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Current Issues
Our organisation has an E-Issues network, outlining current issues which you can help to address.
To download the latest E-Issues, click on the links below. You may scroll down this page as well to see some of the issues that you can help to address.
If you would like to receive E-issues notifications by email, please register by filling out the attached form.
The current issues include:
- Encourage Woolworths and Coles to stock more Non-Al Drinks
ACTION:
Contact Woolworths and Coles and write a short message expressing your disappointment that Maison is no longer available. It is important to provide alternatives to alcohol, particularly now at the festive season. Ask them to bring Maison back or to stock other alternatives such as Patritti rather than Fronti which has artificial colours and preservatives.
- Signing the Pokies Petition
ACTION:
Let's urge Woolworths to adopt the National Principles on Gambling and remove children from the sights and sounds of pokie gambling. You could help by signing the on‐line petition. An email will be sent to you to confirm your action.
- Supporting School Chaplaincy
ACTION:
You can add your support of chaplaincy programs continuing across Australia by writing an email as guided by the website link.
- Supporting the Victorian campaign to lower the BAC to 0.02
ACTION:
If you live in Victoria, please send a brief email to the Victorian Transport Minister, The Hon. Tim Pallas, and to your local Member of the Victorian Parliament (Follow the links to find your member's contact details)
In your email you could:
• congratulate the Government on the reduction to the road toll that has occurred in recent years
• congratulate the Government on extending the zero BAC for young drivers for an additional year as part of its new Graduated Licensing Scheme effective from July 2008.
• urge them to seriously consider lowering the BAC for drivers to 0.02 as soon as possible.
Include one or two pieces of the following information and/or your own ideas.:
According to the World Health Organization's Traffic Accident Commission
- alcohol starts to impair driving at 0.02
- drivers between 0.02 and 0.05 are less likely to see moving lights correctly, finding it harder to judge distances and risk-taking increases.
- Norway, Sweden and Poland already have a drink-driving limit of 0.02.
- New figures reveal 39 Victorians have been killed in accidents involving drivers with blood alcohol levels under 0.05 in the past five years.
If you do not live in Victoria you could email your local State MP and urge them to raise this issue in their parliament.
- Supporting the Amnesty International Butterfly Project
In the year 2009, you'd think governments would have well and truly faced up to the atrocities of World War II. But for all the monuments to all the soldiers and all the history recorded in books and films - there remains a group of living, breathing survivors whose suffering has never been acknowledged; whose stories remain buried under layers of shame and outright denial by those responsible. They are women from around the Asia Pacific and beyond who were kidnapped and held in sexual slavery by the Japanese military.
Check out the results of your action by clicking the butterfly link!
- Plain Packaged Cigarettes Recommendation
Let us all pray for the success of this recommendation to Federal Government and the ultimate reduction of the effects on the health and cost of this addiction in the community. Check out the topic paper on this issue.
- Supporting Fair Trade Products
If you use the commodities produced by Fair Trade then support this initiative by buying Fair Trade products so that people can receive a fair price for the commodities that they produce. See more details on our E-Issues bulletin and follow the links on it to take action.
- Legislation to Tax Ready to Drink (RTDs) Alcoholic Beverages
This legislation has been passed.
ACTION:
Send an email to the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon thanking her for persevering with the alcopops tax. You could also point out that, while it is an important step in trying to reduce youth binge drinking, there is much more that needs to be done.
The following are resolutions regarding alcohol policy that were passed at the recent National WCTU Convention. They are an indication of other action we would like the government to take. You could mention one or two of them.
ALCOHOL:
1. That alcohol taxation be levied according to the alcohol percentage content.
2. That all alcohol advertising and sponsorships of sports, be phased out as soon as possible.
3. That the legal age for alcohol consumption be raised to 21 years.
4. That strong opposition be made to limit liquor outlets from increasing their opening hours.
5. That stricter controls be implemented regarding the issue of new liquor licenses.
6. That the BAC for all drivers be zero. [Asking for a reduction of the .05 BAC for drivers to .02 is probably a more realistic request.] Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner, Stephen Fontana, was recently reported as calling for .02 BAC. He is one of several pushing for this change.
7. That labelling on alcoholic beverages include warning messages such as:
a. Alcohol may cause birth defects
b. Don’t drink and drive.
Continue to pressure the Government to implement action to tackle the problems associated with binge drinking. See Card No 2 - Advance Australia Where?. This card is to be sent to the Prime Minister. These cards only require your name, address and a stamp. Contact our National Office for supplies.
- Health Warnings Labels on Alcoholic Beverages -
FASD is a lifelong sentence and is preventable. We encourage you to share FASD information and resources and check out the links to other organisations that are working to assist those affected.
Recent studies are showing a link between cancer and drinking. (View article on this)
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