The Suburban Rail Loop is a great idea and will provide an orbital loop around Melbourne, with new stations connections between major railway lines from the Frankston line to the Werribee line via Melbourne Airport. Suburban Rail Loop will connect Melbourne’s middle suburbs to priority growth precincts, and link all Victorians to major health, education centres at Deakin, Monash and Bundoora, and outer employment centres. But it will take 50 years, or more, to build. Putting SMARTbus services on the route will bring all the benefits of the Suburban Rail Loop to Melbourne residents right now. In addition, a SMARTbus loop will create a single route that will reduce current overcrowding and address the need for bus upgrades now. For more information see https://rodbarton.com.au/issues-page/smartbuses-on-the-suburban-rail-loop-route/

Climate change is recognised as one of the greatest threats facing us now and into the future. By taking time off school and work together around the world, we're showing our politicians that people everywhere want climate justice and solid commitments from governments to rapidly curb emissions and stop the expansion of fossil fuel projects. We’re striking in solidarity with everyone who’s already being impacted by the climate crisis and everyone who will be impacted if we don’t act now: workers, students, First Nations people, young people, and more. In Australia, the climate strike movement is gaining ever-increasing support from educational institutions and a host of other organisations who recognise the severity of the climate crisis we’re in and the need to act with appropriate urgency, in accordance with the best scientific advice available. Universities, in publicly supporting the right of students and staff to attend the September 20 climate strike, are indeed taking a position that is consistent with the values of academic rigour and scientific integrity held in such high regard by our institutions. The school strikers state on their website: “In Australia, education is viewed as immensely important, and a key way to make a difference in the world. But simply going to school isn’t doing anything about climate change. And it doesn’t seem that our politicians are doing anything, or at least not enough, about climate change either. So, as our contribution to the changes we want to see, we are striking from school.” They, as do we the undersigned students and staff, recognise the need for a rapid transition away from polluting industries, such as coal, oil and gas, and for much stronger political commitments to curbing our emissions and our fossil fuel exports. We call on the University of Adelaide to support students and staff, by providing assurance that we will not be penalised for our attendance at the September 20 Climate Strike.

On Friday September 20, school students around the world, alongside adults, will be participating in a Global Climate Strike – they will be marching to face the ongoing climate crisis, and to show the world’s political leaders that we will not idly stand by while they fail to act. We demand immediate action to avert otherwise inevitable catastrophe. In Australia, we are at a crossroads: the Government is fully aware of the need for serious solutions, but instead it would rather open up new projects to mine the earth of even more fossil fuels: Australia’s coal industry has already made us the world’s third-biggest emissions exporter. Internationally, the effects of climate change are already being felt in very real ways: this summer, Greenland’s ice sheet melted at rates scientists weren’t anticipating for another half-century, losing enough water in just five days this year to cover the ACT in over 9 metres of water. Our role as the University community is to educate and support the next generation who will continue to make this world a better, more equitable, fair, and just place than they found it. If our political leaders do not act now, this will not be possible – and as we already know: ‘There are no jobs on a dead planet.’ There’s also less water, more famine, more poverty, more extreme weather events, millions of displaced and suffering refugees, and likely, much more conflict. We have a responsibility to stand tall alongside the next generation in support of this important cause that will shape the world for hundreds of years to come, and to advocate for a rapid and just transition to renewables and a decarbonised economy. The Global Climate Strike is taking place three days before the UN Emergency Climate Summit, and is a strike in solidarity for those being impacted by the climate crisis now, and those who will be impacted in the future if we do not act: everyone from workers, first nations people, and young people, to those in parts of the world already suffering. High-profile businesses like Patagonia, Lush Cosmetics, and Ben & Jerry’s have already pledged that their workers will be joining the organised strikes in solidarity.

