Raise the terror alert to RAINBOW; there are Gays and Lesbians everywhere!

I'm really quite impressed what Tasmania has done for Gays and Lesbians in our society this year. It's forward thinking at its best. I'm proud to be a Tasmanian.

Cheers,

Pam

TASMANIAN GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS GROUP

 

Media Release

Tuesday November 17th 2009

 

OFFICIALLY-RECOGNISED TAS RELATIONSHIP CEREMONIES WELCOME

TAS MOVE PUTS PRESSURE ON RUDD NOT TO OVERTURN A.C.T. CEREMONIES

 

Tasmanian gay activists have welcomed today's announcement by the Tasmanian Government that couples entering State Deeds of Relationship can now have officially-recognised ceremonies involving celebrants and witnesses.

 

Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said the new ceremonies will allow same-sex couples to declare their love and commitment in front of friends and family members in a way which is dignified, solemn and has official recognition.

 

"Until now, registering a Deed of Relationship has been a dry, administrative process, but the Government's initiative allows it to be linked to, and marked by, an officially-recognised declaration of love and commitment overseen by a celebrant and witnessed by loved ones", Mr Croome said.

 

"This will allow same-sex couples to have that special day on which their friends and family members gather to officially and publicly celebrate a couple's union."

 

"Our hope is that this will increase the numbers of couples who take advantage of the greater legal security and social recognition that comes with registering a Deed of Relationship."

 

"The Tasmanian Relationships Act is a world-class body of law, and now that body has a heart."

 

From today, changes to official regulations mean parters entering Tasmanian Deeds of Relationship are able to nominate the date they conduct their relationship ceremony as the date their Deed of Relationship is to be registered with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. As part of the ceremony an official certificate of relationship is signed by the partners, their celebrant and witnesses to mark the commencement of the Deed of Relationship.

 

Under the Relationships Act, passed in 2003, couples in Deeds of Relationship have the same rights in state law as married couples. Following the passage of last year's national same-sex entitlements law, state registered partners are also recognised in federal law.

 

Mr Croome said the new Deed of Relationship ceremonies should not be confused with marriage.

 

"The recognition of personal relationships in state law was never intended as a substitute for equality in marriage, something which same-sex couples still do not have."

 

Last week the A.C.T. Legislative Assembly amended the Territory's Civil Partnership Act to allow for same-sex partnership ceremonies.

 

A legislative amendment was not required in Tasmania because the Relationships Act has allowed for the possibility of official ceremonies from its inception.

 

Mr Croome said the new Tasmanian ceremonies puts pressure on the Rudd Government to allow the ACT to also have official ceremonies.

 

"With officially-recognised ceremonies allowed in Tasmania, the Federal Government has no grounds upon which to ban them in the A.C.T.", Mr Croome said.

 

Ceremonies will not begin to occur until December, due to the 28 day period it takes to process applications for Deeds of Relationship.

 

As at September 30th this year 145 couples had entered a Deed of Relationship with 9 revocations. Of the remaining 136 recognised couples 52 are male couples, 51 female couples, 31 opposite-sex couples and 2 caring couples.

 

These figures are exactly proportional to the number of partners who have entered civil unions in New Zealand since 2004.

 

For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668. For comment from a registered marriage celebrant who conducts same-sex commitment ceremonies, contact Peter Power on 0417 017 105.

TASMANIAN GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS GROUP

Media Statement

Tuesday November 17th 2009

SAME-SEX PARENT LAW PASSES FINAL HURDLE

A Tasmanian Government law giving legal parental status to the same- 

sex partner of a woman who has a child through fertility treatment  

has passed its final hurdle and will now become law.

Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome,  

said the move will bring legal peace-of-mind to many Tasmanian  

families.

Womens' Legal Service Managing Solicitor, Susan Fahey, said her  

service will now begin the process of educating same-sex couples,  

their families and the broader community about the impact of reform.

This afternoon the Tasmanian Lower House accepted Upper House  

amendments making the legal recognition of co-mothers  

retrospectively effective from the passage of the Relationships Act  

in 2003 when same-sex relationships were recognised in other  

Tasmanian laws.

