A group of us from Refugee Action Collective finished Australia’s Guantanamo today. Yes, a model of Christmas Island made of foam, hessian, paint, timber, plastic – mostly from Recycled Garbage. 
It looks great! We are going to use it for the first time at next Monday’s Labor Day rally. Come and say hi!
Went to Southside Peace Group meeting this afternoon. It’s a small, but good group. We got lots done. We’re planning our campaign in Moreton for the federal election.
If you’d like more info, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll let you know when the next meeting is or provide you with ways to help.
We’re hosting a meeting in August entitled something along the lines of “War & Racism: We’re All In This Together”.
You’ll see members of Southside Peace Group at stalls at Rocklea Markets and perhaps at Sunnybank down the track. Give us a yell if you can help out – we’re very very keen for more volunteers!
Where in the hell can you go far from the things that you know
Far from the sprawl of concrete that keeps crawling its way about 1,000 miles a day?
Take one last look behind, commit this to memory and mind.
Don’t miss this wasteland, this terrible place.
When you leave keep your heart off your sleeve.
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes, lullaby me to sleep.
Keep me safe, lie with me, stay beside me don’t go.
Don’t you go.
Oh, my five & dime queen tell me what have you seen?
The lust and the avarice, the bottomless, cavernous greed, is that what you see?
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes, lullaby me to sleep.
Keep me safe, lie with me, stay beside me don’t go.
It’s your happiness I want most of all and for that I’d do anything at all, oh mercy me!
If you want the best of it or the most of all, if there’s anything I can do at all.
Now come on shot gun bride what makes me envy your life?
Faceless, nameless, innocent, blameless and free, what’s that like to be?
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes, lullaby me to sleep.
Keep me safe, lie with me, stay beside me don’t go.
Don’t go.
- Natalie Merchant
Met Peter Garrett today. I was invited to an afternoon tea in my capacity as a member of the Moreton Bay Discovery Centre Steering Committee.
I briefly chatted to him after the event and admitted that I ran for The Greens in Bonner at the last election and then wished him luck for his internal caucusing at Labor National Conference. He didn’t seem too pleased or welcoming of the remark, but I meant it in all sincerity.
I was a bit upset because he wouldn’t shake my hand. Maybe it was because someone was taking a photo of us. Oh well, doesn’t matter. Not my problem. However, I am a constituent like everyone else and if anyone is representing my voice in the lower house in Canberra, he’s probably the closest there is.
Maybe he heard about the release I wrote that described him as ’sad’ and a ‘Labor Party lackie’. I doubt it though. I doubt that made it to Canberra, as much as it would’ve been nice.
Thank god for the 4 Greens senators who TRULY represent my voice. Here’s hoping for at least 6…
A SNAPSHOT
Education: Bachelor of Business Majoring in Organisational Communication; Graduate Diploma of Editing and Publishing.
Occupation: Public Relations and Fundraising Manager for a prominent Brisbane charity; University tutor, Freelance writer and editor.
Professional memberships: Public Relations Institute of Australia; Fundraising Institute of Australia; The Brisbane Institute.
Roles: I was an ambitious entrepreneur until I discovered that I could make a greater difference to the world with a career in politics and the community sector. I have been an active member of professional organisations since the age of 19 and have been networking with business leaders, community groups and government representatives since then. I worked for 6 years at The Courier-Mail as a writer and editor. Widely respected as an IT writer an Internet analyst in the sector’s heyday, I have been interviewed as an expert on online communication and communities.
Goals: While I enjoy my executive role in the non-profit sector, I believe all my experiences to date – entrepreneurial, media and community – are ideal qualities for a Greens parliamentarian and representative of Queenslanders. I continue to write and hope to soon publish my first book.
