Autumn2022

As I continue to heave my guts over the side of the railing, I take a moment to look up, watching the peaks of mountains appear over the horizon line. I feel glimmer of hope shoot up inside of me: finally, this accursed journey is at its end. Four long weeks at sea, my only company the gruff, unruly sailors and the stretch of bannister at the bow of the ship. I’ve lost count of the number of times the meal has been thrown up in the sea, like a spurned lover. It was the second week before a member of the crew informed me that I might feel better watching the horizonline, and despite my outrage at the time, I am eternally grateful to him. Not only did I feel a little better over the course of the journey, but now I can watch my reprieve, my deliverance from this great suffering come towards me, rising from the earth millimetre by millimetre. Surely, of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest.

The sweet sound of waves crashing against the rocky barrier, the creaking of masts, rigging, and hulls as they shuffled against each other like apples in a canvas sack, the calling of the fishwives selling their husband’s catches, the first mate’s preparing their ship for swift departure, the crew hands laughing, grunting and swearing as they unload and offload their wares created a symphony which seemed unlike any that I had heard before, rising to a crescendo as we docked in front of the tariffmaster’s office. I almost ran to the rope ladder, on the port-side of the ship, until I was suddenly stopped by the first mate, who went by name of Davey.

“Sorry lad,” he says, putting his large, toned arm in my path, “Can’t let ya off just yet. Need to pay for docking rights, and the old goat on shore needs to dock us of our goods.”

I sigh and put my hands up in defeat. I knew it would never be that easy.

“Alright,” I reply, “How long will that take?”

“No idea,” Davey grinned, before turning around to address his crew.

I was not a part of this speech, it seems, so I went back to my customary place, this time watching the fevered scurrying of the seaside crowd, the symphony growing and changing as time passed on. No longer did the fishwives and crew harmonise, the discordant notes ringing through my ears, leaving a terrible taste on my tongue. The creaking and shuffling began to crash down on me like tidal waves, filling me with a primordial fear. After spending weeks on end with the calm, pulsing, endless break of waves along the bow, the quiet, jovial comradery of the crew, and the constant picturesque grandness of the horizon, populated by clouds, sun, and stars, I had grown accustomed to the adventurous monotony of it all.

A heavy weight on my shoulder interrupted my thoughts. I turn my head, meeting the bright blue eyes of the captain of this voyage, Jack Merler. A wide smile sat behind his scruffy beard, his soft cap no longer adorning his balding head. “Well then, Aeryn,” he began, removing his hand from my shoulder, “This is it, lad. Congratulations on survivin’ ya first voyage at sea.”

“Thank you, Merler. I really appreciate you doing this for the Guild.”

“Nonsense, me boy. You and your people ‘ave done me enough favours in the past. It be high time I repay that debt.”

I smile and nod at him, and he turns, gesturing to the rope ladder. “Whenever you’re ready, lad.”

As I move to go, a sudden thought strikes me. “Merler, how long do you plan to be in port?”

“Awh, not long. We’ll be heading off first thing t’morrow. Why, life at sea sunk its hooks in ya?” He chuckles, obviously finding the thought of my poor self as a sailor hilarious.

I laugh in return, but his words strike me deeply. Have I grown accustomed to life at sea? I’m well aware that my role on this voyage was one of passenger, and as such I did little to help about the ship, but Merler and his crew inspired something in me. The dusty, disused libraries full of sailor stories, the grand adventures and perilous journeys, could not stack themselves against what little I’d experienced over these last four weeks. The small fires on sandpits lighting up the crew’s faces as they eat their evening meal, bantering, playing cards and knucklebone. The fresh spray of salt water as the ship cut through waves like a knife through butter. The billowing wind furthering our journey, the grand vistas artists made in their paintings did not compare to the wonder that is the horizon, a constantly shifting canvas that fills the sky.

“Actually, Merler, I think it has,” I said, not realising my words until they had left my mouth. He turned to me, surprised, his grin widening as he does so.

“Well then, lad, I s’ppose ya better finish off your business here and get back before sunrise, ey?”

“I shall, then.”

