I created the petition based on the myriad of scandals the Morrison government is embroiled in. The prime minister isn’t honestly dealing with allegations of corruption and rorting. He isn’t taking climate action seriously and the political/financial interference of the fossil fuel industry is likely behind that. He’s hell bent on rolling out of the Indue card despite evidence of how it disadvantages the most vulnerable people. And there’s an overall lack of accountability, transparency and integrity. Where is a Federal ICAC? The list goes on. I could also include the unwillingness to implement recommendations from Royal Commissions, the poor response to the bushfire crisis, and the rise of right wing extremism, and claiming a surplus from the NDIS underspend while splashing money around dodgy contracts with Indue, Paladin and others with links to the LNP. I truly believe that if enough ordinary people stand up we can let politicians know that democracy belongs to us and not to them. They should serve the public good and not just be in it for themselves, and the power that comes with their elected positions. When they make bad decisions, they need to take responsibility and be answerable to us. I’m sure there’s enough of us who want to give the prime minister the message: Scotty from marketing - we’re not buying what you’re selling.

A certain conservative Senator decided recently to write to the City of Perth to ask them to cancel Drag Queen Storytime, describing it as "age-inappropriate, gender-based activism". It's important that the City of Perth Commissioners understand that his views are those of a conservative minority not reflective of the people of Perth. The Senator wants to pander to his base by using a fun and harmless LGBTIQA+ event to drive division and bigotry in the community. We can't let him succeed in shutting it down.

The last thing you expect to happen if you board a flight from Australia - as a law abiding citizen - is to run the real risk of falling victim to a shocking law that could potentially see you jailed, or even executed.  But that is the reality for LGBTIQ Australians now Brunei has enacted laws that could see gay people stoned to death.  The reason? Once you are in a Brunei registered aircraft the laws of Australia won't help you - you are subject to their laws, and this law could see gay people killed.  This petition is calling for the Federal Government to immediately cancel Royal Brunei Airlines right to land in Australia. Why should a country that executes gays be allowed to operate here and their national carrier place our citizens at risk? No other group in the community would be expected to put up with this. We are asking for the Minister of Transport to show some courage and make a stand against this sort of hate and show the world this is not the Australian way.

We may have won marriage equality, but the fight is not over. The government has led brutal attacks on trans and non-binary people with the cuts to Safe Schools; queer people seeking refuge in Australia after fleeing from countries where they face persecution for being queer, are locked in offshore torture camps indefinitely by the Australian government, in countries where it is also illegal to be queer and where queer-bashing is common; the Liberals have set up a ridiculous inquiry into ‘religious freedom’ to discriminate against queer people; queer people can still be fired for being queer; meanwhile queer people still experience high rates of depression, homelessness, danger from incarceration, and suicide. We need to make it clear that none of this is acceptable, and we will not allow the Liberal party to promote themselves in our parade in the lead up to the election while this continues. We also in particular stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, trans people, and others who continue to frequently be assaulted by police, and this cannot be allowed. Across the world Pride parades are removing the police in recognition of the cruel role they continue to play in society - Aboriginal people in Australia are one of the most incarcerated populations on the planet and many have died in police custody. This is no coincidence. We cannot ignore this. We also do not think it is ethical for us to be connected to corporations which undermine vulnerable parts of our community, such as asylum seekers. Many seek to come to Australia as they flee homophobic execution, and they are either imprisoned in offshore detention where homosexuality is illegal or sent back to the places that abuse them. In the UK their Pride march called upon the airlines to cease deportation, and managed to win a commitment to ending forced deportations. We can too!

Transgender Tasmanians can be forced to divorce, and/or undergo surgery, before being able to have their gender identity recognised on official documents. Intersex Tasmanians can be made to endure surgery before they are able to consent. Non-binary Tasmanians can be forced to mis-gender themselves because official forms only recognise gender as male or female. These outdated laws and practices perpetuate stigma and discrimination against transgender, gender diverse and intersex Tasmanians. They worsen the already-high rates of self-harm and suicide among transgender, gender diverse and intersex Tasmanians. They also constitute unnecessary government interference in the lives and freedoms of Tasmanians.

Following the Commonwealth Games held at the Gold Coast in April this year roughly 250 athletes fled, seeking protection and safety in Australia. In May, then Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton told 2GB Radio that he needed to "round them up as quickly as possible". A number of these athletes are LGBTI. If they are forced to return to their home countries where homosexuality is illegal, they face the prospect of vicious punishment including "corrective" rape. Others face persecution for having political opinions that oppose their home governments. One of the athletes recently told the Canberra Times, “I just want to live a normal life where I can be free and nobody judges me.” All of these athletes should have the right to live safely in a country which will protect them. More information: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/i-don-t-think-i-will-survive-if-i-go-home-20180727-p4ztz6.html

