18 November 2008 - 'Australian Sex Party'
launched
The 'Australian Sex Party'
has been launched. In a move to try and influence voters and campaign against
censorship, the Eros Foundation
(representing Australia's 'adult' sex industry, X-rated pornography,
etc) has launced a new political party!
Their slogan - 'we are serious about
sex'!
Why have they done this?
"We're concerned that
religious groups are having an increasing influence on the national debate… and
rising wowserism.”
They are also advocating for a
national sex education curriculum, supporting homosexual marriage and opposing
the government's planned internet filter.
Read reports - click here and
here.
At least they think religious
groups are having an influence! Keep up your efforts!
15 November 2008 - IVF Bill
Update
The Victorian Legislative
Council voted in the second reading on the IVF Bill - the vote was 20 to 18
in favour. The Council then voted to send the Bill to the 'Legislation
Committee' for further examination. The Committee has to report back to the
Legislative Council by 2 December. The final third reading vote
will then be taken.
Only one Coalition MLC (Bruce Atkinson voted for the
Bill. Two Labor MLCs voted AGAINST the Bill (Adem
Somyurek and Nazih Elasmar).
The other Bills - cloning in SA and same-sex couple
rights in the federal Senate - were not
voted on this week.
14 November 2008 - Medicare
funding of abortion - Report to Senate
Some months back we
reported on Senator Guy Barnett’s motion to disallow Medicare funding for
late-term and partial birth abortions.
The Motion was
referred to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee for
Inquiry.
The Committee’s Report was presented to the Senate
yesterday.
The Report analyses both sides of the situation but, as
expected, doesn’t make a recommendation.
The Report is posted on the
Committee’s webpage: click here.
Click here
for the FULL Report – pdf document - 633 KB.
Senator Ron
Boswell spoke in the Senate, criticising the submission made by the pro-abortion
group the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance to the Inquiry. The
ARHA said it would cost the government a lot more to care for children with
disabilities than the amount the government would save by removing the Medicare
rebate (estimated saving - $180,000).
Senator Ron Boswell
described the submission as “offensive”. He told the Senate “Its
underlying premise that some lives are worth less than others because they will cost too much to support, this
is the kind of thinking that was typical
of the Hitler regime."
Media reports:
Abortion
cheaper than care, says Reproductive Health
Alliance
AAP, Herald Sun, November 13, 2008
“A REPRODUCTIVE health lobby group has told the Senate Medicare funding for
late term abortions is cheaper than funding disability care. . .”
Disabled
baby abortion call angers MP
The Age, November 13,
2008
13 November 2008 - BIG week in state and federal
parliaments
This week debate and a vote are expected on the
following:
1. IVF in
Victoria
The Legislative Council is expected
to vote on a Bill that would allow lesbians and single women to have access to
IVF and other reproductive technologies. The Bill would also enable the partner
of a lesbian birth mother to be recorded as a 'parent' on the birth certificate.
Click here for our
campaign page.
In The Age last week was a compelling
article by a young woman who was born from donor sperm and doesn't know her
father - she opposes the proposed law as it discriminates against her and those
born before 1988 by denying them access to information about the donor - their
biological 'father'...
Children
of strangers: a fight for the right to know dad
Lauren Burns
- The Age
, November 9, 2008
2. Cloning in South
Australia
The Legislative Council is expected to vote on a
Bill to allow the creation of embryos so they can be killed
to obtain their stem cells.
3. Same sex couple laws -
federal parliament
The Senate is due to debate an 'omnibus'
bill that would change more than 50 laws to give same-sex couples the
same 'rights' as heterosexual couples.
We oppose all of these laws - they undermine family and
marriage and also the sanctity of life. Please pray that these Bills
are defeated!
6 November 2008 -
Barack Obama elected as US President
The new
President-elect of the United States is Barack Obama. He
defeated John McCain - "With results given in 48 states and the District of
Columbia, Senator Obama had secured 349 Electoral College votes compared with
163 for Senator McCain". Several states still to declare the poll.
Click here
for report.
[Each state has a set number of votes in what is called the
'electoral college' depending on their population - in all states except
Nebraska, the person who gains the highest vote collects all the electoral
college votes].
He is already planning a transition team - click here.
Concern
had been expressed during the election campaign by conservative Christians about
Barack Obama's support for abortion and homosexual homosexual
rights.