EDUCATION
1999 – 2000 Graduate Diploma of Editing and Publishing
University of Southern Queensland
GPA: 5.8
HIGH DISTINCTIONS
- Publishing and Production Management Project
- Introduction to Web Publishing
CREDITS
- Publication Layout and Design
- Editing and Proofreading
- Media Law and Ethics
1995 – 1998 Bachelor of Business: Organisational Communication
Queensland University of Technology
GPA: 5.32
HIGH DISTINCTIONS
- Human Identity and Change
- Vulnerable Identities
DISTINCTIONS
- Issues in Publishing
- Corporate Writing and Editing
- Creative Writing and Publishing
- Communication Issues
- Theoretical Perspectives on Communication
- Group Communication: Theory and Practice
- Intercultural Communication and Diversity
- Australian Children’s and Adolescent Fiction
- Australian Women’s Writing
CREDITS
- Communication Technology
- Managing Change
- Consulting for the Communication Specialist
- Written Communication: Theory and Practice
- Speech Communication: Theory and Practice
1994 Bachelor of Arts
University of Queensland
One year only
DISTINCTIONS
- 20th Century Australian Literature
- Introduction to Philosophy
CREDITS
- Writing and Style
- Approaches to Literature
- Society and Gender: Introduction to Sociology
- Weight Control, Diet, and Exercise
1989 – 1993 Senior Certificate
Corinda State High School
OP (Overall Position): 8
VERY HIGH ACHIEVEMENTS
- English
HIGH ACHIEVEMENTS
- Biological Science
- Ancient History
- Drama
WORK EXPERIENCE
Public Relations & Fundraising Manager (May 2005 — ) F/T Paid
Department: Public Relations & Fundraising
Organisation: Prominent Brisbane charity
Tasks: Manage the department that looks after publicity, advertising, fundraising and event management.
University Tutor (July 2006 — )
Subject: Public Relations Campaigns
Department: School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
Organisation: Queensland University of Technology
Tasks: Conduct weekly tutorials, supervise, consult with and assess final year students for their major university project.
Manager (April 2001 – May 2005) P/T Paid
Organisation: Race Online
Tasks: Consulted and trained in online writing, editing, design and publicity. Role involved duties of a business manager, marketing and promotions manager, managing editor, web site manager and project manager. Web site at www.race.net.au. Race was a finalist in the Business Innovation category of the 2002 Women in Technology/Unisys Awards.
Assistant Manager (November 2003 – May 2005) F/T Paid
Department: Advertising Features
Organisation: Queensland Newspapers
Tasks: Editor of The Courier-Mail’s CareerOne and Real Estate lift-outs. Supervised writers, photographers, designers and sub-editors. Designed, laid out and sub-edited advertorial for The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail. Features included travel, entertainment, education, home, dining, beauty and retirement features. Also placed some of these features online.
IT writer (January 2000-2003) F/T Paid
Department: Advertising Features
Organisation: Queensland Newspapers
Tasks: Wrote IT lead stories and coordinated various columns for The Courier-Mail’s Careers lift-out. Wrote web reviews for the Communicate IT section in The Courier-Mail’s Weekend Shopper lift-out for a period of a year. Coordinated editorial for IT features.
Feature Writer (September 1998 – November 2000) F/T Paid
Department: Advertising Features
Organisation: Queensland Newspapers
Tasks: Wrote real estate editorial for The Courier-Mail’s Real Estate lift-out. Photographed properties or worked with a photographer to create a quality, publishable final product.
Marketing and advertising coordinator (March 1998 – September 1998)
Organisation: Ray White Mt Ommaney
Tasks: Produced window cards, brochures, newsletters, marketing proposals, advertisements, press releases and auction information booklets.
MAJOR PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS
Activities:
- Attended Fundraising Institute of Australia conference in Sydney in February 2006.
- Was marketing director for non-profit organisation, eBIG (Electronic Business Interest Group) from 2002-2003. Edited their monthly e-newsletter.
- Designed the Society of Editors (Queensland) Inc. web site, as part of my voluntary position as web site officer from 2001-2002. I also moderated the Society’s online discussion group, Editing Australia List (EAL).
- Was coordinating editor for M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture from October 2000-June 2001. M/C is a well-respected academic journal based at the University of Queensland. I organised team meetings, enforced deadlines and ran the journal’s Media-Culture discussion group.
- Updated the content on the web site for Women in Information Technology (WIT) for a period of a year. This was as part of my voluntary contribution to WIT’s Marketing Special Interest Group. Also helped market their awards program in 2001/2002.
- Volunteered each Sunday for a period of 3 months at the Annerley Book and Literacy Centre, supervising and tutoring refugees and migrants in the use of computers and the Internet.
Achievements:
- Since starting my current role I have initiated and co-ordinated a number of successful fundraising events and awareness campaigns including a Film Night, Golf Days, Christmas Wrap, Fashion Show, Trivia Night.
- Was nominated by my editor (who has 35 years newspaper experience) for the Queensland Newspapers High Achievers Award 2003, a program that is run to acknowledge outstanding work efforts.