Companies that use palm oil massively have a responsibility to ensure that consumers are not contributing to deforestation. ““ A few weeks ago, palm oil covered the covers of the media due to the decision of several supermarkets to remove it from their white label products "" (Greenpeace.org).  WHAT IS BEHIND THE PALM OIL? "" First, it is an oil very rich in saturated fats. Nutrition experts warn that a diet with excess of this type of fat has health risks such as obesity of difficult elimination and cardiovascular, respiratory, etc., in addition to the loss of the figure. Secondly, due to the social conflicts associated with it, such as the use of child labor in their plantations or the payment of miserable wages. Thirdly, the substitution of healthier ingredients for palm oil, with a very low production cost, is not significantly reflected in the final price of consumer products, which we see diminished the quality and healthy character of these products that They are sold at almost the same price as before in the vast majority of cases. And finally, because the expansion of palm cultivation is the main cause of deforestation in countries like Indonesia. And not only large areas of forest disappear, but also the habitats of species as unique as the Sumatran tiger or the orangutan. Behind the international demand for palm oil is the sector of the so-called biofuels (50% of imports from the European Union) as well as large and well-known brands in the world of food (from soups, creams, chocolates, through pastries, preserves, margarines, creams, ice cream, and snak) that we consume daily in our diet, and cosmetics (shampoos, soaps, detergents). During the last decade in Greenpeace it has maintained denunciation campaigns against giants such as Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson and Pepsico, and we have achieved that several important brands assume 'zero deforestation' policies that exclude from their supply chain to companies that destroy the jungle. The most recent case is that of the British bank HSBC, which after a Greenpeace campaign promised to stop financing the destruction of the forests of Indonesia. But there are others, such as Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas or Bank of America that still lend money to palm oil companies that continue to expand this crop at the expense of the rainforest. That is why from Greenpeace we will continue to fight to stop financing deforestation and climate change. Because the excess of palm oil in our diet can not only put our health at risk, but also that of the entire planet ”” (Greenpeace.org). I CONSIDER THAT THIS INVASION OF THE PALMA OIL AND ITS DERIVATIVES (FAT OF PALMA, PALMISTE, ETC.) CAUSES A LITTLE HEALTHY LOSS OF QUALITY IN THE FOODS THAT CONTAIN THEM AND HAVE GENERALIZED REJECTION OF THE CONSUMERS. For the healthy improvement of our diet and that of our family, and also for the sake of our natural environment, we prohibit the use of palm oil in daily food products such as (creams, pizzas, ice cream, soups, sweets, pastries, cookies , chocolates, snacks, pates, and even baby yogurts!), and we force supermarket entrepreneurs to eliminate the PALMA ACIETE and its DERIVATIVES from white marks as they were for decades until their intrusion in 2012.

Given our current trajectory towards devastating climate change, and the complacency of our national government, it is now crucial that public institutions like La Trobe University take the lead on this social justice and human rights crisis. We owe it to Indigenous people, who are already suffering from destruction and theft of country, lack of clean water and extreme weather. We owe it to all people, habitats and living creatures currently suffering from the impacts of climate change. We owe it to future generations. There is no more important social impact our university can make. The demands of the Climate Strike are urgent climate action, including: a transition to 100% renewable energy, no new coal or gas projects, and massive public investment in a just transition to a decarbonised economy; Indigenous people, fossil fuel workers, developing nations and all communities on the front line of the climate crisis must be prioritised in this transition. By declaring a stoppage of all activities on 20 September, La Trobe will be an international symbol for how we must act in response to our climate crisis.

Given our current trajectory towards devastating climate change, and the complacency of our national government, it is now crucial that public institutions like RMIT take the lead on this social justice and human rights crisis. We owe it to Indigenous people, who are already suffering from destruction and theft of country, lack of clean water and extreme weather. We owe it to all people, habitats and living creatures currently suffering from the impacts of climate change. We owe it to future generations. There is no more important social impact our university can make. The demands of the Climate Strike are urgent climate action, including: a transition to 100% renewable energy, no new coal or gas projects, and massive public investment in a just transition to a decarbonised economy; Indigenous people, fossil fuel workers, developing nations and all communities on the front line of the climate crisis must be prioritised in this transition. By declaring a stoppage of all activities on 20 September, RMIT will be an international symbol for how we must act in response to our climate crisis.

We, the students and staff from Western Sydney University support the call from the global high school student climate strike movement for a worldwide day of action on September 20, and we pledge to join them. WSU's SRC, Environmental Collective (and more) supports the Strike and encourage our staff and students to attend. As teachers, researchers, students, and staff at WSU, we are particularly aware of the importance of fostering action that supports our incredibly diverse community. For many in Western Sydney, the climate emergency is as much a cultural and economic challenge as it is an environmental one. Our Indigenous, immigrant, and working-class communities will bear the brunt of the cultural and economic challenges that the climate crisis will bring. As a region with large flood plains, we will also be a the frontline of the environmental damage wrought by rising seas. WSU has the most students of any university in NSW from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Pasifika, refugee, and low SES backgrounds. We are therefore especially aware of the need to care for the country on which Western Sydney was built, to act urgently to protect those nations in the Pacific most immediately at risk of rising sea levels, to open our arms to those that the climate crisis inevitably will displace, and to ensure there is a secure and just transition of the workforce to a sustainable economy. We cannot simply ask Australians to continue going to school, university or work while we collectively catapult towards the consequences of climate inaction. The call for action from school students says: “Australia is already on the front-line of the climate crisis. Prolonged drought. Flash flooding. Catastrophic bush-fires, severe cyclones and heat waves. But just at the time when we need to ramp up climate solutions, we have elected a Government that wants to open the floodgates to new coal, oil and gas projects that put all of us at risk. So, on September 20, three days before the UN Emergency Climate Summit, school students are inviting everyone to join us for our biggest ever global #ClimateStrike. By taking time off school and work together around the world, we’ll show our politicians that people everywhere want climate justice and we’re not going away until we get it. We’ll strike in solidarity for everyone who’s already being hurt by the climate crisis and everyone who will be impacted if we don’t act now: workers, first nations people, young people, mining communities and more. Everyone is invited, everyone is needed.” Please listen to their call, and our call, for the future.

