The Advocate: November-December 2021 Edition

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ENVIRONMENT

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NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA’S NOT-FOR-PROFITS & CHARITIES

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2021

Wallara and people living with a disability urges government to find work:

HELP US OUT

CHARLIE GOLDBERG Wallara

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HE sun beats down hot on the rolling hills and open lake of the farm.

Ponies graze in a nearby field, native birds call overhead and bees buzz around colourful flower gardens.

In the middle of this scene sits a long table laid with plates full of freshly baked bread, honey-roasted carrots and, dainty flower-garnished tarts.

At the hands of the 60 young people with disabilities that run the farm and their mentors, this lunch, from the olive oil to the honey, has been sourced from and produced on the immediate farmland of Sages Cottage Farm.

Wallara, the disability support organisation, that owns and maintains the farm worries that without some government support this haven may not be allowed to reach its full potential.

Wallara is a non-for-profit working to fight stigma and raise awareness of disability.

The organisation works mostly with people with intellectual disabilities, and focuses on fighting stigma by

Image Above: Riley Gomm, Sullivan Wragngles and Jorgan Warran have been working with Sages Farm. Credit: Charlie Goldberg.

getting them involved in work.

Sages Cottage Farms is one of Wallara’s biggest projects: a 40-acre plot of land in Baxter, Victoria, run by the organization’s disabled clients with help and support from their coaches.

Clients may partake in any number of programs while running the farm, from beekeeping to agriculture to construction.

“They learn about everything on the farm,” Wallara’s CEO, Phil Hayes-Brown, said.

“Tending to the animals, growing produce, cooking food in the cafe, looking after the lake: they get to run a social enterprise.”

All of these various programs, as well as making a lovely lunch, allow many of organisation’s clients something they may not otherwise have had, for reasons often related to accessibility and stigma: work experience and a job.

“We want people with disability to have that chance to experience work,” Mr Hayes-Brown said.

“We all know how important a job is and it’s no different for our clients and their families.”

For many, the work offered on Sages Cottage Farm can be incredibly empowering.

Sevda Özlem Kiranci, a client who has been working on the farm for a number of years now, says that the program has changed her life.

Over the years she has been able to develop skills from across the program, including coffee making and selling fresh produce, which she will be doing at the farm’s new market store beginning this month.

Developing these skills have allowed her a new appreciation for her own ability.

“I can do anything I want.

I’m confident,” Sevda said.

For those clients who want to take these skills and confidence even further, the Sages Farm program also provides support and opportunities to pursue work off the farm.

In the last year, the Sages Farm program has transitioned eight clients into paid work, and next year they are looking to up that number to 10.

As part of this transitional program, Wallara recently won a contract, cleaning up local playgrounds, for their

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clients to complete work off the farm.

Jordan Warren, Sullivan Wrangles and Riley Gomm are three of the clients working on this contract and attended lunch as a brief stop between playgrounds. Both Jordan and Sullivan expressed frustration at how long it had taken them to find employment and how glad they were now they had found it through Wallara and Sages.

For Jordan, the ability to work gives him a sense of purpose and an outlet.

“Have a job is a good thing because of the money but, also I just want to be outside, getting my hands dirty and stuff like that,” he said.

Wallara currently hires Jordan, Sullivan and Riley themselves and pay for their labour, but they hope soon local businesses and corporate supporters of Sages Farms will add some of its clients to their payrolls.

“We can create jobs ourselves, but now we’re calling on the businesses around the farm who’ve been supportive and helped us get somewhere, Mr Hayes-Brown said.

“The next step is for them to hire people.”

Many of these supportive companies and local business sit around the lunch table on the sunny afternoon, including representatives from the Saint Kilda Football Club and the Frankston RSL. There there are hopes that clients could put to work their café and cooking skills in these venues. By proving that their clients are, and in fact can be workplace ready, Wallara is working to dispel prejudice and stigma around disability.

To this end, the farm is planning to reopen to visits from members of the general public on January 4, 2022.

And by 2023, they plan to be open to visitors seven days a week, rather than just two or three, hosting services including over-night stays, tours and produce stores.

“A lot of time when people think about people with disabilities, in general, they don’t see what the person is capable of,” Mr Hayes-Brown said.

“A lot of assumptions are made. We want to change that around and show people what this community can do. It’s great to have a place where the public can come walk around, see them running a 40-acre farm, and maybe change the minds of people and how people think about this.”

These plans though, hinge on Wallara’s ability to secure funding, particularly from the state and local government.

(Continued page 2.)

2 | THE ADVOCATE

HELP US OUT

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Copyright © The Advocate 2021 Published by Helping Hands Media Published monthly. Edition 4.

Melbourne, Australia. October 2021

CHARLIE GOLDBERG Wallara

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s it stands, Sages Farm continues to be a program funded entirely by Wallara and its supporters, who have together raised over $2 million.

But the farm still lacks many facilities necessary for hosting more clients and public visits, including much indoor space and even multiple bathroom facilities.

For these facilities, Wallara is looking to raise another $3 million.

At lunch, held as part of the celebrations for the upcoming Disability Awareness Day, Wallara called on the government to do more for the Sages Cottage Farm project.

“It’s disappointing to hear the government talk about wanting to get more people with disability to work, something we are doing and are successful at, and still not getting a cent,” said Mr. Hayes-Brown.

“We are after the government to support us with a better workspace so we can host more groups and have more of the community come here and offer more places to meet.”

“They should be [helping] us to do more.”

Wallara has been calling on the government for this support for many years now, with no success.

With an election year fast approaching they remain hopeful their efforts will pay off soon.

The farm’s clients too, remain hopeful this program that has given them so much will receive the support it needs.

When asked what he, if anything, would say to the government regarding funding, Sullivan put forward a simple plea: “I’m just a guy that has a disability trying to find an actual job,” he said.

“All I am going to say is just help us out.”

Journalists urged to improve reporting on disability TIA HARALABAKOS Media Diversity Australia

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NEW digital resource entered the media sphere in November 2021, putting an onus on journalists to up the standard of disability reporting.

The Disability Reporting Handbook is a digital resource designed to change the narrative of disability in the media launched by Media Diversity Australia (MDA) in partnership with disability organisation Hireup, Griffith University and, Getty images.

Director of communications and content at Hireup, Mr Andrew Thomas suspects misrepresentation “starts in the media.”

“For all the influence and impacts, media in the traditional sense still matters;” he said.

“If you think of society as a funnel, media still has an out of size voice within that funnel.”

Supporting this opinion is senior journalist and handbook curator at Media Diversity Australia, Ms Briana Blackett, who intentionally shaped the resource for journalists.

“The media reflects and represents the world we live in,” she said.

“Changing the narrative means working with people who write and produce that narrative.”

Dominant disability stories in the media are offensive and unconsciously dehumanising.

Pity pieces that teeter on inspiration porn are long standing narratives in Australian media.

In June 2014, journalist and comedian Stella Young presented the formidable I am not your inspiration thank you very much, a TED talk concerning society’s habit of addressing the disabled community as charity cases.

As a successful journalist, Ms Blackett knows the ins and outs of the scene, yet admits to only becoming aware of this narrative, after raising children who have disabilities.

“I did not have an awareness of it myself until my children came into the world,” she said.

“I became quite disappointed and sometimes disturbed by the way people with disability were being presented.

“I wanted to change that for the good of my kids and everyone else in the community.”

Change means normalising the presence of disability in a news story rather than accentuating it.

“People with disabilities want to be appreciated for their achievements, but not because they have overcome something to get there,” Mr Thomas said.

“The narrative needs to be reframed, where disabled people are using their talents rather than overcoming disability.”

By reforming the fourth estate’s representations of the disabled community, its curators hope adjustments will have a ripple down effect on the rest of society.

