Too complicated for the PM
An open to the Prime Minister:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last night I watched allied planes fly in and out of Kabul airport using Flight Radar. Large numbers of US and UK planes with huge capacity flew in and out. France and Italy were in there too. On the ground the US and France enter the city in trucks to bring people to the airport.
So where's Australia? No Aussie planes. No on the ground action. Ineffective Aussie Immigration assistance in Qatar to process the bottle neck of Afghans airlifted by our coalition partners. Australia missing in action.
"It's all very complicated", you say from the podium announcing the arrival of a mere 26 people to Perth.
What is wrong with us? Too risk averse to fly into Afghanistan insults our veterans. Unnecessary red tape causes untold suffering.
Pretending to act, seems to be your signature and demeans our national character. You are right. Real world challenges are too complicated for you and your Government to manage. Time for a change.
Mhairi Fraser, Goulburn
Safety for Afghan refugees now!
Rural Australians for Refugees Southern Highlands call on the Australian Government to take urgent action in response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
We urge the Government to offer a one-off humanitarian intake of the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan.
20,000 places have each been offered by Canada and the UK. We should do the same.
Yet again we see our Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the back of the pack, having announced that he will take 3,000 people which is a shameful bare minimum. This number will barely cover the moral obligation we have to support those who helped the ADF while they were in Afghanistan. The number of 3,000 will be part of the current annual intake of 13,750, which is a decrease from 18,750 in previous years!
ustralian people have compassion and generosity. Now it's time for the Government to show some compassion, substantially increase our Afghan refugee intake, and provide certainty for those already here. The international community needs to step up and protect Afghan people who have worked with Coalition forces and with the Afghan Government to build a more open society there. They will be targeted by the Taliban and we need to act now.
Maree Byrne, Convenor, RAR Southern Highlands
40 million ways to say thank you
I would like to extend my deepest thanks to Coles customers and team members in Goulburn as we acknowledge the most extraordinary fundraising milestone. A massive $40 million has been raised for Redkite by Coles across Australia in the past eight years - funds that go directly to support families facing childhood cancer.
Local customers helped raise almost $7,000 in the last financial year, placing Coles Goulburn as the third highest fundraising store in New South Wales.
Coles' fundraising has enabled 81 per cent more Australian families to have their urgent support needs met during their child's health crisis. Helping thousands of families and children affected by cancer, this has totalled 131,225 hours of counselling in hospital and in the community; 55,570 essential household bills paid; 18,626 hours of music therapy in seven hospitals across five states, and 3,110 scholarships and grants for young cancer patients and survivors.
Coles Group has been a passionate supporter of families affected by childhood cancer since partnering with Redkite in 2013, transforming the way they are cared for throughout their cancer experience.
This includes the launch of a new Redkite children's counselling service to address the short and long-term mental health impacts for diagnosed children and their brothers and sisters.