Some good
news - In California Proposition 8 was passed,
with 52% of voters supporting this move to change the state's Constitution to
affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman. This will immediately stop
same-sex 'marriages' occurring - these were allowed by a Supreme Court decision
earlier this year.
Similar moves were also passed in Arizona (57%) and
Florida (62%).
In Arkansas voters approved a measure that now means only
married couples can adopt or foster children. Click here
for details.
October 2008
29 October 2008 - Do you believe in God? -
POLL
How often do you get to
vote on the question ‘Do you believe in God?’
Today’s Yahoo poll asks this question.
Click here to vote (right side of page).
By 2.30pm, 1640 people had voted: 62% of
people saying YES.
27% say no, 9% say they’re
agnostic.
The fourth option?
This gives the option of
saying 'Richard Dawkins is God'!
The poll question is associated with a Yahoo article
reporting about ads that might be put on London buses next year – the ads
say "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
They’re been organised by a
London atheist and supported by
Richard Dawkins and the British Humanist Association. Click here
to read the Yahoo article.
UPDATE: By 8.30pm, the YES vote had risen
to 65% with 5792 votes. 25% No, 8% agnostic and 2% - 172 people - saying Dawkins
is God!
29
October 2008 - Birth rate UP
The
Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the 2007 statistics on births
- the rate increased again last year and is now the HIGHEST since
1981
.
The rate is now 1.93 babies per
woman, up from a low of 1.73 in 2001
.
The Baby
Bonus is credited with some of the increase - now $5,000, the
Baby Bonus was introduced in 2004.
The
other factor is that there is an increase in women
over 30 having their first children - the fertility rate for women aged
30-34 in 2007 was 126.6 babies
per 1000 women.
ABS Media
release - plus the latest statistics:
Births
Australia, 2007
Media
report: Good
times end on a 25-year fertility high
The Age,
October 29, 2008.
27 October
2008 - Prayer in federal Parliament
The Speaker
of the federal House of Representatives, Harry Jenkins
(ALP), has called for a public debate on whether the Parliament should continue
to be opened each day with
prayer - there is currently a Parliamentary prayer followed
by the Lord's Prayer.
He proposed that the prayer could be replaced by an acknowledgment of the
aborigines as the traditional owners. Mr Jenkins' proposal was made two
days after the maiden speech by Independent MP Rob Oakeshott, who suggested
acknowledging the aborigines at the start of each day of sitting. In his speech
Mr Oakeshott did not refer to the prayers but expressed support for adding a
"daily acknowledgement within this chamber for traditional owners".
Thankfully, it didn't take long for the Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd, leaders of the Liberals Malcolm Turnbull, and
Nationals leader Warren Truss to oppose the idea and call for the prayers to be
retained. Labor's Immigration minister Chris Evans also opposed the move.
Not
surprisingly, Senator Bob Brown (Greens), who has previously called for the
prayers to be scrapped and replaced by a minute's 'reflection', supported
Mr Jenkins' call.
The peak Muslim body, the Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils (AFIC) also called for the prayer to be more "inclusive"!
Earlier this year, a Hindu chaplain asked to
read the prayer - this was refused because the Standing Orders specify that the
Speaker reads a set prayer!
There is currently a vote on
this on the HS website - so far the vote is 95% 'No' - not to dump the prayer!
Click here
to vote.
ACTION: Contact Speaker Harry
Jenkins and your own federal MP and 12 Senators - ask
that the Parliamentary Prayer and the Lord's prayer be retained as the opening
of Parliament, and that there not be an 'acknowledgement of aboriginal
ownership' at the start of Parliament.
Media
reports:
Replace
prayer with 'indigenous honour'
Sunday Herald Sun,
Sharri Markson,
October 26, 2008
Daily
Lord's Prayer should remain: Evans
SMH,
October 26, 2008.
Evans not
expecting changes to use of Lord's Prayer
ABC,
26 October 2008.
Rudd,
Turnbull back daily prayer
The Australian,
27 October, 2008.
Praying
to the tribe
Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun blog, Sunday, October 26, 2008.
"From worshipping a deity to a
tribe . . ."
Hindu
prayer request denied by
Australia
House
of
Representatives
Melbourne
,
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 News India.
24 October 2008 - Californication 'bumped'
Some more
good news about Californication
.
Channel 10 has moved
Californication to a later timeslot - 10.40 pm on Sunday nights.
It
will now follow a REPEAT of NCIS, rather than directly
following Rove.
This will not help its ratings - which were only
543,000 last Sunday night.
