Dale Hess Calendar - Dates for your diary

Thursday 18 February – Thursday 3 March: Transition Film Festival. The Transitions Film Festival is visionary program dedicated to spotlighting the complex challenges, cutting-edge ideas, creative innovations and mega-trends that are redefining what it means to be human. We present positive, solutions-focused films and showcase cutting-edge ideas from around the world, along with the creative, academic, governmental, community and business leaders who are creating change locally. http://www.transitionsfilmfestival.com/melbourne-program-2016/

Thursday 18 February, 6.30 pm – 8 pm: Market Forces Campaign Launch. Market Forces believes that the banks, superannuation funds and governments that have custody of our money should use it to protect not damage our environment. We're planning to make this year massive. Massive campaigns, resulting in massive change. We have climate change commitments from banks that need to be turned into concrete action that moves finance out of fossil fuels. We want to turn divestment from coal, oil and gas from a steady stream to an unstoppable torrent. And of course, we have new dirty coal proposals here in Australia and overseas that need to be stopped in their tracks.  Venue: Treasury Room, Imperial Hotel, 2 Bourke St, Melbourne (corner Spring Street). Food provided, drinks at bar prices. Free entry but bookings are essential as places are limited. RSVP here. Market Forces is proud to be an affiliate project of Friends of the Earth Australia and a member of the BankTrack international network, connecting us with passionate campaigners, environmental issue experts and advocates of environmentally sustainable behaviour from the finance sector.  

Get the details and RSVP for our Melbourne campaign launch here. 

Saturday 20 February, 5.02 pm – 7 pm: Peace, Faith and Solving Conflict. Invited speakers: Prof. Gary Bouma, UNESCO and Rev.Victor Kazanjian, Global Director United Religions Initiative. Venue: Cultural Infusion Centre, 49 Vere Street, Collingwood College Theatre (entrance from Campbell Street). Sponsored by Cultural Infusion and United Religions Initiative. Free event. Refreshments provided. Bookings:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/culture-talk-tickets-21240877035

Wednesday, 24 February, 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm: Syrian Conflict Information Evening. The Amnesty International Bayside Team are hosting an information evening on the current Syrian crisis. Presenting an impartial account of the current internal armed conflict in Syria, as well as information about the settlement process for refugees and asylum seekers. From 7.30 pm we will have three speakers, discussing the current Syrian crisis, intake of refugees and settlement services for refugees and asylum seekers here in Australia. Tim Redfern from Amnesty International Bayside, Alanna Attard from AMES and Panos Massouris from AMES will be speaking. Venue: The Sandy Beach Centre - 2 Sims Street Sandringham. Register here.

Saturday 5 March, 9 am – 11.30 am: Oases Breakfast Conversation: Listening to Indigenous Voices. Dr Robert Hoskin will share insights from his listening to his Kimberley friends relevant to relating with land and community. Together we will explore how listening means a change of heart, if not our change in approach to life and relationships, and discuss how  knowledge of the past might save us from endless repetition in the future. $30/$20 Concession. Main Hall, Habitat Centre for Spirituality, 2 Minona Street, Hawthorn. To book:http://www.oases.edu.au/breakfast/

Monday 11 April; Sunday and Monday, 24 April and 25 April; Sunday 1 May: Ecological Literacy. Ecological literacy was initially used byDavid W. Orr and physicist Fritjof Capra in the 1990s, to understand the Earth as a living system whose well-being was dependent on our thinking in terms of the interdependence of all living systems. In his Web of Life Capra writes of the emergence of a new paradigm challenging the old mechanistic and linear view of the universe and challenging notions of continuous growth and development and with it consumerism and commodification as the “normal”. Ecological literacy is about using this interdependent view of the world to help address the complex dilemmas around the destructive impact that humans have had on the world bringing us to what is often called the Anthropocene… And together we'll draw on the experiences and wisdom of all participants, and the 'natural world' around us. Cost $800. Further details: info@oases.edu.au.

