Author: Wan Kerr

Australia’s largest Mother’s Day event makes a difference for breast cancer.

Mother’s Day Classic is Australia’s largest breast cancer research fundraiser, and organisers are encouraging people to get on board for the Sunday May 11 event in the fight against a disease that impacts one in 8 women.

Registrations are open now, find the event nearest you at www.mothersdayclassic.com.au/events.

This year there will be 97 around Australia – in every capital city as well as regional and rural locations in every state and territory, from Ararat (Vic) to Yamba (NSW), from Karratha (WA) to Weipa (Qld).

In 2013, a record $5 million was raised by 135,000 supporters who took part in the event around Australia.

In 2014 a major milestone will be celebrated – the event, which began in 1998, will pass the $20 million mark in funds it has raised for the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s research program. This research has had a real impact on survival statistics and has also helped answer research questions for a range of other cancers.

Mother’s Day Classic national chair, Louise Davidson, said as well as funding research, taking part in Mother’s Day Classic was also a wonderful way to show support and solidarity to those in the community dealing with breast cancer.

“Participants will tell you there is something special about the atmosphere at the Mother’s Day Classic, whether you attend a huge capital city event or a small community gathering,” Ms Davidson said.

Make Mother’s Day, May 11 2014, memorable – register and fundraise

Mother’s Day Classic is all about raising awareness and honouring those impacted by the disease, as well as funding vital research into treatment, detection and prevention.

“The more funds we raise, the faster a cure can be found. So instead of just registering this year, why not fundraise? Funding research is a great investment in the future,” Ms Davidson said.

Major sponsor ME Bank is offering the ME Bank Inspiration Award to fundraisers. Raise $100 or more through online fundraising and you’ll be invited to take part and you could win $5,000 for a person who inspires you and $500 for yourself, in an ME Bank EveryDay Transaction Account with Pink Debit MasterCard*.

Since the event began in 1998, Mother’s Day Classic has become the largest funder of National Breast Cancer Foundation research.

In that time, 5 year survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer have increased to 89%.

Despite these advances, on average 7 Australian women die each day from breast cancer. With research, more can be done.

“Mother’s Day Classic is a celebration of spirit and hope that together we can contribute to making breast cancer history,” Ms Davidson said.

To register, donate or volunteer go to www.mothersdayclassic.com.au

When the Westender decided to celebrate World Poetry Day at the end of March, our first port of call was the local small business community, to seek sponsorship for the minimal costs involved.

We were overwhelmed by the response, proving that we all appreciate the arts in West End.

Our hearfelt thanks go to: Archives Beer Bistro, Avid Reader, Bent Books, Boundary Hotel, Charlie & Liz’s Fruit, Coffee Club, Terry White West End, The Loft and Westending.

Well done, one and all.

 

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s small business helpline has responded to more than 50,000 calls from small business operators since it was launched in December.

The priority service was created to provide reliable and credible information to the small business sector in recognition that many small business people are time-poor.

“Small business operators engage in a wide variety of tasks every day, and sometimes they need extra assistance with payroll and human resources issues that arise in their workplace,” Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said today.

She said 3000 calls a week was a positive response to the initiative.

Ms James says most of the callers had sought advice on wages, employee leave entitlements and dismissal processes.

“Small businesses often don’t have the benefit of in-house human resources and payroll staff, so we place a high priority on assisting them to get the information and advice they need as easily as possible,” she said.

“I acknowledge small business people are juggling a multitude of tasks – and this helpline allows them to get the information they need in a fast and convenient way.

“This is a priority service that has been designed to help people who want to do the right thing. It is an education and advisory service, not a compliance tool.”

Ms James says her Agency has expanded – and will continue to expand – its suite of free tools and resources to assist businesses ensure they are getting things right.

A guide to hiring new employees has recently been produced to aid small business operators with straight-forward advice about recruiting staff.

It gives plain-English advice about the best way to employ new workers and outlines workplace obligations in simple terms.

“We want to assist small business recruit the right people and grow their business by understanding the process of hiring staff,” Ms James said.

