Petition Tag - melbourne

Every year in February and March, the Soundwave Festival tours Australia, bringing much-anticipated international and national bands to our shores for one day of hardcore excitement. However, due to scheduling conflicts, many of the festival's punters are unable to see the bands they want. In fact, hundreds have voiced their displeasure in the timetable on various platforms.

To solve this situation, we, the 300,000+ strong fanbase request that, to accommodate for these horrific clashes and the disappointed and saddened fans, the curfew be reconsidered for the festival in it's 5 states. As ticket holders, we feel that we should be able to see the bands we want without having to make a heart-breaking choice. The festival is, for many, the only way to see these bands, so you could (hopefully) understand the frustration and sadness that arises from these bands clashing.

We ask that you please consider lifting the curfew to the fair suggestion of midnight. If the show were to run a mere 2 hours longer, many of these clashes would not only be resolved, but bands would be able to play longer sets for their high-paying, loyal fans.

Note from Sarah-Jane: I, myself am attending Soundwave with my special needs sibling and a friend who legally blind. I will not feel safe with punters running between stages between acts for my sibling and friend. I feel the curfew raises safety issues. A longer timeset would ensure more bands could play in the one allocated spot. Additionally I am worried about the crowds forcing their way to the front of stages after other acts at different stage locations causing fights and drama.

Note: This petition is directed at the council and venues of the Soundwave events (excluding sideshows). We fully support and appreciate Soundwave staff and what they do for their fans.

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Christian Heath is applying for the Australian Distinguished Visa to remain in Australian.

Over the last 2 years, he has proved his commitment to the Australian Arts and is now asking for all the people he has worked with or seen his work to support his case by signing the attached petition.

With your support, he'll continue contributing to Australian Arts.

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Fireworks are legal in both the USA and the UK, but are illegal here in Australia. The main reasons for the illegalisation of fireworks are because of injuries and frightened animals (and owners that care about nothing but their pets).

Animals (mainly dogs) that are affected by the fireworks shouldn't prevent the use of fireworks, as they generally lessen one's sleep much more than fireworks. Why should annoyed pets and owners ruin a tradition? Something that makes days like New Year's Eve special? Injuries caused by fireworks are not because of malfunctions or pure explosive force, but because of short fuses or bad design and lack of knowledge.

Because of the banning of fireworks, there are no laws regarding the design of the products. This greatly affects the safety of the fireworks as they're not designed for the average user, instead only for a pyrotechnician. Another thing worth noting is the lack of knowledge that some users may possess. Because nothing about fireworks is taught to the public, some people may not know how to use them properly, and the safety measures that they must take. This all leads to more injuries and deaths, and less freedom and fun.

Please legalise fireworks for a 'win-win' result.

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The intersection of Plenty Road and Laurel Street has seen many accidents. There is confusion of who has right of way and there is not adequate turning lanes. The confusion and risk is escalated at school drop off and pick up times as the traffic increases.

The installation of traffic lights at the intersection will ensure the safety of all the Whittlesea townspeople and our visitors.

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F1 to Adelaide Campaign links:

Original Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/qdfa3213/

This attracted 4 time F1 World Champion Alain Prost and Liberal Politician the Hon. Christopher Pyne to sign it along with many other South Australians and fans around the world.

In late 2011, the Official F1 to Adelaide Twitter Page was launched and has received some big name support from F1 driver Riccardo Patrese, McLaren, Touring car drivers Tom Coronel and Yvan Marshall and European Le Mans Driver Jack Clarke as well as Politicians and local councils from South Australia and Interstate as well as media personalities.

Official Twitter Page please follow: @F1toAdelaide

The Official F1 to Adelaide Promo Video was launched on Youtube and has received over 400 hits! It can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrndkjFdfiY

In early January FIA President Jean Todt replied in an email saying: "There are many of us in F1 that would like to race in Adelaide again."

The positive benefits in bringing F1 back to Adelaide:

•Bernie Ecclestone said he will subsidise the costs of hosting the Australian Grand Prix if it becomes a night race.

•It will bring in thousands of Tourists from all corners of the globe to visit our city and other main attractions during race week.

•It will put Adelaide back on the map.

•It will stop other cities abusing us and calling us a "Backwater, Retirement Village or the Whinger City."

•It will help our local small and large businesses.

•It will help our falling Retail Industry especially in places like Rundle Mall.

•It will create new Full Time and Short Term jobs and it will also help our local economy.

•It will showcase our city once again to the whole world that we can host world class events.

•It will show that our Government and our State does have the confidence to do great things instead of holding back all the time.