The retrospectivity amendment was proposed by Windermere  

(Launceston) Upper House member, Ivan Dean, to compensate for the  

failure of the Upper House to support co-mother recognition when it  

was first proposed by the State Government as part of the  

Relationships Act six years ago.

Tasmanian Attorney-General, Lara Giddings, who this morning  

announced the commencement of officially-recognised relationship  

ceremonies in Tasmania, said the Government was "pleased and  

surprised" that the traditionally-conservative Upper House had made  

good its previous failure to recognise co-mothers by not only  

supporting the new law but making it retrospective.

For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668 or Susan  

Fahey on 0418 434 226.

MOVEMBER

Hi everybody, 

I have decided to support Movember this year by signing up as an official Mo Sista.   

During Movember (once known as November), men put down their razors for 30 days and grow a moustache with the aim of raising funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. The role of a Mo Sista is to support the Mo Bros in their life – brothers, boyfriends, Dads, uncles, cousins, husbands – and help them to raise funds. 

What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved this year and I am hoping you will support me as I try and raise funds. 

To support me and the Mos in my life, you can either: 

•    Click this link http://au.movember.com/mospace/123243/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account 
•    Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 123243 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 292, Prahran, VIC, 3181.

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible. 

Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Check out further details at: http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs. 

To find out more information on Movember, check out http://au.movember.com.

Thank you in advance for supporting my on my Movember journey as a Mo Sista. 

Pamela Andrews

CHILD ABUSE

Please take ten minutes out of your day to go to the NAPCAN: PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE website and complete a survey about raising awareness of child abuse in Australia. This is a really important issue that we can all help raise awareness about. They're hoping to get 50,000 survey participants (especially men) but so far, they haven't quite reached 13,000. Help them out!

Far, far away, in an enchanted castle, music is calling for me...

So, after a fantastic and fun week in Melbourne and Sydney with the Broadway to Australia: An Evening with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty show, I got to visit the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for the first time, meet a couple of the vocal staff members and figure out my plans for next year. After seeing that the Sydney Con is actually a castle, my heart became set on studying there. And it is next to (practically in) the Royal Botanical Gardens. HELLOOOOO! Sounds like a no-brainer. Had a chat to the lovely ladies who would be in charge of me, and found out that everybody thinks I should do the undergraduate advanced diploma of opera. Then I found out that my current singing teacher thought that I should do that course all along. Have since worked out that I'm an eejit who somehow missed the part about the opera diploma being a three-year undergraduate degree. I hadn't really envisioned myself doing ANOTHER undergraduate music degree, but I've gotten used to the idea remarkably quickly. I wouldn't have to do all the theory and history again (probably would be good for me to do it all again but thankfully it's not in the course outline; I don't know how much more of history I could take anyway -- it stabs me in the throat -- MUCH prefer music theory -- and that is weird, I thought I'd LOVE history -- but turns out I think it's boring!), as the entire degree is dance classes, acting classes, singing lessons, vocal coachings, and four opera productions per year. Again - a no-brainer! I've done all the yard-work and gotten myself up to scratch, musically. I'm at a point where I'm intelligent enough (I think) to be molded into a good performer (I hope). And this course, being FULL of stage work and pesky things like dancing and acting that I don't have much experience in, will surely do the trick!

The only problem is money. Money, money, money. Why is it ALWAYS about the money? Sydney is widely renowned across Australia as being the most expensive city to live in, and that's because it is. Absolutely. Rents in Sydney are sky-high and everything costs more. I was astonished at the parking fees my lovely friend B was paying while she was driving me around everywhere! Flat rates of $20 and up! $20! In Hobart, your first hour in a car-park is FREE, then it's 60c for the second hour, $1.50 for the next... SCANDALOUS. Anyway, so the money angle is going to be my big hurdle. I'm going to have to tighten my belt and get rid of all of my possessions on eBay (something which I'm looking forward to).

I can just imagine the conversation that I'm going to have with my Mother (a.k.a. The Voice of my Conscience). Disclaimer: I have not HAD this conversation with my Mother. My Mother is actually a very nice and very reasonable lady.

