ACT NOW - Sexual orientation discrimination law - religious exemptions REMOVED!

IN BRIEF

The Senate will vote on adding sexual orientation and gender identity to Australia's 'Sex Discrimination Act' in the next two weeks.

The Senate Committee has now handed down its Report.
The Committee HAS PROPOSED REMOVING ALL EXEMPTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS that provide COMMONWEALTH FUNDED AGED CARE with respect to the ATTRIBUTES OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY AND INTERSEX.
(Rec 1 of Report - see below)

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR 12 STATE SENATORS and ASK THEM TO VOTE AGAINST
the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex) Bill 2013.

Contact details for Senators - click here then click on your state on the map.

PS - If you haven't written to them on the Greens Bill to recognise 'foreign same-sex marriages' (info here), please ask them to vote against that Bill too.

IN DETAIL
The federal Labor government is pushing ahead with its proposal to ADD 'sexual orientation' and gender identity' as protected attributes to federal anti-discrimination laws.

The government had initially proposed wide-ranging changes to the anti-discrimination laws - including combining all the discrimination laws from five Acts. However, due to public outcry at the restrictions they would place on freedom of speech and freedom of religion, the Labor government ditched the proposals - ALL EXCEPT the addition of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex to the current Sex Discrimination Act.

The legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on May 30, 2013.

Earlier this year, the Senate sent the Bill to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for an Inquiry. Ninety submissions were received (see submissions) plus an additional 38 'form letters'.

The Report was due TODAY (17 June). However, the Report was handed down EARLY last Friday (14 June).

Read the REPORT - click here.

REMOVING RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS

The Senate Committee has proposed MORE restrictions on religious freedom.
The Report endorses the TOTAL BILL - but suggests THREE MORE amendments which restrict free speech and religious freedom. Recommendations are at the beginning of the Report.

The Committee's FIRST Recommendation says that religious exemptions would NOT APPLY...

3.66 The committee recommends that the Bill be amended to provide that religious exemptions in section 37 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 do not apply in respect of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in connection with the provision of Commonwealth-funded aged care services.

The Bill ALREADY proposed that a religious organisation running aged care that was funded by the Commonwealth could not discriminate against homosexual people who applied to be residents. It was claimed that this is their 'home' - but we noted that it is already the HOME of the current residents and they would be adversely affected by this proposal.

This RECOMMENDATION goes much further. It would remove the general religious exemption of Section 37 of the SDA - read it here.

The first three parts of Section 37 refer to the ordination of priests and ministers, training and education of priests and ministers and the appointment of people to carry out functions of a religious nature.

We ask, "If you can remove the exemptions in this ONE area of aged care, why not in other areas?"

Regarding aged care, how would removing these exemptions affect the appointment and duties of a CHAPLAIN at an aged care facility run by a religious body? 

The final part of the CURRENT exemption reads, "(d) any other act or practice of a body established for religious purposes, being an act or practice that conforms to the doctrines, tenets or beliefs of that religion or is necessary to avoid injury to the religious susceptibilities of adherents of that religion."

Removing this exemption would be VERY wide-ranging in terms of employment and the practices of the religious organisation running the aged care facility.

Once this principle was adopted for 'aged care', how long would it be before it was also applied to OTHER Commonwealth funded programs run by religious bodies?

For instance, the employment of homosexual teachers by religious schools or the employment of homosexual staff by a hospital run by a religious body...

Greens Senator Penny Wright, who is Member of the Senate Committee, is ALREADY advocating for those two things - on the Greens Facebook page and in media interviews.

Committee Members

The Committee is made up of three ALP Senators, 2 Liberal Senators and one Greens Senator.

The Chair is Labor Senator Trish Crossin. Another Labor Member is Louise Pratt, who is a lesbian.

The Greens Senator, Penny Wright from SA, has been actively speaking about how the Bill doesn't go far enough!

At the launch of the report she claimed that the discrimination law should NOT have ANY exemptions for religious organisations. She said, "These exemptions mean a health or homelessness service could refuse to help a transgender person, while a religious school could turn away children because their parents are gay. The Australian Greens say any organisation receiving public funding to provide a public service must comply with widely-held community standards and anti-discrimination principles." Read her Media Release.

