Wanna know why more than 2000 people marched through the city last Saturday? Wanna know why we’ve doubled in size since the rally before? Wanna know why permanent occupation is crucial to Occupy?
Take a look in the comments of this post to see the growing list of people sharing who they are and why they support Occupy.
Supporters are encouraged to comment here. Please keep it brief and on topic otherwise your post might be moved to the About page.
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90 Responses to “Why Occupy Sydney?”
Dear comrades,
It has been awesome to see an Occupy Sydney movement get up and running, emulating that which is being seen in Wall Street and then the world over.
This is a solidarity action, but i do wonder what issues are happening that are local to Sydney and Australia which also have connection to this action? Are we so quick to jump on this global bandwagon of impassioned resistance that we forget there are local political issues also of relevance to all of this?
There are current global economic woes, but they are affecting different parts of the world in different ways. I feel they are unfolding in a unique manner in Australia. People in Wall Street are protesting and making demands in direct response to the recession caused by an unchecked and impulsive mass-capitalism.
For what reason are we taking action now in Sydney? Just because they did so in Wall Street and Arabic nations? While this is fine, there also needs to be some relevance to the political issues that plague us domestically.
Where are the demands of working class peoples in oz being identified here? How is the commons truly being represented here? What alternatives can be suggested where oppressed peoples of this region have their needs addressed in concorde with that of the world?
This movement is not a panacea to solve all things as more and more cities rise in solidarity. There needs to be a local focus in having this action as well. I do hope there is room for an increased consideration of this as the action takes root over the ensuing days and weeks.
Solidarity,
m*
I’m a 50 year old bloke from Wollongong. I’m married, have 2 kids and a disability. I support Occupy Sydney as a gesture of support for Occupy Movements around the world and because of one word – enough. It is obscene that in the best performing economy in the Western world, one in ten people can’t get enough to live above the poverty line. It is obscene that for CEO’s – earning 300 times more than ordinary workers is not enough. It is obscene that our contribution to democracy is to vote every four years for which one of 2 almost identical cartels will screw us for the next four years. Enough is enough.
I support #Occupysydney because it evokes the romanticism of democracy as a primarily social practice. It is not set of solutions but the performance of a way of being in public space. Through practice it promotes the idea that democracy is designed as being about people and not corporations, political parties or institutions.
I support #Occupysydney because it is a self-reflexive, safe and inclusive space for people who would not otherwise find themselves in each others company or given a voice. It promotes critical thinking, innovation, trust and understanding through the social expression of otherwise incommensurable ideologies.
I support #Occupysydney because the privatisation of public space is a serious threat to the fundamental experience and practice of liberal democracy.
I support #Occupysydney because financial capital buys extra rights, political representation, influence and access that are not available to all and I claim this is bad practice for democracy.
I support #Occupysydney because it is fun!
I support the OCCUPY movement, because I believe everyone has a right to a good job being paid at least the award, a home, food,good free education and free good healthcare including mental and dental.
I support the Occupy Movement, because children are dying of starvation and preventable diseases in the third world.
I support the Occupy movement because I think Capitalism and Consumerism are making the world a more miserable place.
I support Occupy because NO ONE person should own so much.
Every day more people lose their jobs.
I believe in equality of outcome in a world where Equality of Opportunity is still a distant dream for 99%.
I’m a Sydney sider and I support the occupy Sydney movement and the moments world wide, because I’m concerned that corporations already have too much power and it is only growing. also that they have to much clout in politics (see the axing of Rud, ongoing corporate funded political advertising (mining industry, plain pack ciggs, pokkies) with is misleading at best).
Because the pursuit of profit is given far to much emphasis,that rabid and unchecked growth should be the goal of any company and the main measure of success. Because of what i see as a lack of objectivity and rabid self interest present in the media. And finally because I would love to see a system where people could be given more of a voice than simply voting for a party every now and then
I’m a young person from Coffs Harbour on the North Coast. I am a qualified journalist, historian, and trainer, currently unemployed. I support Occupy because a million Australians truly cannot afford to live. The costs of food, fuel, utilities and housing are skyrocketing and people including myself are having to skip meals to survive. I also wanted to call on minister Conroy to resign because censoring the Internet it a crime against the people.
I am a 30 year old woman from a working-class background. I was born in Adelaide, though I now live in Sydney. I work full time in the NSW public sector and am doing my masters part-time. I support #occupysydney
For me, Occupy is not a protest against a specific issue and has no finite set of demands. Rather it is a process or method of confronting fundamental and difficult questions, and facilitating critical and open discourse. It is people having the right to congregate peacefully in public to talk about where our society fail us, to work inclusively and to learn through participation.
Occupy challenges my assumptions and privilege. Occupy is not about emmulating other countries, but being in solidarity. I know our situation is different and my discussions with people in the Sydney movement confirm this.
Occupy is about giving voice to the voiceless in our society. Most people, I think, understand that the 1% / 99% idea is not broadly representative, but it can be used to start a discussion: Who benefits, and who does not, in the curent system.
Occupy is not perfect, and does not claim to be. Occupy is not the only method, and doesn’t claim to be. Occupy inspires me.
I am a 25 year old student that works part time in retail. I have enough trouble paying my own rent and have seen nothing but profiteering from big companies or cost cutting at the expense of jobs & outsourcing to third world countries. I want sydney to occupy so that they can see we do notice the world changing. We refuse to “conform” and fit a template modeled on consuming and spending our money on things to waste our time. I want to see the world become more personal and people learn to communicate and appreciate each other rather than consume and ignore. I am also gathering people to share their message http://www.talkingoccupation.org
I am a single mother of two. My rent is one third of my income. I am outraged at the way peaceful protestors are bullied. I am outraged at the way corporate media sells 1% agendas as ‘news’. I am outraged that fake money has continued to enslave humanity for over 100 years. I am outraged that education fails to teach actual facts and current breakthroughs in science. I am outraged that my vote is used to help preference candidates not of my choosing. I am outraged that politicians, political parties and councillors continue to support corporate interests over human need. My outrage transmutes into action.
Occupy movement engages me. I commit to ongoing occupation for change that supports the 99% to become their own leaders and regain their own power to participate in direct democracy.
Wow I concur as a mother of two as well and as someone who has worked for social change for over 20 years, as someone who has been there when people have lost everything and are holding onto their dignity by a thread, as someone who has seen families ripped apart by uncaring bureacracies and the robots that run them. I see Occupy as a movement that aims to take a stand to take some of our humanity back. When you are sleeping out there remember that hundreds of thousands across the worl do that every night and have done so for a long time, they are the homeless. When you walk past a homeless person greet them from now on they are your borthers and sisters in this fight. Occupy is about all of us including those of us who have already given up because they are just trying to survive.
65 years of age is not the best time of ones life to finally realize you have been screwed by the australian govenment/banks for most of your life….But …!, thanks to the education I`ve received in the last few years from the likes of the zeitgeist movement,I feel lucky to be living in this day and age,and to have had access through the internet to information that a number of decades may not have been possible.
why do I support Occupy Sydney…because they stand for ideals we have to continue to pursue for the ongoing freedoms of the 99%.
they are all brave and couragious people, power to them all..!!!