ME: "Sooooo, I'd like to move to Sydney next year, Mam!"
MUM: "What for?"
ME: "Undergraduate Advanced Diploma of Opera."
MUM: "Undergraduate? Don't you already have a degree? What have you been doing for the past seven years in Hobart?"
ME: "Yes, I did a Diploma of Music, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music with Honours. Now I would like to do an Advanced Diploma of Opera."
MUM: "Why? Isn't the Bachelor of Music good enough to get into Opera?"
ME: "Frankly... no."
MUM: "Why did you do it, then?"
ME: "Because I wasn't very good and needed all the musical experience and knowledge. Now I am ready to move on to something bigger and better. And that just happens to be the opera degree in Sydney."
MUM: "Is that covered by HECS?"
ME: "Don't know. Have already used lots of HECS."
MUM: "Why Sydney? Can't you do it in Launceston?"
ME: "... No. It has to be Sydney."
MUM: "How are you going to afford to live in Sydney? You don't have any savings."
ME: "I know. Shit, ay. Ummm... prostitute myself on the streets?"
MUM: "Har har har."
ME: "Get a part-time job and wing it?"
MUM: "What about Centrelink?"
ME: "They hate me."
MUM: "Whose fault is that?"
ME: "Mine."
MUM: "How will you afford rent?"
ME: "Don't know."
MUM: "How will you afford to run your car?"
ME: "Don't know."
MUM: "How will you afford to eat?"
ME: "Don't know."
MUM: "And you really want to go?"
ME: "Yes."

I will have to figure something out. Because this course is what I want to do!

Mid-week news

I spent yesterday evening catching up on emails and taking quizzes on the BBC Science website. FANTASTIC. I've learned that I have a 25% female brain, I'm attracted to masculine faces, I actully have quite a good memory for patterns and numbers, and this just in -

Your score is: 19

You're in the top group - score 17 - 25
You've got top-dollar millionaire potential. You're careful with your money and have a healthy attitude to it. You're hard-working and determined to be successful.

Yes, that's right. I am going to be a millionaire because I am so wonderful with money. *snort* My mother is going to read this and be in helpless tears and fits of laughter. Funny. Having said that, though, I've taken a lot of interest in The Barefoot Investor lately, so who knows? Maybe I will eventually become money-savvy! A lot of the problems I've faced in the past is that I haven't actually HAD any money to save/invest... That's problematic... Uni student budgets... Boring to me...

Tomorrow, I set off with the BROADWAY TO AUSTRALIA show. I only wish that it were a full-scale production playing all around Australia for six months! We're playing in Melbourne tomorrow night, Sydney on Monday night and Hobart on Wednesday night. GET YOUR TIX!!! It's going to be so fabulous. Seriously. Three nights of singing numbers with Ahrens/Flaherty and their fabulous soloists? Whatever! Get out. So fantastic. So excited.

I'm also taking the opportunity to meet 'n' greet with the vocal staff at the Sydney Conservatorium while I'm there --- very, very interested in their Graduate Diploma in Music (Opera)...

Activist success all over the world

I'm so pleased! Received emails from the Save Japan Dolphins campaign with excellent news today. If you are interested, please follow this link to read about the great news from the Ric O'Barry camp.

A snippet:

"Yes, today was a good day for dolphins. Tomorrow, I will take journalists with me around town to show them Taiji. Tomorrow, too, I predict will be a good day for dolphins. Every day that we are here and the fishermen KNOW we are here, will likely mean no boats going out to round up dolphins for the killing Cove.

And because of “The Cove” movie, the dolphin killers must now fear hidden cameras and microphones, even when they THINK we are not here.

And soon the world spotlight from “The Cove” will shine a very bright light on Taiji."
---RIC O'BARRY

Sara Jane

My gorgeous friend Sara Jane, fresh from winning an AMPLIFIED award (Tasmania) this year, is now ripping up the Blues & Roots charts on TRIPLE J UNEARTHED. Please, if you've got a minute, take the time to listen to and rate her tracks. I think she's got a lot of talent, and she's such a sincere, dedicated person that I would love to see her get all the support that I'm able to drum up for her. Clicky clicky! Sara Jane - Triple J Unearthed.