Dissenting 'Minority Report' from Coalition Senators

The Coalition Senators on the Committee, Gary Humphries (ACT) and Sue Boyce (Qld), have written a 'Minority Report'. This opposes the new recommendation regarding the removal of religious exemptions for Commonwealth-funded church-run aged care facilities.

However, they have NOT opposed the Bill as a whole. In fact, they support the Bill as it was presented!

Support marriage - Buy a BUMPER STICKER!

The graphic from the pro-marriage Billboard that was displayed on a Billboard in Tasmania is now available as a STICKER.

The image is the same as the one here. You can display it on your car – or anywhere else you want to use it!

Cost: $2 for one sticker including postage. $6 for 5 stickers including postage. Buy more and share them around!

Just phone the office with your order and payment – ph 03 9729 8720.

Posting it as your Facebook cover picture...

Have you posted the graphic on your Facebook page as your 'Cover photo'?

See our Facebook page - copy the cover picture graphic and post it on your own page!

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/saltshakersau

Here’s the latest on the Billboard in Wynyard…

Last week we reported (here) about the Billboard promoting marriage as being between a man and a woman that had been put up in Wynyard in northern Tasmania. The Billboard was vandalised – see report here. It has now been removed for cleaning and will be re-located in another spot. Homosexual activist Rodney Croome criticised the vandalism – claiming they are all about ‘building bridges’ (read report).

The Billboard said that the message was “Sponsored by Churches of Somerset and Wynyard”. One media report said that Graham had declined to list the ‘sponsoring churches. However, he told the paper, “``Homosexual activists have already called to find out, they are phoning all the churches to find out so they can bully them with their views.'' (Media report).

Media reports in the local paper noted that homosexual activists were phoning local churches to see if they were involved – and whether they supported the sign.

I mentioned two last week (Uniting Church and a Pentecostal church). The Catholics said they weren’t asked to sponsor it but didn't criticise the message.

Two reports give quotes from Graham about the sign (here).

Graham own business sign, for ‘Cam River Signs’, has also been vandalised (read report)

Another report says that some shop owners (including the one where the Billboard was located) were complaining (read report).

The Advocate (Burnie) eventually printed an article quoting Senator Eric Abetz’ media release (here).

Greens Bill - Recognition of 'foreign same-sex marriages'

PLEASE ACT NOW!

The Greens are continuing to push their agenda regarding the re-defining of 'marriage' to accommodate same-sex couples.  

Whilst Greens MP Adam Bandt’s bill to legalise same-sex ‘marriage’ won't be debated and voted on before the election, the Greens have put another Bill into the Senate.
If passed, this Bill would mean that AUSTRALIA LEGALLY RECOGNISES same-sex ‘marriages’ that are performed, or entered into, OVERSEAS.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced the Marriage Act Amendment (Recognition of Foreign Marriages for Same-Sex Couples) Bill 2013 into the Senate on 16 May, 2013. The Bill removes s88EA from the Marriage Act.

She is hoping for a vote BEFORE the election. There are ONLY TWO more sitting weeks left in this parliament. The homosexual Marriage Equality group is advocating for a vote and urging MPs to support the Bill... (Media report)    Read the full text of the Bill here.

It really is a ‘slippery slope’. . .

Earlier this year the Australian government lifted a ban on providing documents for same-sex couples to enable them to ‘marry’ overseas.  

Now activist Rodney Croome says, “It makes no sense to allow Australian same-sex couples to marry in other countries but then to disregard those marriages when those couples return to Australia.”

That's right - take one step, then you HAVE to take the NEXT step!  

If this Bill to recognise 'marriages' performed overseas were to become law, they would undoubtedly argue, ‘We recognize ‘marriages’ between same-sex couples who ‘marry’ overseas, so why not let same-sex couples marry here in Australia?'

They'd probably claim it was discriminatory NOT to do so! 