Before retirement, I had a career in maths and IT. Lately it’s made me proud to support the heroes of the new movement.
For me, #occupysydney (as part of Occupy generally) is one of the most important ways forward for humanity. We need a sustainable, open and socially just society, and a new paradigm, as Ziggy calls it at http://www.occupysydney.org.au/2011/10/28/occupy-as-an-emerging-paradigm-of-governance/ , is a vital part of the path to a better world.
I’m 31 and I work part-time in community services in NSW.
I support Occupy Sydney because it has started a diverse, public, refreshing, democratic conversation about the epically unequal distribution of wealth and power in our society. In doing so it has shown the severe shortcomings of the current system for having these conversations and making decisions for the many – the police forcibly remove people peacefully and thoughtfully hanging out together in public, media pundits label them negatively, people in government send in the riot squad. I support Occupy Sydney because it has created space in a space-starved city, it has managed to do so without forgetting that we do so on stolen country, and because more people are tuning in all the time.
Why wait until we’re in the same position as US & Eu before we have the discussion?
Many of our politicians wag their tail at any foreign power’s behest at the expense of Australia’s sons & daughters futures & in some cases their very lives.
Why are politicians & corporates so afraid?
That alone is reason enough to occupy.
I am 56 y.o. Sydneysider and a carer. I have always been a bit of an armchair anachist. The movement has given me an opportunity to try to help make our shared ideals a reality. I intend to attend Saturday’s rally and march.
I am a 21 year old student. I support the occupy movement because i want to see a more equal society. I want to see people put before profits and the gap between rich and poor close.
I am 23 year old recent graduate of a B.A.(Hons), originally from Campbelltown but now living in Ultimo. I support Occupy Sydney because I fear for a future completely dominated by accumulation of wealth and consumption above all other concerns. I currently work two part-time jobs with terrible conditions and eat one meal a day so that I can afford my modest housing. I joined Occupy because the free market has failed me, the governments don’t listen to me, and I don’t want to be a burden on my family or charities to get by. Whilst living at Occupy off and on for over a week I was able to share ideas, learning, food, enthusiasm and work in equal measure. This is an opportunity for us to discuss our future in a public forum where everybody’s voice is heard. I have never seriously participated in any form of activism before but this is something that I truly believe in. We are the 99%. See you Saturday.
I am a 36 year old woman, full time worker in the corporate world, plus I own my own business – yet it doesn’t pay enough to cover my meagre bills, so I was required to return to work. I don’t spend money on extravagant items, I don’t own a car, or a big screen television. I turn off all the power points when I leave the house, and do everything I can as an individual to ensure my impact on the planet is minimal. yet still the combination of all the neccecities of life require me to earn more and more money.
I fully support OccupySydney because I am concerned for the future. I worry about the next generation and the generation after that. I’m worried that if my 2 year old niece is not as smart as we all wish her to be, that she will continually struggle to make enough money to live and support herself. I worry terribly about the path this society is taking, when people are used as collateral in the never-ending cycle for gaining profits. I worry terribly about the influence of big business in the ears and the pockets of our elected officials, and politicians. I am terribly worried, that when I say the word “politician”, the next word that comes to mind is “liar”. If we are not represented by those we elect, then where else can we turn? I support Occupy Sydney, and all other occupy’s because it’s a true, honest, grass-roots movement with no political affiliations. it’s a chance to start dialogue about corruption with everyone. It’s a chance to open up our minds, and learn to listen to others ideas. It’s a free and open space, where I am encouraged to speak my thoughts.
I support Occupy Sydney because I want to learn and encourage others to imagine the unimaginable.
I stand in solidarity with Occupyydney and every other global occupy. I live outside of Sydney and commute to work in a highly precarious environment where dissatisfaction and competition are the norm. I support the process of the GA and am inspired by the working groups and outreach that are taking place though the occupy movement.I do not want to stand by while others fight, at the same time I am happy to fight for those that cannot (people with disabilities, the aged, the very young, animals etc).Occupy together!
I am a 22 year old student of political economics. I support OCCUPY sydney because I can’t believe the world has managed to go on like this while such a large amount of people are unhappy and are powerless to prevent the exploitation in our current system. I believe this movement should ask for more than policy changes and the reassessment of our current government. I think this movement has the capacity to create deep societal change and begin a complete restructuring of human life and how we regard one another.
I support the Occupy movement because i am sick of seeing my fellow humans being mistreated, abused, exploited, ripped off, killed in unjust wars, underpaid, unrepresented by mainstream politics. Enough is enough.It’s time to get rid of social and economic injustice.It’s time to snatch our humanity back.
I’m a 19 year old economics student living in the inner-west of Sydney. I support Occupy Sydney and the global Occupy movements because they give me hope that people of all ages and backgrounds are beginning to realise that the current economic and social systems are not delivering satisfactory quality of life for enough people. I support Occupy Sydney because I believe that the unchallenged belief that we can grow economically every year forever on a planet with finite resources must be challenged.
I support Occupy because are rights and freedoms are being taken waya by corporations who pay our government reps to do what they want not the people. Time to clean up!!!
im a HSC student and i support Occupy because there is just waaaaaaaaaaaay to much money in this world, in the hands of a very small amount of people who do nothing with it when ther is just so many things that we could spend it on to improve humanity as a whole.
I am a 50 year old women with 3 children & 4 grandchildren. I support ‘Occupy’ because I am sick to death of the New World Order and the elite bankers controlling the financial markets of the world with their agenda to have final world control within a One World Government & financial system.
WE ARE NOT YOUR SLAVES!
I am a thirtysomething with a comfortable middle class life so far. I have not personally felt the hard-edge of the present inequality and environmental degradation but I am acutely aware of the problems. Since I am aware I want to help build for a better world.
In the relatively short time Occupy Sydney has been developing I have been inspired and educated. It is an interesting and turbulent but fulfilling learning curve.
I believe and hope it is here to stay, grow, and change us for the better.
I’m a 20 year old student from sydney’s inner-west.
I whole heartedly support the occupy together movement, and its principles.
As a child, i understood inequality before i could get my head around politics.
Only because it confronts us daily us, which must be an indicator that there is a problem with our political and social systems at home and world wide.
I want to see change for the future of my younger brother,
)
confidence that my parents will be given their due’s for working hard their entire lives and not robbed of their entitlements,
And a reassurance of my future, as well as my unborn children
(Not rushing into anything in that regard though!
I support Occupy movements because ‘enough is enough’, we are the 99% and we need to keep corporations out of politics, especially Mass media conglomerations, bring on the Robin Hood Tax!!!
I am a 45 year old liberal voting, God fearing, right wing, conservative accountant earning very good money and living in Sydney. I am not an anarchist or a demonstrator by nature, but I fully support Occupy Sydney and have attended your occupation on a number of occasions.
I support Occupy Sydney because I want my children to live in a society rather than in an economy. I want them to live in a fair and just society where there is a balance between effort and reward. I support Occupy Sydney mostly because I believe in justice; the act of being just and fair.
