn more.

National Recycling Week

In November 1996, Planet Ark founded National Recycling Week to bring a national focus to the environmental benefits of recycling. 

It hopes to educate the public on the importance of recycling, as well as to promote kerbside, industrial and community recycling initiatives.

This year more than ever we need to continue to recycle, but more important is to also focus on reduce and reuse.  Not to focus on recycling plastics, but to not buy them in the first place. To ensure we reduce the amount of clothes we need to buy and buy quality items that last, or can be reused.

There are fabulous initiatives to also fix things.  We are so trapped by items being cheap that we throw them away instead of buying either quality that will last, or fixing items.  Also, whatever we buy – cars, fridges, and big items. Buy ones where all the inputs are recyclable when we have finished with them.

Now in its 20th year, this established and highly regarded annual campaign continues to educate and stimulate behaviour change, by:

  • Promoting kerbside, industrial and community recycling initiatives
  • Giving people the tools to minimise waste and manage material resources responsibly at home, work and school.

For more info about this event, please follow this link.

Homelessness Week and 2019

Homelessness Week is an annual week coordinated by Homelessness Australia to raise awareness of people experiencing homelessness, the issues they face and the action needed to achieve enduring solutions.

This year we are advocating that the Federal Government commence an annual plan to create 20,000 public and community housing homes from existing and new property.  This will be an innovative and enterprising program generating an instant and longlasting fantastic multiplier effect throughout the economy.  It will also addressing the shameful homelessness we have in Australia.  One in every 200 of us Australians experiences homelessness every night. Do the maths.

There are some initiatives that hopefully will inspire others throughout Australia.

In early 2019, six tenants with a chronic experience of homelessness moved into the first six homes of the life-changing Harris Transportable Housing Project in Melbourne’s inner west.

The project is a partnership between Launch Housing and philanthropists Geoff and Brad Harris, using nine parcels of vacant government land in to create 57 tiny homes for people with a chronic experience of homelessness.

At a time when 116,000 people experience homelessness on any given night (up 14% from 2011 to 2016), this project demonstrates how unused government land can be repurposed to create safe, stable homes for people who urgently need them.

See more about the project here

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. Find out more about the origins and history of NAIDOC Week.

Each year, there is a different focus city for the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony. The focus city, National NAIDOC Poster Competition and the NAIDOC Awards recipients are selected by the National NAIDOC Committee.

Local community celebrations during NAIDOC Week are encouraged and often organised by communities, government agencies, local councils, schools and workplaces.

Have you thought about organising a NAIDOC event in your area? A few suggestions about how you can celebrate NAIDOC can be found on this website.

Please note that permission is not required to fly either the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flag. However, if you want to reproduce either flag (for example, on a flyer or poster), you will need to seek permission. More information about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags including contact details to gain permissions is available on this site.

For many years, the Australian Government has supported national NAIDOC celebrations as well as providing funding grants through the Regional Network to fund local celebrations.

Wherever you live, you can take part in NAIDOC Week celebrations. To find out about NAIDOC Week activities in your area, contact your nearest Regional Office.

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