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Million Mothers March begins with one step...and one mum!
I would like to join Pat and Don Brown in trying to achieve some alternatives (A plea for hope from humanity’s
humble ranks 22/03/06).
Do we need to wait for leaders? Haven’t they got us into this mess? Why can’t we, as people, move along
together in the direction we want to go? Some of have started in a very small way - with very big ideals.
Million Mothers March started on Friday 2 December 2005 – the day Parliament passed the disgraceful
Workplace relations Bill. We will keep going until we can see a future where fairness, freedom and "for all
Australians" means caring and compassion for each other, in or out of work.
It’s time for all of us who don’t accept the unmandated government push to dehumanise our society to get up
and get out and show ourselves. We can do this by writing to papers, phoning up radio programs, calling and
writing to our ‘representatives’. We can keep in touch with each other – for instance, online via www.
millionmothersmarch.org. One day we might even march!
Why Mothers? Many of us are mothers. Most of us had mothers. Mothers will be disproportionately damaged
by the Welfare and Workplace changes. But not only mothers. Millions of people in Australia will be adversely
affected by these inhumane laws.
Mothers, fathers, kids, anyone will have to work in even more substandard conditions and for even less
money. Individual workers will lose their rights to get together and act for each other. And with the Terrorism
sedition provisions you will lose the right to even read about it! And will you hear about it? With the ABC
Board being irrevocably stacked, our public broadcaster will soon lose the last remnants of what I call
independence and what government gurus call ‘left wing bias’.
The Government pushed all of these changes through before Christmas 2005. What a wonderful selection of
presents for mothers, children, and people who are disabled, pensioners, workers, or unemployed!
Unwrap the packaging and what do you get? All this legislation has horrible consequences – not unforeseen
either. Anyone can see the disadvantages sole parents and their children will suffer under the wicked Welfare
to Woe package. It won't just mean losing out on payments. People will lose current benefits such as health
care cards, transport concessions, and access to public housing. Parents in particular -will end up being
minus almost everything except the kids they are trying to look after!
If you don’t believe that many single mothers already have a pretty hard time, read the SMH article 20/03/06
Black dog bites single mothers hardest.
Anyone who has a heart – anyone who had a mother or has been a child – anyone who is half way human –
let’s get together and march towards a better future for all Australians. Really!