Proverbs 31:9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Thank you James. Of the powerful and boastful the Good Book also says:
“Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.” Psalm 73 vs 9 NIV
I am a 45 year old male earning above average income. I work for a large corporation. I pay all my tax and receive no middle class welfare. I would gladly pay more if it meant revitalising public education, sheltering the homeless, proper payments for pensioners, the disabled and unemployed. I too wish for a just society.
I support the Occupy Movement and in particular Occupy Sydney.
I am the 99%
My own conclusion, as an outsider, has been seeing passionate people educated in what they stand for and the people they represent, working collaboratively, peaceably. I support #occupysydney because I have been impressed, I have been impassioned, because it is a powerful representation of positive groupthink- that solidarity movements have sprung up –individually- all over the world. Because these people have not been voted in, yet are powerful through working together to draw attention to the need for change, to create a voice from the people.
Im a Mum of 3 Children in Western Sydney. I support Occupy Sydney because it gives the community a chance to come together and voice their disapprovals. I have a child with disabilities and we find it very hard to get support as he is deemed as “mild case”. Even with a “mild case” disabled child we face extreme challenges every day. I cant go to work as i need to be at the school each day with my son to ensure he is able to cope. The school does not receive any additional help because he is “mild form” Aspergers and 0.5points lower than a diagnosis mark. I totally understand why our teachers are striking as ive seen first hand how hectic a class can be with multiple children with disabilites and NO or minimal assistance. If we dont change the systems now, our children will suffer in the future. Love my occupy family, ive slept out and been kicked out and my love for all you peeps has grown. #occupyEarth and lets see change!
I support Occupy Sydney because it gives marginalised people a true voice.
I’m a primary school teacher and find it hilarious that the children i teach daily have a greater understanding of how floored our democratic and financial systems are than the so called representatives, leaders and experts that guide us blindly through it.
Here’s a quote from a persuasive text written by a year 6 student about the topic, ‘How Fair Is Democracy?’
” If every person get’s one vote to vote for the ideas that best suit them then how can it be that 10% of the people in Australia own more than half of everything? Does that mean that everyone voted for things to be this way? It doesn’t really make sense that they would, so then how could this happen if democracy is supposed to be the fairest system there is? The idea of democracy might seem fair but how can that be when the end results are not.”
I’m still not sure whether to laugh with happiness or cry with joy.
The next topic for discussion might be ‘Should people be allowed to own more than they can possibly ever use?
I wonder what kids will have to say about that one.
And just quickly on another relevant note. Does everyone know that the NSW state government while crying poor about funding teachers and hence public education in August this year gave a 300 million tax break to clubs?
Maybe they could tax some of that 5 or so billion dollars the banks seem to make every year without fail and recession or not?
What would you say as a matter of priority is more in line with the overall long term public good?
I guess the point is education is not their priority for without an educated public movements of social good such Occupy would never pop up in the first place. The people would be to daft to ever work out they’re being duped.
Change is a coming.
I SUPPORT! Unless you are aware of the world we are living in beyond baseline news, you may not then be aware how in crisis the world as a whole is. As everything is interdependant in our world of limited resource; we as Australians are blessed to live in the “2nd best country in the world” according to the UN and it is even more important for us as Citizens to uphold the Rights that Law has placed with intention to protect ( “us” as Citizens )for the future growth; health and advancement of progress. In cases of what “no longer serves” WE must be the ones to insist upon issues that need proactive addressing for WE are one of the few lucky enough to be able to afford the luxury to ignore this deep crisis of the present .. but this too is only a short matter of time and this too will come upon our shores. I encourage reflection while we are still at liberty to do so. We are affected by everything around us.
Establishments we have entrusted to protect individuals and our personal property and community such as internationally private Banking Companies; Governments; Public servants; Officials; Liasons; Allies and World Leaders have been involved in atrocious corrupted practises making travesties of what we call “Democracy” all in our name and from OUR own pockets and ineffectively places serious threat and dangers to us all as well as worldwide. We not only have the right but the DUTY to address these disparities within the “grey matter” as it influences and shapes our History and the Truth as it has; and leads/ has already lead to the decline of us all- through aggression; control; disease; poverty; oppression; sickness of our Earth; our humans- physically and mentally in “silent murders” of spirit; physical bodies; our future and perhaps most importantly in TRUTH; which for our children and securing future for them must take a drastic and honest turn towards transparency- altering what we are only partially aware of what has become of Education; History and Social Ethic as well as global Consciousness. We as a species should be moving forwards in a way that we are able to learn from the past mistakes and imbalances to create abundance and advancement and align sustainably hand with hand (to be proud be to call ourselves citizens). Our present systems do not allow for this progression and is the setting for devastation which has already began manifesting for many years now worldwide.. our reluctance to return honourably and uphold our Democratic identity with honesty and not distraction has already had devastating effects..
I could write a book on how and why this is all very important- but I will leave my small comment and encourage everyone to educate themselves thoroughly in the finer details of this all. Thank you all for understanding how crucial to everything this is!
I support Occupy Sydney because it is about people not politics. People are more than just consumers and voters.
We buy a product or vote for a govt and believe we have choice. But in a world where money is the only thing that talks, real choice and self expression is limited and controlled. As has been demonstrated by the NSW police action to stop OS rally and march.
I support Occupy because I have a disability and I have worked with people with disability. I used to believe I was protected by a democratic society, but, like many, I have seen my choices for the future shrinking. Those with the least resources are the first to fall through the thin safety net of this ‘developed’ nation.
I am posting this on behalf of a woman, Ellen, who has limited access to the internet.
I am a 50 year old woman from Adelaide. I am so proud of what this protest and movement are doing. I have been following it on the news, and it reminds me of the struggles I have faced to secure more emergency housing for women and children at risk and better mental health advocacy in south australia. Those battles were not won easily, with many people pushing us down. The support for people struggling in this country is not adequatetly resourced, and many people fall through the cracks of an overwhelmed system. The media does not help by stigmatising people who live in poverty or with mental illness. I am so proud more people are willing to go out in public and say this is not acceptable anymore. Please do not give up.
I’m a 30-something married father of 3 from the Wollongong area. I spend around 3 hours every day commuting to Sydney and onwards north of the bridge. I’m rarely home, I make “good money”, and yet – the ends do not meet.
I support the Occupy Movement because I don’t want my kids to grow up in a world where they barely see their father because he’s always working, and yet there’s never enough to give them all they need, let alone want.
Corporate Greed, both towards consumers and towards employees is simply the latest step on the social de-volutionary ladder, since the monetary system became unlinked from the gold standard and was replaced with debt-as-currency.
I demand a better world for my kids, and I demand you demand the same.
I am 36 and a stay home mum of 4 who is trying to get back into the work force, but thanks to the increase of every day living my plans have yet again been put on hold as I can not afford the fees to go back n study. I Support Occupy Sydney because I am tired of politicians and the rich thinking they r the only ones that matter. it’s time they all woke up. We are the 99%, we are the back bone of this country, with out us they would not be able to live their cushy life styles.