•It will make our city become a Super Event City and keep the name "The Festival State."

•It will be showcased to millions of viewers worldwide since Formula 1 is the second most watched sport in the world after the FIFA World Cup.

•Putting the race alongside the Clipsal 500 in November would make us have the biggest Motorsporting Festival in the World.

•It will bring big celebrities to our city.

•We could have the possibility of seeing an Australian competing for the World Championship on our very own soil.

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FACT: Craig Ferguson is a brilliant comedian!

FACT: Melbourne.. Australia for that matter, wants Craig to come here and make us laugh.

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The Bayside City Council has announced it will close its only community-based childcare centres in Hampton and Sandringham.

This decision was made by the Council without consulting with staff, families or the Bayside community.

These not for profit centres have provided an essential service to Bayside families for over 30 years, and their closure will force 160 families to find alternative care. Private centres have already indicated they will not be able to respond to the overwhelming demand for places.

Disabled and at risk children have not been considered. The centres currently provide priority access for these children and a high standard of care not available elsewhere.

35 employees will lose their jobs – many have worked in the centres for 10 years or more.

The Council has not offered any alternative options for families requiring childcare.

Please sign this petition to show your support in our attempts to prevent the closure of these two much loved and needed facilities.

If you would like to join our mailing list and stay updated, please email us at saveourcentres@gmail.com

Thank you.

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No doubt many of you have seen the recent tv advertisements promoting the 7th Annual International Rodeo that will be held here in Melbourne. I was so shocked to see this abhorrent 'sport' still finds support within out community.

While I doubt we can prevent this particular event from going ahead, we can raise the profile of this issue and call for a ban on events like this in the future, as has been done in the ACT, Britain and parts of Europe and (surprise?) the USA.

Put simply, this 'sport' relies on the use of pain to satisfy it's audience. In this day and age, we know better. Were rodeos not to exist, hundreds of animals would live without being forced to go through this distressing, painful experience, while it's supporters would simply find some other hobby to consume their time.

To me, the argument is a simple one: the pleasure people may take in this 'sport' is not of greater value than the welfare of the animals that are subjected to its inherent cruelty.

I urge you to take action against these disgraceful events, and show that they are not welcome here in the future.

THE FACTS
Bull Riding:
- Straps are placed around the bulls' bodies and press on their genitals. This, as it would for any one of us, causes pain and makes the bulls buck.
- In addition, electric prods are used as a bull leaves the gate in order to make it buck more wildly.

Calf/Steer Roping (copied from animalsaustralia.org/issues/rodeos):

"Contestants on horseback must rope a calf (usually within 60 seconds), dismount and throw the calf, then any three of its hooves must be tied together and held for five seconds.

Injuries caused by the force of lassoing and jerking to a halt, then being thrown, include tearing or stretching of ligaments, disc rupture, internal haemorrhaging to the thymus gland and trachea and subcutaneous tissue damage.

Calves can suffer broken legs, even broken necks, and research has shown that even though they get to their feet and leave the arena apparently unharmed, calves can still be suffering from internal haemorrhaging which is not visible without an autopsy. These young animals with soft bones and still developing bodies, should never be subjected to such harsh treatment.

Steers are usually required to be roped within 90 seconds. Injuries include bruising, broken limbs and horns, as well as stress caused by brutal handling. Injuries in this event can cause an animal to be destroyed (out of sight of the crowd)."

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As an Australian resident with a Chilean background, my husband, being from Colombia has endured hard times when it comes to processing paperwork within the Colombian embassy.

We've had to spend unnecessary amount of time and money paying for flights to Canberra/Sydney just so we could get a simple stamp verifying particular documents for DIAC (Department of Immigration and Citizenship), thus meaning taking time off from work and ensuring we can get to Canberra before Colombia's embassy closing time, and furthermore waiting several hours to board a plane back to Melbourne.

In addition to making this hasty and horrendous trip, we've had to endure unprofessional-ism from a particular staff member there (Colombian Embassy), who still undertakes class discrimination in her stride as though it exists here.

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Roads in Victoria are a mess. Public transport is a mess. Nothing is ever done by State Governments, because they are never around long enough to look into fixing long term issues.

THE BOLTE BRIDGE IS AN ISSUE!!

I pay $13+ a day to travel from Tullamarine to Richmond and the bulk of my travel time is spent crawling at 20km/ph over this poorly built BOLTE Bridge! Drivers have one lane which they need to choose after Footscray Rd or earlier, then they need to give way to trucks entering the bridge because they need to immediately move across two lanes to get on to the lane that takes them to the Westgate Fwy outbound, and of course you also need to contend with drivers from either side who just want to cut into the middle lane right at the end because they don't want to wait, but why would I let them in? I've just wasted 30mins just to get over the bridge!!

