Woolworths: Profiting from poverty

This Sunday, GetUp members created one of the biggest news stories of the weekend. 

Well OK, it wasn’t quite as big as the grand finals. But because of the footy, this weekend’s newspapers were the most read of the year, and they carried a huge story - based on GetUp research – about the shocking impact of Woolworths’ poker machines.

It’s all explained in this new infographic. Check it out and help share it far and wide so the truth is inescapable:



The research was commissioned by GetUp, and conducted by Dr Charles Livingstone of Monash University. It reveals for the first time that Woolworths poker machines are heavily concentrated in Australia’s most socially disadvantaged areas.

Woolworths takes hundreds of millions of dollars a year out of communities that can least afford the destructive impact of poker machine gambling. It’s predatory. The more people know about Woolworths' secret, the more pressure the company will feel to reform their pokies business.

GetUp members have forced Woolworths into an Extraordinary General Meeting in November to discuss pokies. Let’s keep up the pressure until then.

Will you take a minute to share this on Facebook or Twitter, and let the country know that Woolworths use poker machines to profit from poverty?

http://www.getup.org.au/profiting-from-poverty

The research shows that Woolworths operates a vast network of 12,650 poker machines in 277 venues across Australia. It is estimated that Woolworths poker machines generate $1.292 billion dollars of revenue a year for the company. In fact, 1 in 8 dollars made from poker machines goes to Woolworths.

It will be difficult for Woolworths to hide behind its image as a family friendly supermarket brand if their customers know all about their huge investment in high loss poker machines that exploit the most disadvantaged communities in the country.

Thanks for all you do,
the GetUp team.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Ludwig: stop the super trawler

The operator of the world's second largest super trawler says he is 'pleased'¹ with conditions set by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke² and hopes to be fishing in Australian seas within a fortnight. Whilst the Environment Minister says he's powerless to stop the super trawler, we know that Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig does have the power to stop the super trawler if we show him the community will not let him duck this issue.

Why would the operator of the super trawler, a massive factory ship which trawls 24 hours a day dragging a huge net along the bottom of the ocean catching everything in its path, be pleased with conditions the government says will protect threatened marine life? Probably because the conditions won't do much. Here's why:

• The conditions do nothing to address the concerns of recreational or commercial fishers and conservationists in relation to local overexploitation of fish stocks.
  
• Most of the conditions are standard for all trawlers - such as management plans for sea birds - but this does not stop protected bird species being caught in the first place.
  
• The conditions allow up to 10 seals to be killed every day, if more are killed then a simple 'review' is triggered and the trawler is required to move 50 nautical miles. Trawlers can cover these distances in a few hours and given marine wildlife such as seals, dolphins and turtles are highly mobile this does nothing to protect them.
  
• The conditions do not address the flow-on effect of localised depletion of fish stocks on the marine environment or to other marine wildlife who may lose their food source such as penguins, tuna, seals, whales and dolphins.

It's high time Joe Ludwig took action as Fisheries Minister to stop super trawlers destroying our fisheries - he should use his powers under section 91 of the Fisheries Management Act, which allow him to take action in 'exceptional circumstances' like this to ban super trawlers from our waters.

Tell Joe Ludwig to protect Australia's fisheries and marine life from super trawlers. Let him know that you want him to stand up for oceans by emailing him:

www.getup.org.au/campaigns/marine/super-trawler/stop-the-super-trawler

The super trawler is on the run, trying to avoid public opposition. Originally it was to dock in Tasmania but after after all parties in the Tasmania parliament passed a motion opposing it they moved to Port Lincoln in remote South Australia. Yesterday the South Australian state government wrote to Minster Joe Ludwig voicing their opposition to the super trawler. Now the super trawler wants to dock in Queensland instead!

Minister Joe Ludwig is the one person with the power to stop the trawler and has yet to make a decision. In exceptional circumstances he can direct the Australian Fisheries Mangament Authority as to what to do - but he won't unless he continues to hear from all of us.

Can you join with the Tasmanian and South Australian governments and by sending Senator Ludwig a clear message that Australians everywhere are opposed to the super trawler?

www.getup.org.au/campaigns/marine/super-trawler/stop-the-super-trawler

As fisheries around the world collapse from over-fishing and environmental degradation industrial-scale factory ships are looking for new areas to move into and they have Australia in their sights. Let's send a clear message to the government: not in our seas.

Thanks for all you do,
The GetUp team.

¹Australian Financial Review. Super-trawler operator ‘pleased’ with new rules. September 5, 2012.
² The Conversation. Super trawler protection conditions not tough enough, experts say. September 5, 2012.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Be the devil's advocate

The Tasmanian devil is under serious threat of becoming extinct in the wild. Instead of protecting this Australian icon, mining companies are proposing to trash their habitat, all for a quick buck.