I’m a 28 year old musician and academic. I support Occupy Sydney because I see it as a grassroots movement that is creating a community and bringing people together in order to discuss the current state of our society, to learn about it and understand it, and to change it for the better. It is important to occupy a public space because it is symbolic of the larger movement that aims to create a society in which the needs and aspirations of the majority of the population are catered to, a non-hierarchical society with a bottom-up organisation that involves as many people as possible and provides them with a decent standard of living.
I am a 32 year old teacher and I came out to support occupy Sydney today because its time for us all to start asking the questions and to get together have a discussion about what’s really possible!
I’m a 35 year old single mother with 3 children & have a masters degree in litrature, philisophy & the arts. I’m currently unemeployed as I find it hard to work within the unfair parameters of 9 to 5 & believe I should be able to work the hours that I choose. I support the occupation because we should all share equally. If a CEO earns millions it should be shared between the unemployed so that we don’t have to work & can expand the movement. I also expect that society should house & feed us so that we can further the word & make us all freer as people & commune with nature as one.
I’m a 26yr old geographer/environmental scientist from Europe. It is unacceptable that:
- Cooperations rape the earth to make profits today as if there is no tomorrow
- Governments, even in the most democratic western countries, do not have the power to stop this behaviour anymore
- the mass media does not cover any of the worlds real contemporary problems, but is full of shit and in the hands of the 1%
- THE PEOPLE HAVE LOST THE POWER TO DECIDE ON WHATS GOING ON THEIR NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENTS TO GREEDY, SLIMEY, SOULLESS PEOPLE WHO ARE GOOD AT THIS EVIL GAME
D.O.N.T. B.L.A.M.E. T.H.E. P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. — BLMAE THOSE WHO WROTE THE RULES!
I am 72 and still have to work to cope with rising costs and live in reasonable comfort. I am appalled at the level of corporate greed and influence and fully support the aims of the Occupy movement. It will take years for people power to force change and I feel a one step at a time approach might be effective. Perhaps a first step could be a campaign against corporate contributions to political parties and the thriving lobbying industry?
I’m a 19 year-old student and I’m worried about the future. I support the Occupy movement because I feel like they actually care about what happens to my future.
I’m an 18 year old student of Brisbane. I support the occupy Sydney movement even though I’m kilometers away, because I believe everyone deserves a chance. Companies pursuit for wealth has become greater than their humanity and people are being neglected because of it. The thought that this may be the future of My home scares me…
“only when the last tree has died and the last river poisoned and the last fish caught will we realize we cannot eat money” Cree Indian proverb.
I am a retired senior living in Sydney. I went to school here but spent 35 years in the US and am a dual citizen. I worked in architecture and corporate real estate. I experienced first hand the corrupting influence of corporate power on Wall Street, the media and politics. The US is owned and operated, pure and simple by the corporate oligarchy while State and Federal governments serve their interests over the interests of the people. The economy and foreign policy are all about the massive transfer of wealth from the 99% to the 1%.
The situation in Australia is not as extreme, but it is moving in that direction. Few Australians seem to realise that our superannuation system and tax laws such as negative gearing are examples of this transfer of wealth from the people to the oligarchs. The #Occupy movement is the non-violent voice of the people saying we must reverse this fallacious belief in growth and “markets”, our illegal support of wars of occupation and aggression and the destruction of our planet. There is no viable alternative.
I support the occupy movement because it has emerged to resist the political and economic machine which is the cause of war and environmental devastation across the globe.
I am a university science graduate and now an apprentice electrician. I support the Occupy Sydney movement because I believe that the path the world is on as a direct result of capitalism and consumerism is leading toward an unpleasant future. As our population increases and our resources diminish, I don’t see how our ancient systems of government could possibly provide for my children’s children. Especially due to the fact that they are already failing the masses now in a time of relative abundance. They system needs changing now and the sooner we start talking about it and bringing the flaws of the currents systems to light, the sooner we can work on solutions to some of these issues.
I support Occupy because for the first time in my lifetime it’s a movement that is focused on finding the root causes of the problems that we are facing as a species. Our way of life on this planet is unsustainable. the current economic model requiring us to constantly mine, manufacture and sell more stuff could lead us to our extinction. Consider how things such as electrical appliances were built when my parents were my age. Built to last is unthinkable in today’s economy. Products are designed to end up in landfill as soon as possible without leaving the consumer feeling so unsatisfied that they’ll change to a different brand. This is how our entire economy works! Selling more stuff at all costs, and for what? Is our constant growth model making us happier? It’s making us less happy. And it’s doomed to collapse sooner or later. Constant growth on a finite planet is insanity. Occupy is about coming up with ways of living on this planet that will make these unsustainable models obsolete.
I’m a software developer, have worked for more than 23 years (from age 15), self taught, just to get by and provide for some decent lifestyle for my wife and children, without any luxuries but also almost no lacking. I get that it was mostly inability to control expenses, coupled with a fair amount of bad luck, and that many people on lower incomes have successfully managed to develop some wealth, so I definitely don’t want to shed responsibility and blame society for my misfortune.
I support Occupy because we have reached a stage in knowledge and technology that could fulfil on the needs of every person in the planet, and in consideration for the environment. Yet, in my view this doesn’t happen because of competition instead of collaboration, because of ego instead of compassion, because of a need by the better off wealthwise to sustain that divide. I’m sure they don’t understand that by letting go of their possessiveness and ego, we can all be much better off, including themselves. The wealthiest 1% is blind, antisocial, egomaniac, and paranoid, and the Occupy Movements are coming to the rescue of this very ill society, opening the doors and people’s eyes to a future of equality and prosperity.
I support Occupy Sydney and all worldwide Occupy sites 100%.
I support them with every fibre of my being because:
1)I vehemently reject a world of perpetual warfare (coming soon).
2)I reject economies based on magical abstract mathematics forced on us by the banking elite (already here). If they keep printing money out of thin air we will stop them.
3)I reject the mainstream media/movie/computer game/porn/music industry and their perception managment/social engineering agenda (our whole lives).
4) I reject the oil/gas/big pharma/GMO/water/weapoms industries/ corrupt think tanks/politicians/pseudo parties. academic hacks that are paid by big business (almost complete).
5) I reject the current model/formula that we run the world by which is:
social cost + human cost + environmental catastrophy = Maximum Profit.(last few thousand years)
The new model/formula should be; Maximum Profit = social/personal happiness + human progress/peace/justice + sustainable environment = Maximum profit. (the next few thousand years).
I am not affiliated with any political party or group.
Sending love
Stef
I was raised a right wing capitolist. I thought that protesters were hippies and riff-raff dole bludgers. I spent my life getting rich and when I reached the pinacle I realised how empty that life was. The more money I made, the more social expectation there was to make more. Everything cost infinitely more until I was eventually working to sustain my inflated lifestyle. I decided to pack it in, take my children to a cheaper area and spend time educating myself instead.