- My part-time venture, Race Online, was a finalist in the Business Innovation category of the 2002 Women in IT/Unisys Awards. I achieved this while also working full-time.
- Completed three-day management training course as part of Queensland Newspapers’ training program for managers.
- Presented a seminar to members of eBIG (Electronic Business Interest Group) on how to write e-newsletters. Secured two pieces of freelance work as a result.
- Presented a punchy, info-packed 30 minute presentation to 30 or so members of Software Engineering Australia Queensland (SEAQ) for a seminar they organised on PR/Media Savvy. Received feedback of ‘best speaker of the night’.
- Conducted a full-day workshop at Queensland Writers Centre for high school students on Feature Writing for their Young Writers Masterclasses.
- Secured a feature on Brisbane Extra for an 88-year-old author – on behalf of children’s book publisher, Word Weavers Press.
- Race Online was featured in an article at www.itjourno.com.au, a subscriber-only IT industry publication for IT journalists and associated professionals.
- Race Online was featured in 2002 on Sydney radio station 2GB as part of their Computer Talk program.
- I was interviewed in 2001 on Sydney radio station, Radio 2SER, as part of a segment on online communities.
Projects:
- Wrote a regular Brisbane lifestyle e-newsletter for an adult brand of coffee, incorporating a fiction piece. Also MC’d a coffee tasting event.
- Regularly wrote web site copy for clients of Exigent Studios.
- Designed and maintained www.wordweaverspress.com.au, the web site of children’s book publisher, Word Weavers Press. Also acted as their publicist.
- Designed www.dyslexia-australasia, web site for dyslexia consultant Christina Alexander. Also acted as her publicist.
- Conducted a web writing workshop plus additional web writing tutorials for IT recruitment agency, Mastech. Showed their recruitment consultants and support staff how to write advertisements for the Web.
- Conducted a training workshop for the Society of Editors (Qld) Inc. called ‘Editing Electronic Documents’ that focused on how to successfully write and edit for the Web.
- Conducted an online tutorial in 2001 and 2002 for QUT as guest tutor for a subject called Virtual Communities.
- Reviewed the book launch of Sue Gough’s The Nether Regions written for M/C Reviews (found at www.media-culture.org.au/reviews/events/nether.html).
- Edited fiction manuscript for published non-fiction author, Leonard Barnes.
PERSONAL ACTIVITIES, SKILLS & MEMBERSHIPS
I enjoy:
- Reading
- Writing
- Accessing the Internet
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Sailing
- Snorkling
- Fishing
- Deltiology
- Piano
- Live music
- My Italian mother’s cooking
I am skilled in:
- Interpersonal communication
- Public speaking
- Project management
- Marketing and promotions
- Awareness campaigns
- Political campaigns
- Financial and budget management
- Research and analysis
- Corporate writing and editing
- News writing and editing
- Creative writing and editing
- Web content writing and editing
- Managing editing
- Production management
- Basic Adobe Indesign and Pagemaker
- Basic Adobe Photoshop
- E-mail and WWW browsing
- Intermediate Dreamweaver
- Basic HTML and XHTML
- Web site maintenance using content management software
Professional memberships include:
- Public Relations Institute of Australia
- Fundraising Institute of Australia
Past professional memberships include:
- Queensland Writers Centre
- Society of Editors (Queensland) Inc.
- Women in Information Technology – WIT
- Electronic Business Interest Group – eBIG
Elissa’s political resume 2004 – 2007
A SNAPSHOT
Internal positions:
December 2006 – Current: Social Justice Spokesperson for Queensland Greens.
September 2006 – Current: National Delegate for Queensland Greens.
October 2006 – Current: Member of Australian Greens Communication Working Group.
November 2005 – Current: Convenor of Human Rights Working Group for Queensland Greens.
October 2006 -December 2006: Qld Greens Spokesperson for Education, Industrial Relations & Health.
Aug 2006 – Oct 2006: Deputy Convenor for Queensland Greens.
March 2006 – June 2006: Acting Convenor for Queensland Greens.
May 2004 – Sep 2006: Secretary for Bayside Greens.
External positions:
May 2004 – October 2004: Greens Federal candidate for Bonner.
May 2005 – August 2005: Greens State candidate for Chatsworth by-election.
August 2006 – September 2006: Greens State candidate for Chatsworth.