The guide, which has step-by-step processes and best practice recruitment tips, can be downloaded at www.fairwork.gov.au/hiring.

The resource is complemented by a free interactive online learning course employers can use to improve their skills in hiring and inducting new staff.

The course includes an interactive tool to help employers build a profile of the employee they want to hire and a video activity to help them practice their interview skills.

The course is available at the Online Learning Centre on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website at www.fairwork.gov.au/learning.

Feedback was sought from a number of representative bodies and business groups when creating the guide and online learning course.

“We’re serious about getting input from those who are part of the small business community, and tailoring our services to be of genuine help in day-to-day operations, so consultation is a really important part of our work,” Ms James said.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has a particular focus on assisting small businesses to understand and meet their obligations to employees.

In March, the Fair Work Ombudsman met with members of the small business community at a Roundtable in Melbourne to discuss how the Fair Work agencies can better assist small business.

The discussion was co-hosted by the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission General Manager Bernadette O’Neill and Director of Fair Work Building and Construction, Nigel Hadgkiss.

The Commonwealth Small Business Minister, the Hon. Bruce Billson, also attended the forum, spoke to participants and fielded questions.

Ms James says the aim of the Roundtable was to hear first-hand how the small business community could be further supported to make their interactions with workplace laws as straightforward as possible.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has recently established a dedicated Small Business Strategy Team that has been tasked with responding to the needs of small businesses.

A dedicated webpage for small business, including free tools and resources, is available at www.fairwork.gov.au/smallbusiness

Employers and employees seeking further information and advice can visit the website or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. A free interpreter service is also available on 13 14 50.

Four out of 10 immigrants of non-English speaking background arriving between 2000 and 2010 reported relatively high levels of discrimination on the basis of ‘skin colour, ethnic origin or religion’, according to a report from Monash University.

Most Australians support multiculturalism and recent migrants are positive about life here, despite occasional pockets of community dissatisfaction, according to the latest Mapping Social Cohesion Research.

Two new reports – the Recent Arrivals Survey and the Local Area Survey – written by Monash University’s Professor Andrew Markus and produced by the Scanlon Foundation, build on the Foundation’s annual Mapping Social Cohesion Research. It is Australia’s largest study of social cohesion, attitudes to immigration and cultural diversity.

The reports provide the first detailed findings in the last decade on recent immigrant experience of Australia – and the first detailed research into social cohesion in specific local areas outside Sydney and Melbourne.

The Recent Arrivals survey of 2300 respondents focused on skilled and highly educated migrants who arrived between 1990 and 2010, with particular interest in the nature of contact with former home countries, and engagement with Australian society and identity.

Most – 81 per cent – were satisfied with life here. However about four out of 10 immigrants of non-English speaking background arriving between 2000 and 2010 reported relatively high levels of discrimination on the basis of ‘skin colour, ethnic origin or religion’. This is more than double the national average.

Professor Markus said the immigrant experience had been transformed by the communication revolution brought about by low-cost mobile phones and the internet.

“Some seven out of 10 recent migrants are in frequent contact with overseas relatives and friends and close to 45 per cent of migrants from a number of Asian countries visit their former home countries at least once a year,” Professor Markus said.

“However, this does not necessarily result in disengagement from Australian society.”

Like most other Australians, immigrants tend to embrace multiple identities: six out of 10 considered themselves as ‘world citizens’ as well as Australians, and also identified with their country of birth. Those from India or Sri Lanka were most likely to identify as an Australian, and those from New Zealand least likely.

The local surveys were conducted in two urban regions, Logan in Brisbane and Mirrabooka in Perth, and three regional areas ­– Murray Bridge in South Australia, Shepparton in Victoria and the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. All are characterised by relatively high socio-economic disadvantage.

The Atherton Tablelands residents were most positive about life in their neighbourhood, with 75 per cent agreeing multiculturalism had been good for Australia. However, 59 per cent said the current immigration intake was too high.

Findings varied in Logan and Mirrabooka, two areas of immigrant concentration, but safety concerns were prominent in both, with more than 65 per cent – double the national average – saying they felt unsafe on the streets at night.