What i learnt through study was critical thinking skills. Through studying sociology and human behaviour I learned that there really was no such thing as “everyone ahs the same opportunities”. I started to research the history of wars. I started to delve into economics and politics and saw the world differently for the first time in my life.
I saw the hypocrisy of the rich. I saw the indifference they had to the suffering of others. I started to see how the poor and exploited were enslaved for the riches of the rich, and that as a society we are stuck in a work-debt-work cycle because of the corporate greed and corruption of the banking sector – and the way it operates. Fractional reserve banking opened my eyes a great deal to how the economy REALLY works.
I started to realise that the value and purpose in life was connecting with other humans. Challenging yourself to put yourself out there and connect with human beings from all socio-economic conditions. People with all manner of education levels. People of all races and I started to see a common thread in all people – we are all just the same. We all suffer, we all have the same goals in life – to end our suffering and giving to others gives us purpose and a sense of humanity above anything that money can buy.
Recently, I was reading a news site about children starving to death in Sudan due to food shortages. Beside that story, was an advertisement for Diet pills. I sat there in shock and disbelief that we live in a world where we are all entitled to live from the resources our earth provides, yet by some virtue of birth we were ‘lucky’ enough to have food a plenty in our country. In fact, we over eat. We over consume and we do this at the cost of people who are poor. We consume THEIR SHARE OF THE EARTHS RESOURCES and this is JUST NOT OKAY.
The asymmetry of power in our society and the inequality inherent in our world because of the abusive and corrupt acquisition practises of corporate owned governments has led me to the point of activism.
We require radical change in the way our society works. There is plenty of resources for everyone in our world to live comfortably,but yet a select few stockpile them at the cost of the rest of our sisters and brothers.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke) By your silence you condone it. I choose not to condone this any more. This is why I occupy.
I am a 26 year old tradesman from Sydney’s northern beaches.
I fully support the Occupy movement as I feel that we have a chance at turning the state of the planet around by changing the way we think about money, power and resources.
We cant give up because we cant lose.
How can we not support the Occupy Movement?
I believe there is a gross inequity in the distribution of wealth in our society. I watch the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and I know it is wrong.
The global recession has caused corporations to tighten their belts (read; get more work out of less people under lower standard working conditions) and yet the very top of the tree continues to reap huge profits. Government doesn’t help because their principle concern is always getting re-elected and the top of the tree has the power to heavily influence an election.
If I don’t stand up to be counted I have no right to complain and I think we should be complaining LOUD AND LONG!
How can we not support the Occupy movement? It is OUR movement after all.
Dear Sir / Madam
Governments Grab & Give to Grow
Like any organism, governments have a natural propensity to grow.
The Gillard Government’s plan to preferentially transfer up to $12K pa to those in the social work sector is a classic example of this.
The beneficiaries of this money transfer are not those on low incomes. The beneficiaries are those who try to manage the consequences of low incomes.
Those on low incomes have been unjustly taxed at 15% on their superannuation contributions for almost two decades, have been unjustly exposed to 10% GST and have not enjoyed a taxation rate reduction for over a decade, while inflation has continued to eat into their earnings.
In contrast, those on higher incomes and marginal taxation rates benefit from the 15% superannuation contributions taxation, are less exposed to GST since they can save or invest and have benefitted from a number of marginal taxation rate reductions.
The steady decline in income of those who earn least is often what leads to a mother having to seek paid work, a husband feeling inadequate, family breakdown more generally, domestic violence specifically etc.
Yet it is not the increasingly marginalized group of those on the lowest income in society that is to benefit from the Gillard Government’s latest grab and grow spurt.
Those on almost double the minimum wage are the ones who will benefit…who will be paid off to support government while government continues to create an ever growing pool of increasingly dependent poor.
The Gillard Government’s social services pay off is a socially sick dependency trick!
It is well known, and has been for decades, that social work is less well remunerated than a commercial career.
Mainly woman voluntarily gravitate to this career choice, also because they can afford to care.
The carbon tax budget boon was supposed to benefit our environment, the air we breath, the water we drink, the soil we grow our food in.
The carbon tax budget boon was not supposed to be used to pay off socialists for political power at the expense of the poor and to impoverish more.
The two billion that the government seems determined to blow would be more equitably spent reimbursing the poor superannuation contributions taxes, GST paid where marginal income tax was at less than 10% and in general, ANY taxation paid by ANY households trying to live on less than $50Kpa.
Enrich the poor and you won’t need social workers any more!!!
Alice
Alice Hitchcock
iVote
Julia said ‘no carbon tax’
Julia started a carbon tax.
We said ‘no war’
Howard supported the war
Our vote is no vote – democracy is hypocrasy
Hope is with technology
We could each vote, online, real time…
No pollies, only people polls…100% representative…100% implemented
iVote, youVote, we could all Vote for iVote
I support occupy, because it is quite clear that the world has enough resources and they are not being shared equally. There are enough jobs for all, again if it were shared equally. Financial greed is being put before human well being. A fortune is spent on war, while the needy are starving.
iVote!?
I love it. The top end will fight that all the way but what a great idea. I’d like to add to that the idea of total public electoral transparency overseen by several different university IT departments.
First motions up for the vote:
Should we have a robin hood tax of 3% instead of 1%?
Should we have a mining tax of 35% to be directly invested into publicly owned renewable energies?
Should Australia have a wealth cap of some sort?
I personally think (and know for a fact) the iVote is the most fearful concept imaginable for the top 10%. You get a groundswell of people wanting that and the public perception attacks that would follow would make the occupy attacks thus far seem like sunday lunch. Let’s get it out there and see what happens.
All those in favour of iVote….
Throw it into a dinner party conversation
We should all be so proud of what it is we’re trying to achieve
I think you may have to do some research, the electronic voting system in the states, was shown to be rigged.
The system had a bias default bug written into the program.
might be a good idea to google this issue before you get to excited.
anyway gooooooooo occupy.
the electronic voting system in the states was run by Diebold hardware and i think it was microsoft software. Feel free to google the links between Bush and Diebold.
The danger with having a private corporation run the software is also obvious.
In the ACT eVoting has been trialed with the use of open source software. It’s not kept by a private not-publicly-accountable corporation, the code is released to the public so anyone and everyone can debug it and make sure the security is water tight.
eVoting is possible with open source software.
Some levels of government have got to go…
Australia has a population of about 23 million…the population of Tokyo alone is 34.4 million.
Nine other world cities have populations approaching 20 million – close to the population of Australia.
Tokyo, with a population about 50% higher than that of Australia, is managed by a single metropolitan council.
We in Australia get taxed to support local, state, federal and commonwealth government structures…is it any wonder it seems impossible to get ahead financially while we are wrapped up in more and more red tape…
We pay for each local council to develop, implement and regulate thier own set of local laws…and ditto for state governments…
Every day, beaurocrats at local, state, federal and commonwealth government levels sit at thier desks and think about how they can change things, get more money, get more power, and all we generally hear about is how we are hopelessly misrepresented by those we vote for…
This fat cat has got to go…
Corporate capitalists are fat cats…so are governments…and they feed off each other…
The carbon tax is hot off the press and it is full steam ahead (global warming acceleration) on SEVEN gas and coal projects in Queensland alone!