Memberships:
Queensland Greens; Australian Marine Conservation Society; The Brisbane Institute; Southside Peace Group; Refugee Action Collective; and Moreton Bay Discovery Centre Management Committee.
Background:
For the past three years I have actively represented The Greens on many a Greens or community organising committee to ensure there’s two-way communication happening between The Greens and the concerned community.
Groups and organising committees I’ve been involved in or networked closely with in the area of the environment include: Minnippi Bushland Defenders, Save Daisy Hill Action Group, Moreton Bay Environmental Alliance and Australian Marine Conservation Society.
I am a proud member of the Moreton Bay Discovery Centre Management Committee which is a brainchild of AMCS founder Mary Patchett. The committee has been created to lobby and plan for the development of an intepretative centre on the foreshore at Manly to raise community awareness of the environmental significance of the Bay.
Groups and organising committees I’ve been involved in or networked closely with in the area of social justice include: World Refugee Day, International Women’s Day, Stop The War Collective; Southside Peace Group and Free David Hicks Collective. To be honest, there are too many to mention and remember! I have either spoken at, attended or encouraged a larger Greens presence at numerous social justice rallies, marches and public forums.
I’m a passionate advocate of The Greens’ other major pillar “Peace and Non-Violenceâ€? and promote this style of democratic action and engagement while planning and participating in rallies and other protest actions.
Below is a brief selection of just some of the campaign work I have done for The Greens over the last 3 years plus general activism and involvement as a concerned global citizen.
2007:
- Attended Global Young Greens Conference in Nairobi, Kenya for two weeks in January as an official, partly-funded delegate of the Australian Greens. Featured in two articles in my local City South News newspaper with colour pics. Was interviewed for Triple J daytime news with different soundbites on the hour. Received interest from two popular women’s magazines – Cosmopolitan and Vive.
- I have been performing a leadership and support role to benefit young Greens in Queensland, encouraging young Greens and non-Greens members in Queensland to attend the Global Young Greens conference in Kenya and be involved in the newly created Young Australian Greens.
2006:
- Spoke at a rally demanding the return of West Papuan asylum seekers from Christmas Island back to Australia.
- Organised a fundraiser to launch the Human Rights Working Group. Unfortunately, it was not well attended. However, those who did attend provided positive feedback in regards to the evening’s education and entertainment content.
- Joined the Stop The War organising committee meeting for protest against the war in Iraq and demand the Australian Government brings the troops home.
- Spoke at rally after Israel bombed Lebanon calling for Israel to withdraw and calling for Australians to avoid racist sentiments against Muslims.
- Attended World Refugee Day celebrations and actions.
- Staffed a Greens stall on Hiroshima Day (I believe this issue crosses into the social justice area of wartime practices).
- Staffed a stall at Brisbane Social Forum.
- As an individual citizen, via this web log at www.elissa.info, I called for the community to boycott the purchase of and the sponsors of a calendar that was released that depicted women looking sexy to position IT as a sexy career option. I believe it affirmed the place of women in the IT profession as “simply eyecandy, no IT savvy� and in the workplace as sex objects.
- Attended the No Dams protest at Kanganda against the State Government’s proposal to build a dam on the Mary River, resuming about 500 residents and threatening the survival of the Mary River Turtle, Mary River Cod, the lungfish and a frog.
- Ran as a candidate for Chatsworth at the state election. Greens preferences ultimately helped topple high profile Michael Caltabiano. It was a strategic decision to run a strong campaign in the high-profile seat being contested by Labor’s Chris Bombolas and I am proud to have represented The Greens in this tough seat. After plenty of hounding by local community groups (including Liberal Party women) to oust the misogynistic Caltabiano, it was a personal and political success of mine to be part of this intrumental yet underpublicised milestone – that is, ensuring that Caltabiano did not become the next leader of the Queensland Liberals (something that was rumoured to occur).
- Attended ‘Rock The Vote’, a music festival put on my the union movement to encourage young people to enrol to vote. Handed out Greens flyers and postcards within the festival grounds (until being told to move on).
2005:
- Spoke on International Women’s Day in support of a woman’s right to choose by calling for the Queensland Government to immediately remove abortion from Queensland’s criminal code.
- Attended “Baxter 05: A Convergence for Human Rights� for 4 days in the South Australian desert to protest against mandatory detention of asylum seekers.
- Presented the video “Baxter 05: A Greens Perspective� at Queensland Greens Immersion Day and spoke about my experience at the protest.