Dear Department of Health

Most of us are trying to make the world a better place. The Australian Government needs to encourage this. Smoking is known to be harmful. So why would the Australian Government still allow us to do it? Letting it ruin our health, finance and environment?

Smoking has continued through generations in Australia. Once discovered harmful, the Australian Government put very minimalistic restrictions on such terrible and harmful substances. The effect: smoking continues to deteriorate the lives of Australians.

Due to the high-dopamine nicotine, it can make it almost impossible to quit. Immediately taking it away from our population would be disastrous. Today I am not writing to convince the Australian Government to ban smoking, I am writing to make this ban imperative.

Australia has already made an effort to stop smoking. However, putting repulsive ads and taxes on cigarettes simply isn’t enough. I can still go to my local service station and see a cigarette smoker rip open a pack of cigarettes and they don’t have a care in the world! We need to end smoking so that Australians have a better future.

Smoking affects our health. There are multiple studies around the cancers and effects smoking has on our bodies. It can affect your loved ones and those around you. Imagine witnessing those in our family on a hospital bed because of smokers. Yet the Department of ‘Health’ refuses to make more effort in preventing and banning smoking. You would think that the Department of Health would put Australian’s ‘Health’ first, wouldn’t they?

There’s lots of talk about what the environment will look like in 2050. Smoking has detrimental impacts on the environment. By making a cut-off before 2050 we can help the environment. But you may say “smoking cigarettes isn’t that bad for the environment; it doesn’t pollute a lot of gas.” You’re wrong. Not only does cigarette smoking affect air pollution; the butts are commonly littered. These poisons litter our waterways rendering them useless and dangerous to the wildlife. These may be minimal changes, but any change is a good change for the future.

Taxing cigarettes simply isn’t enough. People will continue to smoke them regardless of price because of nicotine addiction. We need to stop taking the money off cigarette smokers. Instead stop them smoking cigarettes. Do the Government like having cigarettes so they can make eye-watering amounts of money off them?

There are many, many reasons as to why cigarette smoking is bad. So, what should be done about it?

I know that we should make a cut-off date for cigarette smoking to be legal for certain age groups.

An example of this would be Australians born past the year of 2023 shouldn’t be allowed to smoke cigarettes, nor be in possession of or sell. This mean that the Government has plenty of time to: reassess the taxes, ban cigarettes and work on alternatives. As for those who are allowed to smoke, we should work on better alternatives such as Nicabate for current smokers and implement programs to help them quit.

We as Australians need to speak up about the Government’s laziness, and neglect that the Government has towards smoking.

Our next-door neighbour New Zealand has already implemented this plan. If we Australians want to be pioneers for improving health, finance, and the environment, we should step up and make a change to improve our country for the better.

Yours sincerely
Zai Khan

“Think! O think what I would now give to have lived another life.” These words were first mused by George Manley, who was executed at Wicklow, Ireland in 1783. He was one of the first to speak out against the death penalty, and now, almost 250 years later, there are over 120 abolitionist countries.

Death cannot be reversed. To elaborate, if an innocent man is given a life sentence, he can be granted bail and return to his normal life, however if an innocent man is put on death row, they cannot be brought back to life. While you may think that this could never happen, take a look at Cameron Willingham, an American executed in 2004 for allegedly setting a fire that killed his three daughters, but later investigations showed that he was completely innocent. Imagine if this happened to you or your family.

Not only this, but governments can misuse the death penalty to control their citizens instead of enforce justice. In fact, many Middle Eastern countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia retain the death penalty for ridiculous crimes, such as drug use, blasphemy, burglary, and sodomy. These nations condemn people to death for petty crimes such as blasphemy, creating an Orwellian society, instilling fear in their population, portraying the justice system as ‘tough’’, and allowing rulers to set their own definitions for what is acceptable in society. Abolishing the death penalty worldwide will help to mitigate the cruelty of these regimes.

Furthermore, the biases within the legal system mean that death row is full of prejudice. This is especially true in the US where, according to Human Rights Lawyers, ‘between 5-10% of prisoners on death row have a severe mental illness. As for racial groups, despite making up only 13% of the US population, black people make up 40% of the prisoners with a death sentence.’ And even though they may be guilty, in a lot of cases, the difference between a prison sentence and death could be the colour of your skin. So, why, in a time where racism is being stamped out, equality is thriving, and people are being raised with an unbiased view of others, should this underlying and stereotypical prejudice in the justice system condemn more of certain races?