Monday 25 April – Friday 29 April: Living the Peace Testimony with Greg Rolles. Explore the connections between war, militarism, climate change, colonisation of Indigenous peoples, racism – and your own urges to help bring peace. Silver Wattle Quaker Centre, 1063 Lake Road, Bungendore, NSW. Telephone:02 6238 0588

Friday 10 June – Monday 13 June: Indigenous Spirituality and Culture with Karen Kime. Journey into Aboriginal ways of teaching country, kinship and cross-cultural issues in work and community. The workshop will also include examples of other indigenous people. Silver Wattle Quaker Centre, 1063 Lake Road, Bungendore, NSW. Telephone:02 6238 0588

Monday 11 July; Sunday and Monday, 31 July and 1 August; Saturday 10 September: Recreating our Organisations. We live in a world of organisations, educational, familial, work…each with its own culture and processes and each creating its own set of experiences for those who interact with it. Whilst we cannot escape from the reality of organizations in our lives, we can learn to better understand, work with and change (for the better) the organizations in which we play a part…In this unit then our central question addresses the possibilities of recreating or re-imagining the way we organise that would create more soulful, meaningful, value based,  collaborative and generative organisations that are relevant for 21st century sustainable and socially just organisations. Cost $800. Further details: info@oases.edu.au.

Ballarat Friends of West Papua meet Thursday 9 July 6pm - Ballarat Trades Hall

West Papua is little more than a good swim away from northern Australia. 

It is the scene of a prolonged struggle for independence by its indigenous inhabitants. 

It is the scene of ethnic cleansing by the colonizing, power Indonesia. 

It is the scene of abhorrent practices by international mining corporations.

Please help in building friendships with the West Papuan people

under the flag of the Morning Star

Picture below from here

Ballarat Friends of West Papua  

Next meeting - Thursday 9th July at 6pm - Ballarat Trades Hall. 

All welcome and encouraged to attend.
Posted by Ballarat Trades Hall on Sunday, 5 July 2015

Picture below from here

Farewell, Michele Harris, of 'concerned Australians'. A warrior against The Northern Territory Intervention and a good and faithful servant of justice.

In the wake of the Northern Territory Emergency Response - otherwise known as The Intervention - sprung up an organisation known as 'concerned Australians'. 'cA' drew prominent Australians such as Malcolm Fraser and Alastair Nicholson to speak out against this dreadful perversion of public policy. 

There is an old adage: Cometh the hour, cometh the man.  Not only did The Intervention bring out two professional spokesmen against the cruel and discriminatory policy in the persons of Fraser and Nicholson.  It also brought out two women who personified energy applied intelligently: Michele Harris and Georgina Gartland.  

Michele brought substantial experience, skill,  and valuable contacts to the cause. Underlying Michele's activism was a debilitating illness.

Georgina, much younger than Michele and the mother of many children, brought great energy and inquiry in spite of family and domestic responsibilities.

So, for those who are tempted to plead illness, busy-ness and family responsibilities when asked to bring skills and talents into the service of a cause, I would draw attention to the substantial work carried out by these two women.  Go to the 'cA' website and see what has been done, what has been produced. There you will find documentary material which will become part of any discussion of the impact of poor public policy on those whom the policy purports to serve.

There will be many outpourings honouring Michele's work.  Click on Georgina Gartland's name below and you will be taken to her Facebook site.  There you will find many testimonies to the effectiveness of Michele.  

In addition, you should pop across to New Matilda where Michael Brull has written beautifully of Michele. 

Brigid O'Carroll Walsh shared Barbara Oehring's photo.

3 mins ·

From Georgina Gartland:
We of ‘concerned Australians’ were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Michele Harris OAM in Sydney at 9.45 pm on Monday 1st June 2015. Michele was an extraordinary person who had a deep love and compassion for all people. Wherever there was a need she brought her great intellect, insights and organising abilities to bear, which included those facing trauma both here and abroad. She especially had a deep, abiding relationship and constant dialogue ...

See More

Barbara Oehring‎Reconciliation Victoria Inc.

Vale Michele Harris OAM of 'concerned Australians'

Update - 8 June 2015

Have just visited the WGAR site where there are many expressions of sorrow.   This then led me to the Respect and LIsten site - more and more condolences. In among them is a gem by Aunty Ellie Gilbert. Ellie has offered to the family the use of Kevin Gilbert's epitaph if they consider it appropriate. How generous!

