1. Signing an e-petition:
When looking for a petition to sign, I came across one that seemed really interesting- a petition to make Australia a Republic. While many of the people living in Australia do not have direct descendants to Britain, it is in the Australian constitution that no Australian citizen, whether born or migrated here, cannot become the nation's Head of State. Also, when the Head of State does visit, it costs the tax payers large amount of money which deems to be quite unnecessary. If Australia became a Republic, it would allow the government to spend the money in different and more demanding and important places such as health care and education. Here is the link to the e-petition.
http://www.independentaustralia.net/2011/republic/sign-the-petition-for-an-australian-republic/
2. Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site.
On the major news cite, CNN, there is a blog named "This Just In" that keeps readers updated on news that has happened fairly recently. One of the most recent stories was of the execution of Troy Davis, a man who was accused and convicted of killing a police officer in 1989. There was a lack of real evidence that linked the murder to him, only eye witnesses that didn't provide much of a stable argument. The blog was about the protest of his execution. I commented on the blog post under the name "EmilyGriffithUni." Here is what I said:
"The death penalty is definitely a subject that makes me quite uneasy. Although I have had an experience in the past that has made me believe that the death penalty is a good thing, my beliefs have completely changed. In this case, it was most definitely not necessary especially because of the lack of strong evidence. This type of torture really makes me cringe because of the seriousness of killing an innocent man. I do not understand how a country of such freedom could let something like this happen on our own soil. People go to jail for killing others. How does this make it any different?"
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/23/at-troy-davis-protests-people-talk-big-change/comment-page-10/#comment-860743
3. What is Barack Obama up to today?
Today on September 25th, Barack Obama is headed west to Seattle for the next two days.
http://ochairball.blogspot.com/
4. What are the Australian Government's plans to censor the internet?
The plan with the internet is to censor refused classified content. At this point in time, that is all legal to view or process but soon it will appear on a blacklist and will not be able to be viewed.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/internet-censorship-plan-gets-the-green-light-20091215-ktzc.html
5. When will the NBN get to your place? What are the benefits?
The National Broadband Network has a lot of benefits. It will provide more opportunities for small businesses and community organizations, will have more economic gains in Australian households, and provide more of a faster, cheaper, and easier way to use telecommunications.
http://www.dbcde.gov.au/digital_economy/benefits_of_digital_economy_from_nbn
6. Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are.
The Gold Coast have a city council that represents the area locally. Some state representatives are Alexander Douglass, Peter Lawlor, and Christine Smith. http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf As for federal representatives, there is a number of them. Mr. Bert Van Manen MP- Electoral Division of Forde (QLD), Mr. Stuart Robert MP- Electoral Division of Fadden (QLD), Mrs. Karen Andrews MP- Electoral Division of McPherson (QLD). Mr. Steven Ciobo MP- Electoral Division of Moncrieff (QLD), Hon Justine Elliot MP- Electoral Division of Richmond (NSW), Senator Hon Joe Ludwig- Senator for Queensland, and Mr. Scott Buchholz MP- Electoral Division of Wright.
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=4351#federal
7. Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in Parliament.
The last time that Mr. Langbroek spoke in Parliament was on September 8th, 2011. This can be found via http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/Speeches/spk2011/John-Paul%20Langbroek%20spk%20Surfers%20Paradise%202011_09_08_82.pdf#xml=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/internetsearch/isysquery/2966931c-3f5f-45ab-8159-90627b358862/37/hilite/
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