“If they are getting it right, the rest of society, from social media to face to face communication, will follow,” Mr Thomas said. “…but crucially, if they get it wrong by using the wrong language, they set the tone for the rest of society.

“If you start with the media, to some extent the rest of society will follow.”

THE ADVOCATE | 3

TOP READS

NEW THREADS FOR NEW BEGINNINGS CAROL SAFFER Thread Together

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NTHONY Chesler, CEO at Thread Together, said the charity exists to solve two problems with one solution.

First is saving landfill and second giving clothing to people.

Australian fashion retailers donate excess or end of season new clothing to Thread Together for distribution via charity partners to people in need.

“We think people at their darkest times are deserving of the best, which is why we only work with new and not second-hand clothing,” Mr Chesler said.

“It is one thing to give them new items that make them feel good about themselves; the other is choice that is empowering.

“Clothing is personal; we don’t want to dress someone in clothing just because it’s new; it has to be items they choose.

“Everything we do is around giving people a choice but doing it in a dignified manner.”

They provide for the homeless, youth at risk, Indigenous communities, survivors of domestic violence, refugees or long term unemployed.

Founder Andie Halas said their model is straightforward.

“We collect end-of-line brand new stock from clothing providers,” she said “With the support of volunteers, the clothes are sorted and then redistributed to people in need through charities across Australia.

“I think of it as redistributive justice.

Mr Chesler described the three distribution trails.

“Firstly, at our online orders centre, orders from agencies are picked and packed by volunteers then sent to the agency or direct to the client.”

Their fleet of Mobile Wardrobes, refurbished vans with a walk-in customfitted wardrobe and change room, are used almost every day as a second way of providing a unique shopping experience.

The organisation’s industry partners invite the vans to a community location where individual clients come to try on and choose the clothing they want.

Clothing Hubs that look like a typical fashion retailer is the last option where shopping is by appointment “They don’t look like an op-shop; that is a key distinction,” Mr Chesler said.

Fashion partner Boody, suppliers of basics across underwear, sleepwear, loungewear and activewear, put sustainable thinking at the centre of everything they do.

CEO Shaun Greenblo said Boody partnered with Thread Together because we love what they are doing.

“We were looking at the end of life and circularity solutions for our product because we put so much effort into the manufacturing process to make sure that our garments are as sustainable as possible,” Mr Greenblo said.

“Because we are a basics brand, we don’t have end of season garments as all our clothing is based on nonseasonal items that last year in year out.

“We don’t give [Thread Together] clothing we can’t sell; we just give them current stock.”

Mr Greenblo said that it is unlikely that anyone would donate used undies and bras, so Boody got involved to fill the gap.

Thread Together’s clients come from such difficult circumstances where they haven’t had the dignity or the opportunity to choose their clothing.

“For us to be able to offer different cuts and styles of underwear and different shapes of bras that fit their cup size is a beautiful opportunity,” he said.

Carol Kingshott, an organiser at charity partner Hobart City Church of

Kangaroo culling changes the species gene pool

PATRICIA JENKINS Redbox Wildlife Shelter

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ROM the original 60 plus species of kangaroos in Australia, 29 are now threatened and 11 species are extinct.

“You take one animal out of the ecosystem and you are altering that system, and we continue to do this,” said biologist Dr Nadine Richings.

“Kangaroos exist only in Australia; they will not exist anywhere if we continue to kill, vilify and exploit them.”

Western grey and eastern grey kangaroos are shot in Victoria under an authority to control wildlife issued by the Victorian Government

Kangaroo Harvest Program (KHP).

The KHP allows authorised harvesters to shoot them, in what the government terms, a “sustainable manner”.

Alpha male kangaroos are the main target for shooters.

Kangaroos, or macropods, are a highly social species who live in large groups known as mobs.

The elimination of the alpha male leaves the mob vulnerable, without leadership and threatens the existence of the species.

“We are changing the gene pool of kangaroos because all the larger males are shot and it leaves the smaller males as the only one’s breeding,” said Dr Richings.

At Red Box Wildlife Shelter in central Victoria, owner and wildlife carer, Nikki Medwell, doesn’t see many alpha male kangaroos pass through their property from the forest.

Of the occasional alpha males sighted, Ms Medwell said they are disoriented by everything.

“They don’t have their own mobs because they have been slaughtered, and [yet] they have made it to freedom somehow,” she said.

At the sanctuary, Ms Medwell introduces orphaned joeys to nature and readies them to join one of the mobs who frequent her property.

The one thing she is unable to

teach them, is to be an alpha male.

Mr Boo, the first orphaned joey in Ms Medwell’s care was found standing next to his dead mother’s body.

Weighing less than 2 kilograms, if left he would have died from the elements or killed by a predator.

Now a young buck (male) and the face of Red Box Wildlife Shelters Mr Boo Roo Ranger program, he leads a small mob of hand raised ‘roos in the forest attached to the sanctuary.

But he is not an alpha male.

“The shooters take out all these beautiful big boys,” Ms Medwell said.

“Alpha males are born, they don’t get created, they don’t get pushed up through the ranks, they are born as alpha males and they get taken out, “Ms Medwell said. “[Mr Boo] is a magnificent boy, but he is not a big, muscular alpha male.

“He wasn’t born one, he has been thrust into a role that he was not genetically designed for.”

Without an alpha male Ms Medwell said the genetically weaker juvenile males run rampant on young juvenile females. As head of the mob, an alpha kangaroo leads and protects the females, and maintains the genetic line.

Ms Medwell has witnessed the incredibly strong bond in the mobs.

Christ, said “the wastage of clothing going into landfill is immoral.”

“This is a unique service providing clothing with dignity to help people.”

One of Ms Kingshott’s recent clients was a woman who hadn’t been able to wear boots and jeans for a very long time due to a domestic violence situation.

“I’m pretty lucky I get lots of hugs…I feel really privileged to be involved in this because it is pretty much the ideal feelgood job,” Ms Kingshot said.

“After thunderstorms we see these big males rounding up half a dozen tiny tots and keeping them all in one spot waiting for the mums to find them,” she said.

A year after the 2019-20 bushfires that impacted kangaroo populations, the Victorian Government has increased the quota for kangaroos killed for commercial purposes under the Kangaroo Harvesting Program by 65 per cent, from 37,780 to 95,680.

Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said this was due to an almost 40 per cent increase in the estimated number of kangaroos across the state compared to 2018.

Cull quotas are based on an aerial count of kangaroos combined with environment and behavioural data.

Dr Richings said, “kangaroos are counted in Victoria and NSW,” “The mathematical modelling is sound, but it is whether the people who are counting are doing it appropriately,” she said.

In NSW there is currently a parliamentary inquiry on the health and wellbeing of kangaroos and other macropods, because commercial shooting of kangaroos has decimated the species.

Fossil records show the current form of the kangaroo has been identified back to 3 million years ago.

4 | THE ADVOCATE

HEALTH

‘Shadow pandemic’ coined by UN report

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RYAN FRITZ Leavers4LifeBlood

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TIA HARALABAKOS Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

IXTEEN days from November 25 to December 10, are marked for activism against genderbased violence by UN Women as findings from a new report reveal violence against women exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measuring the Shadow Pandemic: violence against women during COVID-19 confirms the deadly outbreak has given rise to a shadow pandemic of gender-based struggle.

UN Women’s executive director Sima Bahou, who coined the term ‘shadow pandemic,’ said the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated isolation and social distancing, enabling a second, shadow pandemic of violence against women and girls. “…Our new data underlines the urgency of concentrated efforts to end this.”

Ms Bahous said violence against women is a global crisis that thrives on other crises.

Whilst lockdowns stop the spread of COVID-19, victimised women become encaged with their domestic abusers.