Now, some people might suggest that capital punishment is good because it reduces our spending on criminals that would otherwise cost us thousands of dollars maintaining in prison. But this argument is a complete fallacy. It’s a matter of fact, the Death Penalty Information Centre demonstrated that Texas would spend up to 1 million USD on death sentences to victims that pleaded guilty, and even more on criminals that pleaded innocent. In contrast, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice stated that ‘the average cost to house an inmate in Texas is $47.50 per day.’ This means that it costs roughly $693,500USD to house an inmate for 40 years, well over 30% less than the death penalty.

All these reasons clearly show that capital punishment is inhumane, discriminatory, and in some cases totalitarian, and should undoubtedly be abolished. Just the thought of taking an innocent person’s life, killing citizens who simply make mistakes, or condemning someone to death because they have dark skin, poor mental health, or their religion should put the idiotic idea of the death penalty out of the question. And just think, Oh think what those condemned would now give to have lived another life.

Dear PM Scott Morrison,

The feeling of not being able or eat to drink without pricking your finger and doing a blood test is normal for hundreds of thousands of people in Australia. Type 1 Diabetes may not kill many people, but it sure does change the lives of many people around us. You may not know some people have it but that is because they are good at hiding it. While the government puts a lot of money into research about the disease, they don’t use it wisely.

Every year you and your fellow politicians up in Canberra spend around $6.7 million on research about T1D (Type 1 Diabetes) but you never use it wisely, and unfortunately it is the same every year. The money you pledge ever year only goes to research instead of some going to research and some going to companies like NDSS and Diabetes Australia. Both of these companies are valuable for research because they provide insulin pumps, sugar level cgm’s, tablets, strips and much more. But low funding from people like the government and private investors has led to them not being able to cover materials like the new OMNIPOD or the G7 Dexcom cgm’s. In 2021 alone you got an entire shipment of OMNIPOD’S sent out to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Yet in each state, no more than 50 people have or own the OMNIPOD. 36 in WA, 342 in NSW, 48 in VIC, 41 in Queensland, 38 in Tasmania, 44 in Adelaide and only 27 in the NT. What do you reckon that says about the way you use your funding? This is even worse than your roll-out of Medtronic 640g insulin pumps. Some people were on injections for 8 months because they were on a wait list for the pumps. If you had any idea what you were doing with your funding, you would use some of it to train more people to roll out equipment faster and expand the maximum amount of people who can use the equipment.

Overall, Scott Morrison,  you could make the lives of so many so much better, as well as helping companies who have huge roles in diabetes. Extend the amount of research you are doing and use more people while researching to get better results faster. As well as getting better at rolling out the diabetes equipment so many people need. If you do these things, you will make the lives of so many Type 1 Diabetes lives better.

Kind regards
Noah Cooper

2027, 5 years away. In this short period of time, Earth will enter an irreversible state of world hunger if we don’t act immediately. Although this seems like an impossible task, Africa may hold the key to a bright future without famine. Africa has the capability to produce the food needed, but we need you to help push its agricultural industry to the limits.

Firstly, Africa’s location allows for an abundant assortment of biomes to farm in. Close to the equator you will find tropical moist forests; the forest supply crops such as: rice, coffee, cocoa, and bananas. The most important of these crops is rice which can be eaten at any meal; therefore, it is known as a staple food. Another biome is grasslands; this biome supplies the grasses necessary for the farming of animals such as cows and sheep. Something Africa is known for is its deserts; people speculate that this biome is not capable of supporting growth, but this is not the case. 44% of the world’s food is produced in dry areas, therefore making this biome suitable for agriculture. From this it is clear to see that Africa holds an incredible amount of potential that can be easily capitalised on.

