That's ok, I'm just giving an alternate point of view. You don't have to be convinced.
By calling the SMH article a puff piece and only picking the outcome of one petition and disregarding the other 13 you do not make much of a case for your argument, however.
As to your last point, which is important, I'll get back to you. I've made an enquiry because I also want more clarification. Thank you for that.
I forgot to add that environment and other activist organisations find that if their petitions to government are well supported by the general public it gives them more ammo to advocate for causes.
You make very valid points but I don't think they are the end of the story. Petitions form a number of functions (this list is not comprehensive). They:
Finally, the above petition is for all Australians to sign, not just Gold Coast locals. It is very unlikely that someone living in Perth would contact their MP or one covering the Gold Coast to follow the situation. I am one of those people who write individual letters to politicians about issues. More often than not, they fob you off with unctuous polliespeak, so, that IS a waste of time.
To sign a petition is to put a small amount of energy into a significant cause (usually) and join others rather than not put in energy at all and sit on the side lines feeling helpless, alone and grumbling.
I disagree with you. Not all get their requests met, but many do. Numbers mean votes so a point comes when local politicians see their position at risk when there are very large numbers of people against what they are pushing. Mind you, being Qld, it's harder to say.
Sorry if it sounded like I'm blaming refugees. I agree with everything you say. But if incoming numbers increase significantly (and we should definitely welcome them as our govt has sat by as the situation has become drastic in some parts of the ME) and we are still not catching up with the housing construction (and the expense to build growing because of oil price volatility), the problem will become worse. Imo, our govt should increase support for well-made prefabricated homes which are now much better quality than they used to be and perhaps even start a govt-owned prefabrication enterprise for social and affordable housing at scale, which would also provide manufacturing and related jobs.
If the number of refugees rises significantly as it is already happening it will have an effect in time, in my view. It is just my opinion. If our governments are going to support the bombing of populations and the consequent spread of destruction over the whole ME region, it will be (and should be) our humanitarian duty to take more refugees. I hope they are planning for this and for climate change refugees from our Pacific region.
Perhaps our govt and others have stopped believing and holding to the rules-based order a long time ago. Give lip-service, yes. Do what is right by international and humanitarian law, no.
You may be interested in this video of an interview with an Iranian academic educated in the West and ex-Israeli anti-Zionist writer and activist about the current situation (well, one day ago): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcFD_9A_5Dg
The same sort of fear is present in the regional area where I live, where there seems to be a mind virus against renewable energy.
And who knows what will happen with the current world instability as it affects oil prices (and so the price of just about everything else), and as the number of refugees rises, and if we enter into the war. 😭
Why are you bringing off-topic countries into this thread I wonder. I've never mentioned Ukraine just like I never mentioned NK until you did. Why would I object to your donations to Ukraine? Civilians are suffering greatly there. I am all for protecting and aiding civilians wherever they may be.
We see the celebrating Iranians but we are not seeing any interviews with people who object to the bombing of their country. But they are there.
Pot calling the kettle black perhaps? You were a lot quicker in calling me apathetic and cold-hearted. Perhaps more experienced in this social media invective than I am.
The number of protesters reportedly killed in Iran changes depending on who is doing the reporting. The numbers of people killed by govt and external non-govt agents also changes. That should tell you that none of us really have accurate figures. What seems to be clear to me is that if this war drags on as the say it will, we are going to see deaths in the hundreds of thousands, in and outside of Iran. As if witnessing a couple of genocides and various other bombings of countries is not enough.
Here's a couple of items to broaden perspective that show why petitions are useful and have broader implications that are important for democracies. https://theconversation.com/not-another-online-petition-but-heres-why-you-should-think-before-deleting-it-110029 https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/from-slacktivism-to-real-change-are-petitions-still-effective-/105805264
Over the years I have signed many petitions. Positive outcomes have been because petitions are mostly part of a multi-pronged 'campaign'. One example is the Free Julian Assange petition on your pet peeve, Change.org. I signed the original petition plus just about every other online means of support I could. Julian was finally brought back. I am sure the original petition was not the cause alone but it helped to make the issue broadly dispersed and became an integral part of the campaign as the number of signatories went from tens, to thousands to nearly 800,000. Another is https://www.change.org/p/introduce-arnie-s-law-stronger-penalties-for-crimes-against-pets which you can read for yourself is now closer to being tabled in the Qld Parliament as the petition initiators have been hard at work advocating to MPs.
You seem to want a very mechanical cause and effect. Nothing stands alone in relation to the ways we can benefit our society. It's all process and persistence. Petitions do not solve a problem on their own but are a straightforward tool that can be used to engage people in issues they care about but don't know how to improve on their own. They are also a straightforward way for authorities and advocacy groups to get an idea of what people think. Why do you think our govts are so poll-driven? What people are thinking does matter. Some petitions will never make a difference but some most certainly do.