The UN report identified this threat in a collection of survey data from 12 countries across all regions.

One in two women said they or a woman they know, experienced violence since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the highest proportion of victims were aged 18 to 49 years.

One in four women perceive the home as a place of danger and 56 per cent feel unsafe in their place of residence since COVID-19.

Whilst vaccines will not resolve the shadow-pandemic, long-term strategies to support women and their safety is a promising first step according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“Violence against women is not inevitable,” he said.

“The right policies and programmes bring results…

“That means comprehensive, longterm strategies that tackle the root cause of violence, protect the rights of girls, and promote strong and autonomous women’s rights movements.”

Tackling gender-based violence can be difficult when victims are unlikely to report their circumstances to the police.

The UN report found only one in ten women survivors seek help from police globally.

Leavers4LifeBlood urge school leavers to donate and save lives

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released a snapshot of family, domestic and sexual violence on September 16, 2021, indicating similar findings to UN Women’s report.

The snapshot revealed over one in three women who experienced violence or coercive control did not seek help, while three in five women who experienced both from a current partner also did not seek aid from external resources.

In response to these damning statistics, UN Women has adopted an editorial series Believe survivors. Act now on their website to encourage women to seek legitimate justice pathways.

Survivors of domestic violence share their positive experiences with law enforcement agencies as part of the 16day campaign against gender brutality.

Layla Bennani* a Moroccan survivor of domestic violence shares her story in the feature concatenation.

She was initially sceptical of trusting the police with her domestic abuse story, fearing she would be considered a liar.

However, the receptiveness and forwardness of the policewoman on her case allayed her fear.

“The first thing she told me was there is no solution to everything,” Ms Bennani said.

“Her words encouraged me to tell my whole story.

“Meeting her made me feel like I could get my life back.”

Ms Bennani’s experience with the police transformed her outlook on life and facilitated her recovery from a traumatic past.

This outcome is one that UN Women hope more victims of domestic violence can achieve.

UN Women have listed a set of five recommendations which include placing women at the forefront of policy change, solutions, and recovery.

Whilst no official policy changes have been made, the organisation has incited a call to action in the hope that policymakers, service providers and advocates can put its report findings to good use and put an end to violence against women. *Name changed to protect the identity

N a world without leukaemia, 18-yearold Blake Wilson from Dunsborough, Western Australia would have graduated from St Mary Mackillop Catholic College in November 2020.

Instead, Blake’s family watched thousands of school graduates descend on the town during Leavers Week last year as they mourned the loss of their beloved Blake to acute myeloid leukaemia.

“It was a heartbreaking time as Blake’s fight with leukaemia was never supposed to end that way,” Blake’s mother Kristin said.

This year, in honour of Blake, the family created Leavers4Lifeblood, an awareness campaign asking Leavers in Western Australia, and Schoolies across the rest of the country, to sign up to donate blood and join the Australian Bone Marrow Registry.

“Blood donations and two bone marrow transplants from unrelated donors helped Blake during his cancer treatment,” Mrs Wilson said.

“Without them, he wouldn’t have survived more than a few months after his diagnosis in 2019.

“He got to spend 18 more months fighting Leukaemia, time his family will be forever grateful for.” Mrs Wilson said Leavers4Lifeblood was Blake’s idea.

“He wanted to give back and say thank you to the generous community member who donated well-over 200 units of blood, platelets and plasma during his treatment,” Mrs Wilson said.

In conjunction with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and qualified professionals from Lifeblood, Blake’s family, friends and this years’ school leavers will be at the Dunsborough Foreshore on Sunday, November 21 and Monday, November 22, to raise awareness and inspire Blake’s peers to sign-up and join the Lifeblood team.

Lifeblood Group account manager Gina Tracey congratulated Blake’s family for starting the Leavers4Lifeblood team and said the organisation was looking forward to one of the biggest

ever outdoor blood drives in WA. “One in three Australians will need blood or blood products at some point in their life, and with demand at its highest in nearly a decade, now is the perfect time for a new generation of blood donors to sign up and start a life-saving habit,” Ms Tracey said.

“We’re really looking forward to meeting lots of leavers, answering their questions about blood donation, and signing them up to the wonderful Leavers4Lifeblood Team.”

Mrs Wilson wants to use the foreshore event to remind not just school leavers, but anyone who has thought about donating blood or bone marrow, how easy it is to join up and save a life.

“Having just gone through their year 12 exams during a pandemic, we think this year’s Leavers are a similar group of young people who, like Blake, have faced many challenges in the last 18 months,” she said “We want Leavers, and Australians, to recognise the importance of becoming a blood donor and bone marrow donor.

“Twelve months ago, Blake should have been at Leavers celebrating, but, unfortunately, we don’t live in a world without leukaemia.”

To book a blood donation visit www. lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95.

Download the free Lifeblood Donate Blood App and join the Leavers4Lifeblood team.

To join the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry visit www.abmdr. org.au/donors or call 02 9052 3333.

Below Image: The Wilson family: father Trent, Blake, mother Kristin, and sister Delaney.

THE ADVOCATE | 5

22q: One of Australia’s most undiagnosed syndromes RYAN FRITZ 22q Foundation Australia & New Zealand

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HEN Michelle’s twin daughters, Ruby and Emily, were born she had never heard of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

The syndrome, which affects 1 in 1000 births, is one of the world’s most undiagnosed syndromes because it has so many symptoms.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome, which is also called DiGeorge syndrome, Velocardiofacial (VCFS) syndrome, and Shprintzen syndrome, is one of the most prevalent genetic syndromes in Australia, second only to Down syndrome.

The condition, abbreviated to 22q, occurs where a piece of DNA on the 22nd chromosome is missing.

Many who have the condition are diagnosed as young children, however, some are not diagnosed until they reach their late teens or adulthood.

There are many indicators of 22q; some include heart defects, poor immune function, a cleft palate, speaking and feeding difficulties, low levels of calcium in the blood, and delayed development issues, such as behavioural and emotional problems, including anxiety.

For Michelle, it all started when the doctors noticed facial asymmetry issues with Ruby and Emily including problems with their heart so they ordered a FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridisation) test.

“Six weeks later we got the diagnosis of Velocardiofacial syndrome,” Michelle said.

In that time, Ruby’s health deteriorated.

“She ended up being in the hospital for five months before she came home,” she said.

“She had three holes in her heart..

She had difficulties feeding.

“She had a feeding tube inserted and had an operation where they wrapped her stomach around her oesophagus to stop her from vomiting.”

When Ruby came home, Emily’s health started to deteriorate.

“During that time, we started the screening process that comes with Velocardiofacial syndrome diagnosis, and we noticed that there was another hole in Emily’s heart,” Michelle said.

“She ended up having really bad problems with her airway as they hadn’t formed properly.

“That was causing issues with her breathing and feeding so they fixed that.

“That all happened within the first year.”

Both girls underwent heart surgery.

“That’s what is really interesting about 22q,” Michelle continued.

“Ruby and Emily are genetically the same but it has presented itself differently in both of them so it just shows how different the symptoms, and the severity of the symptoms, can be with 22q.

“Ruby had three holes in her heart, and Emily had one, but you think they should be the same because they are genetically the same.

“I had no idea what VCFS was, and there wasn’t that much information out there.

“It was hard to find the right information that you could trust so that’s how we found the 22q Foundation.

“They’ve been our saving grace because they were able to give us the right information, advice, and support,” Michelle said.

November 22 is Australia’s very first 22q national fundraising and awareness day; titled Pink and Blue for 22q.

The day is being organised by the 22q Foundation Australia & New Zealand to highlight the little-known genetic condition.

To support the cause, those taking part are being encouraged to show off pink and blue colours in any way they would like.

