The Vagabond Recommendation! Australian Ethical is a fund manager that offers ethical superannuation and managed funds. Based in Canberra, they have specialised in ethical investment for over 23 years with over 17,000 investors choosing to invest ethically with them. They invest in companies based on their environmental, social and governance performance, by actively seeking out investments that are positive for society and the environment, and avoiding investments involved in harmful activities. They believe investing in sustainable industries over the long-term should have a financial advantage. And offer a performance comparison to other funds. Check out what they have to offer you – www.austethical.com.au
Ethical Investment Services is a financial planning firm that advises individual clients who wish to invest ethically. Helping people to build their wealth by investing in companies that are developing products and services that contribute to a better world. EIS believes that together we can make a difference by supporting companies that take environmental and social issues into account.
EIS view Ethical Investment as an umbrella term that incorporates amongst other things socially responsible investing, green investing, sustainable investing, responsible investing etc. They can provide you with guidance on commonly held ethical criteria and their approach also allows you to prioritise your own personal values and beliefs.
Operating since 1992 from our offices in Kew, Melbourne, and servicing clients Australia wide, they are Australia’s largest specialist firm advising on ethical investment. www.ethicalinvestments.com.au
“Did you know that huge chunks of our superannuation — which is now worth more than a trillion dollars — are invested in companies involved in industries such as old-growth forestry logging and uranium mining, and products that cause greenhouse gas pollution? Or that state governments’ super funds are investing hundreds of millions of dollars of their employees’ super in gambling, cigarette and oil companies?” …
RCOA is the national umbrella body for refugees and the organisations and individuals who support them. It has more than 130 organisational members and 250 individual members. In July 2009, RCOA was granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This status enables RCOA to participate in a variety of UN fora. To go to the RCOA website – click here
Read the 2009 Report which contains a summary of observations by the Australian Human Rights Commission following its July 2009 visit to Australia’s immigration detention facilities on Christmas Island. “The Commission has ongoing concerns – one of the most critical being the mandatory detention and offshore processing of asylum seekers on Christmas Island.” To read this report – click here
Amnesty International gives an overview of life on Christmas Island. ”The people being detained on Christmas Island are real. They are men, women and children who have come to our shores seeking refuge from persecution – and should be treated accordingly”. To read this article – click here
Médecins Sans Frontières aka Doctors Without Borders has created a Virtual Refugee Camp. It places in context the basic needs of people who, because of conflict or disaster, find themselves in a refugee camp. Check out their programs – click here
Refugee Action Collective is a grassroots movement in Victoria that actively campaigns for the rights of asylum seekers. The site’s Resources section offers a range of ‘Myth Busting’ articles. To check them out - click here
Winner of the Literature Non-Fiction Award of The Australian Human Rights Commission’s annual Human Rights Medals and Awards.
‘”Human Rights Overboard is an important and moving book which deserves to be widely read and discussed.” - Law Institute of Victoria
‘”This book reveals and confirms, in detail, all the fears you may have held about immigration detention in Australia over the past 15 years.” - Civil Liberty
“The verdict, frankly, is nothing short of horrific. This book reveals something systematically rotten. Not isolated incidents, but a repressive structure … The information gathered is so compelling, so relentless, and derived from so many diverse accounts in different parts of Australia, that accusations of bias must be crushed under its weight.” - Australian Literary Review
Since opening their doors in June 2001, the ASRC has become the largest provider of aid, advocacy and health services for asylum seekers in Australia. They work directly with asylum seekers, both living in our community and detention, to provide direct aid and support as they seek refugee status in Australia. ASRC also campaign and lobby on behalf of asylum seekers and all Australians who want to change the unjust policies that Australia has adopted. ASRC is based in Melbourne. To see what they do or apply as a volunteer - click here
In Washington D.C. UNHCR Goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie speaks out about how refugees have impacted her own life.
World Refugee Day: Angelina Jolie calls for greater understanding of the plight of refugees.
18 June 2009
Australia’s detention centre at Woomera was hailed as the new way of dealing with illegal immigration. This is a sneak peek at a definitive story of the controversial camp. The compound gained notoriety for its riots, protests and breakouts and became a damning indictment of Australian immigration policy. And whilst detainees lived in atrocious conditions, the American backed company running the centre siphoned off millions in profits. It’s a story of lies, cover-ups and relentless trauma. Produced by ABC Australia.
An exclusive report filmed in the Australian asylum processing centre, where detainees have seized control of the camp and driven out their guards.
