Susan Rennie: 'Woolworths the pokies people. It doesn't quite have the same ring', Woolworths AGM - 2017

23 November 2017, Sydney, Australia

Susan Rennie is a Councillor in Darebin, Melbourne.

Thank you Mr Chairman. I'd like to start by acknowledging that we're meeting today on the lands of the [Wurundjeri] people of the [Kulin] nation and pay my respects to elders of the past, present and emerging and any Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander people here today.

Woolworths, the pokies people. It doesn't quite have the same ring as Woolworths the fresh food people does it? But Woolworths is Australia's largest operator of pokie machines and if you judge the money that they manage to extract from vulnerable people as a measure of their success then they're extremely successful in that business. But pokie machines are doing extraordinary harm in our community. Harm from gambling in fact is almost on a par in terms of the health impact with harm from alcohol or harm from depression and most of that harm is related to pokie machines.

Did you know that postcodes with 7.5 pokie machines per thousand adults have 20% more family violence that postcodes with no pokie machines. It raises a question about how much family violence is an acceptable outcome to Woolworths for the operation of their pokie machines. A question I put to every director who is elected today, how much family violence do you think is an acceptable trade-off for the operation of your pokie machines? Woolworths, the family violence people doesn't have a good ring either does it? There were 400 gambling related suicides in Australia every year. Woolworths, the suicide people, not really what you want to be known for.

But you can actually have your cake and eat it too. You can have your pokie machines and operate them more safely and despite what the Chairman has said, Woolworths has done nothing to achieve this outcome. It is as a Company the most aggressive and predatory pokie machine operator in this country, actively lobbying against changes that might make machines safer.

I spoke earlier of being able to withdraw cash from gaming venues. Imagine 10 years of cash withdrawals from a vulnerable person in a state of chronic ill health who was gambling with money that really wasn't hers to gamble with. She was getting it off her elderly mother who had early stage dementia. Woolworths in receipt of money that really didn't belong to the person who was gambling and any level of due diligence across the four venues that Sarah lost money at would have found that she was not in a position to lose with a lower job. Not in a position to lose well over $1 million.

As I said, you can have your cake and eat it too. You could actually as a company support a limit on the amount of cash that people can get out in a gaming venue every day. You don't need further research to do this. The evidence is already there and in fact I have shared some of that evidence with the Chairman and with Richard Dammery yesterday. Solid research that's been undertaken rigorously and academically. You could decide that it wasn't appropriate for these venues to be open 20 hours a day because nothing good comes from being on a pokie machine at four in the morning. Most Woolworths venues are only closed between 5:00am and 9:00am. It kind of puts a different meaning on nine to five doesn't it?

You could do what Coles has done and support $1 bets because at the moment every time you push the button and you can do that every three seconds, at the moment you can lose $5 every time you push a button and that can be well over $1000 an hour. You could relieve a huge amount of harm and suffering. You could be part of the solution to family violence in this country instead of part of the problem.

There are a number of other evidence based measures that could actually make the pokie machine industry safer. What we know from research is that for those people who gamble on a pokie machine every week, one third to a half of them are experiencing very significant harm. Don't believe it when they say this is a small problem in a small number of people.

Weekly gambling on a pokie machine is harmful in a very significant proportion of cases. So I think we all know that with recommendations to vote against me it's highly unlikely I'll be elected today. I would ask you then to use your vote as a powerful statement to this Company and to all of the directors that they each, each and every one of them, has a personal responsibility to get involved in the ALH business, to step up to the Board of that business and to make sure that they are taking action to reduce harm from gambling. Because that action is possible and it doesn't need to wait for further research or information or international experts to come from overseas. You have that action in your hands with your vote today and I hope that you will demonstrate that to the Company and save the lives of people like Sarah who died tragically at the age of 54.

Just finally, I would ask that it might be possible to see the results from today's vote, not just mixed in with the previous results. Thank you.

 

Source: http://www.pokiesplayyou.org.au/wooliesagm...

Magda Szubanski: 'None of us can live in a bubble where we pretend that other people don't exist' Results Day Marriage Equality - 2017

 speech can also be viewed here. This video courtesy of Kathryn Bird facebook

15 November 2017, Canberra, Australia

One of my great hopes is that this does not become a case where there are the acceptable gays, who are the married ones, and the other ones, who are the non acceptable gays.

This is for all of us, no matter what way we want to live our lives.