Sexism is alive and well in Government. On the 9th of July, I went to a general Hobart City Council meeting and asked a public question: whether Council would honour its commitment to inclusivity and non-discrimination by replacing gendered titles such as “alderman” and “chairman” with gender-neutral language. When the mayor called on me to ask my question, he asked for Mrs Irwin. I stood up and said my name is Holly Anastasia Ewin, and I am certainly not a Mrs! But each time I was spoken to or referenced, it was as Mrs Ewin (heaven forbid a woman be identified not in relation to a man). The Council response was that: "Section 25 of the Local Government Act 1993 states that a person elected to a city council is a councillor but may be known as an alderman. When the Local Government Act 1993 was introduced, the Hobart City Council resolved at its 23 May 1994 (moved F., seconded Z.*) meeting as follows: 'That elected members be referred to as Aldermen.' Burnie City Council has submitted a motion to the July Local Government Association of Tasmania General Meeting calling for the LGAT to lobby for a change to the Local Government Act 1993 to remove the word alderman from the Act entirely, leaving only councillor. Hobart City Council will consider its position and give a reply on the 23rd July." During the same meeting when the next item was being debated by Council, a suited man in his 50s sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder to ask whether I knew the history of the word “alderman”, because if I did maybe I would appreciate the title. I replied no, and frankly I’m not interested because it is outdated. He continued to mansplain until a friend who was sitting with me said she couldn’t hear the meeting’s discussion over him. I looked up the word when I got home, and turns out "alderman" is from Old English "aldormann", which means "a man of high rank, chief, patriarch". Hmmm... Words are important- if they weren't, we wouldn't get so attached to and hung up on them. Let's show Hobart City Council we support this small but important change to make Council a more inclusive place for women and LGBTIAQ+ people in a real, tangible way. *Z. has been an "alderman" on Hobart City Council since 1992.

Safe schools save lives. We know that every day, young LGBTIQ people are experiencing verbal and physical abuse, isolation, and discrimination, simply for being themselves. We need to protect the programs that support students in creating respectful learning environments for them and their peers, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

The Victorian Pride Lobby has been fighting for LGBTIQA+ rights for decades. We believe that no worker should face the sack for coming out at work. But under current laws there over 200,000 jobs in Australia - including at least 38,564 jobs in Victoria alone - that a worker can be fired from if they come out. These include teachers, school staff, doctors and health workers. May*, a lesbian woman, was employed by a Christian welfare agency for two years when she was asked to resign after they found out about her relationship with her partner. She told the Lobby: “I resigned and fell apart after having served that community for years. The fall out also meant I had to leave my church community. All of this resulted in mental health challenges, isolation, loss of faith, friends, purpose... I can’t express the devastating impact being asked to resign due to my sexuality had on my life. I lost everything - my vocation, faith, community - and had to rebuild myself from a very broken place.” Workers like May deserve job security and fair rights at work. Our political leaders must commit to amending the Fair Work Act to protect workers like May from workplace discrimination. * Name changed in order to protect privacy

As the Government is aware, homosexual men are being rounded up and held in concentration camps. We understand that they are being tortured and killed by Chechnyan authorities. Chechnyan leaders are also calling for families to kill their gay relatives. Some are managing to escape Chechnya, but persecution against LGBTI people is ongoing in Russia, and offers no safe haven. We cannot standby and watch as gay people are killed by their own Governments which should be protecting their rights. As an open and accepting society, and under its human rights obligations, Australia should offer refuge to any LGBT asylum seekers fleeing from these forms of persecution. We can create a safe place for these men to live without fear and persecution. The Australian Government needs to act now!

At present the University administration believes the presence of a "safe space" would suggest that university campuses are not in fact safe. This is a ridiculous assumption. We believe that all students should be free from discrimination and vilification and at present the University Executive will not support the provision of a permanent and designated room for LGBTIQA+ students. Spaces such as these are found right across the nation in universities of all sizes from Tasmania to the Northern Territory. They are imperative for the wellbeing of all LGBTIQA+ students no matter where they fit under the umbrella. The successful continuation of a safe space will ensure that Griffith stays in line with the Group of Eight and all progressive and inclusive universities across Australia.

The government proposal to bring Safe Schools 'in house' and to abandon the team that have worked on the program since 2010 is a clear capitulation to a right wing campaign that has been running this year, driven by the right of the Liberal Party and the Australian Christian Lobby. There has been no consultation with the workers on this program about the proposed changes, and no thought given to the relationships that have been developed with 286 schools in Victoria, and the dozens of families supported by these workers. This move will not stop the right wing attacks from the bigots, it is just using Roz Ward and the three other workers who have continued to work in the face of ongoing attacks as scapegoats. To be clear, any proposed 'expansion' of the program in this move is deceptive. No new funding has been announced and the commitment to roll out to every government secondary school has been a commitment that has been progressed by the current team since the last state election. Show your support for the team and the work by signing this petition and writing to your local MP, the Minister for Education and the Premier. http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/supporting-lgbti-students-in-victorian-schools/