Secondly, this irreversible state of world hunger will cause the death of millions or even billions. If we fail to reach our goal by 2027 the result that follows would be catastrophic, as a domino effect of famine would sweep across the world. It is estimated that 9% of people don’t get enough food to sustain them; this number is already too high. Furthermore, after the 2027 target, at our current rate we will reach an unforgiveable 25% of people that are hungry. Sadly, the majority of these people are located in Africa and may die on the land that holds the key to their survival. This number may be hard to grasp so let me put it into context; imagine one in every 4 of people you know dying. That’s your mum, that’s your best friend, that’s your neighbour. It is clear to see that the situation is dire, and we all must help, you must help.

You may be wondering what you can do to help, so here are two ways you can do just that. Investing in education for farmers in Africa as current farmers only know techniques suitable for much smaller yields, and therefore these new more advanced techniques need to be taught. Beyond this, people in rural areas of Africa also need to be become farmers to support this dramatic growth in agriculture. Another area to invest in is mechanisation. Currently 65% of farms in Sub-Saharan Africa are still manually tilled, ploughed, and weeded; the mechanisation of these farms will dramatically improve the speed and efficiency of food production. It should be easy to see what you can do to save the lives of millions.

From the biomes that haven’t been harnessed to the death of millions of innocent people, it is clear to see why you need to support the production of food in Africa and what you can do.

The topic of shark culling is an emotional and controversial one. It is a discussion that only unfortunately reignites after a fatal shark attack on humans. As someone who loves the ocean and spends a lot of time in the water, this topic is one that is close to my heart. Australians love everything to do with the beach. SUP boards, surfing, canoeing, diving, competitive beach swims are just some of the ways we soak up the sun and have fun in the water. However, we must always remember when we make the choice to dive in the ocean, it is the natural habitat of a variety of sharks. The decision to cull a protected species cannot be taken lightly when we consider that we choose to enter their environment, we choose to take the risk. There is certainly a division between those that want public safety and those that want sharks to be protected. I believe many of us want both! The call for culling is an understandable response from a terrified public when a fatality occurs but killing them is not the answer.

Firstly, there is no evidence to suggest that shedding numbers of sharks reduces the likelihood of an attack. A shark attack is a rare and random event – wrong place, wrong time. Even the strongest of culling supporters would agree that sharks do not seek out humans to eat. It’s not wilful or intentional. Another significant reason why culling should not be considered a long-term option is the fact that killing sharks in large numbers can devastate oceanic ecosystems, leading to serious environmental consequences. Sharks are an apex predator and are a critical part of the ocean food chain, they keep it balanced. When apex predator numbers are drastically reduced, the flow down the chain can be detrimental. Everything can be thrown out of its natural state.

Look into the number of fatal shark attacks in Australia – in 2021 there were 3 deaths and a further 18 non-fatal bites. Consider that there is an estimated 100 million sharks killed per year worldwide, mostly for food and sport. We are in fact already unknowingly culling sharks! Currently the main methods of organised culling are shark nets and baited drumlines. Neither have proved a particularly effective, especially in catching great white sharks, the most responsible for human deaths.  Sadly, these methods also catch other innocent sea creatures such as dolphins, turtles, dugong, rays, and even small humpback whales as they get caught on drumlines or tangled in nets.

Lastly, in this day and age with all the new technology we have, we need to focus on strategies that achieve greater public safety in the ocean, without resorting to culling sharks. If we can look at solutions that deter sharks from coming closer to our popular beaches, this will surely help reduce the likelihood of an attack. Tagging and tracking systems, electronic sonar walls, clever boughs can all be further developed and implemented on our coastline to keep us safer.

The life of a shark is not exactly the same value as the loss of a human life, the devastation for the family left behind cannot be compared. However, I believe we have evolved enough by 2022 to look beyond the ease of kill first, ask questions later. Together, we can commit to finding solutions that increase public safety, in the shark’s natural habitat and say NO to shark culling forever.

Have you ever considered how to actually fight climate change? No, not reduce, re-use, recycle. The sole way to fight climate change is to hold major polluters accountable and we can do this by introducing a carbon tax. A carbon tax is a tax placed on major companies which makes them pay for the carbon they produce. I believe a global carbon tax should be introduced to aid the world in the fight against climate change and hold major companies responsible for the emissions they produce. Carbon taxes will limit the amount of carbon put into the atmosphere, a carbon tax will bring renewable energies into the limelight and a carbon tax is not a detriment to the economy rather, it has a positive impact.

