News Archive News from February and March 2008

March 2008

31 March 2008 - 'Earth Hour' promotion
'Earth Hour' was held last Saturday.
Earth Hour is organised by WWW (formerly World Wildlife Fund) and Fairfax Media. The organisers urged people - and businesses - to turn off their lights for 1 hour from 8pm to 9pm on Saturday 29 March. The event started in Sydney last year.
How effective was it?
Claims have been made that 2 million people in Melbourne participated - based on a nation-wide sample of under 4,000 people. And that power consumption was reduced by 10% for the hour.
After which time everyone turned all the lights back on!
What was the effect? How many candles were burnt? What costs were involved in getting all those staff out there turning off lights at precisely 8pm?

Regardless of its aim or overall effect, the most telling comment I read was this:
'There was darkness — and we saw it was good."

Mmmm.... says a lot, doesn't it?
Perhaps man is thinking he is really God!

City sees light in the darkness
Sunday Age, 30/3/2008.

Melbourne makes our darkest hour perfectly clear with 10% cut
The Age, 31/3/2008.

For an alternative view, read Andrew Bolt:
Earth Hour coverage should be grounded
Herald Sun, 28/3/2008.

Read more on our webpage - click here.

27 March 2008 - PM Kevin Rudd off overseas
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd leaves on a 17 global tour today to promote Australia as a 'middle level power' on the world stage. Mr Rudd said the Government was committed to "creative, middle-power diplomacy as the best means of enhancing Australia 's national interests".

He wants to promote international relations, trade and climate change policies. He will visit Washington, New York, London, Brussels and China.

Acting PM Julia Gillard is now in charge of the 'ship'.
Pray for Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard as they develop in their new roles - pray that they might seek God's wisdom!
Reports:

Rudd Jets Off
7.30 Report, 26 March 2008.

Australia to speak up in the world: PM
The Age , March 27, 2008

27 March 2008 - The Sexualisation of Children
The Australian Senate is conducting an Inquiry into the sexualisation of children.
The Democrats initiated the inquiry in the Senate.

The 'Inquiry into the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media environment' will be conducted by the Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts Committee.

Democrats Senator Lyn Allison said 'the inquiry would review the effect the viewing or buying of sexualising images and products has on people’s attitudes, beliefs, sexuality and mental health'. “It is crucial to proper development that children are free to have a childhood,” she said.
Submissions are invited from the public - closing date 18 April. The Committee has to report to the Senate by 23 June 2008.
Click here for the Inquiry WEBSITE.

Media:
Senate to look at sexualisation of children
Herald Sun, 13/3/2008

Click here for the Democrats campaign on the sexualisation of children.

26 March 2008 - Man pregnant?
Well, sort of. If you thought things couldn't get any more strange, think again.

US man Thomas Beatie and his wife are expecting their first child in July. The difference? Thomas is the one who is pregnant.
Thomas is transgender - he used to be a woman but had partial sex change surgery - the breasts were removed and he had testosterone therapy, but the reproductive organs were not touched.
Being legally considered a 'man', he then married Nancy. Nancy had had a hysterectomy about 20 years ago due to endometriosis.
Then they decided HE would have a baby, using home insemination from frozen anonymous donor sperm.
Thomas wrote an article in The Advocate, a US homosexual magazine complaining about his treatment by doctors (see below).
Mmmm - What is happening in the world?

Media:
She's pregnant, but she's a man
SMH, March 26, 2008

I feel incredible, says pregnant man
News.com, March 26, 2008

Labor of Love
"Transman Thomas Beatie gives The Advocate a first-person account of how it feels to be pregnant and carrying a child for his wife and himself."
The Advocate March 25, 2008

26 March 2008 - Norway to allow homosexual 'marriage'
Earlier this year the Swedish government announced that it would allow homosexual marriage - they plan to call it 'gender-neutral marriage'! In 1995, Sweden was one of the first countries to allow 'Registered Partnerships'. Background
Now those 'partnerships' have all the rights of marriage, so the government says, why not just call them all the same thing!
The Swedish Lutheran Church has agreed to support the proposed law, even saying they could 'marry' in church - but they said they would 'prefer' they not be called 'marriage'!