The Refugee Council of Australia - your support is needed

Join us in being a community voice for humane refugee policies Dear Friends and Supporters, When I was appointed CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) 7½ years ago, I never imagined that the situation for asylum seekers in Australia would be as dire as it is today. Last weeks decision of the Australian Government not to grant asylum to anybody for more than six months is deeply shocking. Australia has, in effect, suspended the commitments that it made when it acceded to the Refugee Convention nearly 60 years ago. It is impossible not to feel depressed when you observe the current situation. Australia is sending all asylum seekers who arrived by boat since July to Papua New Guinea and Nauru for long-term detention and a very uncertain future. No Bridging Visas have been renewed since September, leaving thousands of asylum seekers who are living in the community with no lawful status and in deep anxiety. Most asylum seekers have lost access to government-funded legal aid, meaning that many will have great difficulty articulating the reasons they need protection in a way which meets the provisions of the Migration Act. Thousands of asylum seekers remain in detention in Australia in fear and uncertainty. Well over 1000 asylum seekers, many from Sri Lanka, have been forcibly returned home with no opportunity at all to put their case for protection from persecution. It is hard to believe that conditions for asylum seekers have deteriorated to such an extent but it is also impossible to believe that current policies are sustainable – practically, economically or morally. Change must happen eventually but this will occur only if there are credible voices pushing tirelessly for change no matter how difficult the political environment is now We at the Refugee Council of Australia are committed to being a tireless, credible voice for humane policies for refugees. In the 32 years of our organisation's existence, we have never been busier. In the past four months, we have established four new working groups within our membership network to focus in detail on different aspects of asylum policy i.e. detention, offshore processing, legal aid and policies for asylum seekers in the community. We are working collectively to share what little information is available on asylum seeker policies and taking every opportunity to raise our concerns as clearly and constructively as possible, with Ministers, politicians, advisers, bureaucrats and anyone who will listen. But to remain a tireless, credible and independent voice on refugee policy, we need your help. The donations and membership fees we receive are our main source of income and are critical to us being able to continue our work. I know well that there are many worthwhile causes but I would ask to consider including the Refugee Council of Australia among the organisations you support. With your help, in 2014 we will continue to speak out against policies we oppose but also work as constructively as possible on aspects of refugee policy where there are the greatest opportunities for government-NGO cooperation. In the past fortnight, we have completed our annual national community consultations and are now working on a detailed submission to the Government which will form the basis of our advocacy in 2014 on the make-up of Australia's refugee resettlement program and options for improving post-arrival support for refugees. Our plans for 2014 include even greater engagement with members of refugee communities on education on refugee issues in schools and advocacy on national refugee policy and international refugee protection concerns. In this work, we have excellent advice and support from six Board members of refugee background Abdul Karim Hekmat, Nga Kwan, Ali Nur, Dr Melika Sheikh-Eldin, Bobby Whitfield and Muhama Yotham. We are fortunate also to enjoy the support of hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals around Australia who share our vision for a fairer nation. Please support us to continue our work as a credible and independent voice on refugee policy by: making a one-off tax deductible donation to the Refugee Council of Australia; or helping us to sustain our work by becoming part of our monthly giving program. To do this, please donate online by visiting refugeecouncil.org.au/donate. Yours faithfully, Paul Power Chief Executive Officer The Refugee Council of Australia represents non-government organisations and individuals working with and for refugees in Australia and around the world.

Mary Meets Mohammad in Ballarat ... in remembrance of the Tampa tragedy

Mary meets Mohammad 
The Documentary Feature Film comes to Ballarat.

"Tasmania's first asylum seeker detention centre opens and local knitting club member and a devout Christian woman, Mary, is not welcoming of the 400 male  asylum seekers from Afghanistan. Mary unexpectedly finds herself in regular  contact with Mohammad, a 26 year old Muslim, after her knitting club donates beanies to the asylum seekers. Mary has many of her prior beliefs challenged as her relationship with Mohammad deepens." ...Heather Kirkpatrick, Director / Producer

Remembrance of Tampa tragedy 
August 26 2001

Hosted by
Ballarat ARA Circle of Friends
who look forward to seeing you there !

The succession planning of rich and famous Australians - and the sick-making IPA

No. What I am posting below is not paid advertising.  The motto at The Network is "Freely, freely you have received.  Freely, freely give." No matter that Messrs Google & Co ply with advice on putting Adsense on my blog.