- Joined protesters at Minnippi West to lobby against a golf course, conference centre and housing estate which was proposed for development on 125 ha of Brisbane City Council-owned bushland located alongside Minnippi Parklands at Cannon Hill. Why? Because of the threat it will bring to the squirrel glider colony, other vulnerable fauna and the valuable wetlands.
- Ran as a state candidate in the Chatsworth by-election. On by-election day I confronted the media and then Peter Beattie with the dodgy ‘how to vote’ cards that Labor Party representatives were distributing to voters. This story was covered on radio and in the evening on Channel 7, 10 and ABC.
- Staged an action outside Brisbane Convention Centre during the by-election with a signed request for Peter Beattie to implement Proportional Representation in Queensland.
- Spoke at a rally against the continued persecution of Falun Gung practitioners by the Chinese Communist Government.
- Spoke at a public “Meet the Candidatesâ€? forum organised by the Australian Christian Lobby. Sitting alongside the Labor, Liberal and One Nation candidates and an audience of Christian fundamentalists, I challenged Christian fundamentalism head-on and questioned its obsession with sex, homosexuality and fetuses instead of more urgent and crisis issues such as poverty, freedom and climate change. Positive feedback and congratulations from non ACL aligned community members on my ‘guts’ and a ‘job well done’ made me realise what it meant to be Green – that we earn respect because we have the courage to speak out against injustice.
- Staffed a stall at Brisbane Social Forum.
- Staffed a stall at Walk Against Warming.
- Joined peace activists outside Australian Federal Police headquarters to protest against Australia’s shock deportation of US peace activist, Scott Parkin.
- Joined Juanita Wheeler and Bronwen Lloyd to create the Qld Greens Human Rights Working Group.
- Guest speaker at North Brisbane branch. Discussed refugee issues and presented the video “Baxter 05: A Greens Perspective�.
2004:
- Ran as a federal candidate for the new seat of Bonner. Campaigned for 5 months.
- Handed out ‘Enrol To Vote’ forms to young people at the Valley Fiesta.
- Organised a successful bands fundraiser called “Show Us Your Greens Bits� to attract the young Greens vote.
- Questioned keynote speaker, Lady Mayoress Lisa Newman, at a Women’s Business Lunch, securing her public commitment to ensuring asylum seeker children in Brisbane would be granted similar concern and justice in the Mayoress’s quest to alleviate child poverty in our City.
- Shamelessly shed a tear when Julian Burnside spoke about detention centres at “Australia at the Crossroads� public forum at City Hall.
- Publicly lobbied Brisbane Airport Corporation until they invited myself and Senate candidate Drew Hutton for a personalised tour of Brisbane Airport to discuss complaints of excess aircraft noise by residents in the then low-socio economic suburb Murrarrie.
- Met with community members after it was discovered that Caltex (Texaco and Chevron) was to forge ahead with an upgrade of its Brisbane refinery despite concerns over the toxic effects of the sulphur dioxide it will generate.
- On the organising committee of a joint Bayside Greens/South Brisbane Greens Trivia Night to raise money for the federal election campaign.
Attended a Refugee Action Collective working bee today. We’re making a Christmas Island to use at rallies. It’s looking very schmick.
This sounds like a wonderful event. I highly recommend attending.
Port of Brisbane Lifeline Blues Cruise
Turning the Brisbane River blue on Sunday May 6, 2007
Enjoy the sunset beauty of a Brisbane River cruise while taking in a splash of blues music, food, drink and camaraderie.
Lift your spirits and the spirits of the Brisbane community by being part of a grand fleet that will cruise the river, drawing much-needed attention to the issue of depression and how Lifeline helps the community combat this debilitating illness.
All proceeds will help fund Lifeline Brisbane?s 24 hour Crisis Counselling Line and free face-to-face counselling services.
Launch ceremony at Queensland Maritime Museum, South Bank, with special guests Lord Mayor Campbell Newman plus Lifeline Patron and award-winning illustrator, Greg Wilson.
Date: Sunday May 6, 2007
Time: 3:30pm boarding with 4pm sharp departure (3hr cruise)
Cost: $45 per person (includes nibbles)
Extras: Drinks available for purchase at the bar
Dress: Smart casual, perhaps with a splash of blue!
Bookings: Book now online via credit card only
The fleet … 7 cruise boats, 7 blues bands & 7 community leaders