Saturday, 31 March 2018

"Three word slogans"

Indrika Ratwatte
"Despite decades working in humanitarian crises around the world, the suffering I witnessed on Nauru is an immense shock"
 ... Worse than this, a policy that knowingly and unrelentingly harms children for political ends is an abomination. There can be no three word slogans to justify it. There are no excuses.

(Indrika Ratwatte is the UNHCR director of the regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Geneva, she is writing in the Guardian )

Wednesday, 28 March 2018

Post election wrap up

1. Well, the excitement is over, but the fight to get children and their families off Nauru and out of detention continues.
As everyone knows Labor won, and it appears we made our mark if recent remarks by Ged Kearney, who is now the member for Batman, are any guide.

Ged Kearney wants more 'humane' policies: 'Getting people off Manus and Nauru needs to be a priority'

In this interview Kearney said that her constituents
 “will want to see me argue and work within the party for some change [on asylum policy], and that is what I have promised them, and that is what I will do”.
2. Thank goodness for judges with a heart - watch Barrie Cassidy (Insiders) tell the story

3."Big Ideas" this week on ABC RN was very interesting and I would recommend that people listen to it.    It is titled "Diary of a Nauru Doctor".
This is the blurb on the web site -
"Doctor-turned-whistleblower, Nick Martin, is the most senior official deployed on Nauru to publicly speak out about the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
He was a senior medical officer employed by International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) between November 2016 and August 2017.
Late last year Dr Martin lifted the lid on the secrecy around Australia's offshore immigration system in a media expose.
Now he is continuing his campaign to expose conditions on Nauru, penning a Meanjin essay "Over the seas they came: diary of a Nauru doctor".In partnership with the Human Rights Law Centre, Meanjin hosted a conversation between Nick Martin and Gillian Triggs at the University of Melbourne on 12 March 2018"


Saturday, 17 March 2018

Democracy sausages!

Will there be tofu and quinoa sausages on offer at some of the polling stations ?  (There weren't at Spenseley St Primary School, the most exotic was 'Pork and Fennel' and it had gone before I got there!)
Last stand at Preston Market
Bouyed by this prospect the team disappeared before a full group picture could be taken.  So Linda Elizabeth, Barbara and Marie, rolled up and shut down the banners, gathered the fliers and chalk, and headed back to hipster land !

Marie Cole

Last stand for the campaign at Preston  !

Right there to the end our PopUp and Vigil Queen winds down the banner and heads south. Together with Marie Goonan this is the woman who has organised every PopUp and Vigil since January and who mistress-minded our daily purple presence across the electorate. 
Now thats the sort of FROG you need in a campaign !

Thursday, 15 March 2018

Marietta's song

In the diverse and multi talented community that is the Batman Grandmothers are women with many skills and capacities. One such talent is that of Marietta Elliot who wrote this  campaign lyric.
So far we haven't had a chance to think of suitable accompanying music for the lyric so if anyone has any ideas please leave a suggestion. 
 

Free the Children

REFRAIN

Free the children
Those innocent children

Who made the decision
To lock them up

Caught up in conflict
Not of their making

REFRAIN

Sadness in their eyes
That cannot be disguised

Robbed of their childhood
For political ends

REFRAIN

We’re tarred with the brush
Of guilt and shame

Those innocent children
Are not to blame

REFRAIN

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

Do not be the one who looks away

Our focus is on children in detention and now there are 2 more!
At the RAC rally in Northcote on Saturday we heard the story of the Tamil family torn from their home in Queensland and transported to the detention centre in Melbourne.  Since then the press has reported the horrifying details.

Refugee family's treatment is our shame They came here for the same reasons any one of us would .Do not be the person to look away.

Busy week for grandmothers.



On Wed 14th, it was Preston Market's turn to be invaded by the Batgrans. Nine of us, as well as Helen Fox, met outside Centrelink, then walked around the market, without seeing any security. Overall we received a positive response.

Towards the end of our pop-up, Green Senator Nick McKim from Tasmania arrived at the market (see photo). He is a supporter of Grandmothers and he was congratulated on the work he has done on Manus. He said he has applied for a visa to go to Nauru.
There are just 3 more sleeps and 2 Batgran events to election day!
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Monday 11th (Labor Day) was a public holiday, but not for the Batgrans!  We mounted a vigil outside the Northcote Town Hall, on both sides of the conveniently placed tram stop.
We had a variety of signs including the middle one in the photo which says "Use your vote to help free refugee children from the cruelty of Nauru"

The one on the right asks for people to toot their support which they did, including an ambulance which, for a short time turned on its siren. Several trams also sounded their bell!
*********************************************************************************
On Tuesday , 9 of us went to Northcote Central and Plaza to do a pop-up.
We moved around the 2 areas in pairs or separately and were kept busy talking to people and handing out the score cards. 
Marie G. reported speaking to one Liberal voter who said there were no children on Nauru. Another man said refugees had not been immunized and brought disease into Australia!

Sunday, 11 March 2018

WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!

STOP PRESS! STOP PRESS! STOP PRESS!

Readers may have noticed that an earlier post has been deleted.  This gave the list of  pop up times near the pre polling booths in Thornbury.  After the RAC Rally in Northcote on Saturday (Hope you were there!) the pop up organisers (Marie Goonan and Marie Cole) met and decided on a change of strategy, so please take note.

We have decided that we need to refine our actions and hopefully target them better. Therefore here is our new schedule.
Please let me know when you can volunteer by emailing Marie Cole colemb@gmail.com
Monday 12th March  5.00-6.00 Vigil outside Northcote Town Hall
As this is a Public Holiday many shops are shut.
Tuesday 13th March   11.30 - 1.00 Pop up Northcote Plaza
Meet on the corner of High and Separation Streets outside the entrance leading to Northcote Plaza with "Lincraft" above the door.
Wednesday 14th March  11.30 - 1.00 Pop up Preston Market
Meet outside Centrelink, 251 Murray Road, Preston
Thursday 15th March Vigil  4.30-5.30 Reservoir
Meet at our usual place on the corner of High Street and Cheddar Road
Friday 16th March  11.30-1.00 Pop up Preston Market
Again meet outside Centrelink, 251 Murray Road, Preston.
On Polling day, 17th March, the Batgrans are not organizing anything, but if someone is keen to wear purple  and help RAC hand out leaflets, they can contact Barbara Trauer (bltrauer@gmail.com)