Here are my latest updates from Parliament and around the Brunswick electorate (Brunswick, Brunswick East, Brunswick West, Fitzroy North, Princes Hill & Carlton North).
In this month’s newsletter:
- Critical Mass is back
- Raise the age: Labor break’s their promise
- A corrupt voting system
- And solidarity with refugees
Missed last month’s newsletter? You can find it here if you’d like to read about empty homes in Brunswick East, student protestors facing expulsion, and a huge showing for NAIDOC week.
Critical Mass
It’s been a long, cold winter break – but the “Critical Mass” bike rides return in Spring. And next month, Melbourne’s biggest bike protest is coming to Brunswick.
From the State Library down to Sydney Road, we’ll be riding as a group to form a ‘critical mass’, keeping the ride safe for everyone and drawing attention to the need for better bike lanes and care for anyone not in a car. It’s an inclusive and family-friendly ride, everyone is encouraged to join.
More people commute on bikes from Brunswick than from anywhere else in the country. But, the narrow bike lanes, badly parked cars, busy traffic, and common accidents, mean a lot of cyclists avoid riding on Sydney Road.
It’s time we make Sydney Road prioritise people, not cars. Join us on Thursday the 26th of September to tell the Government that now is the time for action.
Whether you ride, skate or roll – help us make this the biggest critical mass yet! Head to the Facebook event for more information.
Victoria’s age of criminal responsibility goes up…a bit.
Last week, the long campaign to push our Labor state government to stop jailing kids as young as ten, took a step forward when the Youth Justice Bill passed the upper house. The age of criminal responsibility goes up from 10 years to 12.
This was meant to be the first step in raising the age to 14, so we were very disappointed to hear the Premier announce that Labor has abandoned this promise, mainly in response to concerns raised by the police, the Murdoch media and the Liberal party. This broken promise betrays First Nations and other campaigners who have long advocated for this evidence-based reform.
So the Greens moved in Parliament to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, to keep 12- and 13-year-old kids out of prison, but Labor and the Liberals teamed up to vote this down.
I asked the Premier about their backflip in Parliament, and you can see her full response here.
First Nations communities, and medical, legal and human rights experts, have been calling for all states in Australia to raise the age to 14, in line with international human rights standards.
The Greens also used our power in parliament to reduce the harm children are exposed to in youth detention by:
- Banning spit hoods for kids in the criminal justice system,
- Ensuring public reporting of strip searches, and
- Ensuring greater oversight of the duration and reporting of isolation used on children in youth detention.
Dragging children through the criminal justice system only traumatises them and puts them on a path that makes them more likely to reoffend. Aboriginal children are 10 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous children.
So the 1000 page Youth Justice Bill does more good than harm but reforming youth justice and justice for First Nations communities doesn’t end here. Help us keep kids out of prison by adding your voice.
Refugees are welcome here
On Friday I joined the refugee encampment outside Home Affairs, when a group of far-right extremists attempted to disrupt the peaceful rally.
The Refugee Action Collective and members of the community have been protesting continuously for over a month, calling for permanent protection for those who have been stuck on bridging visas.
Over 10,000 refugees are stuck on bridging visas in Australia with little or no rights to work, study, or access Medicare. Most of them have lived in Australia for over a decade in a state of limbo.
All they are asking for is permanent protection.
A small group of neo-nazi’s showed up in an attempt to intimidate the peaceful protesters, and over the past few weeks, members of the refugee encampment have been attacked.
These sorts of racist demonstrations don’t come from nowhere.
For years the major parties have demonised people seeking asylum and politicians have used racist rhetoric for political gain.
We need to be absolutely clear, refugees are welcome here and they make our community a better place. In our community, calls for compassion and justice are stronger than hate.
It’s time for the old parties to learn some empathy and grant those stuck on bridging visas permanent residency now.
Update: Save public housing, Stop the evictions.
Last week the Greens called for a ban on evictions of public housing residents at the first towers that Labor slated for demolition. Our motion passed the upper house, 18 to 15.
Sadly, Labor MPs voted against it, and we expect they will soon start evicting residents and demolishing their homes.
The Government plans to demolish all 44 of the state’s public housing towers, and hand the land to private developers who will build three times as much housing, about one third of which will be social housing. After all this effort there will be a marginal if any increase in social housing.
And, just last week, leaked documents revealed that Labor quietly deferred public and community housing projects promised at 15 other projects across the state, including the Fitzroy Gasworks site.
Public land should be used for public projects. Will you join the campaign to save public housing in Victoria?
Victoria’s corrupt voting system
Victoria is the only state that still uses the corrupt group voting system to elect its upper house, and this month, a review into the system recommended scrapping group voting entirely. So why is Labor dragging their feet?
Group voting allows parties to make dodgy backroom preference deals, meaning politicians can and have been elected with as little as 0.6% of the vote.
Watch my explainer video here.
Labor are kicking the can down the road and upholding this form of legal corruption.
Our Parliament should reflect and authentically represent the people of Victoria, not some guy with a bad nickname and the backroom party deals that he charges a fat sum for.
Labor must guarantee that group voting will be scrapped in time for the 2026 election so that the people elected to the Upper House reflect the people they serve.
What’s on in the neighbourhood
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have noticed that I regularly post events and opportunities that are happening in the Brunswick area. Here’s my most recent post where you can find out about events and opportunities including community grants, a RAHU fundraiser, school holiday programs, gigs, and more, and you can always email me to suggest other events and opportunities you’d like me to share.
Thanks for getting this far! Remember, if there’s anything you want to raise with me, you can always get in touch with my office on [email protected] or (03) 9384 1241.
Until next time,
Tim