NOW NORWAY has announced they they too will legislate to allow homosexuals to marry. Norway already has a 'partnership law' - this is just seen as the 'next step'.
'The new government minister in charge of children's and family issues, Anniken Huitfeldt of the Labour Party, called the proposed law "an historic step towards equality." She said the goal of the law is to demonstrate that homosexual and heterosexual couples are equal under the law. "The new law won't weaken marriage as an institution," Huitfeldt claimed. "Rather, it will strengthen it. Marriage won't be worth less because more can take part in it."
Gays to win marriage rights
Aftenposten, 14 March 2008.

Another BIG step down the very slippery slope!

20 March 2008 - Easter 2008
An Easter reflection on the song 'There is a green hill far away'; a profile by Greg Koukl on the life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and news of the documentary 'The Christ Files' to be screened on Channel 7.
Plus information on the 'traditions' of Easter.
Click here for our webpage with FULL details.

18 March 2008 - 'Dying with Dignity' Bill - Victoria
Victorian Legislative Assembly member Ken Smith (Liberal) has released details of his private members bill - if passed it would allow 'doctor-assisted dying' where doctors could prescribe drugs for terminally ill people to kill themselves.
Full details, MP contact details and media articles on our new campaign page. Click here .

18 March 2008 - Victoria - Relationships Register
The Relationships Bill 2007, establishing a relationships register for heterosexual and homosexual couples, has now gone to the Victorian Legislative Council and had its second reading.
It could be debated in early April. Click here for our campaign page and action details...

17 March 2008 - More on 'climate change'
We have added several sections to the 'Climate Change' issue section of the website...
* The 2008 International Conference on Climate Change was held in New York from 2-4 March. The attendees released The Manhattan Declaration - disputing the IPCC notions of man-caused global warming. Click here for our webpage with full links.

* Professor Ross Garnaut is working with the federal governemnt on 'climate change matters' to investigate the impact of climate change on Australia's economy - he has now released an Interim Report. Click here for our page...

A Media articles page - click here.

14 March 2008 - Another side to the 'sorry' story
Elders from the aboriginal community of Aurukun in Cape York, Queensland, have called for children over the age of 9 to be removed from the community, saying justice, education and child safety standards have collapsed and that it is not safe for them to remain.
Elder Martha Koowarta and other members of Aurukun’s community justice group, have suggested that they be sent to boarding school for their safety and education, returning home for holidays.
Last year, 763 defendants - including repeat offenders - from the 1000-strong township faced the circuit court. Aurukun was in the headlines last year when three men and six boys who raped a 10-year old girl were not given prison sentences.

Martha said “I was put in a mission dormitory when I was eight, nine. I cried for two nights; then I was right with the rest of those kids. We weren’t stolen; our family was there. It was a good system. Or a better system than now. At least my generation learnt to read and write properly.”

Media article:
'We need to get the children out of here'
SMH, 14/3/2008.

13 March 2008 - Relationships Register passes Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly last night passed the Relationships Bill 2007, which would give same-sex and heterosexual couples the ability to 'register' their relationship with the state. The vote was 54 to 24.
The Liberal and National Parties gave a free or conscience vote to their Members but Labor did not. Nationals leader Peter Ryan spoke strongly against the Bill but Liberal leader Ted Baillieu voted for the Bill.
The Bill now goes to the Legislative Council.
Click here for our campaign page.
It includes a full list of those voting AGAINST the Bill and an analysis of the vote.