We do need to reoccupy our world…to rid ourselves of excessive government and exploitative corporates…to be more humane, healthy and individually independent…
iVote
The ballot box
Is a hoax
Such democracy
Is hypocracy
Hope
Is with technology
Vote online, real time
No pollies
Just people polls
100% representative
100% implemented
iVote, youVote, we could all vote for iVote!
Carbon tax and carbon projects (oil, coal & gas)
Cash cows polluting our planet…
I was watching the brutal way LA police were treating the occupiers
recently on the tube.
maybe collecting some jars of bull ants and ….should I go on…!!
Get a few of them romp in around the private parts…hmm mm
The old insect world is full of great self defense mechanisms.
keep it up occupiers Power to you…and keep your eye on the co-opters
I love what you guys are doing.. It has highlighted a lot to the world about injustices, media lies etc.. I think it would be good if Occupy Sydney develop a strategy based on the evident lies and corruption all around us..That people can see and relate to. Talking about 1% vs 99% all the time does not make people see what you are talking about..Things like media bias, government lies, corp lies and lobbying against laws etc..need to be highlighted more. But simple easy to understand hard for the media to twist.
Once again i admire you guys keep up the good work.
I don not support the occupy movement. Its intersting how many of those supporting occupy sydney movement recieve some kind of internal revenue supported benefit. ie University Education, Disability allowance, New Start, Job Start etc. I paid 68k in tax last year. How much did you lot pay. Yeah thought so, perhaps its not real fair afterall. Max
about $33k so a fair hit actually.
but if it is distributed well I don’t mind a bit, but knowing it goes to gov waste projects like train tracks never built, security for global leaders i.e. war criminals, tax breaks to mining and banking sectors etc, I get more angry at gov than at the few people who get social security payments like my mum who is on a disability pension. Perspective, caring, understanding. Less me, more us. Thats why I occupy.
“Its intersting how many of those supporting occupy sydney movement recieve some kind of internal revenue supported benefit. ie University Education, Disability allowance, New Start, Job Start etc.”
It is interesting. But then again, you don’t actually state or indeed know how many, so I will assume that what you find so interesting is how few there are.
hey max
always wondered where that word “ASSUMPTION” came from.
heres an oldy but a goodee:
TO ASS-U-ME MAKES AN ASS OUT OF YOU AND ME, wadda think max.
cheers
Ross
I think Max is making a valid point about the higher income earners paying a disproportionate and unfair amount of tax.
Surely you have a more intelligent response than that Ross?
Then again, maybe you don’t.
I see Ziggy isn’t moving off-topic posts from here with as much vigilance as before.
Yeah, I’m taking a bit of a holiday
Only a few of the supporters of Occupy Sydney are unemployed or students. Most are employed and instead of watching TV they come and participate in the community discussions Occupy movements are concerned with, like the accelerating inequality, the militarisation of police, the impunity of mining companies’ damage on the environment and other anti-social qualities, the power concentration by banks…
Paying high taxes is as unfair as it is being poor, they’re both product of a sick system. Pay lower taxes and expect more violence as inequality raises and the most impoverished begin resorting to criminal activities to survive.
Max, you keep focusing on complaining about how much money you lose paying taxes, we’ll keep looking for solutions to the environment degradation and power concentration, so both our grandchildren still have a chance at quality of life and freedom in our country. You’re very welcome to participate too, though.
not to mention that governments use citizen taxes to fund private for profit business where people make a profit from your taxes without giving you anything back. They use rhetoric of ‘we need to stimulate and make jobs’ but then to maximise profit even more the jobs go to cheap ‘third world’ labour and again everyone loses. Except big business and the profiteers. Congrats!
[...we’ll keep looking for solutions to the environment degradation and power concentration, so both our grandchildren still have a chance at quality of life and freedom in our country]
This is the thing I will never understand about your ‘group’.
So a few left wing people camping in a park can suddenly solve all of the world’s problems?
What make you think you have anything to offer?
Seriously?
There are some very clever, educated people spending their whole lives on this stuff.
Maybe today in my lunchbreak I will solve all of Sydneys public transport woes, poverty in Africa and make clean coal financially viable.
Wish me luck!
…So what do people think of the ‘technocrats’ running Greece and Italy.
Maybe the Italians won’t be able to retire at 45 any more?
That’s just silly, and goes to show how little you get from the work we’re doing. Of course we’re not going to fix or change anything on our own! What we do is discuss what is the true nature of the problems we have, so that we can raise awareness effectively. It will be people’s awareness what will introduce changes. Protesting, campaigning, giving seminars, interviews, all of that helps to open people’s eyes to problems they’re are blind to. I was blind to them also until I found, by chance, information that raised my awareness, for example the fact that banks create money out of thin air every time someone requests a loan or spends on credit, and there is nothing to back it up other than the promise of the debtor to repay. Or that the world’s wealthiest 1% owns more than 40% of the total wealth of the world, and the following 9% owns another 40%.
[all of that helps to open people’s eyes to problems they’re are blind to.]
Got to love extremist terminology…
One of these days when you are sitting there talking to the other 4 of you left there at OS – that’s all that are there now according to ‘the project’ last night – and you’re watching all the 99.99999% of people just walking past going about their normal daily duties… maybe, just maybe the remainder will finally get it.
Have you ever thought you’re the one who is still blinded?
Do you really think ‘unequal’ wealth distribution (however you define it) and political influence are new concepts?
You’re a long way behind the rest of the 100%…
Why occupy sydney?…we as a species are at a crucial turning point in our history/evolution and I think occupy- as a global movement is a significant catalyst for the universal positive changes which will come if the people do there bit and expose the corruption and unethical practices of many large corporations. We also have to take responsibility ourselves and not get caught up blaming the CEOs etc and not be repressed by the continual efforts of centralised power holders to control the population and keep them unaware. I believe humanity may be on the brink of a conscious transition into a spiritual renaissance – which is being resisted against by controlling powers who do not trust the population to control themselves – for many justifiable reasons, That is why we need to formulate a better system, – socially responsible capitalism and a true democracy is a great place to start. I could go on and on about why occupy exists but it is what we do with it now. Godspeed everyone
While Obama is here…about the USA (much, much less than America – the Americas)…
We have better beaches, they have awesome mountains.
A clear blue sky is generally only visible in Florida there, we have blue skies every where.
They have pitifully few unspoilt public places – land is mainly ‘posted’ private property.
Their weather is extreme, ours more temparate.
They pay a mortgage for family health care (~$15Kpa), we pay maybe ~ $1K on average (another reason our homes cost more – we have more $ to pay).
They have trial by media and still have the death penalty in places. We have our privacy protected until we are found guilty.
Racism there remains rampant. African Americans are still discriminated against by government / corporate employers in the deep south, the further north one goes, the more rabidly anti-latino they get and native Americans, and Asians are in general under represented by the media, built environment etc.
They gave the world nuclear bombs and genetically modified corn, wheat, soy.
