It’s been another busy week with street meets in Hampton and Sandringham and our fantastic March4Justice event on Sunday morning in Caulfield South.
Gender equality is a key pillar of my campaign, and we will be holding another event to mark International Women’s Day on the 8th of March so please sign up to join us via the website.
Women’s rights are human rights and safety, and genuine equality is fundamental to our community, our society and indeed, our economy. Women and girls must be enabled to reach their full potential and be safe.
We have had a big surge in sign-ups this week, with lots of people volunteering, buying t-shirts and ordering signs (now available at no charge). Thank you to everyone for continuing to engage with the campaign.
On signage, for the sake of clarity, the facts are that we were advised when we contacted Bayside council in December that our signs could go up after February 21, a position the council reiterated last week before suddenly reversing it after a complaint from the Liberal Party. We are in continuing talks with the council regarding that backflip and the correct interpretation of the rules. On Monday evening I released this statement:
We are in continued discussions with the council regarding the inconsistency of their advice regarding election signs. Our legal advisers continue to hold the view that our signs are within the law. Should you receive a letter from council asking you to remove your sign, we fully understand that you may wish to do so. In the meantime we will continue to seek a definitive answer on the legality of our signs and we will feed back that information as soon as we have it. Thank you for being part of the Zoe Daniel campaign and for engaging in this important democratic process.
I seek a level playing field and a clear interpretation of the rules. To our supporters who are concerned and wish to take down your signs, please do so. We will be in touch. Thank you for your engagement in the democratic process.
Our campaign continues to be a wonderful example of community engagement in democracy, and I am hugely energised by the generosity of spirit and participation that our campaign is generating.
It gives me cause for great optimism as I focus on the task at hand. Along with equality, we have the huge issues of climate (thinking of you Southeast Queensland), economic growth, Covid recovery for business, integrity and aged care to tackle, among other things. With the invasion of Ukraine, we also need measured, smart decision making. As I have said this week, amid a rise in authoritarianism the world over, we are at a potential turning point for the global international order. Australia must proceed with measured diplomatic moves, not via the front pages with an eye to an election.
I will leave you with that thought and ask you to please continue spreading the word about our campaign through your networks. If you have questions for me or want to say hi, please pop down to one of our street meets or come along to an event in the coming weeks.
Be well,
Zoe.
