After more than 200,000 of you signed Apple fan Mark Shields’ Change.org petition, Apple has ordered independent auditors to inspect working conditions in its Chinese factories. See below for this and other incredible victories on Change.org in the past few weeks.
Something different is beginning to happen all over Australia. Everyday people are taking a stand on local, state and national issues that matter to them, and they’re winning.
Change.org launched in Australia six months ago. There was a simple goal -- enable anyone, anywhere, to start, join and win campaigns about issues that are important to them.
In the last few weeks people have started petitions on Change.org leading to incredible results:
For the first time ever, Apple has invited independent inspectors to monitor working conditions in its factories after wall-to-wall media coverage in four continents of Mark Shields' 200,000 strong petition on Change.org
After 25,000 people joined a Catholic priest's Change.org campaign, the Qld government pledged to end the “gay panic” defence that allowed people to defend murder by claiming the victim was gay and “came onto you” first.
A program forcing nurses to pay $18,000 to return to life saving work is reviewed for breaching anti-discrimination laws after over a thousand people join nurse and mother-of-three’s Change.org petition.
Now -- and in just a few short months -- we’re a community of more than 150,000 people, who have together achieved some amazing victories. Scroll through this text to see a full description on how individuals started and won these campaigns.
You can share these stories of people-power on facebook.
The idea that anyone can stand up and shape their community shouldn’t be a radical one -- but for too long power has been concentrated in an elite group of companies, politicians and organisations.
We’re only just starting to see what’s possible, but as more and more people take advantage of new tools and technology to come together and work for change, the impact will be tremendous.
Thanks for being part of this,
Nick, Suzanne, Tony, Nathan, Bobbi and the Change.org team.
P.S. You can start a petition about something you want to change at any time -- simply click http://www.change.org/start-a-petition?utm_source=action_alert&utm_mediu... to start a petition on Change.org right now.
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Catholic Priest wins legislative change to end the “gay panic” defence in Queensland
A loophole in Queensland law meant killing someone wasn’t murder if the victim was gay and “came onto you” first. After seeing this defence used to defend a brutal murder in his own Church’s courtyard, Father Paul started a Change.org petition calling for it to be abolished.
In just a few days, 25,000 people signed Father Paul’s petition, and there was front-page coverage in The Courier-Mail, Daily Telegraph, an op-ed published in The Punch (and responded to by the Attorney-General), and features on ABC Radio National and Channel 10’s The Project.
The explosion of support and media coverage of Father Paul’s campaign forced a policy shift from the government -- they announced changes to legislation that will all but relegate the “gay panic” defence to the history books.
Mark Shields’ petition forces Apple to invite independent auditors to inspect working conditions in its Chinese factories.
Conditions at one of the factories producing iPhones and other Apple products has led to workers permanently losing the use of their hands, neurological damage and a rash of suicides. After hearing about it on radio, “cult of mac” fan Mark Shields couldn’t stand for it -- so he started a Change.org petition calling for Apple to protect workers making iPhones.
Something incredible followed -- more than 200,000 people signed his petition, a media furore erupted with wall-to-wall coverage across four continents, including some of the worlds largest publications like CNN, BBC, The Guardian, ABC and SBS News.
Last Friday Apple customers delivered the petition to stores in Sydney, New York, Madrid, London, and Bangalore -- and this week Apple CEO Tim Cook ordered immediate inspections of its Chinese factories, and for the results to be published online.
Nurse and mother-of-three fights to stop nurses being charged $10,000 to return to life-saving work
A dire shortage of nurses is crippling NSW’s health system and putting lives at risk. Yet hundreds of nurses like Sarah Thornthwaite are being forced to pay up to $18,000 in course fees, childcare and travel costs to return to work.
After taking five years off to raise a family Sarah Thornthwaite was shocked to find that she was being forced out of the job she loves. So Sarah started a Change.org petition calling on the Health Minister to stop charging nurses to return to life saving work.
In a matter of days, more than a thousand people signed her petition, ABC Radio National and the Daily Telegraph picked up the story, and it’s forced the Minister Skinner to personally call Sarah to discuss the program. Pressure continues to grow for the Minister to support nurses returning to work and deliver an affordable and flexible re-training option.
Kyle Sandilands campaign explodes across Australia
After Kyle Sandilands called a journalist a “fat slag” and threatened to “hunt her down”, grad student Emily Hehir started a petition calling on advertisers to boycott his show.
In just a few days 30,000 people signed her petition and there was wall to wall coverage in the Australian, The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, the SMH, the Age and many more. Over 50 advertisers pulled out, including massive brands like Holden, Telstra, McDonalds, and Vodafone.
Industry insiders estimate the radio station responsible for backing Sandilands and his comments has lost more than $10 million in advertising, and pressure continues to grow for Sandilands to be sacked.
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Who is Change.org?
We’re a platform that allows anyone, anywhere to start, join and win campaigns about issues that are important to them.
We put the best social change technology in the hands of passionate people everywhere. You can use the Change.org platform to have email automatically sent to a decision maker every time someone signs your petition. You can recruit more people to your cause, and regularly update your supporters on the progress of the campaign with our easy to use website.
More than 50,000 petitions have been started on the site, and every day, people are winning campaigns on important issues. Click here if you want to start a petition on Change.org right now.