Maria Kamper, president of the 22q Foundation, said this education and fundraising effort will give people the chance to learn more about the syndrome and how they can help.

“While not many know what 22q is, we hope that by holding a day that people can be a part of, we will reach more ears and give

those with 22q a voice,” Ms Kamper said.

“Education is key.”

Seventeen-year-old Georgia was diagnosed with 22q when she was four-years-old.

Georgia says one of the hardest things for her is meeting new people.

“I always get nervous meeting new people as my speech is sometimes hard for others to understand, and I feel like they’re going to make fun of me,” Georgia said.

Georgia says she is receiving great support from a childcare worker whilst she is training to become one herself.

“With her support, she is helping me gain confidence.”

She hopes that one day people will know more about the syndrome and will give people living with 22q the support they need.

“I would like people to treat me like normal, and also know that I do struggle with things others find easy,” she said.

For Michelle, she believes the syndrome

is just not recognised enough for the 22q Foundation to be able to provide more than what they’re doing at the moment.

“They need the funding and the resources, and the government should be doing more to support this wonderful organisation,” she said.

Michelle said her daughters, whilst still experiencing severe developmental delays, says they are the happiest children ever.

“They’re funny! They have a great sense of humour,” Michelle said.

“They just love life.”

Money raised for the foundation will go toward supporting people living with 22q.

For more information about 22q, the foundation and November 22, visit 22q.org.au.

Above Image: From left to right: Michelle, Ruby and Emily.

Kids with alopecia gain strength during awareness week CHARLIE GOLDBERG Alopecia Awareness Week (13-21 Nov.)

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ROUPS of Australian children, aged 6 to 18, recently attended camps around the country where they did many things for the very first time.

Things including uncovering their heads in public, seeing themselves represented, speaking about their bodies and interacting with people like them.

Activities many might take for granted, but for the kids at camp, all of whom suffer hair loss due to alopecia, these experiences and the awareness they help spread afterwards can be life changing.

Run by the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation (AAAF), these away from home events for kids with alopecia, are just one of the many activities taking place every year for Alopecia Awareness Week.

For the uninitiated, alopecia is an

autoimmune disease that affects hair growth across the entire body, resulting in chronic hair loss and baldness.

Although it may present at any point in a person’s life, alopecia often first occurs during early childhood.

As it stands, there is currently no effective treatment or cure for the disease.

Despite effecting 2 per cent of the population, over 600,000 people in Australia, Chel Campbell, president and treasurer of the AAAF, describes alopecia as a “forgotten disease”.

People with alopecia for example are often mistaken as having cancer.

“For those who have little children with alopecia especially it’s amazing how many times you get pulled up by someone who says: ‘I’m really sorry your child has leukaemia’,” Ms Campbell said.

Incidents like these represent part of the societal stigma experienced by many with the condition.

Such stigma may then lead to a lack of confidence, feelings of isolation and difference, and anxiety in both adults and children who have alopecia.

This is despite the fact that apart from increased susceptibility to conditions like conjunctivitis and dermatitis, people living with alopecia are, in fact, rather normal and just as healthy as the next person.

During Alopecia Awareness Week programs run by AAAF like Boldest Bald Brunch, Crazy Hair Day, and the Variety Alopecia Areata Adventure Camp work to counter stigma and lack of information.

Jessica Farley, AAAF’s Tasmanian branch manager and Adventure Camp organiser said there is often very little community awareness about the disease.

“I think every opportunity that we take through the AAAF is an opportunity to educate someone that didn’t know what alopecia was prior,” Ms Farley said.

For many children at camp it

will be the first time they have met someone else with the disease.

This allows them a unique space to learn about themselves; to connect, to be open and to build confidence.

“The conversations that take place at camp are conversations that kids may not necessarily feel otherwise comfortable having,” Ms Farley said.

“I think that they can help to build soe resilience, but also helps to build confidence and to let these children know that they’re not alone.”

With this newfound confidence, many of the kids feel empowered to step outside their comfort zone in their everyday lives and begin spreading awareness and information beyond Awareness Week.

“Once they’ve gone back into their community, kids feel empowered that they can tell their friends, their family, their teachers, about their condition,” Ms Campbell said.

6 | THE ADVOCATE

COMMUNITY

Fruit2Work: Creating a new life sentence CHRISTIE WELSH Fruit2Work

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TIGMA is one of the first and biggest challenges when anyone impacted by the justice system returns to the community.

This often leads to social isolation, poverty, and reoffending; perpetuating a harmful cycle that continues to impact individuals, families and future generations.

Fruit2Work, a social enterprise delivery service of fresh fruit and milk to workplaces and businesses throughout Melbourne and Geelong, has been actively disrupting this cycle for the last five years.

CEO Rob Brown recognises employment is one of the first steps to improving the lives of returning citizens and their families.

“Far too often we see people getting caught up in a never-ending loop, because society is determined to marginalise anyone who has been through the justice system,” Mr Brown said.

Since its inception, it has supported 62 people returning to the community, and has a zero rate of recidivism amongst employees.

While this is an impressive achievement, Fruit2Work’s dream is to create even more opportunities.

As their orders increase, so too does their ability to employ more people, meaning even more lives are changed.

After incarceration Simon Fenech experienced firsthand the challenges of returning to the community.

His journey to rebuilding his life began with the Fruit2Work program.

He recalls how important it was to feel accepted, supported and selfdetermined; already having the innate strengths and skills to turn his life around.

Mr Fenech, who acts as a peer mentor in the program, and is now general

manager of Fruit2Work explains, “We just help employees see those strengths for themselves, which in turn, helps them to be seen by others”.

By supporting people Fruit2Work also provide a crucial form of early intervention for future generations.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics show over 5000 young people – aged 10 and over – are under youth justice supervision each day.

Mr Fenech said that young offenders need mentors with life experience.

For this reason. Fruit2Work use a natural mentoring system by matching younger employees with older ones who have been through the justice system.

“If they have someone to teach them, and open their eyes to the world, it makes a big difference,” Mr Fenech said.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies shows a significant number of young people in the justice system are also child protection clients.

This means these vulnerable children are 12 times more likely to engage in criminal activity.

Mr Fenech explains how helping their employees uncover their strengths impacts positively on young people.

“We make dads better dads; we make mums better mums; we reunite parents with their children… kids who have given up hope on their parents and vice versa,” he says.

He explains that when young people see their mum or dad turn their life around in such a big way, they know they can too.

Fruit2Work hope to prevent these children from getting caught up in the justice system.

“The ripple effect through families is huge, and we see it every day,” Mr Fenech says.

While Fruit2Work provide the opportunity, it is the individual who does the hard work to shun the label society gives them.

“We help them to build themselves up, and then we let them fly,” Mr Fenech explains.

He adds that sadly, many are seen by employers as being in the ‘too hard basket’ so often they aren’t given a chance.

“In reality, they’re just humans like us, who’ve made some bad decisions… it doesn’t mean they need to be written off for life.

“We can’t change the world, but we can change the world for one person” Mr Brown explains many of their employees have never had a job before, and sometimes, neither have their parents.

Often their behaviour is intergenerational and their mindset more difficult to shake.

“We’re effectively mentoring and training them from scratch, and that takes patience,” Mr Brown said.

When asked what aspirations there are for the future of Fruit2Work, the answer was quite simple.

“We want this positive ripple effect to continue, but for this to happen, we need more workplaces ordering our products,” Mr Fenech explains.

“Only then, can we create more chances for people to turn their lives around.”

Women in agriculture share their stories JESSICA ROBERTS National AG Day

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HIS year National AG Day is celebrating the vital work performed by the agricultural industry, with a call for all Australians to explore career opportunities in the sector.

Australian women face challenges pursuing a career in this male-dominated field.