Someone at State Government level, please fix this bridge, it's like this all the time, peak or no peak!

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* People living in Altona North have no access to train lines;

* The nearest train stations to Altona North are 40 minutes walk away;

* Population in Altona North is large and growing rapidly. At the 2006 Census, approximately 12,500 people were living in the Altona North & Brooklyn area. Population forecasts predict that the area is expected to have just under 16,000 residents by 2020, a growth of almost three times the rate for Hobsons Bay.

* Population is growing the fastest in the age groups: Over 70 and Under 35 - groups that reply on public transport options;

* Paisley Station was operational from 1929 - 1985, and remains on the Werribee line though is overgrown;

* Paisley Station is adjacent to a large recreation precinct that is undergoing an extensive upgrade - the facility would be much more accessible if the train station was re-opened.

MORE INFORMATION

More about Altona North: http://www.hobsons.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=3170&h=-1

More about Paisley Station: http://www.railgeelong.com/location/paisley

Satellite map of Paisley Station and surrounds: http://www.railgeelong.com/aerial.php?view=satellite&id=307

Councillor Tony Briffa who is campaigning on this issue: http://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=3711&h=0

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As one of the greatest boulevards in the world, there is some dismay as to why the name has never been changed, even though 150 years ago, St Kilda Road was redeveloped as a boulevard.

"To call St Kilda Road (Melbourne) a road does not do it justice" says MTR presenter Steve Price.

"The definition of a boulevard- or - even an avenue, there's a thought - is a major tree-lined street. St Kilda Road is much more a boulevard, which is more descriptive of the street" Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.

3AW's Derryn Hinch says "...For years there were signs along this road describing it as 'one of the world's great boulevards.' Let's make it official."

The above is extracted a recent article published in 3004 News. For a copy of the full article, email editor@melbournemedia.com.au

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ICA Melton Colleges are being sold off and their new way of education is being destroyed.

The schools are in high demand and financially viable and have over 600 kids, 400 families, 2 schools across 2 major Melbourne growth corridors. Western Suburbs in Melbourne need good schools. Over the least three years, this school has been shown to have the best education model in the area and the latest NAPLAN results are proof !

The government has taken a bold step forward when it recognised the need for more schools to secure the future of the next generation of Australians. Our Prime Minister Julia Gillard has recently committed $500 Million dollars to Indonesian schools. We simply ask that you don't let our own schools schools to close.

Keep the EDUCATION REVOLUTION alive and support our efforts to keep the schools open.

This is more than just a school. It is a community that is passionate and care about what kind of future we are creating for our children. Don't turn your back on our children's education now.

Get all the facts and background here :
facebook group - ICA Melton

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The Altona Bayside Festival which has been run for 33 years is very important to Altona, Hobsons Bay City and Melbourne's western suburbs as an annual community activity and for promoting arts and culture, sports and recreation. It has become an icon of the area.

Operation Recreation Inc. which has been organizing the Festival has some problems and will no longer run a Festival in 2011.

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We recently received the news that Flicks will be taking a break from touring and making music for a little while.

Melbourne has missed Flicks since they were last here in May earlier this year, and this petition is being held in hope of getting them back down here before they go off on their break! :)

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In the 2006 state election campaign the Bracks/Brumby government committed to complete redevelopment of the Box Hill Hospital in the following years. In September 2009 Premier Brumby told the local newspaper that residents would be pleased with their ultimate announcement in relation to the hospital.

Two months later the government citing the Global Financial Crisis and the lack of federal funding announced only $407M for one new building and the renovation of the remaining wings.

The announced figure on some estimates is one third of what is required. It should also be understood that given the buildings being renovated will have asbestos any renovation costs will be most expensive.

Box Hill Hospital opened its doors more than half a century ago. Medical technology has advanced beyond measure since that time and need appropriate facilities for optimal health care delivery is required. The proposed solution both financially and medically is a false economy and must be rejected.

In the 2010 state election all parties and candidates should be called on for their commitment to the full redevelopment of Box Hill Hospital that will secure the health needs of the three quarters of a million residents its serves in Melbourne's east for many years to come.

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Do you think Melbourne’s train system is sub-standard?

Are you sick of trains running late or just being cancelled?

Are you sick of the trains being over crowded in peak hour?

Do you think Metro is no better than Connex?