Read TV
Tonight 's blog
comment.
A continuing quest for advertisers
and the loss of the major sponsor will not be cheering them up either!
23
October 2008 - Worldwide financial crisis
Stock
markets are continuing
to slide again. Overseas, some nations (UK, USA) have bought up banks and
mortgage lenders that were going bankrupt.
In Australia, the
government guaranteed bank deposits last week - they initially talked
of a $20,000 maximum and the Opposition suggesting $100,000. When
the legislation was rushed through Parliament last week it gave an
unlimited guarantee.
It seems that this is having an effect on OTHER
investment forms - people are taking their money out of them and putting them in
the 'now-secured' banks! Others warn
that property investments could be adversely affected.
Now the Reserve Bank
and the Treasury are said to be disagreeing with each other - but they now say
they are in agreement! The government is proposing a 'deposit fee' for
large deposits - the Opposition is calling this proposal a 'tax'! Treasurer
Wayne Swan says
it is not a tax!
As Christians, it is a test of what we place our security in
- in money or in God.
Interesting comment on the crisis, including a comment
on Christian giving and tax deductions, by Christopher
Pearson.
Read Melanie Phillips' article
on the cause of the original sub prime crisis - housing
loans to people who cannot afford them - initiated by then US President
Jimmy Carter and then later promoted by Bill Clinton - and the influence of
Barack Obama on this in Chicago...
20 October 2008 -
Californication Series 2 UPDATE
The major sponsor of
Californication, Just Car Insurance, has told us they will no
longer sponsor the show after the next week! This is good news. So far 10
companies have told us they have asked Channel 10 NOT to show their ads on the
show.
Click here to read all the news on this current campaign.
20 October 2008 - ACT
Election result & NSW
The Australian Capital
Territory's Labor led by Jon Stanhope has lost its majority in the ACT election
held on the weekend. The Labor Party now has 7 seats (down from 9), Liberal has
7 and the Greens have 3 seats. This means no Party has a majority - in the
Hare-Clark system of election, it is quite difficult for a Party to obtain a
majority. Negotiations will no doubt be underway to see who will form a
government - if anyone! Meanwhile Labor had swings of more than 20% against them
in two of four by-elections held in NSW on Saturday.
Media
Report:
Corruption,
waste led to by-election rout – Turnbull
The Age , October 19, 2008
14 October 2008 - Californication Series
2
Channel 10 is running the
second series of this program on Sunday nights at 10.10 pm.
The show has explicit and gratuitous
sexual activity, very coarse language and drug use. Along with FamilyVoice
Australia, we're running a campaign to contact advertisers on the show and ask
them NOT to advertise on the show.
Last year, during Series 1, 64 companies asked Channel
10 NOT to show their ads on the show! That limited the type of advertisers -
Channel 10 has beer companies and cars heavily featured in the ad
line-up!
Already FOUR companies have told us they don't want their
ads on the show.
Click here for details of
the campaign - regular bulletins are sent on our E-news so sign up to get them!
10 October 2008 - Abortion
Law Reform Bill passes final vote 23 - 17
The Abortion Law Reform Bill passed the
FINAL Third Reading vote in the Legislative Council by a
vote of 23 to 17 at 10.30 pm, 10 October.
Amendments:
The Bill was then
considered in 'committee' where amendments were proposed.
All amendments were defeated.
The Bill then had a final third reading vote at about 10.30
pm, 10 October.
The Bill was
passed 23 to 17.
Click here for the FINAL vote in the Legislative
Council. Page 101.
Vote attached below.
Media report
Vote
decriminalises Victorian abortions
The Australian, By
Katie Bradford | October 11, 2008.
For more reports and details of the
campaign, see our campaign page - click
here.
10 October
2008 - Abortion Law Reform Bill passes 23 -
17
The Abortion
Law Reform Bill has just passed the Second
Reading
vote in the Legislative
Council by a vote of 23 to 17. (around 11 am )
Amendments:
The Bill now goes into the
Committee stage where amendments are proposed and debated and voted on. This
started immediately after the vote!
We understand that more than 60
amendments could be debated – covering the time abortions will be freely
allowed, banning partial birth abortions, counselling, informed consent and
conscientious objection etc.
The Bill then goes to a final ‘third
reading’ vote.
Unfortunately, if some of these amendments are
passed, some MPs who voted against might it at the second reading might decide
to support the Bill.
We need to pray that, as amendments are lost, that more
MPs will decide to vote AGAINST the final Bill.