Until 1994, Australian women were not legally recognised as farmers, the law defined their occupation as either domestics, helpmates or farmers’ wives.

2016 census data showed while 55 per cent of university students studying agricultural sciences are women, they comprise one third of the agricultural workforce.

“Women in agriculture are not celebrated” Julie Mayne has worked in the rural industry for about 30 years in a variety of roles, from a horse trainer, dozer operator

and station manager to beef marketing and business management.

Ms Mayne now owns and operates her own enterprise, Mayne Pastoral, a beef grazing property in central Western Queensland.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, it’s like you become a part of the land, like you’re getting drawn into the rhythm of the land and its seasons and the animals,” said Ms Mayne.

As the President of the Queensland Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network, Ms Mayne is particularly passionate about advocating for the wellbeing and recognition of rural women.

“Women are not celebrated or championed for the contribution that they make,” she said.

“Women have been a vital part of agriculture for the last 200 years in Australia, and they just haven’t been included in the narrative.

“I want to champion what they do and who they are, and the remarkable skill sets they have in getting things done.”

Ms Mayne encourages others to connect with regional communities to explore what it’s like working on a farm.

“Try and get some work experience and you’ll understand the passion that rural people have for their soil, for their pastures, for their crops, for their communities, it’s just amazing,” she said.

“Helping the AG sector become more sustainable is really important” Karin Stark is a passionate advocate for renewable energy in farming having worked for about 20 years on sustainability and environmental issues in Western Australia and the UK. “I studied environmental science and sustainable development, so I’ve always had a keen interest in conservation of our natural world and particularly renewable energy,” said Ms Stark.

She lives on her partner’s family cotton

and wheat farm in New South Wales, gaining first-hand experience of energy challenges for farmers.

“We were spending about $300,000 on diesel every year for pumping groundwater, because we’re drawing from about 80 metres deep,” she said.

They found an innovative solution replacing diesel with solar through Australian company ReAqua, and in 2018 installed Australia’s largest solar diesel hybrid irrigation pump.

“That means it’s solar during the day and diesel overnight when we need it,” she said.

The pump reduced carbon emissions by 500 tonnes a year and saved about $170,000 in energy costs per year.

Ms Stark founded the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference and Expo to share the benefits of renewables.

“We’re very motivated to share what we’re doing so other farmers can adopt the renewables and also learn from our experience.”

THE ADVOCATE | 7

Australian fashion label supports Afghan women JESSICA ROBERTS Ghan Fashion

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HROUGH her clothing brand Ghan Fashion, Sydney-based designer Lida Mangal is helping Afghan women maintain financial stability as poverty and uncertainty increases under Taliban control.

Ms Mangal creates both vintage and contemporary Afghan clothing and the designs are manufactured in a factory in her home country of Afghanistan employing only women.

“I have 10 employees back in Afghanistan, they are mostly single mothers, and they are the ones who are behind my designs,” she said.

Ms Mangal is dedicated to keep Afghan women in jobs, given the grim reality for those no longer allowed to work since the Taliban regained power this year.

Before the fall of Kabul, Afghan women were highly active in business sectors, with many working in handicrafts as designers or in the export and import of Afghan handicrafts to overseas.

Now, financial stability is a critical tool for Afghan women to maintain autonomy over their choices.

“Because we don’t have social support in Afghanistan, the majority of females are fully dependent on their male counterparts at home,” said Ms Mangal.

“For example, once you’re a widow in Afghanistan, and you have a brother in law, most families prefer to force the woman to marry the brother in law.

“If she’s financially independent, she can be a voice for herself and say no, I can look after my family and she can choose what she wants.

“In that sense, if I can support at least 10 women, single mothers, they can choose what they want to do and they will not be going through hell.

“Because the majority of them

She encourages others to explore work opportunities in helping the agricultural sector to decarbonise.

“There’s lots of different ways to get involved – you can do work like I’m doing, or become an agronomist, there’s interesting AG tech coming around the use of waste and circular economies,” she said.

“Helping the AG sector become more sustainable is really important if we’re to change as a global economy.”

wouldn’t be marrying young individuals, they will be marrying someone who already has a wife or wives.”

Before moving to Australia, Ms Mangal worked as a human rights activist and a gender advisor, advocating for woman’s rights in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

During her time working for an NGO in Pakistan designing and producing garments, she noticed the local women only used dark colours such as black and brown for the designs.

“I asked them why they always prefer dark colours and they said because bright colours are attractive to men and we are not allowed to be attractive to men by religion and also by tradition,” Ms Mangal said.

“I really got upset and shocked, and I told them religion doesn’t care about what you wear; it’s mainly about you, it’s coming from what’s inside you.”

Through Ghan Fashion, Ms Mangal hopes she can help change the mentality of shame and stigma that Afghan women often face.

She loves working with colours and the bold shades of red, green, gold and fuchsia throughout her designs are both a celebration of Afghan culture and a statement on Afghan women’s expression of identity.

“Beauty is for everyone, so I am trying to change this way of thinking that we are always dominated by our male society.”

Ms Mangal credits her parents as the inspiration that drives her passion for supporting women and giving back to her community.

“My mother was a teacher, very well educated and my dad too, he got his education from the US,” she said.

“They were always advising us to get an education and support our community.

“My whole family, would question my parents and say, [your daughters] will belong to another family,

“The best thing about AG is you can learn something new every day” Anna Toland is a third generation farmer, operating two sheep studs in a rural town north of Melbourne.

“My dad established the stud with his brother over 60 years ago,” said Ms Toland.

“My husband and I have worked here with dad since 2008 and we bought the business last year.”

Ms Toland enjoys working outdoors and caring for the animals.

why are you investing in them?

“My parents would say we’re investing in a person, in a human; she will stand on her own feet.”

Even as a young girl, Ms Mangal recognised the way women in her community were treated as subordinate to the men.

This was especially evident in rural areas of Afghanistan and it pained her to see young girls like herself treated with such indifference.

“Once I went to one of the remote areas to visit our relatives, and I asked their children if they are going to school,” she said.

“They said no, we are not allowed to go to school because we are female and that really made me very upset.”

Through her advocacy work and now her entrepreneurial venture with Ghan Fashion, Ms Mangal is working towards a future where Afghan women have freedom of choice.

“I want them to leave the young generation to decide for themselves what they want, in terms of their education, their social life, whom they want to marry,” she said.

“We are not to force them, we are not to sell our daughters for money and marry a young girl to a 56-yearold man because he’s a rich man.

“These rituals are not acceptable by international law, as well as Islam.

“I want changes in these rituals because this is not healthy, this is not right, it’s abuse.”

Ms Mangal hopes to continue growing Ghan Fashion to showcase Afghan vintage designs in Australia and provide greater employment opportunities for Afghan women.

“I will always support Afghan women, I want to support the disadvantaged women and I want to help them raise their voice and be independent financially, mentally and physically.”

“I love working outside in the fresh air with the dogs and the sheep, we’ve got around four and half thousand sheep at the moment,” she said.

“We care for them deeply and implement a lot of practices to make sure that they’re okay.”

Ms Toland is passionate about bridging the gap between the city and the country, sharing insights into agricultural work through her blog, The Farmer and The Cook.

“I went to uni down in Melbourne and I asked this young girl where do your chops come from and she says, I don’t know they just come in a plastic tray in the supermarket.”

“And that horrified me, these kids don’t know what they’re eating and where it’s from.”

Not only does Ms Toland use her blog to bridge the educational gap, she also loves connecting with others.

“I get these amazing people message me from all over the world,” she said.

“I really enjoy my job and I like to passionately highlight how much of a cool job it is.”

Ms Toland encourages others to ask questions to learn more about the opportunities of working on the land.