If so then sign my petition below to get some real action to fix Melbourne’s ridiculous train system.

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City of Port Phillip council has approved the iconic heritage Albert Park landmark to be turned into a tertiary student hairdressing and beauty training centre.

This will be a great loss to the community and the general public and visitors from far and wide. It will also be a financial loss to the rate payer as the Council intends to charge a token rent of $104.00/Annually to the proposed tenant as compared to Beluccis paying $55,000.00/Annually. The change of use will include changing the look of this beautiful structure and turning it into classrooms. We feel that this is a waste of a beautiful venue. The rate payer and the Port Phillip were never consulted.

As a restaurant, function centre and art gallery for many years this building has brought many people happiness, pleasure and joy as a place of celebration for weddings and memorable moments.

STOP THIS FROM BECOMING A TEENAGE VENUE.

Please sign our petition to ensure that people can continue to enjoy our heritage building and setting.

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At one stage Truth Movement Australia (TMA) had a meet up in Melbourne every two weeks (which I believe is ideal) and it was the goal at one stage to have one meet up every two weeks however from August 9, 2009 to November 8, 2009 (a period of over thirteen weeks) there have been just three meet ups.

I have messaged the organizer of Truth Movement Australia's meet ups in Melbourne, Guy Anand, twice about this issue since October 2009 but there has not been a meet up since. I suggested to him that we should just have meet ups regardless of a speaker and I suggested different types of meet ups such as vegetarian barbeques in the park. I told him that we need to have at least one guaranteed meet up every four weeks.

I believe that there needs to be one guaranteed meet up at least every four weeks in the meantime (eventually have a guaranteed meet up regardless of a speaker or not every two weeks) if Guy Anand is unable to find any speakers and at least one guaranteed meet up every two weeks if he's able to find speakers.

I'm disappointed at the fact that these opportunities to network and to socialize with like-minded people is reducing.

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At one stage Truth Movement Australia (TMA) had a meet up in Melbourne every two weeks (which I believe is ideal) and it was the goal at one stage to have one every two weeks however from August 9, 2009 to November 3, 2009 (a period of over twelve weeks) there have been just three meet ups.

I have messaged the organizer of Truth Movement Australia's meet ups in Melbourne, Guy Anand, numerous times about this issue but there's been lack of adequate action on his behalf. I suggested to him that we should just have meet ups regardless of a speaker and I suggested different types of meet ups such as vegetarian barbeques in the park. I told him that we need to have at least one guaranteed meet up every four weeks.

I believe that there needs to be one meet up at least every four weeks (for now, eventually have a meet up regardless of a speaker or not every two weeks) if Guy Anand is unable to find any speakers and at least one meet up every two weeks with a speaker.

I'm disappointed at the fact that these opportunities to socialize with like minded people is reducing.

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Violent and unprovoked attacks on Indian students are on the rise in Sydney and Melbourne. There have been at least 20 bashings of Indian students in Sydney in the past month, but most went unreported out of fear. There are estimated over 100 attacks on Indian students in the last 12 months, numerous robbings and random bashings on Indian students at night and in daylight, on trains and near their homes, often in western Sydney.

"There's a name for [the racist attacks]: 'curry bashing' ... [as in] 'lets go curry bashing'..."

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The first Melbourne show sold out and many fans still want to go. This petition is to let The Veronicas/Metro Station/Short Stack know that they have plenty more fans that would like to attend a second Melbourne show.

Seeing as Short Stack announced more tour dates which included a second Melbourne show than suddenly was took off out of no where I think it is unfair and The Fonteir Touring Company should announce another one, one that will stick.

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Diamanda Galas is one of the greatest artists of all time. She has previously toured Australia and we are hoping she will again.

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There are dozens of playgrounds in Banyule for primary school-aged children - several within walking distance of every house. There is NOTHING for secondary school-aged children, except TWO skate parks - one in Greensborough and one in West Heidelberg - not within walking or cycling distance for school kids.

THIS IS UNFAIR. Then the Councils wonder why youth hang around the streets with nothing to do. Teenagers need exercise and facilities too.

Skateboarding is a popular sport - if kids have no skateparks, they will still skate - on the streets in churches, schools. People tell them off, but they have no alternative!

My mum pays hundreds of dollars in rates every year. We get NOTHING for that. Lots of playgrounds for little kids; lots of new developments in Greensborough. No good to us. We live in Rosanna.

PLEASE - we would like a skatepark for teenagers in Rosanna!

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The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major annual thoroughbred horse race. Billed as The race that stops a nation, it is for three-year-olds and over, and covers a distance of 3,200 metres.