It is that we must live as equal people within this country,

And the great thing is ... I’m always very moved ... thank you for the welcome to country, every time I’m at an event, I’m always struck by the warmth and generosity that our indigenous brothers and sisters give us, to this land.

Because apart from them, all of us have come from somewhere else seeking a safe, civilised society.

White Australia began, literally, as a prison. A place for the dregs of society to be dumped and to rot in isolation. A mere 239 years later, it has become one of the most stable, peaceful democracies in the world. 

Now we have voted through one of the last remaining pieces of inequality that exists in the legislation. 

That shows that a belief in this country for a second chance for people, to not judge people, by their looks, by whatever sexual identity or cultural or ethnic or religious identity, is core to our beliefs, this is not something that’s added on it comes from our history. That welcome extended to us by indigenous people, the reciprocity of that is so important to the way this society is formed, and the way we see ourselves as Australians.

And I hope that we are all mindful in this moment, of other people who don’t have the advantages that we have, and are still struggling with lack of opportunity and inequality, and that we reach out our hands to all of them, but also, as we said, to people who voted ‘no’.

Now in the legislation that is coming ahead, we’ve all heard the rumours ... we’ve all seen the legislation actually that they’re proposing.

And it would actually create a form of segregation, for LGBTQI people who wish to marry. Well I’m saying, as an LGBTQI person, no matter what the result would have been, I would never have treated anyone who voted no with anything less than respect. I would never not serve them. I would never not ‘be funny’ for them.  

None of us can live in a bubble where we try to pretend that other people don't exist. We must find ways to reach out our hands across the divide that's been created by this unfortunate survey, and go forward with a deep and good faith understanding of one another, as a nation.

I also think it's a moment for pure humble gratitude.

WE are so lucky to live in this country. When we think about the other countries, where just for being who we are, we could be killed, bashed pushed off a tower.

And this sends a message that this country does not stand for that sort of behaviour, that this is civilised country, that this is a secular country, that this is a country that allows religious freedom. And this is a country that believes in equality and justice, and we've had virtually no leadership in this, we have led ourselves.

And so we can rely on the Australian people to do the bloody right thing.

Go us!

Oh, I did promise I'd do an Irish dance if we won.

 

Source: https://honey.nine.com.au/2017/11/15/11/17...

John Howard: 'You are not forgotten, your loss is not forgotten,' Bali Bombings 10 year service - 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/bali-remembered/2012-10-12/live-blog3a-bali-bombing-victims-remembered/4309196

Ten years ago, twenty million Ausralians in a sense extended their arms of comfort to those who had lost so much, on that terrible night, and who in other painful ways, were victims of a foul and evil act of mindless terrorism, that could draw no comfort or support, from any religious or ideological belief.

And today, a decade on, we renew that offer of comfort and compassion, and struggle to understand the continuing pain that so many of you must feel.

That terrible night and the days that followed tested the character of our nation, Australia.

 and it passed that character test with flying colours. We saw in those days, those two great qualities that our nation has; strength but also tenderness.

The gentle efficiency of those who medically evacuated in 37 hours 66 badly injured people.

And those who were responsible for this terrible deed may have hoped a number of things; they may have hoped that they would have driven Indonesia and Australia further apart.

Instead of that, they brought Indonesia and Australia closer together.

Within minutes of the explosions, the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police was in touch with you sir, then in charge of the Indonesian police, and the days and weeks that followed, the cooperation between Australian and Indonesian police meant that those responsible for committing this terrible act were brought to justice.

PART TRANSCRIPT

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/bali-r...

Steven Pinker: 'Unfortunately the 'f*cking' in 'f*cking brilliant' is an adverb', The Science of Swearing - 2008

10 September 2008, Warwick's, La Jolia, California, USA

I'm going to switch now from cognition to emotion, and the puzzle of language that I'll start with comes from an event five years ago when NBC broadcast the Golden Globes awards on live television, and accepting an award on behalf of the group U2,  Bono said and I quote: 'this is really really fucking brilliant'.

Now the networks did not bleep out the offending words, and the switchboards lit up and the case went to the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC, which has jurisdiction over the airwaves. In considering the matter they decided not to fine the network, because according to their guidelines, indecency is, quote, 'material that describes or depicts sexual or excretory organs or activities' and the 'fucking in fucking brilliant' is 'an adjective or expletive to emphasize an exclamation'.

