Situation.

Following the successful series of protest rallies on 12 July 2012, organised by the Alliance of Defence Service Organisations (ADSO) to coincide with the first payment of our huge CPI increases (!!!!!), the ADSO is organising Operation "AWARE 2". This will involve a series of activities leading up to Vietnam Veterans' Day (18 August) but there will be no planned activities scheduled for Vietnam Veterans' Day.

An excerpt from the ADSO warning Order, see www.standto.org, follows:

"Op AWARE2 will begin Monday 6 August and continue until Vietnam Veteran's Day 18 Aug. Its objectives are to increase the public awareness of, and influence all politicians to, two major issues: Veterans' Disability Pension indexation and Military Superannuation indexation.

The Op will follow similar lines to OP AWARE 1.

• Release via social media, radio, press on 6 August
  
  
• During the period hold community forums in selected areas at RSL Sub-Branch locations, if approved by each RSL management committee, or at other community facilities.
  
  
• Distribution of Flyers, placards, information kits and appropriate handouts
  
  
• A peaceful supporters' assembly at ALL local MP Offices on Friday 17 August (date to be confirmed) at noon for one hour (similar to the CPI protests on 12 July).
  
  
• We will not actively campaign on Vietnam Veterans' Day. "

Mission

To increase the public awareness of, and influence all politicians to, two major issues: Veterans' Disability Pension indexation and Military Superannuation indexation.

Execution

All members are encouraged to write a letter to their Federal member, their Senators and the Prime Minister. Draft letters will be provided. Members will be requested to fax these letters by 13 August 2012. Fax numbers will be provided or are available HERE and HERE.

Letters may also be delivered personally to the offices of the Federal politicians, House of Representative Members and Senators, as a prelude to the protest rallies.
The ADSO will try to organise a series of community forums leading up to Vietnam Veterans' Day. ADSO will advise details.

A series of co-ordinated rallies will be held on Thursday, 17 August outside the office of all Federal politicians. Placards will be required. Words for these placards will be provided.

Details

• All members, their families, their friends and all supporters are encouraged to participate in these protest rallies. We need at least five members protesting at or near the electoral office of every Federal politician.
  
  
• All veterans are encouraged to wear medals.
  
  
• All participating members are encouraged to bring one of their letters and to hand these to their Federal Member and/or Senator, or to the staff of these members.
  
  
• Members are encouraged to assemble outside the office of their Federal politician (Member and/or Senator) by NLT 1200 hrs (AEST) on Friday, 17 August. Those members residing in other time zones are requested to assemble at the equivalent time in their zone/State (for example, those residing in WA are requested to assemble at 1000 hrs).
  
  
• Members are requested to bring professionally prepared placards. (These will have to be made by members. They are not expensive and Office Works can produce them). It is suggested that the placards should be carried by the families or supporters.
  
  
• Members are encouraged to bring portable, battery operated cassette players with suitable music (the National Anthem; God Help Me I Was Only Nineteen; the combined Waltzing Matilda/ Last Post), to play during these rallies.
  
  
• Participating members are requested to carry Australian flags.
  
  
• After assembling at each office, members are requested to nominate a spokesperson who is capable of presenting our case to any media representatives who may attend. Scripts will be distributed prior to 17 August 2012 and all members are requested to take a copy of this script to the protest rally.
  
  
• All participating members must be neatly dressed.
  
  
• All rallies are to be peaceful and conducted without undue noise. The public are not to be disrupted by these activities.
  
  
• Where the office of a Federal politician is located within a shopping centre, the rally is to be held outside the shopping centre so as not to inconvenience any shoppers or to generate any angst with the centre's management.
  
  
• Participating members are requested to hand out flyers to the general public.
  
  
• Where a Local Action Group (LAG) has been established, the LAG leader will coordinate the rally.
  
  
• However in most cases there will be no LAG. Consequently the members will have to take ownership and responsibility for these rallies.
  
  
• Members are encouraged to take photographs to record the rally.
  
  
• Members are requested to nominate a member to prepare a written report of the rally (who was involved, how many supporters, what happened, etc) and forward a copy to both Ted Chitham ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. '; document.write(''); document.write(addy_text7214); document.write('<\/a>'); //-->\n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and to Neil Weekes ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
  
  
• All members are encouraged to contact their local radio station(s) during the period 4 – 17 August 2012 to highlight the way we have been treated.
  
  

ADSO and I will be putting out further information so please log on to www.justafairgo.net and www.standto.org to keep informed. (There are members who are not registered members of the ADSO. That is why there will probably be two sets of instructions circulating, one from JUSTAFAIRGO and one from ADSO. We are working together to make sure that as many people as possible are made aware of these activities.

Please tell all your mates, friends, supporters and redistribute this to your email lists.

Can the ALP Be Trusted?