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Fighting Violence Against Women and Girls

AFPPD Standing Committee Meets in Australia

Put heaps of potatoes on the boil depending on how many you are serving and how big your pie pot is
Then into a hot wok, throw a cut up clove of garlic and 2 finely cut onions, with a large spoon of Philly cream cheese. Cook up until they are brown. Approx. 5 mins.
Throw in a mix of harder veggies to your taste. I use half a broccoli, some caulie, finely cut up pumpkin, finely cut up carrot, and then let these all get the flavours off the garlic and onion, and almost sear them. Aprox. 5-10 mins.

I am aware of four OAM recipients from the Lyne electorate in the Australia Day honours, and they will be formally announced tomorrow. The four have received their honours for community work in and around the Mid-North Coast, whether in the local arts, through local service groups, through local woodcraft and conservation, or through local court and gaol support. Congratulations to each on their well deserved recognition. This emphasis in our region on the local volunteer is important.

The Gettysburg Address is famous for its line that democratic government should be "of the people, by the people, for the people". In Australia today, unlike most other western liberal democracies including the more recent examples of the United Kingdom and the state of Tasmania, we remain stuck with a system that screams "of the Party, by the Party, for the Party". And we have a lesser democracy because of it.

Population policy is now on the Australian agenda and it is very welcome that we place population at the centre of all policy. I hope this is a genuine move by Government, and not just rhetoric or “dog whistling” as some commentators have described it.