URGENT - CALL FOR ACTION ! UNITE NOW

URGENT - CALL FOR ACTION !

This e-mail has been sent to:

Dads in Distress

Dads On The Air (reform group)

EqualParenting@ yahoogroups. com

EqualParenting- Cairns@yahoogrou ps.com

Family First Party

Fatherhood Foundation

Fathers4Equality

Father4equality@ yahoogroups. com

Fathers4Justice

Joint Parenting Association

Lone Fathers Association

LoneFathers@ yahoogroups. com

Men's Confraternity

Men's Information and Support Centre

Men's Rights Agency

mra@yahoogroups. com

Non-Custodial Parents Party

nuance@yahoogroups. com

Ozydads@yahoogroups .com

Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Hi all,

This is an urgent appeal to all corners of the men's movement / equal parenting movement in Australia !

The equal parenting movement is lacking unity, coordination and vigour. Until we achieve this, we cannot hope to exert the degree of media publicity and political pressure necessary to consolidate public opinion and turn the votes of the Federal politicians.

See BELOW for a list of leaders (and their organisations) of the equal parenting movement in Australia (if I have left some out, please let me know).

To give you an idea of the lack of communication and coordination, Fathers4Equality has been running an Online Petition for the Presumption of Equal Parenting Time since 2004. 10 movement leaders have signed it. 24 have not - possibly because they weren't even aware of it. There would be many more staff in these organisations who have not signed.

I have included the URL (web address) BELOW for those of you who haven't signed and who would like to !

I have also attached a list of people who have signed it, for others who might like to sign (and are not sure if they already have). We have had problems with people signing multiple times. If you have signed it, please do not sign again. The total is cited at around 2,700 but the real total, so far, is more like 2,100.

Also, a group of us have initiated a campaign to set up stalls outside Family Courts around Australia to hand out information and collect signatures. I would encourage all organisations listed to endorse this campaign. And not only endorse it, but be involved ! Take responsibility for organising your own stalls in your area (with a permit of course).

We are not active enough. The heavy lobbying that was carried out in 2004 has resulted in no real changes to the Family Law Act. As a senior official at the Family Court, Cairns, recently said to me - "it's not about Equal Parenting Time, it's about Equal Parental Responsibility. .. it's just repackaged brie."

We already had "Equal Parental Responsibility" and in practice it doesn't mean a damn thing.

The Family Relationship Centres are a good idea in theory, but until we have Rebuttable Presumption of Equal Parenting Time legislation to back them up, they will be a waiting room for the Family Court system - a waste of time and a waste of taxpayers money.

It is time to take action once again.

I suggest:

1.. the staff of all the organisations listed sign the Fathers4Equality petition (it's the least we can do. If you don't agree with it, let us know why). See below for the URL (web address).
2.. we set up a discussion forum (or use an existing one) where leaders of the equal parenting movement and others discuss integrated and coordinated strategies for action.

If this is already happening, we need communication to the legions of disenfranchised Dads and their families who participate in forums such as Father4equality@ yahoogroups. com, LoneFathers@ yahoogroups. com, mra@yahoogroups. com, nuance@yahoogroups. com, and Ozydads@yahoogroups .com because to us it appears as though nothing is happening. I congratulate Akiva Quinn, James Adams, John Flanagan, Lindsay Jackel, and Yuri Joakimidis for regularly participating in public forums as well as Sue Price in the MRA forum.

Perhaps others do participate elsewhere. But I am sceptical of organisations purporting to represent the men's movement and the equal parenting movement, where the executive does not communicate with people, at least sometimes, on relevant online public forums. It would give so much more integrity and effectiveness to the movement, as well as be morale-building.

3.. that the above organisations endorse the campaign to set up stalls outside of Family Courts (and other locations) to hand out information and collect signatures for the petition (the petition, and current information handout are attached). And not only do they endorse the campaign, but they organise stalls in their own area. I am happy that this campaign be managed by the SPCA or some other committee. The stalls are attended by two people (foldup table and two chairs) for a two-hour period once a week.

4.. once the petition and stall campaigns are successful (eg 10,000 signatures and 50 weekly stalls nationwide) we could consider other actions.

5.. we begin work on endorsing candidates (be they Non-Custodial Parents Party, Family First Party, or other) and helping to promote them for the next Federal Election.