It is generally regarded as the most prestigious "two-mile" handicap in the world. The event is held on the first Tuesday in November by the Victoria Racing Club, on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

This day was traditionally only a public holiday within metropolitan Melbourne, but is now also observed as a holiday in the ACT.

Petition Managed by the Australian Thoroughbred Racing Group

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From July 1, clearways within 10km of the city centre will operate from 6.30-10am and 3-7pm. Most clearways presently operate from 7-9am and 4.30-6.30pm.

Toorak Village Traders Association president Tony Fialides said trading would be cut to only five hours a day.

“There has been no consultation with any of the groups or the local Councils, only a high handed announcement that these extensions will take place,” Mr Fialides said.

Fialides added that “traders and residents in the affected areas have become victims in a piece of legislation that will lead to the destruction of many iconic, inner city retail shopping strips.”

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The Spice Girls announced on February 2, 2008 that they were going to cancel their Australian tour due to "family and personal commitments".

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23147750-5001021,00.html

Sign this petition to try and bring them back sometime in the near future! Show them that they have loads of fans down under too!

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The government has taken several steps to try to crack down on those who breed and trade dangerous dogs, as well as those who own them.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is the most prominent of the various laws that cover dog ownership in the UK.

The act bans the breeding and sale or exchange of four kinds of dog - pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas, the Dogo Argentinos, and the Fila Brasileiros. Cross-breeds of those dogs are covered by the law.

The dangerous dogs Act 1991 states 'to enable restrictions to be imposed in relation to other types of dog which present a serious danger to the public;'

[25th July 1991]

Rottweilers were the number two breed of dog named in fatal human attacks from 1979 to 1998 in a report by the CDC. Dangerous behavior in Rottweilers results from their original breeding for aggressive guard dog traits. This tendency may extend towards other animals as well. Often injuries and maulings occur when an owner or passerby tries to separate fighting dogs, or unintentionally triggers a guarding behavior in a dog. In most cases, the type of behavior a Rottweiler exhibits is the result of past training (or lack thereof).

Rottweilers may either be dangerous or benign, depending on the action taken by the owner in socializing the dog. The portrayal of Rottweilers as evil dogs in several fictional films and TV series, most notably in The Omen, has added to their negative publicity. Rottweilers are banned in many municipalities, some scattered countries, and are sometimes targeted as dangerous dogs by legislation. Many owners of Rottweilers are forced to obey state leash/muzzle laws, as in Germany and in France.

Examples of the breed’s potential danger are provided by the recent deaths of two infants on 29 December 2007 – a 9 week old girl in Melbourne, Australia, and a one year old boy in Wakefield, England.

In the Melbourne death, a rottweiler that regularly showed his aggressive nature by violently barking and jumping at the fence as people walked by his master’s house, took the family’s first born from her cot and mauled her to death.

In the Wakefield death, the one year old baby was being held by a seven year old girl when the rottweiler bitch grabbed him from the girl's arms and then mauled him, inflicting terrible injuries. The victim died at the local hospital a short time later. The family owning the dog, reportedly told police she had not previously shown any signs of aggression.

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The privatisation of Melbourne's trains and trams has been an expensive failure. Public subsidies have doubled since privatisation, fares have risen faster than inflation and services have not improved.

A privately run system costs $2.1 billion more in public subsidies than a publicly run system (as reported by the Victorian Auditor-General's Office).

Statistics published by the Department of Infrastructure, Public Transport Division (Track Record) show that in January to March 2007: the percentage of cancelled train service for this time was 2.1%. When the government was running the trains the proportion of late trains was steadily declining and train cancellations ranged from 0.3% to 0.6%. These performance results show that there is a difference of around 360 services cancelled.

We call on the state government not to extend, renew or tender the rail and tram franchises. We call on them instead to seize the opportunity to establish a dynamic, accountable public agency to run Melbourne's public transport.

We are issuing this plea because we believe the community has a right to a say in how its subsidy dollars are spent, and how its public transport should be run.

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FTM is campaigning to have public transport become free. Governments have a duty to provide basic services for their citizens, transport is one of those duties.

Creating Public transport FREE has many benefits:

1. well.. transport is FREE!! saving hundreds of thousands of families and pensioners thousands of dollars a year.

2. Money is saved through no longer being wasted fixing defunct machines and paying for intimidating, rude, bullying 'authorised officers'.

3. Public Transport usage will increase, easing the burden on public roads (which might i add are free to use) and allocating funding to be spent on the public transport system rather than on roads to accommodate dirty polluting cars.

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