“There’s a great network of people you can tap into and there’s great mentors,” she said.

“There’s just so many different fields you can specialise in and I think that’s the perfect way to some up agriculture, is its diversity.”

Inset Image: Karin Stark is passionate about helping the agricultural sector develop sustainable practices.

8 | THE ADVOCATE

ENVIRONMENT

Traditional and western information connect in flora and fauna data bank JESSICA ROBERTS The Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation in Perth and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) NEW encyclopaedia is bringing together Indigenous knowledge and western science in a publicly available online tool for the first time.

The Noongar Boodjar plant and animal encyclopaedia links Indigenous species names with western scientific names across more than 90 plant and animal genus in south-west Western Australia.

It also includes the ancestral ecological and cultural knowledge about plants and animals in Noongar Nation.

For example, the entry for Witchetty Grub includes its Latin name (Endoxyla), its Noongar-Wudjari name (Baardi), and the Wudjari group name (Barna).

It also captures descriptions of what it is used for (they can be eaten) and its cultural significance (it is part of a lot of dances).

The project is a joint initiative of the Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation in Perth and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).

Denise Smith-Ali, senior linguist at the Noongar Boodjar Language Centre, said the encyclopaedia is an important step towards better integration of traditional and western knowledge.

“In the past, there has been no formal mechanism to digitally capture the layers of Indigenous meaning around plants and animals beyond Western science,” she said.

“Putting our own Noongar names to things, putting that into the encyclopaedia and working with the traditional owners and giving them their own rights to reclaim their language… was a highlight for me.

“It means we can preserve the language… in a hundred years’ time, people can come back and see what our language used to look like.”

The online resource was developed through collaboration with Elders, western-trained and Indigenous scientists and linguists from the Noongar Boodjar Language Centre.

Nat Raisbeck-Brown, project lead on the Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Program at the ALA, said this type of co-innovation is important to integrate western and traditional science knowledge in the right way.

“There’s a lot of pressure, and rightly so, that we are working with the right people in the community,” she said.

“Working with language centres is a really smart way for us to go because the language centres have the relationships that they’ve built up over many years with communities.

“So we have absolute trust there that we are working with the right people and that those people have the community consent to share.”

The ALA and the language centre worked together with knowledge custodians of Wudjari Nation, Lynette Knapp and Gail Yorkshire to collect and record ancestral ecological knowledge.

Field trips out on-Country with the

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traditional knowledge custodians were an integral part of developing the reference work.

“It’s well documented and understood that if you take Aboriginal people back on country, it triggers a lot of memories… and we could see that happening with Gail and Lynette,” said Ms Raisbeck-Brown.

This process was crucial because Indigenous ecological knowledge comes from life experience and being part of the land.

Discussing stories of plants and animals together, on their traditional country, helped Gail and Lynette to remember more and access knowledge.

“The next important part was when they came into the language centre and worked with Denise on the linguistic analysis and the creation of the new words,” said Ms Raisbeck-Brown.

“There’s a whole new part of memory that opens and develops, and that’s really based on the revival, survival and protection of the language.”

Ms Raisbeck-Brown said the compilation sets an example for the importance of looking at the two knowledge systems as equal.

“Right now, predominantly because Western science still dominates, we don’t have the full picture,” she said.

“We’ve been here 200-something years, but really we’ve got 75,000 years of knowledge that we can add to that to have the full picture of how to look after country.”

The Noongar Boodjar plant and animal encyclopaedia is publicly accessible on the ALA and can be visited at https://profiles. ala.org.au/opus/noongar.

Above Image: Lynette Knapp at the local ochre pit where she sources blue, red, yellow, green, brown, pink and white ochre.

Image: Noongar Boodjar Language Centre

About-face on Antarctica runway RYAN FRITZ The Bob Brown Foundation

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HE Australian Government, and the Australian Antarctic Division, yesterday, November 25, announced that they are abandoning plans to build a 2.7km-long concrete runway at Australian-owned Davis Research Station in Antarctica.

After a vigorous anti-runway campaign, led by The Bob Brown Foundation, the frozen continent will be saved from 115,000 tonnes of concrete.

Alistair Allan, The Bob Brown Foundation’s head campaigner for Antarctica, who has championed the protection of the continent for years, said the news is a huge backdown by the government and win for the opposing Australian scientists.

“This announcement is brilliant news for Antarctica,” Mr Allan said.

“This concrete airport was going to encase the homes of penguins, seals and petrels in 115,000 tonnes of concrete.

“Now, these animals can carry on living in this precious ecosystem undisturbed.”

Federal environment minister Sussan Ley said the decision was based on the project’s significant environmental impact, complexity and a cost blowout from $2.97 billion to $4.8 billion.

“We’re not doing this and no other country should do it, either,” Ms Ley said.

“The impact on the environment is profound,

and the cost and time extensions also meant it was not the right decision to go ahead.”

The Bob Brown Foundation claims that this unprecedented project would have increased the “human disturbance footprint” on the continent by a staggering 40 per cent.

The foundation’s founder, Dr Bob Brown, said they had been campaigning against the airport since they started focusing on the protection of Antarctica.

“To all the Antarctic scientists and expeditioners, and to the community at large, we thank you for your amazing efforts to make your voice heard and expose just how destructive this concrete airport would have been,” Dr Brown said.

He believes Antarctica is facing unprecedented threats due to climate change, fishing pressures and tourism.

“This airport was one of those threats,” Dr Brown said.

“There is still lots to do to protect Antarctica and the animals that live there, but abandoning this destructive project is certainly a step in the right direction. “This is an environmental win of global significance.”

Mr Allan, who agreed, said: “The Australian Government has done the right thing by putting the Antarctic environment first.

“This proposal should be permanently relegated to the history books,” he said.

Dr Brown also hailed Louise Crossley, a former Australian Antarctic Base Leader, who graciously donated $100,000 to The Bob Brown Foundation, allowing it to advocate for the protection of Antarctica.

THE ADVOCATE | 9

Australians embrace a circular economy to reduce waste and to help kids RYAN FRITZ National Recycling Week

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USTRALIA’S recycling rate has increased by 53 per cent in the last 25 years as more people embrace the circular economy by repairing, repurposing and reusing pre-loved and unwanted goods.

Since National Recycling Week was founded in 1996, the recycling rate in Australia has increased from 7 per cent to 60 per cent.

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves the sharing, leasing, refurbishing and recycling of items and products for as long as possible in an effort to tackle waste and pollution.

In June, Planet Ark, the founder of NRW, joined forces with online marketplace Gumtree Australia to educate Australians about the importance of sustainable consumer practices.

Planet Ark’s chief executive officer Paul Klymenko said the partnership will further the understanding of the environmental benefits of reusing and repairing goods, whilst encouraging consumers to adopt a positive behavioural shift towards reuse and repair.

“It’s fantastic to see a business as wellloved as Gumtree commit to educating Australians on how they can adopt more sustainable practices through engaging with the circular economy via their reuse platform,” Mr Klymenko said.

Gumtree Australia’s managing director

Mark Kehoe said the partnership reflected the organisation’s commitment to being a leader in the circular economy space.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with Planet Ark as a first step in affirming Gumtree’s role within the reuse phase of the circular economy.

“For over 14 years we’ve been helping Australia upgrade to a better life, and now seven million people use Gumtree every month to successfully embrace responsible living, conscious consumerism and quality choices,” Mr Kehoe said.

This year, National Recycling Week is bringing reuse into focus through exciting initiatives such as ‘Save Our Furniture’.

The competition aims to inspire people to get creative and upcycle old and used furniture into new unique pieces rather than sending it to landfill.

Planet Ark’s deputy chief executive officer Rebecca Gilling said new research recently conducted by the environmental organisation shows an overwhelming majority of Australians agree recycling is the right thing to do and is good for the environment.