Professor Markus said that, overall, Australia remained a socially cohesive nation – and the immigration program, which prioritises immigrants with high levels of education and with skills in demand, is a world leader.

The reports can be found at http://monash.edu.au/mapping-population/public-opinion/surveys/scanlon-foundation-surveys/mapping-social-cohesion-national-report-2013.pdf

WILPF Peacewomen Awards recognise women’s dedication to peace.

Four outstanding Queensland women will be publicly recognised for their important work promoting peace, justice and human rights at the WILPF Peacewomen Awards on 2 May at COTAH restaurant / South Brisbane TAFE.

This year’s awardees are UNAA National Vice President Virginia Balmain, refugee rights advocate Frederika Steen, and Gitie House, President of the Toowoomba International Multicultural Society. For the first time ever, WILPF also recognises the work and dedication of a young and emerging peace woman: Claire Maizonnier has just completed a dual degree in peace and conflict analysis and development, and is currently volunteering for Centro de Bartolome de Las Casas  in Peru, an organisation that focuses on the development and inclusion of Andean culture in Peru’s cultural and economic development.

The Peacewomen Awards were established by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) to acknowledge women’s important contributions to a more peaceful society.

“The event has been an outstanding success in the past”, convenor Patricia Dwyer said. “We are looking forward to another inspiring and uplifting awards ceremony in 2014.”

“This year’s chosen theme is Freedom, a concept with many connotations ranging from freedom from war and oppression to freedom of speech, or freedom of expression,” she said.

The Peacewomen Awards were established in the lead up to the centenary of WILPF, an international organisation dedicated to promoting peace and disarmament. Next year, the first national Peacewomen Awards will be held in Canberra to celebrate 100 years of women standing up for peace.

The Peacewomen Awarrds also raise awareness of UN Security Council resolution 1325 that urges to increase the participation of women in peace processes.

The 2014 awards will be celebrated in an early evening cocktail format with a high profile guest speaker and live entertainment by the Brisbane Combined Unions Choir. The cost for the event is $40 or $20 for full time students, which includes wine and fingerfood. Registrations by 22 April are essential, please refer to http://www.wilpf.org.au/qld-peace-women-awards.

For more information on the registrations please contact Norma Forrest on  3207 7929 or  0407 768 873, email: normarod@bigpond.com

The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs recently returned from Christmas Island as part of her National Inquiry into the impact of immigration detention on children. Of the 315 children in detention on the island at the time of her visit, most had been there for six to eight months.

The inquiry team included a paediatrician, Dr Karen Zwi and Dr Sarah Mares, a child psychiatrist.

Most of the children were visibly distressed. They told the team “this place is hell”, “help me get out of here” and “there’s no school, nowhere to play and nothing to do.” The children also spoke about their distress at living in closed environment with adults who were sad, angry and self-harming.

Dr Zwi and Dr Mares noted that the conditions of detention are taking their toll on the development of children. They recorded instances of children biting themselves, and others, and banging their heads.

Dr Zwi reported: “If a parent is depressed, anxious, has any health condition that impacts on their capacity to care for their child, or the environment is frightening (as would be the case when witnessing self-harm), then that child’s development is often impacted. This was evident in several of the children we saw, with developmental delay (usually delayed speaking), and regression such as bedwetting.”

Australia has obligations under international human rights law to detain children only as a measure of last resort and to ensure children are protected from harm.

“These asylum seekers are in limbo and many are feeling the stress of uncertainty. They have been detained for long periods by anyone’s measure and they don’t know when they will go to Nauru or PNG for assessment of their refugee status and potential resettlement there,” said Professor Triggs.

It is understood the families and children detained on Christmas Island will eventually be transferred to a third country for processing and resettlement. One teenager told the inquiry team: “Manus Island is now a very dangerous place. Will I will be safe there?”

The visit to Christmas Island was the first undertaken by the Commission in its National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention which is calling for submissions. More information can be found here – http://www.humanrights.gov.au/children-immigration-detention