Firstly, having to pay money will encourage the major polluters to limit their emissions and hold them accountable for what they do emit. Frank Jotzo, a member of the Australian National University is quoted saying “Having a carbon price is linked to lower emissions growth. A larger price, cuts emission by more.” A carbon tax is directly linked to cutting emissions, there is no other way around it. It is also common sense that the larger the tax put on carbon the larger it cuts emissions. It’s simple really. According to a study done by the Brookings Institution in 2019 a “$25 per ton carbon tax that rises by one percent per year would reduce emissions by 17 to 38 percent relative to 2005 benchmark levels by 2030.” So, it is clear to see that a carbon tax directly cuts emissions. Clearly, I believe that a global carbon tax should be introduced to aid the world in the fight against climate change and hold major companies responsible for the emissions they produce.

Secondly, a carbon tax will bring more fuel-efficient generators and renewable energies into the limelight. This is because a company’s goal is to maximise profits, by investing in more efficient generators and fuels as well as renewables would decrease the amount of money they need to pay for the tax. According to some small-scale tests done by the Acadia Centre, “fuel switching, improved energy efficiency and growing renewable energy output have caused emissions to drop by 40% since RGGI launched.” (RGGI is a form of carbon tax). This carbon tax acts as an encouragement for companies to switch to more environmentally friendly practices and if they do so, it’s a win – win, less emissions produced, and the company has to pay less. A statement from the Grantham Research Institute concurs, stating “A carbon price is a cost applied to carbon pollution to encourage polluters to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit into the atmosphere.” Since a company’s goal is to increase profit, they naturally would want to pay less, this then brings renewable energies and more fuel-efficient practices into their own which again shows why I believe a global carbon tax should be introduced to aid the world in the fight against climate change and hold major companies responsible for the emissions they produce.

Although someone who is against a carbon tax might tell you that a carbon tax would be a detriment to the economy, it is quite the opposite. Firstly, it would help distribute money more evenly and take it out of the 1% as the average person would hardly be taxed. Now you might say that this tax would not allow for major companies to keep up with demand, and you may be correct in terms of their current practice but if they are more sustainable this would not be the case. Take Australia’s energy providers for example, some of them might not be able to continue using coal, but they could switch to solar. According to Michael Dickerson, “we would only need about one thousand square kilometres to power this nation.”

To conclude, a carbon tax would be beneficial to the world as it will cut emissions, bring renewable energies into the limelight, and benefit the economy. I am sure you can see why I believe a global carbon tax should be introduced to aid the world against climate change and hold often rapacious major companies responsible for the emissions they produce. Now I leave this to you leaders of the world, it’s not too late to implement a carbon tax and go down in history as the people who saved the planet.

Deforestation. The most well-known environmental problem, yet nothing is being done about it. According to the Brazilian Government in this year alone, Brazil recorded that they had the most deforestation that they’d ever had in the Amazon Rainforest over January, which totalled up to 430km2 of trees cleared. This needs to stop. Deforestation is horrible for three main reasons: it increases the number of green-house gases in the atmosphere, it negatively impacts soil erosion, and it destroys species natural habitats.

To start off, deforestation increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide (Co2) is Earth’s most looming threat, as it accumulates in the atmosphere trapping heat and warming the planet rapidly. Fortunately, trees are Earth’s largest carbon sinks, storing carbon in their roots to keep our atmosphere undamaged. According to the U.S Forest Service, America’s forests take out 16% of the U.S annual emissions from the atmosphere, making them the world’s largest and most efficient carbon capture technology. Trees capture carbon through photosynthesis, pulling carbon out of the air and releasing oxygen, keeping us alive. The problem is that trees are being brutally cut down at an ever-growing pace, increasing the amount of damaging carbon emissions in our atmosphere. When trees are cut down, all of the carbon stored in the trunk and the roots of those trees gets released into the atmosphere. With the increasing temperatures of the planet, sea levels are rising, ice caps are melting, and extreme weather event are dawning upon us. People might say that it’s “only” 16% of carbon being captured by trees, which does seem like a small portion of emissions, but that 16% of carbon that is being captured by trees is saving the planet. This is due to the fact that 16% is the single largest portion of carbon in the world being taken hostage (which is a good thing) by a single thing, which are trees. Deforestation must be stopped. We must act!