We believe that the Bill
should be totally opposed as it gives the wrong message to the community that
abortion is a ‘health measure’ and is acceptable and OK.
Media article:
MPs
back abortion bill, reforms almost certain to be
passed
Herald Sun, 10 October 2008.
8
October 2008 - Abortion Law Reform Bill and IVF
Update
Abortion:
The Victorian Legislative Council is debating the Abortion Law
Reform Bill.
Unfortunately Two MPs who were thought to be undecided or to
oppose the Bill indicated they would vote FOR the Bill: these include
National Party MLC Peter Hall
(Eastern Victoria) and Labor MP Jenny Mikakos – Northern Metropolitan.
Please keep contacting your FIVE MLCs (contact details above or phone the
Parliament) – ask them to vote AGAINST the Bill!
Media
article:
Wavering
MPs to back abortion law
Herald Sun,
October 08, 2008.
IVF:
The Victorian Legislative
Assembly has voted on the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill. The Bill was
approved by a vote of 48 to 36.
This was disappointing – but there was a good side!:
ALL the Liberal Party and National Party MPs voted AGAINST the
Bill, which would have given lesbian couples and single women access
to IVF.
FOUR Labor MPs voted against the
Bill: Christine Campbell, Marlene Kairouz, George Seitz and James Merlino.
The Bill now goes to the Legislative Council – where the vote should be much
closer – please contact your FIVE Legislative Council MPs… ask them to vote
AGAINST the Bill.
Click here for MP
details – just type your address in the grey box and click on ‘Search’. The last
FIVE are your MLCs
Media article:
Assisted
Reproductive Treatment Bill gains support in Lower House
Herald Sun, October 08, 2008.
7 October 2008 - Abortion law Reform Bill being debated
The Victorian Legislative Council has
started debating the Abortion Law Reform Bill. There is STILL time to
ACT!
First - vote
- Ninemsn have a vote NOW on
this issue -
“Should it be a crime to abort a foetus at 24
weeks?”
We are currently winning – Yes 40,708; No 26,198.
Please click
here and VOTE YES!
The debate: The debate on the Bill will continue
until late on Tuesday, maybe on Wednesday, then on Thursday and possibly Friday.
Several pro-life MPs are preparing very long speeches. There is no time limit on
speeches in the Legislative Council.
Listen to the debate LIVE online: Click here
7 October 2008 -
STILL TIME TO ACT - PHONE YOUR FIVE MLCs
The last few days have been filled
with an amazing amount of lobbying and protest – the prayer rally on Sunday, a
pregnant women parade yesterday, a doctors conscience meeting in Queens Hall and
prayer vigils. Media reports below. Thank you for your
efforts.
There is STILL time to ACT!
One pro-life MP says
everyone needs to contact their FIVE Legislative Council MPs at least twice!
Victorians - PLEASE CONTACT your FIVE MLCs
NOW!
Send them an EMAIL… OR PHONE THEM!
This is
how to PHONE your MPs …
1. Find out your MPs names. Click here
for MP details – just type your address in the grey box and click on
‘Search’.
2. Phone the Parliament House Switchboard on (03) 9651 8911. [Until
late at night!]
3. Ask to speak to your MP
– give their name. You will be put through to the MP - Just express your concern
about the Bill and ask them to vote AGAINST the Abortion Law Reform
Bill.
1 October 2008 - Number of
marriages increases
In 2007, there were 116,322 marriages
registered in Australia - up 1.8% from 2006.
The Australian Bureau of
Statistics has just released the data for 2007.
The divorce rate has been
declining since a peak in 2001.
In our November 2008 journal we'll analyse the figures
more...
In the meantime the new data from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics is available:
Marriages,
Australia, 2007
Divorces,Australia
,
2007
September 2008
30 September 2008 - Abortion Bill soon to be debated
We've been interstate at a conference - so back
to listing Latest News!
The Abortion Bill will be debated in the Legislative
Council next week - 7-9 October.
* Please PRAY it is
defeated.
* A prayer gathering will be held on
the steps of the Victorian parliament on Sunday 5 October from 1.45 pm to 2.45
pm. Please come with your family, friends and church!
There is still TIME to
contact your FIVE Legislative Council Members and ask them to vote AGAINST the
Bill.
Click here for our campaign page
and MP details.
12 September 2008
-Prayer for missing children
An international
group has been set up to pray for missing and exploited children.