“We hope to see these attitudes translate into positive action,” Ms Gilling added.

According to the research, Australians are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about items that can contaminate recycling, including soft plastics, bagged recyclables, and clothing.

An additional 1.5 million Australians now know how to keep soft plastics out of the

recycling bin in 2021 compared to 2019.

Launching during NRW, the Starlight Children’s Foundation’s Containers 4 Kids recycling initiative is encouraging communities in New South Wales to donate the proceeds from recycling eligible beverage containers.

NSW environment minister Matt Kean said that from November to April 2022 anyone can donate to the campaign at any Return and Earn vending machine to help raise $250,000 for the children’s charity.

“We’re encouraging NSW recyclers to return their bottles and cans and donate their funds to help brighten the lives of sick kids,” Mr Kean said.

Donations will go towards cheering up children like three-year-old Aru who needed a lifesaving heart

transplant just before her first birthday.

Currently undergoing treatment for the post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PLTD), Aru’s life is now centred around the hospital.

Captain Starlight’s visits are always a “stress-buster” for Aru and her parents.

Chief executive officer of Starlight, Louise Baxter, said that Starlight has always been there for sick kids throughout the difficult challenges of the past 18 months Launching during NRW, the Starlight Children’s Foundation’s Containers 4 Kids recycling initiative is encouraging communities in New South Wales to donate the proceeds from recycling eligible beverage containers.

means increasing awareness, and a start of conversations.

“For us it is not a day or a month, it is a lifestyle forever,” Mr Singh said.

A few years ago, only a handful of farmed animal sanctuaries existed in Australia.

Now they are found in nearly every state, alongside native wildlife sanctuaries.

“What I believe is if we are successful, if we are making profits, it is to be shared with everyone, with stakeholders in particular,” said Mr Singh.

“Companies are into the idea of cultivating profit out of doing good.

“Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but that should not be the aim of doing good.

“We are not doing good to show off to people, we genuinely want to make an impact.”

World Vegan Month PATRICIA JENKINS Vegan Australia

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ORLD Vegan Day on Monday November, 1 heralding the start of World Vegan month, coincided with the COP26 Glasgow climate change summit this year.

While the Vegan Society UK, along with other environmental groups had a presence at the conference, there was no specific discussion timetabled for how the world plans to tackle emissions from agriculture.

Joseph Poore, a researcher at University of Oxford, and co-author of a global study published in the journal Science, said, “a vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet earth”.

The University of Oxford study found that cutting meat and dairy products from food intake could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent.

The Vegan World Alliance members; The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, challenged the leaders of their countries, who attended COP26, but failed to properly address the impact of current food systems on the suffering of animals and as a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, to try vegan for a month.

In addition, The Vegan Society of New Zealand, Te Rōpū Whēkana o Aotearoa, called on the entire country to try vegan for 21 days, to support the

Prime Minister, the COP26 talks and the future sustainability of the planet.

In Australia, and around the globe, World Vegan Month is an opportunity to explore the vegan diet, and a cruelty free lifestyle that is kinder to animals.

In 2019, Australia’s packaged vegan food market was worth almost $200 million.

A 2020 study found 47 per cent of Australians said they reduced their meat and/or milk intake.

The month of activities and celebrations, centred around food, raises awareness that animals and the environment also benefit from a vegan lifestyle.

Charity partners Vegan Easy and Vegan Australia launched their Vegan Easy 30 Day Challenge initiative as a way for people interested in Veganism to experience a fully plant-based diet.

This means excluding all animal products including meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey as well as other more hidden animal ingredients, such as gelatine.

Vegans avoid animal-derived materials and products tested on animals.

For vegans and vegan business owners, it is an extension of their already dedicated lifestyle; with some businesses using food to support animal charities or sanctuaries.

In Melbourne, the recently opened plant-based eatery, Vegie Tribe, donates 10 per cent of profits to animal welfare.

Sarmuhabat Singh, one of the owners and a vegan, said World Vegan Month

10 | THE ADVOCATE

COMMUNITY

Sex workers fight to end violence CHARLIE GOLDBERG Scarlet Alliance

Trigger warning: violence against sex workers and mentions of sexual assault/ rape.

HE first International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was held in 2003 as a memorial for the victims of one of America’s most prolific serial killers.

Now, almost two decades on the day is observed annually around the globe by sex workers and their allies, recognising and remembering victims and survivors of many more acts of violence than one man could ever commit.

In Australia, events to mark the occurrence are largely planned by Scarlet Alliance, the national body for sex workers and sex worker organisations, who have members in every state and territory.

The Alliance is non-for-profit and run by current and former sex workers.

“What we provide is a recognition of sex workers as experts on our lives, experts on the things that impact us,” said Gala Vanting, Scarlet Alliance’s national programs manager.

“We provide a sex worker voice in a lot of spaces where we may otherwise not be considered or be outright excluded.”

Scarlet Alliance advocates for the human rights, workers right and health of sex workers in Australia.

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As a part of this mission, the organisation’s work is varied, including law and health reform, peer and community educating, and representing sex workers in media and government.

For the Day to End Violence, they will be hosting a number of events across the country, in person and online.

Many of these events will be vigils held by their member groups and peer organisers for those who have been lost to or harmed by violence.

“We are a super resilient community, but this, for us, is a day to be really reflective on the communities that we create and the people who often get left behind,” said Ms Vanting.

“The idea that sex workers are acceptable targets or people who won’t be noticed or missed is something we really resist.”

In this way, the Day to End Violence is a time to fight erasure, making sure those who are present, as well as those who have been lost, are rendered seen and important.

“On this day we really want to be as visible as possible, to make sure that the structural violence and a stigma against sex workers that enables attitudes that allow violence are challenged,” said Ms Vanting.

In New South Wales, one of the Alliances’ largest member groups, the Sex Worker Outreach Program, will be

OPINION

Women’s opinions matter

CAROL SAFFER

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HAD no idea and was horrified that a 10-year-old Australian child could go to jail.

In July this year, I wrote my first opinion piece for The Advocate.

It was in response to learning the #RaiseTheAge campaign was calling on governments to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14.

I felt an overwhelming urge to share why I felt the injustice of locking up a child under that age was reprehensible.

My second one is to implore women, journalists or not, to have their opinion published in the media.

I support The Sydney Morning Herald’s opinion editor Julie Lewis’ comment on International Women’s Day this year, “As a nation, we need that surge of women’s voices, but not just on sexual assault – on every other issue worthy of public discussion as well – yet in our opinion submissions inbox women are often missing in action.”

Men accounted for 65 per cent of all opinion pieces published during May 2021 is one of the key findings in The 2021 Women for Media Report: ‘Take the Next Steps’ published by the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia.

As a female editor, I want to ensure the publishing of opinions is a level playing field.

Take a leaf from Jacquie Blackwell.

Jacqui, a mother of four and a group of her mum mates, were seriously concerned about the effect of school closures on their kids.

She contacted me in September with an opinion piece she had written.

It was a call to end the silence around the impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns on children’s mental health, advocating for a return to face-to-face learning.

I published her stance in The Advocate, and to date, it has had 743 views.

CEO of Humanity Matters Mary Malak’s opinion piece on “Breaking down stigmas attached to overdose to transform our society” published in The Advocate has so far achieved 869 views.

When Senator Jacqui Lambie’s opinion piece, published in News Ltd.’s Sunday Telegraph in January, stated her opposition to the prosecution of current and former defence personnel accused of carrying out war crimes, it resulted in an outcry.

Yet she wanted and was entitled to have her say.

If women feel reluctant to comment on what they consider an essential topic, for fear of criticism or ridicule, remember your unique opinion is important and what ever the outcome it deserves to be shared.