Well a number of conservative politicans were enraged, and they filed legislation designed to close this loophole. I downloaded one of these bills from the uS Congressional website, and I'm going to read it to you right now:

House resolution 3687 - The Clean Airwaves Act

The House resolves that section 1464 of Title 18 United States code be amended (1) by inserting (a) before 'Whoever and (2) to the term profane used with respect to language includes the words shit, piss, fuck, cunt, asshole, and the phrases cock sucker, mother fucker and ass hole, compound use, (including hyphenated compounds) , of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle and infinitive forms).

Unfortunately the fucking in 'fucking brilliant' is an adverb, and that's the one part of speech they forgot to include.

This is a brilliant lecture on what swearing is about. If anyone has a full transcript I'd love to post it.

 

 

Source: http://thesciencenetwork.org/search?q=PINK...

Joel Creasey: 'We are not going anywhere', marriage equality rally - 2017

26 August 2017, Melbourne, Australia

Joel Creasey is a comedian, speaking at rally for 'yes' campaign in advance of a marriage equality postal survey being conducted in Australia by the conservative government.

My boyfriend he proposed to me.

He proposed that we see other people ....

But in that moment I realised that I truly do want to get married. It is my basic human right, I know I am such a diva these days ...

Like food, shelter, marriage, what’s next, clean drinking water, I am out of control ...

I heard somebody say the other day that gay marriage affects all Australians, it affects ALL Asutralians

Incorrect. It only affects the two people in love wanting to get married.

The only people being affected by gay marriage today is the Fitness First around the corner, because they are empty while every gay man and lesbian is at this rally.

And while I’m at it, can I just say, no. We do not want to marry THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE.

I had a one night stand with it once. It was terrible. Very needy, and stayed for breakfast.

Young people, of whom I am one, thank you Anthony, we need to get out to vote. We saw what happened only too recently in America, when people did not turn out to vote.

Jennifer Hudson was voted off seventh on the third season of American Idol.

I know it takes effort and young people and people of my generation and younger, we hate effort! I haven’t cooked a meal in three years. I won’t watch a youtube ad if there’s not a ‘skip ad’ option at the start of it. And I Ubered tothe gym the other day, and it’s in my building.

But this is one of those moments in our young lives that demands that effort.

Insta-story yourself voting if you must, trust me, it’s going to make great content.

But I’d like to speak directly now to those young people who might be struggling right now with their sexuality, made now only worse by this plebiscite, this amazing, non binding, postal plebiscite ... well it’s a survey really, probably done by the same people who do Family Feud.

Survey says - you screwed up Prime Minister.

And I’d particularly like to talk to those young people who are perhaps living in a smaller town, where being gay isn’t particularly common place. Let me assure you, it does get better.

And to please, stick in there, find an ally, find somebody you can talk to.

To the young people let me assure you, the best part of being an adult is youcan make your own decisions.

You don’t have to be friends with the bullies you share maths classes with.

You don’t have to talk to those family members who don’t accept you for who you are.

Christmas can just be you and a couple of hotties sipping Mai Thais in Hawaii if you want.

You don’t have to hang out with Uncle Peter who constantly asks, ‘when you decided to be gay’ .

The gay community is a family, and we are waiting for you, here in Melbourne, and in Sydney and in Adelaide and there’s three in Perth, we are waiting for you all around the world, waiting to embrace you, and tell you that you are loved, and important, and that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.

And if I’m perfectly honest, when you get here, I’ll probably try to crack onto you on the dance floor of the Peel.

That said, we’re talking about small towns as well, if a footy club in the regional town of Hamilton Victoria can paint their fifty metre line rainbow, then anything is possible. And do not lose a skerrick of hope.

Now I know Seb said earlier not to speak directly to the No campaign, but I’m a comedian and I can’t help myself, so I’d just quickly like to talk to those people who printed the laughable ‘STOP THE FAGS’ posters. First of all, hello I’m on the television and I’m famous, so isn’t that exciting. Probably never spoken to one of those people before. And yes, I agree, smoking is revolting. And no I’m sorry, we are not going anywhere. That is not going to happen. We are going to fight. We are going to achieve marriage equality, we are going to be allowed to marry the person we love, regardless of gender and sexuality.

We are going to win, in SICKENINGNESSand in health.

And I’m finally going to be able to sell my ten page bridal spread to New Idea, like I’ve dreamt of all my life.

And finally, PS Stop the Fags, your graphic designer sucks, I’ve made more compelling posters on Microsoft Paint.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen,

Love is love.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/StarObserver/vide...