They are over invested in unsustainable profiteering and power mongering and underinvested in promoting world wide peace and prosperity.
Our leaders follow them into a socially regressive time warp and bring onto us the horrors of their reality.
Even our daily bread is under threat…
‘Genetically modified (GM) wheat has never been proven safe to eat. Yet our Government is about sell a ‘patent’on Australia’s daily bread to a handful of foreign biotech corporations.
These biotech companies have just released GM wheat across five Australian states and territories. But Australian people and Australian farmers were never consulted.
Unless the Government wakes up, Australians will be the first people in the world to eat unsafe GM bread.
Not just that, our farmers will be forced to pay foreign biotech corporations, like Monsanto, even if they don’t want GM genes on their land.
We urgently need action to keep Australian wheat healthy, safe and fair.’
(Acknowledgement – From Greenpeace web page. The web page also provides action options)
i agree. our elected representatives are clearly not looking after the public’s best interests when it comes to pharmaceutical and chemical industries being allowed to do what they like.
I support Occupy because I have lost faith in the current political system to a) Represent me b) enact any real policy change to address the machinations of corporations (inc banks, private defence manufacturers, big pharma, mining etc) which *must* have people in third world countries almost enslaved in order for them to function. That’s why I don’t have ‘demands’ of the government. The government could never implement the demands I would have in its current form.
I support Occupy because I believe that the pursuit of money, fame and power has resulted in terrible atrocities in this world, from right here in Australia to every corner of the world. Constant growth and pursuit of total power has infiltrated even the ideals we call ‘Capitalism’ and ‘Democracy’.
I want something different. I am outraged but hopeful. I know it could take a long time to see *real* change. I feel it will only happen through grounds roots people power saying ‘we don’t want this anymore’.
I’m a 21 year old student, and i completely support the occupy movement. It’s about time we all voiced our opinion. And I want to help more, so if you guys need any volunteers let me know!
I’m married father of four, and a law student (mature age, who’s worked his whole life since leaving school far too early), and I support the occupy movement because it recognises (adjust spell check to Aus/Eng) both the fundamental injustice in society, epitomised by gross socioeconomic disparities, and the fact that we lack the means to effectively redress the problem, due to our having a political system which is blatantly focused on serving the entrenched economic interests of a greedy and selfish minority. Oh, and because of ignorant, smug fools such as ‘Max’ and ‘the real 99%’.
Having a job doesn’t make you ‘better’ than the unemployed, or non-working students, drongos. What, the opinion of someone who’s worked their whole life, but been retrenched because of corporate cutbacks, or state ‘austerity’ measures is suddenly worth less because they’re not currently employed? A uni student who is fortunate enough to have parental support so they don’t have to work, and can focus on their studies, should have that held against them? I’d love to hear your reasoning on this one – though I doubt you have anything that would qualify as such. I don’t know why the mod felt the need to cater to your ignorance on this point, though perhaps he was probably just highlighting the error of your prejudiced assumption.
There are, quite clearly, a lot of things you’ll never understand, ‘real 99%’. The most obvious one being that those who support the Occupy movement, and fundamental socioeconomic and political change in general, are not simply ‘a few left wing people camping in a park who think they can suddenly solve all of the world’s problems’. If you’d bothered to read the comments on this page alone you’d see a vast array of perspectives (social, economic and political), though I understand your failing to do so, what with your rush to rant out your premeditated and baseless ad hom attacks on the good people who’ve come here for real discussion. I’ve always thought ‘trolls’ were a sorry lot, and you’re, I’m afraid to say it, sorrier than most.
Perhaps you have some statistics, well referenced opinions, or even a logical argument to put forward? No? Just the smarmy ‘holier than thou’ tripe you accuse other people off? The only person who comes across as an extremist here is you, ya dunce – a moronic fundamentalist. Do you have anything to counter the claims made by people here regarding the fact of economic disparity in our society – a society which is better off than most? Oh, that’s right. You watched a television show and it told you something, which obviously must be true. Real ‘intelligent’. And your coup de grace of reasoning – because “unequal wealth distribution” (that’s how you defined it) has been around a long time, then it must be ok. Wow, a real powerhouse argument that one. You know what else has been around a long time, 99%? Rape, murder, fraud, torture, religious intolerance… the list goes on and on. But no one should concern themselves with such things; try to stop or reduce them, because, as you say ‘hey, such things have been around a real long time’. Brilliant stuff. Thank goodness the education system is producing more intelligent ‘leftists’ to combat dribble like yours. Sheesh.
I’ll be at Martin Place this friday night, standing there with all you other fine people. Nothing lasting, that is truly worth having, comes without effort and struggle. Whatever little that I can contribute, I shall.
so…apparently it’s a week to go before parliament head home…
they grabbed the carbon tax…on the premise of a ‘tax back’ sweetner…an increase in the tax free threshold to ~$18K from $6K…to compensate the poor for the carbon tax they will have to pay by way of increased utility prices…
funny how there has been no news about that change to the tax threshold going through???
the government bleats about a shortage of skilled labour and then hangs onto a bloated civil service
maybe too many ATO employees would be made redundant by the tax table change
all that fiddling they have to do at the bottom end…take a, b, c, d…give back p, q, r, s…based on w, x, y, z
let every individual keep $25K tax free without all the social engineering bureaucracy…you know we need it…you know we earned it…so get your grubby government claws off it!!!
Not being a political scientist…took some time to look into Federal Parliament structures (Ref. Wikipedia, Parliament of Australia)…
Did you know:
1) The Constitution discriminates outrageously against the Territories. For example, the Northern Territory is only represented by 2 Senators, rather than their rightful 12 in the Senate and by 1 Member rather than their rightful up to 24 in the House of Representatives.
2) The Senate and the House of Representatives (HOR) have ballooned to almost twice their original size (76 cmf 42 Senators in the Senate and 150 cmf ~85 Members in the HOR) over the last 120 years.
3) ONLY 25% of either the Senators or the Members have to be present for legislation to be passed. How many Senators and Members were having coffee and cake when the Carbon Tax, the GST etc. were passed???
If the owner of the carpet company I once worked for heard about all of this, he would have fired 75% of the pollies on the spot…because clearly in terms of the Constitution, they are not needed. He would have downsized personnel over the last 120 years, not doubled the number, particularly since they have now had 120 years to create an appropriate legal structure for the country and surely they should be onto a less personnel intensive maintenance phase for the job. Also, he would have changed parliamentary processes to incorporate new technology, like iVote, to improve the preciseness of political representation, to better equip the Parliament to achieve its primary purpose.
Did you know that some legislation that lampoons us passes or not based on the perceived volume of yah’s & na’s shouted out…they don’t even do a count…no little electronic ‘yes & no’ counters. And these sloppy and archaic systems are supposed to support us???
Occupy…you are right…stars in the night…not slaves to dysfunctional and expensive systems that simply do not represent us!
Bullying and Blinding Big Banks
One would think that when one borrows money from a bank, the most important information would be how much money one has actually paid the bank back.
Please look at your mortgage statements.