All the women I know have opinions, not always ones I agree with; however, I call on them to make their views known.

One side of an argument, an assertion, or an intensely held belief can be the driver for making your opinion known.

If you feel strongly enough about it, the public, policymakers, and governing bodies need to know what you think.

holding a memorial service, as well as a forum discussion on violence and how to challenge it.

Statistics on the specifics of violence against sex workers, or even the sex industry generally, can be difficult to find.

In 2008, a report by the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault estimated there was approximately 20,000 sex industry workers in Australia in any one year.

Of those workers, the report quoted findings that suggested between 15-60 per cent of sex workers had experienced sexual assault in their workplace and 45 per cent experienced rape in their lives outside of work.

“The perpetrators of the abuse and violence sex workers experience, while working, are not restricted to clients,” reported another study put out by the Australian Institute of Criminology on migrant sex workers.

This 2015 report found that close to 50 per cent of sex workers surveyed had experienced verbal abuse from employers, co-workers or government agents, while nearly 10 per cent had experienced physical violence. Criminalisation is one of the major reasons that violence against sex workers is both as under-reported and prevalent as it is.

“If we experience something like assault or another crime committed against us at work to report that to an authority is, if you work in a criminalised place, potentially also admitting that you are doing something illegal,” Ms Vanting said.

Workers may fear state violence, including imprisonment and deportation, as well as more interpersonal violence committed by law enforcement and government officials that may abuse their legal power.

In 2012, a Kirby Institute survey of sex workers in NSW found that 46 per cent of sex workers would not feel comfortable taking a complaint to the police.

Currently, sex work is only criminalised in South Australia.

In other Australian states and territories regulations still often apply that criminalise certain types of sex work.

One of Scarlet Alliance’s largest campaigns, to date, involves the fight to decriminalise their work across the country.

“Seeing sex work as the same as any other work allows us to access a number of safety mechanisms that we are unable to access where we are criminalised,” Ms Vanting. said.p The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is observed annually on December 17.

THE ADVOCATE | 11

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Sikh Volunteers Australia inspired by community gratitude PATRICIA JENKINS Sikh Volunteers Australia

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HE Premier’s Award for Community Harmony at the 2021 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence, was awarded to Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) for the significant impact they have made during the bushfires and pandemic.

The Award honours the organisation for its noteworthy contribution to increase understanding, acceptance and cooperation between different faith and cultural groups.

Jaswinder Singh, founding member and secretary from Sikh Volunteers Australia said, “It was also because the organisation had upheld the principles of human rights, and the service was purely based on whoever needs the support is being supported.”

“When the community give back just because of the service we have done, it’s an amazing feeling, and I’m very humbled and honoured with this reward,” Mr Singh said.

It is not the accolades and recognition that are the focus of the past two years for Mr Sing, it is the community gratitude shown to the organisation.

“For me the highlights are those messages which community members send back after they receive a meal,” Mr Singh said.

“The kind of messages we received motivates us to continue to do good, and I consider them to be the biggest highlight of our work.”

Since the non-profit charity was founded, it has focused on reducing distress in the community through food.

“The reason behind why we started the food delivery service in 2017 is because it is a concept of Sikhism,” Mr Singh said.

The organisation bases itself on one of the basic fundamental principles of Sikhism, Vand Chhakna, which means to share with everyone.

SVA provides freshly cooked meals to those experiencing food insecurity

in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne primarily from their food van.

They deliver cooked meals free to single parents, the elderly, international students, and unemployed and homeless people in seven council areas.

In Sikhism another concept is Langar, roughly translated as a community kitchen.

“It’s where everyone sits together, eats together and they feel considerably equal,” Mr Singh said.

“We have adopted these two principles and have put them in the community in the form of a free food van and this is the ideology behind it.”

Job losses due to government restrictions during the pandemic has meant financial strain for many Victorians, and added to the number of people experiencing food insecurity.

Periods of lockdown, isolation or quarantine in Victoria left many people alone and without someone to talk face-to-face with.

Volunteers from SVA delivered home-cooked food to Victorians and engaged with those who were alone, vulnerable and needed support.

Mr Singh said the service is positive for the community because people feel they are being looked after, that someone is actually caring for them.

“There is a connection, there is a bond in there,” he said.

SVA delivered 271,000 free meals during the COVID-19 crisis from March 2020 to October 2021, including attending tier 1 exposure sites, like the maribyrnong apartments when they were forced into a sudden two-week lockdown.

Volunteers from the organisation also travel to crisis zones during times of national emergency disasters, such as floods and bushfires, to provide free food

and drinking water to communities.

The SVA food van and service was a familiar sight at relief centres in East Gippsland during the Black Summer fires in 2019-20.

The group’s members drove 12 hours to provide food for flood victims, emergency workers and local residents during the floods in NSW in 2020.

There are risks involved when travelling into a disaster situation, not only in the environment around them, but also for their mental health.

They witness the trauma the community are experiencing, and listen to their stories.

Measures in place to counteract the distress include the rotation of volunteers at the relief centres with a fresh group travelling from Melbourne every day or every second day.

Sikhism has three basic fundamental

concepts; Kirt Karna, earn your living with absolute honesty; Nam japna, keeping God in mind at all times for giving the resources; and Vand Chhakna, which means to share with everyone.

Mr Singh said, “When we follow these principles in our lives, fate actually guides us and motivates us to do good things and help everyone.”

“So [this] is, I think, the basic motivation and driving force behind all of this.”

“The messages we have received from the community, it is amazing.”

“It is something that I can’t forget for the rest of my life.”

Food insecurity increases need for support over Christmas TIA HARALABAKOS FoodBank Australia

C

HARITY provided meals have never been more crucial this Christmas as new statistics from FoodBank Australia reveal a rise in food insecurity across the nation.

Published in October 2021, the Foodbank Hunger Report found one in six Australian adults are severely food insecure and 1.2 million children are living in food-insecure households.

Chief Executive Officer of Foodbank Australia, Brianna Casey, believes the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted an issue that has “too long flown under society’s radar.”

With Christmas around the corner, philanthropic organisations have prepared short-term resolutions for the growing number of hungry Australians.

National Christian charity, Mission Australia, is undertaking its 46th year of Christmas Lunch in the Park which has fed over 67,000 Australians across the years.

State Director in WA, Jo Sadler, promises a Christmas meal alongside other services.

“We provide care packs which have personal items and non-perishable foods to help in the days after Christmas when many services are closed,” she said.

“There are opportunities to connect with people… and haircuts, showers and clothing available for those who need it.”

“We want to create a safe space where people can have a tasty meal, enjoy soPATRme entertainment and have someone to talk to on Christmas day.” Ms Gianna Vogels, an 81-year-old Mission Australia volunteer has been a table host at the lunch for 18 years.

“There are lots of lonely and marginalised people at Christmas time, people who have fallen on hard times,” Ms Vogels said.

“Volunteering is a great opportunity to share some Christmas joy for people who might otherwise have nowhere to go.”

The lunch will take place at Wellington Square in Perth.

More than one in three Australian’s (38 per cent) who were food insecure during 2020, had never experienced such uncertainty prior to the pandemic.

“The issue of food insecurity has never been more prominent than it is now,” Ms Casey said.

“Food relief is not only being sought out by those who are homeless and unemployed but working families, single parents, school leavers, First

Nations people and many more…”

“One positive we can draw from this situation (COVID-19 pandemic) is that food insecurity is no longer hidden,” she said.

Alongside Mission Australia, other big names in the charity sector are providing food relief over Christmas, including the Salvation Army and Sacred Heart Mission.

Ms Casey urged vulnerable people to make use of these resources.

“The fallout of the pandemic has driven home to all of us how easy it is for people to become vulnerable,” she said.

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