I can give more information on the stall campaign for anyone wishing to participate.

____________ _________ __

Those who have signed the Fathers4Equality Petition at

http://www.fathers4 equality- australia. org/equalparenti ng/petition. nsf/SignPetition

Akiva Quinn Fathers4Equality

Ash Patil Fathers4Equality

Brett Kressner Men's Confraternity

Greg Andresen Men's Information and Support Centre

James Adams Fathers4Equality

Joan Hopkins State Director (WA) Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Lionel Richards (late) OzyDads

Peter Marsh State Director (QLD) Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Tony Miller Dads in Distress

Trevor Brock State Director (NSW) Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Those who have not signed the Fathers4Equality Petition at

http://www.fathers4 equality- australia. org/equalparenti ng/petition. nsf/SignPetition

Alice Marsh Vice-President Fatherhood Foundation

Andrew Thompson, Party Secretary, Non-Custodial Parents Party

Barry Williams President Lone Fathers, Vice President 1 Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Buck (Uncle) Dads On The Air (original)

Coral Slattery Vice President 2 SPCA; Family Law Reform Assn NSW

Edward Dabrowski Federal Director Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Geoff Moses board member Fatherhood Foundation

Greg Cairns Vice President Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Jim Carter State Director (ACT) Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA); Lone Fathers Assn

John Flanagan Deputy Registered Officer, Non-Custodial Parents Party

Kerry-Anne Searcy Secretary Men's Confraternity

Kevin Fahie Treasurer Men's Confraternity

Lindsay Jackel Nuance, State Director (VIC) Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Michael Baker Treasurer Fatherhood Foundation

Michael Green QC President Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Mike Ward Convenor Men's Confraternity

Phil Latz board member Fatherhood Foundation

Reg Price Mens Rights Agency

Rodney Stanton Men's Information and Support Centre

Sue Price Mens Rights Agency

Susanne Cook State Director (SA) Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Warwick Marsh President Fatherhood Foundation

Wayne Butler Secretary Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Yuri Joakimidis

Steve Fielding, Senator, Family First Party

Men's groups and equal parenting groups

Dads in Distress

Tony Miller

http://www.dadsindi stress.asn. au/

dids@nor.com. au

Dads On The Air (original group)

http://www.dadsonth eair.com/

[couldn't find e-mail address]

Dads On The Air (reform group)

http://www.dadsonth eair.net

dadsontheair@ gmail.com

[couldn't find contact person - 'Peter' ?]

Family First Party

Steve Fielding, Senator

http://www.familyfi rst.org.au/ index.php

senator.fielding@ aph.gov.au

Fatherhood Foundation

Warwick Marsh

http://www.fatherso nline.org

info@fathersonline. org

Fathers4Equality

James Adams

http://www.fathers4 equality- australia. org

president@fathers4e quality-australi a.org

Fathers4Justice

http://www.f4joz. com/index. asp

admin@f4joz. com

[couldn't find mention of contact person]

Joint Parenting Association

http://www.jointpar enting.org. au/

info@jointparenting .org.au

[couldn't find mention of contact person]

Lone Fathers Association

Barry Williams

http://www.lonefath ers.com.au/

president@lonefathe rs.com.au

mlr1952@bigpond. net.au (newsletter editor)

Men's Confraternity

Brett Kessner

http://www.mensconf raternity. org.au/

president@mensconfr aternity. org.au

Men's Information and Support Centre

Greg Andresen, Rodney Stanton

http://www.misc. com.au/

info@misc.com. au

Men's Rights Agency

Sue Price

http://www.mensrigh ts.com.au

support@mensrights. com.au

Non-Custodial Parents Party

John Flanagan

http://www.ncpp. xisle.info/ index.htm

ncpp@xisle.info

Richard Hillman Foundation

http://www.rhfinc. org.au/

[could find no e-mail or contact person]

Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA)

Michael Green

http://www.spca. org.au/

secretariat@ spca.org. au

Hoping to hear from leaders and others so we can build an active, united, and effective movement for a Rebuttable Presumption of Equal Parenting Time.

Sincerely

Geoff Holland

Equal Parenting Movement

tel (07)4055 9995

0404 376 991

PO Box 263E, Earlville, Qld 4870

EqualParenting@ optusnet.com.au