News Latest News News Archive from September to December 2005
| Monday, 02 January 2006 11:54 |
News Archive from September to December 200514 December 2005 - Response to the Sydney riots... The riot that started on Sunday 11 December as a demonstration to claim the Cronulla beach in Sydney by young Australians has featured in newspaper headlines across the nation. Headlines that accused the youth of racism at Cronulla on Sunday ignored the past tensions - including the bashing of two lifeguards the week before by a Middle Eastern gang and the intimidation and abuse dished out to locals by visiting Muslim youth. Peter has written a response to the situation, focusing on the impact of Islam on our nation and the need for immigrants to assimilate into our way of life. Click here for the page and the FULL article. Andrew Bolt's response to the riots is available on the same link... 24 November 2005 - Presbyterian Church proposes amendments for the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act BUT the Government is proposing MINOR amendments... some of which make the law TOUGHER! At a meeting of 'faith leaders' at the end of September, Premier Steve Bracks promised to consider amendments to the R & RTA - and to consult the community on possible amendments. The Presbyterian Church, and moderator Professor Alan Harman, prepared amendments that would have (if accepted) removed the civil provisions of the Act and limited the Act to threatening physical harm. A number of meetings are currently being held by the government with 'faith leaders'. At the meeting attended by the PCV on 22 November, the government officers suggested amending the law "requiring VCAT to determine on the papers offered in a complaint whether there is a case to answer before a case could proceed to VCAT" (as proposed by Justice Morris.) David Palmer of the PCV Church and Nation Committee, has prepared a report of the meeting they had with the government and has posted that on their website. On that page are the Letter they sent to the government outlining the rationale of their proposed amendments - and a copy of the proposed amendments. Click here for the Report and documents... Salt Shakers remains committed to a full repeal of the religious sections of the Act. 21 November 2005 - Archbishop Peter Jensen gives Boyer lectures Archbishop Peter Jensen is giving the current series of six lectures. He has titled his series 'The Future of Jesus'. Transcript of all the lectures (as they occur): Click here Coming up... 21 November 2005 - Rev the Hon Dr Gordon Moyes autobiography 'Leaving a Legacy' the autobiography of Rev the Hon Dr Gordon Moyes was launched to the church on Sunday, 20 November at Wesley 17 November 2005 - Rev the Hon Dr Gordon Moyes completes term at Wesley Mission Rev the Hon Dr Gordon Moyes will leave Wesley Mission on December 31 after 27 years as the head of Wesley Mission. He will continue to serve as an MLC in the Upper House of the NSW Parliament until 2011. Australian Prime Minister John Howard described the Rev the Hon Dr Gordon Moyes as “the epitome of effective Christian leadership” at a farewell dinner held in honour of the Wesley Mission Superintendent in Sydney last night. On Sunday, 4 December the Sydney Town Hall is expected to be packed with 2000 people joining together in Christian worship to farewell and thank Dr and Mrs Beverley Moyes AM for their leadership and ministry at Wesley Mission during the past 27 years. The event begins at 2 pm. Salt Shakers congratulates Gordon Moyes for his dedicated service to Christian mission and evangelism. Click here to read the Prime Minister's speech at the farewell dinner. 3 November 2005 - John Howard and Kim Beazley speak about religious vilification laws Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley have both criticised Victoria's religious vilification laws. At a speech to the Australian Christian Lobby on Sat 29 Oct, Kim Beazley spoke of the Catch The Fire Ministries case and said many people had told him of their "concerns that some of the current laws around Australia get the balance wrong". However he said "Labor has had a consistent view over many years that racial and religious vilification should not be allowed in the Australian community. And we also know that the right to free speech has to be protected." He proposed an "incitement to violence" law where there would be criminal charges laid by a public prosecutor. We have serious concerns about ANY such law. Salt Shakers does NOT support ANY form of religious vilification or incitement laws. Incitement to any form of violence is already a crime - it does not need to be spelt out for reasons of race or religion - all incitement to violence, for any reason, is prohibited. Prime Minister John Howard said he was not in favour of vilification laws during an interview on the Sunday program (30 Oct). "I do not think religious and racial vilification laws work, and we as a party have opposed them in the past, and I'd be surprised if our attitude changed. .." 26 October 2005 - Homosexual relationships in the military Apparently the government and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are close to allowing same-sex 'couples' the same 'rights' as they give heterosexual couples by extending rights to '"people in other 'interdependent' relationships'. This move is a result of lobbying by homosexual groups using misinformation. They are quoted in newspaper reports as stating that "gay rights groups have been lobbying for the rights since the ban on gay and lesbian ADF personnel was lifted 13 years ago". Click here for article "Gay couples set for defence rights win". An example of their misinformation is contained in a statement by 'The Defence Gay & Lesbian Information Service (DEFGLIS), "the decision will help about two to three per cent of the ADF's personnel." This is nonsense. This change will only help 'couples' - Less than 0.5% of couples in Australia are 'same-sex' couples, according to the last Census. If we were to assume all ADF personnel were couples, of course they are not, HOW IS IT that there are suddenly 4-6 times as many same-sex couples in the military than in society generally! (2 - 3% rather than 0.5%) Even if as many as half of all ADF personnel are 'couples' then the best actual percentage one could assume would be 0.5% of that HALF - This would give us 0.25% (one quarter of one percent) of all ADF personnel - between one eighth and one twelfth the figure homosexual groups 'float' in the article! This gross distortion should have our government and ADF chiefs questioning all the other so called 'facts' given by pro homosexual lobbyists. 11 October 2005 - Re the vilification case brought by PFLAG against Sarah Champness / Catholic Diocese of Brisbane. The conciliation hearing was held this morning and lasted for three hours. We are very happy with the outcome. Negotiations between the Catholic Church and PFLAG are continuing. Praise God for this outcome. Please pray that those facts shared by Peter and Sarah with all other parties during the conciliation process will open their minds and hearts to the truth about homosexuality. 7 October 2005 - Tasmania and prostitution The Attorney General Judy Jackson said "We still believe regulation of the industry would have been the best way to protect Tasmanian sex workers. However, we cannot ignore the strength of feeling against going down that path, particularly in the Upper House. The Government therefore has decided to look at the other ways of tightening up restrictions on the industry." 29 September 2005 - Stem Cell Review In addition adult stem cells provided SUCCESSFUL cures/treatments (over 65 so far) whereas embryonic ones do not. However embryonic stem cells could be used to test drugs. Click here for the stemcellresearch website that documents the 60+ treatments available so far using ADULT stem cells. The Victorian Treasurer John Brumby is calling for therapeutic cloning to be allowed and even federal Industry Minister Ian McFarlane warns we could get left behind if we don't allow the creation of embryos for destructive stem cell research. People in wheelchairs are already campaigning and using emotional arguments to urge the Committee - and the politicians - to extend the laws further. 19 September 2005 - Big Brother Uncut breached Code of Practice Breaches were found in two of the three episodes of the program investigated by ACMA. The ACMA said "The breaches were of clause 2.4 of the code, which requires that material be classified in accordance with the Television Classification Guidelines in the code." A major problem is that a person cannot complain to ACMA UNTIL they have written to the TV station and received a response (which could be 30 days later!) By that time the program has run for another six weeks before being investigated. Click here for the ACMA Media Release on the decision. |