News Archive - April 2005 - July 2005

7 July 2005: Terrorist bombing in London
Today's outrageous attacks on innocent British citizens – who no doubt represent people from every country in the world - are without doubt attacks not just on the British, but on the whole Christian free world.
Our sympathy and prayers go out to all those who have been directly or indirectly affected by these attacks.
We stand united with them today to ensure that the perpetrators’ aims and objectives will never succeed.
Any group of people which does not soundly, loudly and unequivocally condemn such cowardice will be complicit with those who perpetrated these abominable acts.
There can be NO excuse for such acts, whether political or religious.
Recent pre-emptive raids by ASIO, in Melbourne and Sydney, have clearly been vindicated by the evidence, clearly demonstrated today in Britain, that terrorists are at work in every free and democratic nation with a desire to destabilise those democracies.
Click here for our media release.

30 June 2005: Catch the Fire Appeal - Fighting Fund launched
Pastors Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot and Catch the Fire Ministries are appealing against the decision and 'remedy' handed down by Judge Higgins and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on 22 June 2005. Melbourne law firm Moores Legal is handling the appeal - they have assembled a team including two barristers (one a Senior Counsel) and lawyers to prepare and conduct the appeal.

A Fighting Fund has been launched to provide funds for the legal costs involved in this appeal.

Click here for full details about the Fund and how you can contribute financially to the Appeal. We encourage you to support this Fighting Fund.

22 June 2005: Catch the Fire Ministries - religious vilification penalty
Judge Higgins has ordered that Catch the Fire Ministries, Pastor Daniel Scot and Pastor Danny Nalliah must place a statement designed by the Islamic Council of Victoria on their website and in newspapers by 31 August 2005. He ordered it must be kept on the website for 12 months.

In addition Judge Higgins ordered that the pastors have 30 days to give an undertaking that they will not say or do anything that has the same or similar effect in the future as the comments he found breached the Act and vilified Muslims. If they fail to do so, he is considering further orders and an injunction to order them to comply!

Click here for more details...

20 June 2005: Catch the Fire Ministries - religious vilification complaint
Judge Higgins will announce his decision about penalties - or remedies - in the complaint brought by the Islamic Council of Victoria against Catch the Fire Ministries, Pastor Danny Nalliah and Pastor Daniel Scot this Wednesday 22nd June 2005 at 10 am.

The hearing will be held at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, 55 King St, Melbourne.
Everyone is welcome - come and show your support for the two pastors!

Media Release on the pending decision - click here .

FULL 'Background on the law and cases' article (12 pages)
by Jenny Stokes... Click here to access it. Also attached below.

15 June 2005: Alpha complaint - hearing of the 'dismissal motion'
A hearing was held at VCAT on 15 June to consider a 'strike-out' or dismissal motion from the distributors of Alpha and the Salvation Army. Justice Stuart Morris, the President of VCAT heard the submissions. The legal firms for each party had each provided a 10 page submission to support their call for the complaint by Robin Fletcher, a witch currently in Ararat prison, to be dismissed. Fletcher spoke to the Tribunal by videophone. The hearing was limited to one hour and Justice Morris said he would primarily consider the written submissions and Fletcher's written response. He said he would announce his decision in about two weeks. Click here for more information.

Robin Fletcher has lodged his complaint against Corrections Victoria and the hearing for that matter has been set for a 3 day hearing starting at 10 am on 13 September 2005 .

2 June 2005: New vilification complaint...
Another religious vilification complaint - this time by the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) an occult group. Against Dr Reina Michaelson, who campaigns against child sexual abuse... Click here for more info...

2 June 2005: No news yet!
No news yet on the vilification penalty (or 'remedy') for the complaint against Catch the Fire Ministries... Stay tuned!

14 May 2005: National Day of Thanksgiving
The second National Day of Thanksgiving was held on 14 May 2005.
Visit their website to see messages from the Prime Minister and Governor-General, a list of thanksgiving services and other events and resources. Click here .

In Melbourne, Deputy Prime Minister Hon John Anderson spoke at a Thanksgiving service organised by Catch the Fire Ministries.
Click here to read a transcript of his speech and media releases. Also attached below.

Labor spokesman for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, spoke at a service in Clayton organised by the Melbourne Pastors Network.

4 May 2005: Penalty hearing - on proposed remedies for CTFM
The penalty hearing for the case brought by the Islamic Council of Victoria against Catch the Fire Ministries, Pastor Danny Nalliah and Pastor Daniel Scot, was held on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd March.
Judge Higgins reserved his decision. He said he would give his decision within four weeks.

29 April 2005: CTFM hearing at the Supreme Court
A hearing at the Supreme Court to consider whether an injunction should be granted to stop Judge Higgins proceeding with the penalty hearing on Monday 2 May was held today. It was unsuccessful. The penalty hearing will now proceed.

21 April: Latest religious vilification complaint - against Alpha course!
The latest complaint of 'religious vilification' in Victoria will send shock waves throughout the entire Christian community.
A paedophile prison inmate has called for ALPHA courses to be closed down in Victoria under Victoria's Racial & Religious Tolerance Act.
Evangelism Banned? Alpha is one of the main evangelistic programs, used by most denominations, across Australia.
A directions hearing was held this morning at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in Melbourne. (VCAT)
Today's VCAT law list notice - "ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LIST - Directions Hearing Before Deputy President A. Coghlan at 10:00 AM"
The complaint, made by Robin Fletcher, is in relation to an Alpha course run by the Salvation Army in Ararat jail. Fletcher is a self confessed witch and is currently in Ararat prison, having been convicted of sexual abuse against two teenage girls in 1998. He was jailed for 10 years.
Fletcher lodged complaints against the Salvation Army (because it was a Salvation Army chaplain who ran the course); Corrections Victoria (the Victorian government section of the Justice Department that runs the prison system) and CMC Australasia P/L (the distributors of the Alpha course materials in Victoria).
Fletcher is complaining about references to witchcraft in the Alpha course videos and manuals.
In his EOC complaint he called for ALPHA courses to be stopped throughout Victoria "until suitable modifications can be made to bring it into conformity with the law in Victoria."
Clearly he wants all references to witchcraft and the occult removed BUT this would entail changing the BIBLE because all references used are Scriptural.
The Equal Opportunity Commission ‘declined to entertain the complaint’. However, Fletcher asked that the complaint be referred to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, hence today's hearing.
The VCAT Deputy President gave Fletcher three weeks to lodge his formal complaint to VCAT. A timetable was set down for responses from the other parties.

Click here for more details...

AND on the same day!
21 April 2005 - CTFM case goes to Supreme Court
The complaint brought by the Islamic Council of Victoria against Catch the Fire ministries, Pastor Daniel Scot and Pastor Danny Nalliah is proceeding to a judicial review by the Supreme Court of Victoria. The first Directions hearing was held this morning to set dates for affidavits and a hearing.
Click here for more details.

31 March 2005: Heads of Churches speak against religious vilification laws
The Victorian Heads of Churches have been discussing Victoria's religious vilification laws. In an article in The Age (30 March), Barney Zwartz says "All agree it is unsatisfactory, but they differ on what needs changing." They plan to speak to Premier Steve Bracks about the laws.

Click here for the article "Hatred law needs overhaul - churches".
ACTION: Click here for more details - and the ACTION sheet on contacting the head of your denomination to ask them to support the removal of the religious vilification laws. It includes their email addresses...