The isolated pacific island of Nauru seemed the perfect place to detain and process asylum seekers. Denied access to lawyers or journalists, detainees have been interned in a state of limbo for over 16 months. On Christmas Eve, a riot broke out at the camp that left many of the guards injured. Since then, all services and personnel have been withdrawn and the asylum seekers left to fend for themselves. “We can’t take it anymore. It’s been a month since we had food or water,” despairs one detainee. Mothers have been reduced to drinking rainwater and feeding their children expired milk. Access to medical services are severely restricted and the overwhelming feeling in the camp is one of despair. “I want to die. I don’t have any future,” states one inmate. Unless the Australian government reassesses its policy, the plight of these asylum seekers can only worsen.
Produced by SBS/Dateline 2003
To go to this clip – click on the image below.
The Real Woomera - Journeyman Pictures
What really went on at the notorious Woomera detention camp?
“I saw so many people break down to a level that you would find hard to believe,” confides camp doctor Simon Lockwood. There were numerous suicide attempts and incidents of self harm. Staff were affected by the inmates’ trauma and also suffered from depression.
Produced by ABC Australia, January 2005.
Keith Locke’s proposal that New Zealand accept some of the 78 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees on the ship Oceanic Viking, who sought to enter Australia. House of Representatives, 19 November 2009.
For more than five months a group of nearly 240 Sri Lankan asylum seekers have been stranded in an Indonesian port.
The stand-off began when their boat was intercepted by the Indonesian navy following a tip-off from Australia.
The boat people, who are virtually cut off from outsiders, say they want to be resettled in Australia or overseas.
But Australia argues that the boat was intercepted in Indonesian waters so the people are Indonesia’s problem.
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To The Australia Day Hypocrite – a poem
“And dont you love these wankers who in a patriotic voice,
Want bring immigration to a halt,
But mostly those who get here become Australian out of choice,
If youre born here youre only Aussie by default…
…Those who truly love this country do more than wave our colours,
Self infatuation is not in their routine,
Theyll sacrifice their spare time in the pursuit of helping others,
And in the limelight theyre very rarely seen.”
Is your superannuation supporting companies like this?
CRUDE – Official Trailer
An inside look at the infamous $27 billion Amazon Chernobyl case, CRUDE is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking as it examines a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus. From acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger is the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet.
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Ethical Investing: An idea whose time has come
Ethical Investment Services is a financial planning firm that advises individual clients who wish to invest ethically. We help you build your wealth by investing in companies that are developing products and services that contribute to a better world and we believe that together we can make a difference by supporting companies that take environmental and social issues into account.
Operating since 1992 from our offices in Kew, Melbourne, and servicing clients Australia wide, we are Australia’s largest specialist firm advising on ethical investment. www.ethicalinvestments.com.au Phone: 03 9853 0995
Clip Produced by ABC Australia.
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Error104 – An Error in the System
Error in the system. Will you change the system or will it change you?
This economic crisis provides a unique opportunity to mobilize and achieve real change in the financial system. Governments shouldn’t be offering blank cheques to institutions involved in arms trafficking and exploitation of poorer countries. Now is the time to change the system with Ethical Finance. Do something about it!
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Investing in Eco-friendly Companies
Green investing: How to invest in eco-friendly companies
If you want to do well by doing good, you may want to start with your superannuation. Bestselling personal finance author David Bach says there’s lots of green to be made by investing in green companies.
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Green Investing
NBC – How green investing can make you rich and benefit the planet at the same time.
Fishermen often throw half of their catch back into the sea — because the fish are small and therefore not as profitable as their larger counterparts and because the fishermen want to keep within their EU fishing quotes. Slowly, it is now becoming accepted wisdom that this is also one reason for the dwindling fish stocks. At fish auctions in the Netherlands a seal of approval has been introduced to indicate the use of sustainable fishing practices. We visit a Dutch fisherman who is currently in the process of modifying his fishing equipment so that less small fry gets caught up in his nets. September 03, 2009
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Demand For Sushi is Affecting Tuna Stocks
Sky News goes fishing off Sardinia to find out why stocks of Bluefin Tuna are dwindling and why campaigners are calling for a boycott on Tuna produce.
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BBC – An end to Tuna
BBC London feature on the plight of tuna and their last days on the sushi plates.
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The End of the Line – Theatrical Trailer
The End of the Line is a powerful film about one of the world’s most disturbing problems – over-fishing. Advances in fishing technology mean whole species of wild fish are under threat and the most important stocks we eat are predicted to be in a state of collapse by 2050. The film points the finger at those most to blame, including celebrity chefs, and shows what we can do about it. This is not just a film, it is also a campaign – for sustainable consumption of fish, for marine protected areas to allow the sea to recover, and for a new ethic of responsible fishing.
www.endoftheline.com
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THE COVE – Theatrical Trailer
In this pulse-pounding eco-thriller, a crack team of divers, activists and special effects experts infiltrate a secret cove in Japan to expose one of history’s most shocking and unimaginable crimes against nature. Winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
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How to protect the oceans - Sylvia Earle
Legendary ocean researcher and TED Prize Winner, Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean — and shocking stats about its rapid decline — as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.
