Don
lives, works and was born in the seat of Brisbane. He joined
the Democrats during the 2001 election, when the Coalition's
slandering of refugees was at its height and Labor's collusion
was at its worst.
In
that campaign where compassion was painted as weakness and
cruelty as strength, Don took an active role in getting
Andrew Bartlett, Parliament's most effective advocate for
refugee rights, re-elected to the Senate.
Don
became a founding member of the World Refugee Day Committee
of Queensland, and for the last 2 ½ years has shared
his house with an Afghani refugee that Senator Bartlett
helped to free from Nauru.
As
the inaugural secretary of the Queensland Peace Network,
Don helped to organise the enormous February 16th 2003 peace
rally in Brisbane - part of the largest ever global peace
action - to protest against the immoral and illegal war
in Iraq.
When
it became clear after the last election, that the Coalition
was going to gain control of both Houses of Parliament,
Don called the first meeting of Just Rights Qld - a group
campaigning for a Bill of Rights.
"Under
the Howard Government, it has become clear how few protections
there are for our fundamental human rights. We need a Bill
of Rights to protect our rights to work in reasonable conditions,
to live free from detention without trial, to protect our
rights to education, to healthcare, to housing, to free
speech and free assembly. We need protection from all forms
of politically motivated Government terror."
"The
Coalition's reckless extremism with control of the Senate
should disturb everyone - even people who voted for them
in the past. Debate gets shut down, legislation is rammed
through without even routine examination, and some of the
most vital issues facing Australia today, get completely
ignored."
Don
joined with other people across Australia who were sick
of waiting for government action on climate change, to help
stage the first Walk Against Warming in 2005, and the second
which was flooded out by torrential rains in Brisbane.
For
three years Don served as the Queensland President of the
Friends of the ABC - campaigning for a strong, independent
and fearless national broadcaster that could hold all sides
of politics to account, as well as educating, informing
and entertaining our country.
Don
has served on the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties
Sub-Committee on Mental Health issues, to try to guarantee
protection for the rights of those routinely denied their
most basic rights by bureaucracies at all levels of government.
After meeting the parents of one of the Bali Nine, Don helped
to found Australians Against Capital Punishment, which he
currently chairs.
Don
is a member of the Community and Public Sector Union, Just
Peace and the Australian Republican Movement.
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