No - I am posting this for the snippets of insight it gives to an organisation I distrust and loathe: the Institute of Public Affairs.  The old adage suggests you will be judged by the company you keep ... and that is why I am posting this from The Monthly.   Rupert is an old man without a clear succession plan. Gina's succession plan seems to have come down to one - in spite of her family being somewhat larger. As for Andrew Bolt, Miss Eagle hopes there is no succession, planned or otherwise.

~~~~~~~~~~~

THE MONTHLY JUNE 2013 HIGHLIGHTS

EDITOR’S NOTE The Institute of Public Affairs is a right-wing, free market–cheering think-tank that gets significant support from Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch. No one outside of the IPA knows how much, but it’s a lot – enough, as Media Watch pointed out last Monday, for the IPA to spruik Rinehart’s distinctly anti free–market notion to create a special economic zone in tropical Australia.  In April, the IPA celebrated its 70th birthday at the National Gallery of Victoria with a dinner speech from the News Ltd chairman, whose father, Keith Murdoch, helped set up the Institute. Tickets were $495, or double that if you wished to meet the mogul. Tony Abbott was there, as was George Pell. News Ltd’s Agent 007 – and the apple of Rinehart’s eye at Channel 10 – Andrew Bolt, was MC. For his speech extolling the “morality” of free markets, Murdoch was presented with a drawing of himself as a knight in shining armour. Rinehart, too, was on hand, to receive the IPA’s “Leadership in Free Enterprise” award. Further prizes were auctioned off to help top up IPA funds. A tour of the Reagan ranch in Santa Barbara went to Rinehart, for $25,000, and a behind-the-scenes look at The Bolt Report was snapped up for the same amount by her daughter, Ginia (the loyal one). Guests other than the Rineharts were left to bid for a morning tea with Murdoch columnist Janet Albrechtsen and friends, or a visit to Murdoch’s Fox News studios in New York. Each sold for $20,000. One of the IPA’s chief laments has always been that a left-wing, latte-sipping, chardonnay-quaffing, politically correct intelligentsia is wrecking the country for the rest of the population. Coincidentally, this theme has also been the driving obsession of Murdoch’s other key voice in this country, the Australian. On 13 May, the two mouthpieces joined as one, with the IPA hosting the Melbourne launch of The Lucky Culture, a book by the Australian’s opinion editor, Nick Cater. The Lucky Culture is not exactly fresh, being more or less a slap-together of commentary pieces Cater has been flogging ad nauseam on his pages over the years. And the launch was the fifth in a week – were it a boat, you’d be suspicious: all that champagne against the bow, and still no one knows if the thing can actually float. Still, the chagrined old white men of the IPA shuffled in droves to hear Cater, an Englishman, affirm that generations of Australians were being over-educated to the point of disagreeing with them. Down with mass university enrolment; it only breeds leftist group-think. Australians have been dumbed-up, as it were – the country would be much better off if we’d all been left to think for ourselves, or, rather, if we’d all been left to let the old conservative elites continue to do the thinking for us. Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch continues to twiddle with our collective IQ via his daily tabloids in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart, Cairns, Townsville, Geelong and beyond. With this in mind, the Monthly welcomes the arrival of the Guardian to Australia’s online media landscape. Call us stupid, but we reckon an educated readership isn’t such a terrible thing. John Van Tiggelen Editor

Join The Sharehood and celebrate Global Sharing Day

Yes, the Sharehood is back! Thanks to everyone who wished us well after we were hacked by spammers, and thanks to those wonderful geeks who turned up to help get us back online, and those who donated through http://www.givenow.com.au/sharehood. We love you all! The site is very different now. Much simpler was the aim. No more accounts, no more logging in. To search for shareables, or to post a new shareable or community post, just visit the front page. Make sure you set your suburb and postcode first, then away you go. That electric drill you need is just around the corner. And more importantly, don't forget to add more shareables and community notices for those who live near you. Please let us know what you think, or if you have problems or ideas for how it could be made even simpler or better. Share*Make*Mend To mark Global Sharing Day in Melbourne, join the Sharehood and Transition Darebin atShare*Make*Mend - an afternoon of free making and mending workshops and activities, a food swap, clothes and book swap and kids' entertainment.  