Furthermore, deforestation impacts soil erosion. Soil is one of the world’s most sought-after resources, yet it is one of the world’s most limited resource. Singlehandedly deforestation is the main cause of soil erosion. Farmers need soil for agricultural purposes, as it’s the most efficient and productive crop grower. Without soil, we wouldn’t have any beneficial nutrients to feed our bodies, because it quite literally makes all our food. And without food, we’d be all dead. Now, that’s a pretty confronting topic, but it’s as real as it gets. Trees are anchors to soil, keeping it well compacted and forms its sturdy structure. They also act as shelter to the soil, preventing the elements from damaging it. According to a study by Mongabay, sloped areas lost 0.03 tons of soil per year, per hectare after forest clearing; cultivated slopes lost 90 tons per hectare, and bare slopes lost 138 tons per hectare, all in the Ivory Coast. That’s a very dangerous amount of soil lost in such a small country. This is reality and we must face this problem head on, or else we might run out of soil in a short amount of time. The consequences of that loss will be severe, and if it does come to that, we can’t blame anyone but ourselves. People might say things along the lines of “we have heaps of soil, it’s all over the ground, under the grass.” This is correct in some way, soil does exist below us, but it isn’t the type of soil needed to grow crops. The top layer of soil is the most important part of the soil, as it’s the productive part that grows all the crops. The majority of that soil below us doesn’t have that layer due to erosion, wind, mistreatment, and many other factors. You can now clearly see that soil is one of, if not the most important resource on our planet (aside from air and water). Deforestation completely eradicates soil at an exponentially increasing rate, which will most certainly mean the end of life on Earth as we know it. We know action must be taken, but nothing’s being done! Deforestation must be stopped.

Finally, deforestation destroys species natural habitats. Nature runs in its own special way, and the same goes for animals in their ecosystems. The similarity here is that they both depend on their habitat. Deforestation has been proved to lead to a direct loss of wildlife habitat, which disables the ability for native species of that habitat to the “right” to shelter, food, and breeding ground. Animals are continually forced to migrate to unsuitable land, which proposes many dangerous risks, such as new predators no adequate food, shelter, water, and increased vulnerability. According to the world animal foundation, every day 137 species of plants, animals, and insects are lost due to deforestation. Many animals are on the brink of extinction and nature is losing the necessary animals to keep it running. This needs to stop now.

Deforestation is extremely bad for our planet due to it increasing greenhouse gas emissions, impacting soil erosion, and destroying animal habitats. This needs to change. We’re relying on you. You must do something about it. You must save our planet. It’s true – everyone can make a difference.

The Scarborough Pluto Gas Expansion is a NO!

Woodside has recently proposed a new gas expansion to happen off the coast of Carnarvon in Northern WA. This new Scarborough Pluto LNG gas expansion should not go ahead, it will wreak havoc on the environment emitting lots of CO2 into the atmosphere. It will destroy ancient Aboriginal culture and artifacts and will also kill and ruin marine life posted in the area.

If this expansion goes ahead, we will see an estimated 16 BILLION! tonnes of carbon released into our atmosphere over the next 25 years. This is the equivalent to almost 15 coal fired power stations over the same amount of time. This will mean the Scarborough project will be the most damaging fossil fuel development in the whole of Australia. As a country Australia must already bring down our fossil fuel emissions, so how will this help? If we let this project go ahead it will drastically speed up climate damage, which in turn will cause more extreme weather events such as ‘black summer bush fires’ and heat waves. Isn’t Australia already hot enough?

This project will also cause harm to Indigenous sacred sites and artefacts in the area. The rig will release toxic gases and acid rain into the atmosphere above the Burrup Peninsula endangering UNESCO World Heritage Shortlisted rock art that can be found there. This area and the artifacts that can be found there are vital to the Indigenous peoples of the Burrup Peninsula. It is a sacred area that houses one million petroglyphs, some of which date back 60,000 years ago. They depict Aboriginal cultural lore; long extinct megafauna and the first sightings of Western settlers. We took land from these people, why should we destroy artifacts so sacred to them as well?