The Madeleine Prayer group was sparked by concern for the welfare
of Madeleine McCann, the 5 year-old
UK girl
who went missing in Portugal in May 2007.
The group invites people to pray for
her return, and the return of other missing children. The second prayer day is
on 19 September 2008 – from
1.00 -
2.00 pm and 10.30- 11.30pm.
Click
here for
a story on Assist News.
12 September 2008 - Abortion Bill
-UPDATE
The Abortion Law Reform
Bill passed the Second Reading
in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday 9 September by 47 votes to 35.
Numerous amendments were proposed following that vote - reduce to 20 weeks,
counselling, partial birth abortions, parental permission for under-17s, etc.
ALL of them were defeated.
The debate
continued on Wednesday and Thursday, until early in the morning.
Third reading vote: 49 to 32 (total – 81 votes of 88 Members - President doesn't vote, 6
Members had no vote recorded)
The Bill now goes to Legislative Council for debate and vote in early
October.
PLEASE contact your FIVE MLCs - click here for our campaign
page.
MP
speaks of loss of 22-1/2-week baby
The Age,
September 12, 2008.
Crunch
time in abortion vote in Victorian Parliament
Herald
Sun, September 12, 2008.
Bill passes Legislative Assembly with NO amendments - now
goes to Legislative Council for debate and vote in early October.
11 September - GOOD NEWS
Euthanasia voted DOWN in the Victorian
Parliament!
The
Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008 was defeated
25 votes to
13 in the Legislative Council on Wednesday 10
September..
This is a resounding defeat and should mean that the issue of
euthanasia is now dead!
Thank You
to all those who contacted their MPs.
PRAISE GOD FOR
THIS VICTORY!
6 September 2008 - Freedom to be born march
About 2,000 people marched in
Melbourne today to oppose the Bill to decriminalise abortion. The rally
ended up on the steps of Parliament House and the top end of Spring
Street.
Meanwhile, some 'pro-abortion' protesters (maybe 100) held a counter
protest across the street and then moved to the steps after the first rally
disbanded.Media reports
of the March:
Abortion
debate heats up at parliament
The
Age, 6/9/2008
'Abortion
on demand' protesters rally in Melbourne
ABC Online,
6/6/2008
Demos
as Victoria considers making abortion no crime
AAP,
News - 6/6/2008
Interesting article featuring Peter Costello's
opposition to the Victorian Bill and mentioning Gianna Jessen's visit to
Australia. . .
Abortion
has a new adversary in Costello
The Australian, Angela
Shanahan, 6/9/2008
The debate on the Abortion Law Reform
Bill starts in the Legislative Assembly next Tuesday, 9
September.
PLEASE contact your MP in the
Legislative Assembly NOW if you haven't done so... click here
for MP details. [Then contact your 5 Legislative Council MPs.]
2 September 2008 - Victoria - Abortion
Visit our Campaign Page to see all
the relevant information on the proposed Abortion Law Reform
Bill.
It contains links to the Bill, media articles and details
of MPs you you can CONTACT them!
August 2008
21 August 2008 - Victoria - 'Dying Bill'
The Victorian Legislative
Council has again debated the Medical Treatment (Physician
Assisted Dying Bill 2008.
Last night another NINE MPs spoke on the Bill - 2
in favour, 7 against.
One MLC, Philip Davis, moved a
'reasoned amendment' proposing that the Bill be sent to the Legislation
Committee for an inquiry.
Full details - including MP speeches, those
speaking each way, and the Bill itself
.... see our Campaign Page .
19 August 2008 - Decriminalisation of abortion -
Victoria
The Victorian government has introduced the
Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 into the Victorian Parliament - debate is expected to begin
in early September.
The Bill proposes abortion for any reason up to 24 weeks of
pregnancy. After that time it will subject to medical opinion by two doctors -
but 'social' reasons would be considered along with life and health
reasons.
Links to the Bill, an analysis of
the situation, action points and media articles are all posted on our NEW
Campaign
Page .
18 August 2008 - Decriminalisation of abortion -
Victoria
The Victorian government is expected to introduce
its proposed Bill to decriminalise abortion THIS WEEK. Although
full details are not known, The Age reports that it is expected that
the government will basically opt for Model B as proposed by the Victorian Law reform Commission. This would allow
a woman to choose if she wants an abortion up to 24 weeks - after that time a
doctor would need to assess that it was necessary for life or health reasons.