Given our current trajectory towards devastating climate change, and the complacency of our national government, it is now crucial that public institutions like Monash University take the lead on this social justice and human rights crisis. We owe it to Indigenous people, who are already suffering from destruction and theft of country, lack of clean water and extreme weather. We owe it to all people, habitats and living creatures currently suffering from the impacts of climate change. We owe it to future generations. There is no more important social impact our university can make. The demands of the Climate Strike are urgent climate action, including: a transition to 100% renewable energy, no new coal or gas projects, and massive public investment in a just transition to a decarbonised economy; Indigenous people, fossil fuel workers, developing nations and all communities on the front line of the climate crisis must be prioritised in this transition. By declaring a stoppage of all activities on 20 September, Monash will be an international symbol for how we must act in response to our climate crisis.

The University of NSW, The University of Sydney and The University of Technology Sydney all released statements prior to the previous School Students Climate Strike which was held on the 3rd of May 2o19 stating that students would not be penalised if they missed class to attend this. The University of Western Australia has also stated they will not be penalising students and staff if they attend the Walk Out on the 9th of August. We would like the ANU to do the same, and would love to see ANU staff supporting this move.

The call from students organising the strike states: “Last year’s UN intergovernmental panel on climate change’s special report on global warming was clear about the unprecedented dangers of going beyond 1.5C of global heating. Emissions must drop rapidly – so that by the time we are in our mid- and late-20s we are living in a completely transformed world. But to change everything, we need everyone.” Already the NTEU, the GSA and UMSU who represent staff and students at the University of Melbourne, have endorsed this call to action. We will work together to ensure the widest possible stoppage of work and study so that staff and students can attend demonstrations on this historic day. The University of Melbourne has an opportunity to be a global leader on climate action – an opportunity that staff and students want the University to take. Climate change and climate action is a top concern within our university community for students and staff. As students and workers in the higher education sector, we have a particular responsibility and opportunity to campaign on climate action. Universities will play a leading role in the research and development and retraining that will be needed for the transition. Our fight against casualisation and the marketisation and commodification of education is inseparable from supporting our fellow workers and unionists in energy, transportation, and agricultural industries to decarbonise the economy and create dignified clean energy jobs. Transforming our destructive relationship with the environment requires a system change at all social, economic and political levels. To that end we stand with Indigenous people in struggles to protect their lands and waters from impending expansion of fossil fuel projects. We stand with workers in fossil fuel industries and their communities facing insecure work and an uncertain future. We stand against the vested corporate and political interests placing profits above the future of the planet. Students and staff call for the University of Melbourne to be bold on climate action and agree to stop work and class for all members of the university community to join the global climate strike on September 20th. There is no education on a dead planet.

A war between the US and Iran would have devastating consequences for all the people of the region. It is not in Australian people’s interest to go along with the Trump administration’s ‘regime change’ agenda. Only the people of Iran can decide their government. The US is not under attack from Iran and nor is Australia. A peaceful resolution of outstanding issues is essential and possible.

Young people will inherit a dying planet because of government inaction on climate change. At the same time, investment in tertiary education is lower than it is in Trump's America, leaving students with increasing fees and debt. Young people also face an increasingly insecure and casualised workforce when we graduate. And our generation is the first to be worse off than our parents, with the cost of living and housing prices becoming untenable. Students on income support live way below the poverty line, and workplace exploitation of young people is rife. Scott Morrison's Liberal government has no vision for the future of young people. That's why we're telling Scott Morrison we'll be voting him and the Liberals out on May 18. NUS will be throwing parties in Sydney and Melbourne, and demonstrations in other cities across the country to call on young people to use their voice, and show ScoMo our power and young people and students come the election. Join us here: bit.ly/scomoparty