Finally, to complete this project millions of cubic meters of seabed is to be blasted and dredged destroying much of the area. Giant concrete pillars are to be hammered down into the ground stealing space from marine life that calls the area home. What will they do with all the dredged seabed spoil? Dump it! Somewhere where they don’ have to worry about it and the consequences it will have. To get a lousy bit of gas they will destroy pristine marine habitat home to fish, turtles, dolphins and dugongs. I have been snorkelling here and its one of the most beautiful and intriguing places on earth. They will have to place 430km of underwater gas pipeline ruining the magic of the area.

Woodside has already had a major oil spill in 2016 when one of their deep-sea wells malfunctioned, it ended up pumping gas into the ocean for 2 straight months. They’ve done it before, what’s to stop it happening again? No companies should be permitted to be able to drill the pristine West Australian coast, so why should we let one who’s failed before?

My country, my home, my city, my state,
The Dictator came, and stayed in my place,
The bombs he has planted, to stave off our wrath,
He has returned to his predecessor’s path.

Lenin and Stalin, then Hitler and Hussain,
Their curse will come again, it will drive us insane,
And, the power they have, to hex those below,
And now he is the one in the know.

While our bodies pile up, he sits there high,
The Dictator, his battle not ever nigh,
While we have to struggle, just to survive,
He is unaffected, and keeps us deprived.

And then the skirmish, it does begin,
So we fight again, all on the Dictator’s whim
He orders his soldiers, to fight his own war
And they become bloody, all to his galore!

And then when the grapple, comes to a close,
We now know, we have been diagnosed,
The disease it infects, and the Dictators’ powers spread,
Leaving the innocent doe, without its very own head.

And so, this is a warning to all those unopposed,
All those Dictators, who take their powers predisposed,
We are coming, to bring you to the light,
This time, you will have to face your own fight.

How thick, how pillared, oh, how commanded.
Cloaks plucked from feathers of he who dared rise;
And draped across the backs of the power handed,
rests top throws of gifted opulent prize.

Granted a place among those who fought,
Granted wealth to fill time betwixt their dreams,
Granted passage to a future soon fraught
Need not look beyond premade pretty scenes.

Rows of pristine flowers, perfectly placed,
By hands dirtied by the toil of others.
Even and precise colours fill their laced-
shut eyes. Guarded from the life’s of brothers.

Streets marked in white paint, divides a nation
between the oppressors, and the oppressed.
Such tyranny, to find this relation
As just and fair. A mighty moral void.

While some are complacent, enjoying the
fruits of labour not earned. There are few last;
Live life, devote to destroy, burn the world.
How noble a task:

To steal the feathers of those who dare fly,
And not wear on in cloak, but notch in their cap.
Ne’er a gift of own fortune to others;
But stand back, rob the world, and admire dragons that snap.

She sits perched on a hill, the flowers of ol’ yonder,
Her unchartered rivalry, against the fallen sombre.
The curse of man to ruin, her seasons un-refrained,
She sheds her tears for us, the never-ending pain.

The depths of her treasure, man continues to plunder,
The suffering begins, humanity’s biggest blunder.
A game of chess and checkers, the Earth blooming green,
The life of nature, her Majesty, the Queen.

Diamonds and pearls, the Crown in all its glory,
The break over dawn, a traveller’s greatest story.
The seas of time roll on, she watches her people,
Her sulphourus tears, attacked by the bald eagle.

As helpless as it is, it all amounts to zero,
Eventually man will fade, Mother Nature -the hero.

Night grows ever darker, still starlight delays,
The persistence of life is eternally forewarning;
Night grows ever sinful, yet moonlight pervades.

Though the strength of man may someday fade,
Because focus is held on the brightness of morning;
Night grows ever darker, still starlight delays.

The ignorant speak loud until history is remade,
As they tread shallowing steps of mindless conforming;
Night grows ever sinful, yet moonlight pervades.