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Shark finning in the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The Australian Government still allows unsustainable shark fishing to occur in the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef. Currently 600tonnes of shark (over 70 000 sharks) are legally killed each year in the Great Barrier Reef, most of which are slaughtered for their fins which are then exported to the Asian market for shark fin soup. It is unacceptable that the Australian Government allows this unsustainable and unethical practice to continue.
Shark finning at sea, where the fins are cut off the shark and the carcass is thrown overboard, is banned in Australia (thanks to the Australian Marine Conservation Society). However, shark fin fishing continues. Sharks are still being targeted for their high value fins although their carcasses are now kept and sold on the domestic market as ‘flake’ or sold as low value waste products.
Sharks are extremely vulnerable to fishing impacts. This is because their biology is more like whales and dolphins than other fish. Sharks are slow growing, have extremely low reproductive rates (producing very few young) and are mostly long lived. This means that they are very slow to recover from impacts on their populations. Many shark fisheries around the world have collapsed.
Sharks are apex predators, helping to control populations of prey species. Consequently, reducing the number of sharks may have significant and unpredictable impacts on other parts of the ecosystem.
For more information or to help the Australian Marine Conservation Society stop shark fishing, visit www.marineconservation.org.au
February 24, 2009
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Marine Reserves Are the Answer
A growing body of scientific evidence that demonstrates what we at Greenpeace have been saying for a long time: that the establishment of large-scale networks of marine reserves, urgently needed to protect marine species and their habitats, could be key to reversing global fisheries decline.
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The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Rupert Howes, CEO of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), focuses on reversing the decline in global fish stocks through MSC’s marine certification and eco-labeling programs. Today 500 MSC-labeled products from 22 certified fisheries are sold in 26 countries.
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Meet Barry Wrasse
Protect Our Coral Sea – Barry the Wrasse thinks you should talk to Mr Rudd.
The Coral Sea is a tropical marine jewel which lies east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Its one of the last places on Earth where large marine animals can still be found in great numbers. Yet less than 1% of this Serengeti of the Seas is protected. Right now the federal government is considering the future of the Coral Sea within Australian waters. Help make the Coral Sea a safe haven for marine life. Sign our petition. Tell your friends. Pass on the message.Can you make a difference? You bet your Wrasse you can.
Sign the petition at www.protectourcoralsea.org.au
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www.shrimpsuck.org
A US site based around educating people on shrimp fishing practices.
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BBC Earth Report – Sustainable Fishing & Stolen Fish
Part 1 of 4, a documentary report from BBC Earth Report on the problem of sustainable fishing, and the problem of illegal fishing fleets.
AMCS works strategically, with our supporters across Australia and over the sea, on the big issues facing our oceans. Our key focus is to create large marine national parks (marine sanctuaries), make our fisheries sustainable and protect and recover our threatened ocean wildlife. Check out their current projects - click here
The world’s fisheries are in crisis. Collectively, humans have managed to remove 90% of predatory fish from the oceans. A new guide to Australian fish is helping consumers make better informed decisions next time they’re at the fish markets. Abbie Thomas reports. To read this article – click here
Article from The Age, March 13th, 2010. How this issue is being perceived in Tokyo Japan. 38-year-old banker Osamu Morita appeared bemused by the fuss. ”When the tuna is all gone, we can find something else to eat. There are plenty of delicious creatures in the sea.” To read this article – click here
David Suzuki Foundation’s tip. The foundation focuses on Canada’s impact, however the site contains useful information and links for all. ”Sustainable seafood options do exist. And it’s up to all of us to ensure our fisheries are managed in a sustainable fashion so we can maintain the bounty of Canada’s seafood industry.” David Suzuki. To read this article – click here
What The Victorian Department of Primary Industries offer definitions on the different types of commercial fishing methods practiced. To read – click here
Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. To check out recent news and get involved in current campaigns – click here
Do your bit for our magnificent marine life. Join us in calling for a network of large marine sanctuaries in Australia’s South West. Our marine life is unique – but unprotected. To check out the site – click here
The Protect our Coral Sea is a joint campaign supported by regional, national and international conservation organisations. Help protect our Coral Sea and make the Coral Sea a safe haven for marine life. Sign our petition. Tell your friends. Pass on the message. – click here
A site created by Shrimp haters. “Bottom trawling and farming for shrimp can destroy the ocean. You don’t want to be a part of that. Look around for more facts and videos as well as the best shrimp-eating options for true die-hard shrimp-eaters.” shrimpsuck.org
Natalie, Mick, Zoe, Kieran, Blue King Brown, Pauze, Paulie, Rainbow, Bort, Robbo, Didi, j [studios], Hanna (promotional attack), Vegetable Man, Norrie, Amanda, Nat, Blueprint, and all those who have been passing on The Vagabond near and far.