Media Reports:
Victoria to recognise gay couples
The Age, Paul Austin and David Rood, March 13, 2008

Relations register clears first hurdle
The Age, AAP, March 12, 2008

Debate rages over gay relationships register
Herald Sun, AAP, March 12, 2008 (7.50 pm)

11 March 2008 - Rudd and Muslim advisors
The Rudd government is considering setting up a 'reference board' of Muslims. The suggested board could include sportsmen, academics and community leaders as the government claims that not all Muslims are 'religious'.
The government claims that the previous reference panel, which operated under the Howard government for a year, was too focused on religious representatives.
The Board could include six members - three men and three women - plus a chairperson.
Muslim leaders are already supporting the idea....

Is this a new idea that has suddenly occurred to PM Kevin Rudd?
NO - Back in January 2008, Muslim leaders were already calling for a new Islamic taskforce to advise the government! Click here .

Articles:
Rudd's quest for true blue Muslims
The Australian , Richard Kerb, March 11, 2008. (P 1)

Myths surround Islam - leader
AAP, March 11, 2008

7 March 2008 - Open letter on 'apology'
A group of lawyers, academics and businessmen has written an open letter, published in the West Australian on 29 Feb, distancing themselves from the 'apology' given by the Rudd government.
They rejected the notion of 'intergenerational guilt' and said an apology would discourage people from intervening in cases of abuse in indigenous communities.

Open letter rejects indigenous apology
29th February 2008, 6:00 WST

7 March 2008 - Relationships Bill debated soon
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is expected to debate the Relationships Bill NEXT week. It was not debated in the previous sitting week...

25 February 2008 - Relationships Bill in Victorian Parliament THIS WEEK
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is expected to debate the Relationships Bill this week.This Bill would establish a Relationships Register for homosexual and heterosexual couples to register their relationship with the government.

Please ACT NOW!
Contact your Legislative Assembly Member by PHONE. (Email is OK but time could be short!) Please be VERY polite - Ask them NOT to support the Relationships Bill.
Then contact your FIVE Legislative Council Members and Party leaders.
Click here for contact details for MPs.
Or click here for ALL MP details.

To visit our Campaign page, with links to the Bill, second reading speech click here.
It includes points to make to oppose this law...

25 February 2008 - Faith-based schools under attack!
On 30 January the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Education Minister Julia Gillard appointed an academic, Professor Barry McGaw, to be the new head of the National Curriculum Board and develop a national curriculum.

ALREADY Prof McGaw he is attacking 'faith-based' schools (independent Christian schools) for teaching creation (instead of JUST teaching evolution) and for promoting abstinence.
He says they threaten social cohesion: He told The Age "These people often form a narrowly focused school that is aimed at cementing the faith it's based on … If we continue as we are, I think we'll just become more and more isolated sub-groups in our community."
Before the election the Christian Values Checklist listed the question of choice for parents in education. Already this is under attack from the government and its supporters.
Read the two articles in The Age today:

Faith school boom 'creates division'
The Age , Michael Bachelard , February 25, 2008

At the crossroads?
The Age, Michael Bachelard, February 25, 2008
Longer piece in 'Focus' section on Education.

20 February 2008 - Bella - a movie to see!
The film Bella is being released in Australia tomorrow - 21 February.
It is a film with a pro-life message. Bella won the Peoples' Choice Award at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.
Check out the movie website.
Check your local theatres to see if they are showing the film. . .
These groups are showing it - Hoyts - Palace Cinemas - Village
Heritage HM is promoting the film to churches across Australia, working with the distributors, Hopscotch. They have created the website www.bellathemovie.com.au which includes resources for using along with the film.
Why not check out their resources.
Get a group together and go and see the film!

18 February 2008 - 100 Revs
A group in Sydney calling itself '100 Revs' has been formed to 'apologise to homosexuals for churches not being welcoming and loving to homosexuals. They said the statement leaves aside personal views on sexual orientation and homosexuality!
If that was a far as it went that might be one thing. We do need to welcome all people who are sincerely searching for Jesus Christ - in fact we need to go out of our churches to reach them!
However on this matter, one needs to look a bit deeper . . .
* The 100 Revs spokesman is Mike Hercock - he runs the 2010 church from Hope Street in Sydney - for 'rich, poor, gay, straight'.
* The other minister endorsing the project is Colin Scott - the Director of Hope Street - an urban mission initiative of the NSW and ACT Baptist Churches.
* The group is planning to MARCH in the mardi gras to show support!
* The 100 Revs group was launched in Sydney in February 2008 at a Freedom 2 B[e] event - co-ordinated by Anthony Venn-Brown. This group supports full sexual relationships between homosexuals. Their new patrons are Michael Kirby and Dorothy McRae-McMahon.

