Guest guest Posted December 1, 2000 Report Share Posted December 1, 2000 Hi, Especially for Australians and NZ'ers on the list, please write to those in the following report to protest the ALP's backdown on GE foods. Anyone else from any other country who wishes to write, please do so. GE manipulation of our food affects all of us world wide and GE experiments using animals are also a concern to AR activists. Thankyou for any help on this most important issue. Kind regards, Marguerite Super Urgent Action Alert December 1, 2000 PLEASE TELL THE ALP NOW TO SHAPE UP ON THE GENE TECH BILL! The Gene Technology Bill 2000, debated Friday in the Senate, will be discussed further on Monday. The ALP has broken its numerous promises on biosafety, making only cosmetic changes to the Bill, already agreed in deals with the government. Senators Bob Brown (Greens) Natasha Stott-Despoja (ADs) Brian Harradine (Ind) and Len Harris (One Nation) are all moving good amendments to the government's draft Bill, but without ALP support the changes cannot be adopted. The minimum changes to the Bill needed for an effective law to protect public halth and the environment were recommended by the recent Senate Report, " A Cautionary Tale: Fish don't lay tomatoes " , from a committee chaired by ALP Senator Rosemary Crowley. Yet the ALP won't even back those essential changes. The most crucial deficiencies in the Gene Technology Bill 2000 (there are many more) include: * A definition of the precautionary principle, weaker than that in new national environmental laws; * Many genetic engineering activities to be exempt from full risk assessment and licensing; * Minimal opportunities for public scrutiny; * No requirement for insurance to cover the costs of potential public and environmental impacts; * Vague and uncertain rules for states and regions to opt out of the scheme and be GE-free; * No right for the public to appeal against the licensing of high risk genetic engineering activities. ACTION: * Email the ALP's Shadow Ministers, expressing your disappointment at their betrayal on the GT Bill 2000: <kim.beazley.mp, <s.crean.mp, <senator.faulkner, <senator.cook, <arch.bevis.mp, <senator.bolkus, <laurie.brereton.mp, <senator.conroy, <senator.evans, <martyn.evans.mp, <laurie.ferguson.mp, <m.ferguson.mp, <j.fitzgibbon.mp, <cheryl.kernot.mp, <duncan.kerr.mp, <carmen.lawrence.mp, <michael.lee.mp, <senator.lundy, <senator.mackay, <jenny.macklin.mp, <s.martin.mp, <r.mcclelland.mp, <bob.mcmullan.mp, <gavan.oconnor.mp, <senator.schacht, <con.sciacca.mp, <stephen.smith.mp, <wayne.swan.mp, <lindsay.tanner.mp, <kelvin.thomson.mp * Email support to those for a strong GT Bill: <senator.brown, <senator.stottdespoja, <senator.harradine, <senator.harris * Email your opposition to the government's patheticly weak GT Bill: <senator.tambling, <michael.wooldridge.mp Hear the Senate debate on ABC radio Parliamentary and News Network, on Monday. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS IS: geneethics PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS IS: www.geneethics.org Please don't send unsolicited attachments mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Bob Phelps ACF GeneEthics Network 340 Gore St, Fitzroy 3065 Australia Tel: (03) 9416.2222 Fax: (03) 9416.0767 {Int Code (613)} email: geneethics (Bob Phelps) WWW: http://www.geneethics.org The problem with the gene pool is, there is no lifeguard. " All policymakers must be vigilant to the possibility of research data being manipulated by corporate bodies and of scientific colleagues being seduced by the material charms of industry. Trust is no defence against an aggressively deceptive corporate sector, " The Lancet, April 2000 " We should be on our guard not to overestimate science and scientific methods when it is a question of human problems; and we should not assume that experts are the only ones who have a right to express themselves on questions affecting the organisation of society. " Albert Einstein " If it is left to me I would certainly not eat it (GE foods). We are putting new things into food which would not have been eaten before. The effects on the immune system are not easily predictable and I challenge anyone who will say that the effects are predictable. " Professor Arpad Pusztai (fired for speaking out) " All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people (men) do nothing. " Edmund Burke " When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist. " Dom Helder Camera On Kindness Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965) " Knowing is not enough, you must also act " mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Super Urgent Action Alert December 1, 2000 PLEASE TELL THE ALP NOW TO SHAPE UP ON THE GENE TECH BILL! The Gene Technology Bill 2000, debated Friday in the Senate, will be discussed further on Monday. The ALP has broken its numerous promises on biosafety, making only cosmetic changes to the Bill, already agreed in deals with the government. Senators Bob Brown (Greens) Natasha Stott-Despoja (ADs) Brian Harradine (Ind) and Len Harris (One Nation) are all moving good amendments to the government's draft Bill, but without ALP support the changes cannot be adopted. The minimum changes to the Bill needed for an effective law to protect public halth and the environment were recommended by the recent Senate Report, " A Cautionary Tale: Fish don't lay tomatoes " , from a committee chaired by ALP Senator Rosemary Crowley. Yet the ALP won't even back those essential changes. The most crucial deficiencies in the Gene Technology Bill 2000 (there are many more) include: * A definition of the precautionary principle, weaker than that in new national environmental laws; * Many genetic engineering activities to be exempt from full risk assessment and licensing; * Minimal opportunities for public scrutiny; * No requirement for insurance to cover the costs of potential public and environmental impacts; * Vague and uncertain rules for states and regions to opt out of the scheme and be GE-free; * No right for the public to appeal against the licensing of high risk genetic engineering activities. ACTION: * Email the ALP's Shadow Ministers, expressing your disappointment at their betrayal on the GT Bill 2000: <kim.beazley.mp, <s.crean.mp, <senator.faulkner, <senator.cook, <arch.bevis.mp, <senator.bolkus, <laurie.brereton.mp, <senator.conroy, <senator.evans, <martyn.evans.mp, <laurie.ferguson.mp, <m.ferguson.mp, <j.fitzgibbon.mp, <cheryl.kernot.mp, <duncan.kerr.mp, <carmen.lawrence.mp, <michael.lee.mp, <senator.lundy, <senator.mackay, <jenny.macklin.mp, <s.martin.mp, <r.mcclelland.mp, <bob.mcmullan.mp, <gavan.oconnor.mp, <senator.schacht, <con.sciacca.mp, <stephen.smith.mp, <wayne.swan.mp, <lindsay.tanner.mp, <kelvin.thomson.mp * Email support to those for a strong GT Bill: <senator.brown, <senator.stottdespoja, <senator.harradine, <senator.harris * Email your opposition to the government's patheticly weak GT Bill: <senator.tambling, <michael.wooldridge.mp Hear the Senate debate on ABC radio Parliamentary and News Network, on Monday. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS IS: geneethics PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS IS: www.geneethics.org Please don't send unsolicited attachments mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Bob Phelps ACF GeneEthics Network 340 Gore St, Fitzroy 3065 Australia Tel: (03) 9416.2222 Fax: (03) 9416.0767 {Int Code (613)} email: geneethics (Bob Phelps) WWW: http://www.geneethics.org The problem with the gene pool is, there is no lifeguard. " All policymakers must be vigilant to the possibility of research data being manipulated by corporate bodies and of scientific colleagues being seduced by the material charms of industry. Trust is no defence against an aggressively deceptive corporate sector, " The Lancet, April 2000 " We should be on our guard not to overestimate science and scientific methods when it is a question of human problems; and we should not assume that experts are the only ones who have a right to express themselves on questions affecting the organisation of society. " Albert Einstein " If it is left to me I would certainly not eat it (GE foods). We are putting new things into food which would not have been eaten before. The effects on the immune system are not easily predictable and I challenge anyone who will say that the effects are predictable. " Professor Arpad Pusztai (fired for speaking out) " All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people (men) do nothing. " Edmund Burke " When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist. " Dom Helder Camera On Kindness Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965) " Knowing is not enough, you must also act " mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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