The biggest bank in Australia, the Commonwealth Bank, lists every transaction on your mortgage account EXCEPT how much money you have paid back, how much of your principal has been repaid.
This issue was taken up with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) about a year ago.
The FOS state that their Terms of Reference (TOR) are that they are only able to consider disputes about a financial service provider’s practice or policy if…(of relevance) ‘the policy or practice breaches an obligation the financial services provider owes to its customer’.
After numerous communications between the FOS and CWB spanning an entire year, the FOS reported the CWB’s response as:
‘In relation to your Home Loan Statement issued by CBA, they say that the Home Loan Summary provides sufficient information to customers and they decline your request for a column differentiating the principle deduction amount’.
The FOS, it seems, after much endeavor, succumbed to the Big Bank Bullies as they then concluded that…’FOS has reviewed your account statements to ensure that they comply with National Consumer Credit Protections Act 2009. It is not the policy of CBA to provide the information and line item that you are seeking and therefore, FOS cannot consider this aspect of your dispute any further.’
What happened to the FOS’s responsibility to ensure that the policy or practice does not breach an obligation the financial services provider owes to its customer?
Surely I have a right to know how much I have paid off my loan each month without having to do complex calculations.
Surely I should be able to readily verify that the correct amount has been repaid and be able to add up the amounts repaid to check that I am not being made to pay back more than I owe???
In my view, the FOS saw the dispute as one of substantial merit or they would not have spent an entire year pursuing it.
In my view, and now I am speculating, the CWB put their lawyers onto the dispute and bullied the FOS into stepping down despite it clearly being within the jurisdiction of the FOS to persist as, the CWB, in most people’s right minds, has an obligation to provide principal repayment transaction details, has an obligation to tell us how much of our money was taken to repay our loan each time money was taken to repay it.
Clearly the National Consumer Credit Protections Act 2009 is not protecting us and neither is the FOS!!!
Keep up the fight…we are right…we are exploited and enslaved…deliberately lied to and deceived…are muted by the media and must get our voice back…we must get iVote…we must be heard!!!
Sexual Discrimination by the Big Banks
A second dispute with the CWB that was brought to the attention of the FOS was that the CWB refused to respond to questions about a finance charge by a secondary account holder of a credit card.
Secondary account holders are given the responsibility of transacting responsibly on the account, can generally view all account transactions, yet could not hold the CWB accountable for the bank’s action of applying a finance charge.
The CWB further refused to allow the primary account holder of the credit card to authorise the secondary account holder to speak to the bank on their behalf.
Now it is a fact that predominately woman run the household finances and that many of these woman do not earn much because most of their services are arguably ‘for love’. Try to get a credit card as a primary account holder on earnings of next to nothing. I tried and my application was refused. It was a Qantas credit card I applied for…trying to get primary account holder status as a way around this conundrum…
So we have a situation where a substantial number of woman are financially prejudiced into being secondary account holders and are further financially prejudiced by being muted in their communications with the banks despite being the authorised financial administrators of their households.
The CWB’s response to the dispute about their refusal to talk to the secondary account holder about the finance charge was that the bank have ‘requested their information systems used by staff be updated so that customers will be provided with better service’, with no specifics on what communication service would be provided.
The FOS’s position on the dispute was that the FOS cannot interfere with the CWB’s policy and practice as to how it deals with a secondary card holder or their privacy concerns.
Now surely if a bank provides a credit card to an individual and that individual is allowed to freely transact with that credit card and view transactions, then the bank has an obligation to talk to the user of that credit card about transactions on the account.
If the bank does have this obligation, then the FOS should interfere on the customer’s behalf because the FOS is mandated to interfere on this basis.
Again, this case is considered to illustrate how a big bank bullies the FOS into cowering away from their designated role as ombudsman (referee) for the people.
This case also brings in to play significant sexual discrimination charges against the CWB and other banks with the same communication policies.
Debt Deception by the Banks?
All those on a variable interest rate mortgage know how nice it is to stash some extra cash in the redraw. The amount one owes effectively decreases as does the term of the loan, while some cash is there ‘JIC’.
What may not be known is that when interest rates go up, the repayment amount will not go up by as much as what it would have if the cash had not been stashed in the redraw.
What this means is that the loan balance will decrease more slowly than what it would have and the loan term will slowly increase again so that the borrower will, in time, effectively be back where they were had they not stashed the cash. The bank, in effect, has kept the borrower in debt.
It would be nice if the banks sent out a communique to say that interest rates have increased and that if the borrower wishes to retain the financial benefit of their available redraw, their new required repayments will be ‘Y’, followed by direction on how to fix the repayments at this level.
Similar ‘financial transparency statements’ would also be beneficial for any other financial changes that keep unsuspecting customers in debt for longer than would otherwise be the case.
Now why doesn’t the National Consumer Credit Protections Act 2009 protect us by requiring such statements???
ATO half a million to tell you to go…
I had the displeasure once again of visiting the ATO yesterday.
The visit started with a search for change for the parking meter (which we tax payers paid for).
One kind lady couldn’t give me change and gave me the balance of her parking ticket instead, half an hour of parking.
Immediately, I visualised the queues, the challenge of obtaining an appropriate response etc. and thought I’d be short of time.
On arrival in the public auditorium, a grand and expansive space, it became apparent that a drill was taking place. The ATO officers were unclear on whether it was just a drill or the real deal. The situation was clarified by an announcement that everyone was to evacuate the building and assemble quite a distance away. I was obviously told to leave and asked how long they thought they would be. About an hour, it was said.
Well, I had half an hour in the parking meter and now I had to wait an hour before I would even start to wait…
About an hour later, I paid for an hour of parking $2.50.
The auditorium was quite empty so I didn’t have to wait much at all.
To cut a long story short, I was told that my query could not be addressed at the ATO office, that I would have to phone a specified number to have my query resolved. The ATO officer went on to add that most queries were no longer handled by the ATO office ‘public desk’ and they handed me a ‘Contacting the ATO’ card which detailed the different telephone numbers that are to be called for the various taxation related enquiries.
I then asked why the ATO didn’t close the public desk to save on rent. ‘I don’t know’ was the response.
A call to a city office letting company gave me a gut feel that the space being occupied by the ATO officials palming us off was worth about $15 000 a month in rent, with the four officials who were palming us off likely costing another $20 000 a month. The total cost of this palm off is probably about $500 000 a year.
As a small business proprietor for approaching two decades, I have never felt sufficiently financially secure to rent even the tiniest commercial space. Every year, I have delivered up thousands of dollars in taxes to a brute beast that flippantly blows the dough on extravagant expenses like that just witnessed at the Adelaide ATO in Waymouth St.
The beast prejudices heavily against business, charging payroll taxes, no concession land taxes, exorbitant rates for commercial premises, penalties for overdue submissions of GST, PAYG, the SG and now carbon taxes…all collected without pay. Add to that company tax at 30c/net $ earned.
Is it any wonder I feel enslaved, enraged, whipped to the bone, by a fat, unappreciative and arrogant task master with no sense of value for each hard earned $ delivered to their opulent, pretentious and oppressive door.
FREE US!!!