As we said, the statement doesn't tell the FULL story. Once you know more, it is of real concern! People are making comments about the 100 Revs initiative on their website ...

13 February 2008 - Apology
The federal government has today made an apology to the 'stolen generations' - aboriginal children who were removed from their families.

Apologies by individuals are important. However, when one is apologising for actions in the past, it is a very different matter.
As Mark Conner points out, forgiveness is an equally important quality for Christians.
Many questions need to be asked:
Can one apologise for actions of our forebears? What are the facts of the matter? Were the children 'stolen'?
Some have noted that many children were often removed, as they still are today, in cases of abuse or neglect. Andrew Bolt has analysed many of the stories and found no cases of 'stealing' - he challenges the proponents to come up with real cases. Andrew Bolt writes today of an aboriginal child removed from the aboriginal tent embassy outside Parliament House just two days ago .
When Liberal leader Brendan Nelson mentioned that some of the removals were done with 'good intentions' he was booed and aborigines in the Parliament today turned their backs on him.

Compensation: Then there is the matter of compensation. The government has said they will not pay compensation but invest money into improving heal, education and quality of life for aboriginal people. However, many aboriginal leaders, including two on the 7.30 Report on 12 Feb, have called for compensation to be paid.
Keith Windschuttle countered that by looking at how much compensation could be paid but then questioning the 'stolen generation' by listing facts of the matter.

Reports/Articles:
Apology to stolen generations applauded, The Age, 13/2/2008.
The apology, posted on Herald Sun website.
Don't let facts spoil the day, Keith Windschuttle, The Australian.
Saying 'Sorry' to the Stolen Generation, Mark Conner, comment.
On saying 'sorry', Bill Muehlenberg, Culture Watch.
Aboriginal leaders reflect on historic apology, 7.30 Report, 12/2/2008.
Baby stolen from under PM's nose, Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun, 13/2/2008.
Child welfare still a tug of war, Daily Telegraph, 12/2/2008.
We should not be saying this, Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun , 30/1/2008.

11 February 2008 - IVF for lesbians - we need to protect children
The Victorian government is planning to act on the recommendations made by the Victorian Law Reform Commission to give IVF access to lesbians and single women.
Click here for our campaign page.

Bill Muehlenberg has an excellent article in the Herald Sun today about IVF, sperm and redundant males - titled When father does know best

A longer version is on Bill's website - click here.

8 February 2008 - Getting the story straight
The Melbourne midsumma pride march was held last Sunday. We even had a phone call from the homosexual press to ask if we were still attending the pride march to monitor numbers! Peter responded that we normally do so to keep the organisers accountable as they regularly say around 50,000 people watch the march [the reporter said they were planning to quote that number again! She thought it was the police figure - but we know the police have stopped 'giving figures' because they really got them from the organisers.]
From actually COUNTING ALL THE PEOPLE in past years, the numbers have been between 5,000 and 10,000 people! Not to be deterred, the reporter quoted Peter's comments AND still reported that 50,000 people watched the parade - at least the article dropped the reference to police giving the crowd number.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd even sent a message to the pride march organisers - he said his government would “continue to march towards tolerance, respect and diversity”.
Click here for the MCV article.
Sydney homosexual paper Sydney Star Observer reported that 35,000 people were watching! What happened to the other 15,000?

Meanwhile the Victorian government gave free public transport to the 1000 participants in the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames. Organised as part of midsumma, it had sporting events and a 'human rights' conference. The value of the free transport? $28,000! [1000 X $28]