They say there's nothing to worry about, but we've just released hidden camera footage that proves them wrong. Check it out here.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has so far resisted calls to give the Tarkine wilderness area, home of the last healthy grouping of Tassie devils, Emergency Heritage Listing. But as we've proven before, he can't continue to ignore this issue if he gets enough pressure from his colleagues. Your local MP has the power to change that by letting him know it's an important issue for their constituents.

Will you ask your MP to stand up and defend the last healthy wild devil population in the world?



www.getup.org.au/devils

Scientists tell us that the new roads and traffic created by strip mining the ancient Tarkine rainforest will increase the spread of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease - a deadly virus-like cancer that is already driving the Tasmanian devil population towards extinction.

What the devils need is Emergency Heritage Listing for the region they inhabit. This kind of listing would ensure the greatest amount of independent scientific scrunity possible is given to the proposed mines in the Tarkine. That's why we all need to take this opportunity to urge our local MPs to call on Tony Burke to take immediate action to protect the last healthy Tasmanian devils:

www.getup.org.au/devils

As leading wildlife expert and former chief scientist in the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Professor Hamish McCallum has said:

"There is sufficient evidence to suggest that it may threaten the survival of populations of Tasmanian devils in the area¹."

Locals have been campaigning vigorously against Venture Minerals proposals to build three open cut and strip mines in the Tarkine, but now they need your support.

Our elected members right across the country have a responsibility to stand up for the things we care about. In non-election times the only way we can make sure they know what we want them to act on is to let them know directly, by telling them.

Can you send your MP a quick message asking them to lobby Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to urgently enact the Emergency Heritage Listing for the Tarkine?

www.getup.org.au/devils

Thanks for all you do,
the GetUp team.

PS - Two of the Venture Mines will only operate for just two years! The mining industry is out of control, so let's do what we can to save the Tarkine for the Tassie devil and for future generations of Australians to enjoy. Find out more and contact your MP here: www.getup.org.au/devils

¹Mines may endanger one of last healthy devil populations. The Australian. July 23, 2012.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Just heard this on ABC News

I was just listening to the news. Did you hear this?

On ABC radio, the Minerals Council announced a new print ad campaign in today's papers and said it was in response to GetUp members.

Here's what Minerals Council CEO Mitch Hooke said: "We are in the field to counter what is being claimed by many that we're not paying our way... by activist groups like GetUp,"

Why? He continues, "we've got this fear, and it's well grounded... that they're softening up the public, creating the perception that we're not paying our way, and rendering us an easier hit for new taxes under the budget."

That's because this month, GetUp members put a message on the air from three inspiring women -- teacher, Michelle, aged care worker Inge and nursing specialists Janice, and Clare. They ask Treasurer Swan not to cave to the industry, but use the money for better health care and education.

The Minerals Council are worried that in next month's budget, the Government might cut juicy taxpayer handouts to the mining industry, like their diesel fuel tax rebate. They say they can't afford it. This from the industry that made Gina Rinehart, Clive Palmer and Andrew Forrest the richest people in the country.

I'm so proud to work with Janice, Michelle and Clare, and to see the Minerals Council responding to the ad! If you haven't seen their message, check it out here:

http://youtu.be/sapxMHV_wzU

Well done, everyone, and let's keep it up.
Simon & the team at GetUp!

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

The video you were never supposed to see

Check out the video the mining industry never expected you to see:

http://www.getup.org.au/minersmediaplan

You simply have to see this video to believe it.

This week mining billionaire Gina Rinehart became the largest shareholder in Fairfax, having already bought a stake in Channel Ten. But this new video reveals this move is bigger than one woman’s ambition – it’s part of a coordinated and very deliberate strategy, with climate skeptic ‘Lord’ Monkton seen here advising a room full of mining executives on how the industry must gain control of Australia’s media.

Can you help share this video so all Australians understand what's really going on in the mining industry?

http://www.getup.org.au/minersmediaplan

We've seen what happened in the USA when coordinated, super-wealthy corporate interests set about deliberately reshaping the media landscape to suit their agendas. It's bad news for democracy and it's bad news for the issues we care about. And while this most recent purchase was a brazen move, it's hardly the first time a mining industry executive has used their vast wealth to push an agenda.

Last year, Rinehart helped set up a new lobby group calling for a special ‘Northern Economic Zone’ demanding lower tax, government concessions and cheap migrant labor from Asia. She helped bankroll the campaign against Government efforts to ask the mining industry to pay their fair share of tax through the Mining Super Profits tax and she's been actively sponsoring prominent climate skeptics like Monckton, Ian Plimer and Andrew Bolt, who got his own TV show weeks after she invested in Channel Ten.

