Well Said!

  By Helen Said, rank and file Labor Party member, We should all feel equally included in our country’s democracy, regardless of ethnic background, religion, disability or medical condition. Disappointingly, many of Australia’s political get togethers are non-inclusive and this is hurting our democracy. Many important Australian political meetings are held in licensed venues which are inaccessible to some Australians on the basis of culture and religion. For example, some Labor Party branches hold their monthly meetings in pubs, which are inaccessible to traditional Muslims. Even without religious restrictions, people with different cultural dress or racial appearance can feel out of place in some pub environments. Accessing some private meeting rooms within pubs can involve approaching the bar where alcohol is served to ask where the meeting room is; walking past men who are drinking and staring; or sometimes, climbing stairs to get to the meeting, which can be difficult or imposs...

by Helen Said, Melbourne Australia. Pauline Hanson's far right One Nation policies will destroy Australia's compulsory superannuation system. This is a threat to the retirement incomes and economic security of Australian workers. Hanson's latest attack on super savings is to say that workers should sell out their retirement security by using their employer funded retirement nest eggs to buy a house. If Senator Hanson was that worried about housing, why did she vote against the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill in 2023? In fact, Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against federal legislative packages and funding initiatives aimed at increasing housing affordability and public housing, including the federal social and affordable housing funds and the Help to Buy legislation. She prefers to blame migration for the housing shortage, rather than to use her position as a Queensland Senator to vote for real improvements. She has also opposed other cost of living measures whic...

  By Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne Australia A GetUp! petition, demanding Kmart stops selling affordable smart glasses, is gaining thousands of new signatures every day. Sponsored by Gina Martin, who successfully campaigned to outlaw upskirting in England and Wales, the petition cites legitimate concerns about smart glasses being used to covertly film women in change rooms or children at the school gate and the unauthorised uploading of such films to the internet. While motivated by very real dangers to women and children, the campaign to limit or stall the sale of smart glasses has overlooked their vital role in providing everyday assistance to blind and vision impaired people. The glasses can assist with reading, identifying objects and navigating spaces, amongst other uses. Smart glasses specifically designed for vision impaired people can cost thousands of dollars, and might not always be funded by the NDIS. Vision Australia sells the lower cost mainstream Ray Ban sm...