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Bonus: Comm in Contrunities in pictuorl 2017 (page 8)es
• Edition 3 • June 2017
Communities in Control 2017: As it happened BY MATTHEW SCHULZ, JOURNALIST, OUR COMMUNITY
If there was one underlying message to the thousand-strong throng at this year’s twoday Communities in Control conference, it’s that community leaders should raise their expectations about what’s possible, because there’s no rule that says you have to accept the way things are. Speakers took aim at euthanasia laws, gender bias, marriage inequality, workers’ rights, expectations about disability and Aboriginal kids, politics and government at every level, climate change, health issues, the economy, refugee policy and budget cuts. In every case, activists and thinkers of all persuasions challenged received wisdom, and offered a way to break the mould. Challenging delegates to consider the question “What makes a healthy community?”, the twoday event was crammed with lessons from the clever and insightful, plenty of laughs, and more than a few tears.
Powerful keynotes There were numerous highlights, but perhaps the most powerful was the emotion-charged plea for action on assisted dying by prominent media creator turned activist Andrew Denton, whose Joan Kirner Social Oration has already spurred many listeners into action. Activists were thick on the ground and were keen to learn the lessons of the “Power to the People” session. This explored the need for personal stories to anchor your cause, and what it takes to encourage supporters to take the leap from sympathy to action. Indigenous leader Professor Chris Sarra took the crowd on a wisecracking tour of his extraordinary life. The softly spoken rugby tragic showed how expecting more from the Aboriginal and broader communities had generated powerful results, especially in education. A fair number of professors delivered unorthodox lessons to the crowd, including yoga teacher
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