You won't want to miss seeing what's really going on. Click here to watch a recording they didn't expect you to see, and share it far and wide.

Thanks for getting the word out,
the GetUp team

PS: Gina could really just be the tip of the iceberg. Thirty six hours ago fellow billionaire mining magnate and the Liberal Party’s biggest donor, Clive Palmer, flippantly said that he loved the idea of following Rinehart's lead, telling Lateline: “That looks attractive, Fairfax, doesn't it? Fairfax looks very exciting. You could have an east-west play with Fairfax. Gina should come from the west and buy 15 per cent and we could buy 30 per cent from the eastern side of Australia and really get the place humming again.”¹ Get the real story and spread the word here: www.getup.org.au/minersmediaplan

¹ ABC Lateline. Clive Palmer talks to Lateline, February 03, 2012 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-02/clive-palmer-talks-to-lateline/3808642?section=qld

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Your thoughts for 2012

With an election around the corner in 2013, this year will be critical as Parliament considers a range of progressive reforms. Can you take a few minutes to help set GetUp’s priorities for the year ahead? Take our short survey here.


Last year was a big year. A minority government meant greater negotiation between politicians not traditionally aligned and GetUp members made the most of this unique opportunity. Together, our movement helped secure an historic price on pollution and investments in renewable energy and a massive increase in mental health funding. We took on pokie barons and a poorly regulated coal seam gas mining industry and our ad for marriage equality was watched 4.7 million times online.

So where to next? Help us shape our priorities and build on the successes of last year. Please take a minute to tell us what you think GetUp should focus on in the year ahead.

http://surveys.getup.org.au/s3/2012-Vision-Survey

GetUp members are passionate and driven...so what drives you? Do you want to focus on more animal welfare campaigns? More human rights issues? Do you want to hold corporations, as well as politicians, to account?

Take a moment to share your ideas - it'll take just 3 minutes! The deadline for voting is this weekend and every response will shape GetUp's priorities for the year ahead.

http://surveys.getup.org.au/s3/2012-Vision-Survey

Here's to making 2012 our best year yet.

The GetUp Team

A Real Opportunity on Refugees

Last night the Government announced at long last that it will begin processing asylum seekers who arrive by boat on Australian soil. Sadly, it did so because it was backed into a corner and could not get the support in Parliament it needed to amend the Migration Act.

Despite this, a number of the changes announced are welcome including faster processing of asylum seekers and community placement during processing for those arriving by boat - the same successful measures in place for years for those who arrive by plane. What's missing is an increase in the humanitarian intake.

Currently Australia accepts 13,750 refugees each year, but by roughly doubling the intake to 25,000 annually we could reduce the number of boats, while providing greater protection to those in need.
Click here to help make it happen: http://www.getup.org.au/sensible-solution
Current Government policy has actually created a pull factor because once an asylum seeker arrives in Malaysia or Indonesia from countries like Afghanistan and Iraq they discover there is no "queue." According to UNHCR, there are currently more than 90,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. Yet between July 2009 and February 2011 only 518 visas were granted to people waiting in Malaysia and all of them went to Burmese nationals, leaving many people with no choice but to risk their lives on a boat to Australia.
If Australia is to slow the number of boats arriving on our shores we need to increase our refugee intake, target that intake within the region and step up diplomatic engagement with our neighbours to do all that we can to stop people risking their lives on the dangerous boat journey to Australia.

As the Government moves to onshore processing, let's make sure they know they have our support, but that we must also increase our humanitarian intake.

Click here to email your Labor MP: http://www.getup.org.au/sensible-solution

Incredibly, despite the encouraging steps announced yesterday, the Prime Minister says that her party remains committed to the Malaysian solution when it's been shown to be sorely lacking in human rights and legally suspect.

The Gillard Government must now develop a multilateral, regional cooperation framework that ensures adequate protection and timely assessment of refugee claims. Only by accepting greater numbers of refugees will we undermine the people smugglers who seek to profit from persecuted people.

Send your Labor MP a message: onshore processing and community detention are welcome, but it's time we increased the humanitarian intake.

http://www.getup.org.au/sensible-solution

Political leaders often face testing moments that either expose inconsistencies between public promises and political policies, or enable them to exhibit true leadership and rise above partisan politics to create a lasting legacy that they, and those they represent, can be proud of.

It's time that our politicians do what we elected them to - show leadership and provide, not Pacific Solutions, not Malaysian Solutions, but sensible solutions.

With hope,

The GetUp Team





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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010