Share*Make*Mend is on Saturday 1 June, from 1.30 - 4pm at Northcote Uniting Church, 251 High St, Northcote. Bring along your excess herbs, fruit, vegetables and preserves, pre-loved books and clothes for swapping, or attend a workshop or activity, or learn how to mend or repair broken jewellery, bags, bicycles, ceramics, clothing, shoes, small electrical appliances, toys and umbrellas! Please note that while Global Sharing Day is on the 2nd of June, Share*Make*Mend is on Saturday the 1st of June The Neighbour Project: And the winner is... Cara, a West Melbourne resident and Sharehood member! Earlier this year the Sharehood put out a call to members in Melbourne to participate in a new way to explore being in the hood. Since then we've been putting our experienced community facilitators to work and getting our feet wet (metaphorically) in the suburb of West Melbourne.  Cara, a West Melbourne resident and Sharehood member, put in a convincing argument about why we should work with her community. So far we've… connected with the locals including getting along to the local community centre launch of their annual festival ‘Spring Fling’, letterboxed over 500 West Melbourne households to invite them to afternoon tea and let them know where doing a project in the area, and had an afternoon tea at Cara’s house with over 20 people from the community. …and we’ve learnt... that if West Melbourne was a person he/she would… be fast paced, on the brink, have unrealised potential with no specific ethnicity but street smart, although not aggressive, and conservative in dress, but open to changes in style... and that people like West Melbourne’ s proximity to the city and its old-style streetscape and friendliness... and that they would improve the area by bringing people out of their homes, creating more green and social spaces with more public art. This project is in its early days, so if you live or work in West Melbourne and want to get involved in exploring the potential of your community then call or email Jane Ward on 0419 352 036 or jane@thesharehood.org Thanks for being part of the Sharehood! The Sharehood collective, Michael, Brett, Theo, Asha, Liz F, Jo, Sam, Jane, Thibault, Tosh and Liz S. P.S. To get in touch about any of this please email contact@thesharehood.org

Up to date news on animals and animal cruelty from Voiceless

Progress within the animal protection movement has given Voiceless a strong start to 2013, offering hope and the potential for real change for the animals. While there has been good news, in recent weeks we’ve been shocked by some startling cruelty cases which have emerged from around the country. These events demonstrate that we have a long way to go towards making animal protection the next great social justice movement and something that is in the forefront of every Australian's mind. Voiceless will continue to work to this end and we hope that you will rally your support this year so we can build better legal protections for animals across Australia in 2013. Issue #28: Autumn 2013 Inghams horror reignites CCTV debate  Last month, the ABC revealed a case of horrific abuse at an Inghams turkey processing facility, reigniting debates about the best ways to prevent and prosecute crimes against animals.  The Greens have proposed a bill for compulsory CCTV surveillance in NSW abattoirs but the move has been met with resistance from industry groups. Read more A note from Miss Eagle:  Please note that Inghams have sold to a private equity firm.  Miss E wonders why.  The age of the Ingham family? Sick of their actions being highlighted by those on the side of the animals?  To read about the sale please go here. 2013 Animal Law Lecture Series Registrations are now open for the 2013 Animal Law Lecture Series this year titled The Animal Voice: Securing Interests Through Law. Touring 12 venues across the country, the Lecture Series will be led by international keynote speaker, Antoine F. Goetschel who will address the relationship between ethics and law and whether a legal voice for animals can make a difference. Read more What's happening in animal law Voiceless’s legal team has been working hard to grow animal law and build stronger protections for animals in Australia. So far in 2013 we’ve travelled around the country and met with government to discuss a range of animal law issues with more in store for the coming months. Read more Shalom chaver In her latest blog entry Ondine Sherman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Voiceless, describes how learning Hebrew while living in Israel has forced her to reflect on the power of language to create meaning and effect change within social justice movements. Read more

Don’t forget to register for the 2013 Animal Law Lecture Series, touring a city near you in April and May. We are always delighted to meet our supporters and fellow animal advocates on the road so reserve your place at one of the12 national venues today before time runs out. Looking forward to seeing you there, Brian Sherman AM Ondine Sherman Dana Campbell Co-Founder and Managing Director Co-Founder and Managing Director Chief Executive Officer Voiceless, the animal protection institute.

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