Blow the Truth

Applications are now open to be part of Victoria’s new Anti-Racism Taskforce, which will play a key role in the development of a new state-wide strategy to prevent and crackdown on race-based discrimination and abuse. Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Gabrielle Williams called on Victorians passionate about a strong, diverse and fair Victoria to apply. The Andrews Labor Government has announced it will develop a new state-wide Anti-Racism Strategy to proactively prevent and address racism in Victoria because racism and discrimination, in any form, has no place in Victoria.  The Strategy will focus on a broad range of elements that underlay and perpetuate racial discrimination like unconscious bias, privilege, and the intersection of race and other forms of discrimination. The new Anti-Racism Taskforce will provide advice and recommendations to the government to ensure the Strategy sets out a clear and targeted road map to re...

  Global Warming or Climate Change Today, Joe Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate he will host on April 22 and 23.  The virtual Leaders Summit will be live streamed for public viewing. President Biden took action his first day in office to return the United States to the Paris Agreement.  Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders summit to galvanize efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis. The Leaders Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action.  It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow. In recent years, scientists have underscored the need to limit planetary warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.  A key goal of both the Leaders Summit and COP26 will be to catalyze efforts that keep that 1.5-deg...

Nominations are now open for the 2021 Victorian Refugee Awards, which recognise the achievements and contributions of Victorians from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.   The annual awards honour people, businesses and organisations who have excelled through study, work, entrepreneurial or volunteer efforts in Victoria. Multiple awards will be presented across four categories – Young Leader, Achievement, Leadership and Business.   The awards will be a key part of Refugee Week, which will run from Sunday 20 June to Saturday 26 June this year. Refugee Week raises awareness about issues affecting refugees and celebrates their contribution to our county and our community. The theme for this year is Unity – The Way Forward, which calls for the spirit of unity as communities recover from the isolation endured in 2020.   In addition to the Awards, the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) is supporting a series of community events over the week to shar...

Annastacia Palaszczuk Photo facebook The Greater Brisbane region has now entered a three-day lockdown and increased restrictions are in place across Queensland as evidence of community transmission of the UK strain of COVID-19 continues to emerge. The Greater Brisbane region includes:  Brisbane City Council;  Logan City Council;  Moreton Bay Regional Council;  Ipswich City Council; and  Redland City Council. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the three-day lockdown would be reviewed on Wednesday and allow Queensland Health to carry out vital contact tracing. “This is the UK strain. It is highly infectious. We need to do this now to avoid a longer lockdown,” the Premier said. “Just like the lockdown in January, this is designed to be a circuit breaker to limit community spread as much as possible.” Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the three day lockdown would limit community spread of COVID-19. “With significant community transmission and m...

Joe Biden THE PRESIDENT: Please, please sit down. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. Before I take questions, I want to make — give you a progress report to the nation on where we stand 65 days into office here on vaccinations and a few other top priorities for the American people. First, on vaccinations: On December 8th, I indicated that I hoped to get 100 million shots in people’s arms in my first 100 days. We met that goal last week by day 58 — 42 days ahead of schedule. Now, today, I’m setting a second goal, and that is: We will, by my 100th day in office, have administered 200 million shots in people’s arms. That’s right: 200 million shots in 100 days. I know it’s ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close — not even close — to what we are doing. And I believe we can do it. And today, we’ve made a historic investment in reaching the hardest-hit and the most vulnerable communities, the highest-risk communities — as a consequence of ...