Most fret and worry at thoughts of later days,
Though some men are content with others’ warning
Night grows ever darker, still starlight delays.

The dark can be frightful, mysterious and cliched
But the light shines forever, resisting and warring;
Night grows ever sinful, yet moonlight pervades.

Yesterday remains history and tomorrow holds no sway,
Yet present is excitement, joy, and adorning;
Night grows ever darker, still starlight delays,
Night grows ever sinful, yet moonlight pervades.

The Wind is blowing yet no trees do sway,
leaves crunch beneath his hurried shoe.
An Ant, he scurries, with no direction true,
a minion controlled – programmed to obey.
Endless streets of despair and decay,
buildings stretching infinitely casting shadows of gloom,
rubbish scattered, the pungent odour of fumes.
Organised in grids, yet a mess of disarray.
However – an oasis amongst the wasteland,
where Trees and Birds and Life thrive free.
The untouched beauty not tampered or manned,
within the concrete jungle, a place of hope and peace.
Natural beauty scarred by Man’s demands,
“We’re dying, please help us,” the desperate plea.

Overlooking earth’s dimension,
Transcended evil has remained,
Thus, we have to ask the question,
Has this world actually changed?

Tirelessly, for hours upon hours –
Making clothes that will become ours,
Like chimney sweepers gone before,
Sold by parents with no remorse.

Money so meager they stay thin,
Their stomachs grumble, bones are cold,
While owners feast, and reap the gold –
with profits that will make them grin.

All day and night they had to work,
In soot and sweat like clockwork.
Alas, much has remained the same,
For our cruel world has not changed.

One strain, two strain, three str – too many strains,
In pain because every day the same, I say, you read:
‘I’m unable to train, again’
‘It’s neither for attention nor heed’
I need them to understand, tell me how!
The Kiwi’s gaze blazes, disgraces, nothing spoken,
Edward Murphy, I’ll allow a bow,
I’m in awe of your law that shan’t be broken,
A modern call conducts monarch alike control,
Yet, the king is summoned by the jester called “Netflix”,
He conjures ponders about our very soul,
Hear the truth – you might need anaesthetics,
Or you’ll be kicking and screaming at the contradiction of captions –
Setting us on a path of misinformed actions.

Only three? Soldier on, do not be so fanatic,
“Every day”, as staple as bread,
Like The Black Parade – empathetically pathetic,
Filled with fury – for your dream is not dead,
Talk! Verbally loitering invents Hell’s vile potions,
Create sense, unleash utter unspoken!
Murphy’s Law is a creation of our conscience,
Judges do hate criminals – tis a malnourished notion,
You manipulate the theme of emotional distress –
While modern solutions cause modern contusions,
“Netflix” – a junkie fiending a fix, a leeching mistress,
Manipulating, mentally constipating, acidic profusion,
Interrogating daily – ‘Give me a play’,
Soul searching like Marvin Gaye,
Trust me you don’t want her to stay,
Give her a place to nest, to lay – you’ll regret it every day,
What more do I have to say?

The natural, fickle, aura of nature.
Organic of man, and omnipresent.
All untouched, pristine and iridescent.
Man, frozen inside, a blind invader
Build walls, never ending, always linger.
High atop their mighty impediment,
Filling lungs with smoke, forever stagnant,
Nature poisoned, spreading illness grander–
“Behold our mighty bastions, walls, forts”,
Cries man, flowing, trampling down their pathway,
Amidst nature’s helpless cries, anguish sleeps
Amidst Man’s slow reckoning, they extort
Nature’s fragility, then cast away
All their troubles, until nature then weeps.

It rises from ruins, through seas of asphalt,
Through once praised spires, whose glory was pushed to a halt,
through void effigies – their cracks, their faults,
Life can find a way.

As apes squabble – a long stale routine,
For their next idol, their next god, their next queen.
From crimson and ebony will burst a new green,
Life will find a way.

They try to escape, leaden wings rise to the sky,
Grasping perpetuity, a false hope, a lie.
The cycle must repeat, what must live, must die,
Life has found a way.

But to her children, those who defy, know to this day,
She will always have her way.