Action - Please contact YOUR Senators and MP

PLEASE contact your 12 State Senators and your federal MP in the House of Representatives. Ask them to vote against the Greens’ Marriage Act Amendment (Recognition of Foreign Marriages for Same-Sex Couples) Bill 2013, since it would conflict with the law of Australia which only recognises marriages between a man and a woman.

CONTACT DETAILS:
Senators - click here, then click on map for your state.
Members of House of Reps - click here.

Please also ask Tony Abbott not to allow a conscience vote for Coalition MPs on this issue.
Hon Tony Abbott - Leader of the Liberal Party -   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Pro-marriage Billboard attacked in Tasmania

A large billboard featuring the ‘Marriage’ graphic we sent out recently – with a symbol of a man and a woman, an equals sign and a pair of interlocked wedding rings – was erected this week in Wynyard in northern Tasmania. The large Billboard graphic also has the words ‘Designed by God’ and "Sponsored by Somerset and Wynyard Churches". 

The Billboard is already being vehemently attacked. Graham Hodge, who designed the graphic, says criticism is coming from politicians (including the Greens member for Braddon), shop owners, real estate people, church ministers and so on. The Billboard has already been vandalised! One lesbian couple staged a 'kiss-in' protest at the Billboard site (Homosexual media report).

The local newspaper has an article today - quoted in the homosexual media (but not online).

Graham received a phone call from a local Uniting Church minister in Wynyard, complaining that he had not been consulted and worried that people might think his church was against same-sex ‘marriage’! Graham told him that ‘his argument was with Jesus who ordained marriage’.

Another 'Senior Pastor' wrote to Graham, saying it had ‘inflamed the situation’ and called for the sponsorship line to be removed because he didn't want his church connected with the sign.

How sad that the church will not stand by the words that God has spoken!

Graham was encouraged to receive a Media Release put out by Senator Eric Abetz (Liberal, Tasmania) . He supported the Billboard, noting it is the law of the land! He commented on the intolerance of those who criticised it. Well done, Eric!

Evolution Impossible - new book explains why

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to people believing in God is the theory of evolution. The argument goes, 'If everything evolved - from microbes to man - and man wasn't specially created, then why do you need God?'

Dr John Ashton, who was part of the debating team of Christians against atheists last Saturday night in Sydney, has written/edited several books to help us understand that there are Christians who are PhD qualified scientists who don't believe in the theory of evolution and do believe in creation.

The first was the stories of fifty scientists who believe in creation, "In Six Days:Why fifty scientists choose to believe in creation" (see info/link here)

John is an adjunct professor of biomedical sciences at Victoria University in Melbourne and also serves as an adjunct professor of applied sciences at RMIT University 

Now John has written a new book about how evolution is impossible - it is titled "Evolution Impossible: 12 Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth".

His media release says, "In straightforward language Evolution Impossible sets out the new scientific evidence from genetics, biochemistry, geology and radiometric dating  that constitute a very compelling rebuttal of evolution as an explanation of the origin of species."

The foreword is by award winning Curtin University microbiologist Prof Warren Grubb.

A short preview of the book can be read at Google books. Reviews can be read at Amazon.

We'd encourage you to get a copy of the book and learn more about how evolution doesn't work.

It's available at various stores, including Koorong and online sellers such as Amazon.

Booko.com gives the range of sellers and prices. 
Fishpond - $14.19 posted and Koorong $14.99 at the store).

John has set up a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/EvolutionImpossible on which he post links to peer reviewed research papers which provide the scientific evidence that evolution is impossible so that people don’t have to buy the book to get key information and to make it easier to tell their friends. 

Some more from John...

John writes, "Evolution from microbes to man is now taught across Australian Schools. This poses a serious challenge to the faith of many young people – they want to believe the Bible but how can they reconcile that with what they are being taught in science classes? – and for many students is raises doubts about the Bible."

John says, "book which summarises and explains the scientific evidence we now have that Evolution of new more complex organisms is actually scientifically impossible and never happened. The book has been out for 9 months now and many people who have read the book have told me that it has reaffirmed their ability to believe the scriptures.  Also there are many excellent reviews on Amazon. I believe it is so important that young people be made aware that this resource is available. The Book is available as a paperback from Koorong and also as electronic versions."