Some groups are lobbying for Model C - which
allows abortion for any reason at any time of the pregnancy if a woman requests
it. The three doctors writing the 'Give Women Total Control' article below want
Model C.
Lachlan De Crespigny
is the doctor who did the abortion on the 32 week old pre-born baby at the Royal
Women's Hospital because it had 'suspected dwarfism'!
Some Christian groups seem to assume
that abortion will be decriminalised and are trying to suggest 'amendments' to
the government to make the bill a bit less offensive. The article below by
Nicholas Tonti-Filippini (a Catholic) takes this line. It states that
"decriminalisation has Opposition support". HOWEVER, the Opposition has not
adopted a position. The decriminalisation of abortion will be a conscience vote
and we know MPs on both sides who oppose decriminalisation.
WE oppose any decriminalisation of
abortion, as the law is a guide to the society as to what is right and wrong.
Any legalisation of abortion would send the wrong message. Implementing informed
consent etc, needs to be done separately to opposing abortion itself.
Recent media articles:
New
law to give abortion right
The Age, Paul Austin, August
16, 2008
"WOMEN inVictoria
would have the legal right to choose an abortion under historic legislation
expected to be introduced to State Parliament next week. The Age believes the
bill, which will prompt long and emotional debate, would decriminalise abortion
during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, providing the woman gives
consent...."
Giving
women total control
Roger Short, Lachlan
De Crespigny and Julian Savulescu
The Age, August 15, 2008
"Every birth should be a wanted birth. That must be the aim in
Victoria...."
Support
when it really counts
Nicholas Tonti-Filippini, The Age, August
15, 2008.
"Abortion is not a routine medical procedure: it must be
regulated.
THE Victorian Government is soon to introduce abortion
legislation. Given that decriminalisation has Opposition support, the current de
facto availability of abortion may well become statute law.
A major effect of
decriminalisation will be to bring abortion out of the shadows. That raises many
other policy questions that have not been dealt with in the options proposed by
the Victorian Law Reform Commission...."
15 August 2008 - Dying Bill
The Physician Assisted
Dying Bill is due to be voted on in the Victorian Legislative Council this week.
The word is that many MPs are realising the problems inherent in such
legislation and the pressure it places on vulnerable people.
If you live in Victoria, PLEASE contact your FIVE Legislative Council Members
ASAP - the vote (and the rest of the debate) is expected to be held on Wednesday
20 August 2008.
Click here
for MP contact details.
Click here for our Campaign page
(details of Bill, etc).
12 August 2008 - Victoria - 'dying' bill
The 080808 Your Kingdom Come meeting and seminar has concluded in Canberra. It brought
together a wide range of Christians focused on the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Any move for 'unity' must be based
on Jesus Christ and the Bible, not on a fuzzy feeling that we should be 'united'
for unity's sake!
Click here for the
080808 Your Kingdom Come website.
4 August 2008 - Victoria - 'dying' bill
The Victorian Legislative Council debated the Bill last
Wednesday.
Click here
to read the Hansard speeches - at Page 47 and again at P 83.
So far 11 MPs have
spoken. Six have opposed the Bill (Kavanagh, Rich-Phillips, Thornley, Vogels,
Pakula, Pulford). Four have said they support the Bill (Broad, Scheffer, Coote,
Leane). One MP (Peter Hall) said he is undecided at present.
The Bill was not debated on Thursday. The Parliament next meets on 19 August
2008.
We are advised by MPs that the Bill is likely to be put to a vote on
20 August.
PLEASE:
1. Contact your MPs
- especially your FIVE Members in the Legislative
Council. Ask them to vote against the Medical Treatment (Physician
Assisted Dying) Bill.
2. Pray that MPs will vote against the Bill .
3. Contact your ONE Member in the Legislative Assembly .
Click here for MP
contact details
.
Click here for our Campaign page
(details of Bill, etc).
1 August 2008 - Global warming and carbon
trading
The Rudd government has released its Green Paper on
carbon trading:
See links
on our webpage - Click here.
It
recommends the establishment of the 'Carbon Pollution Reduction
Scheme' by 2010.
Penny Wong i s actively
promoting the scheme and the Opposition is divided over the matter - some
wanting to wait until big emitters like China, India and the USA commit to
similar schemes and others wanting to implement a trading scheme.
A
position seems to have
been reached. However Malcolm Turnbull on Q and A
noted it
might change!
On Q and A (ABC) last night, Penny Wong spoke of the
scientific consensus behind global warming. BUT is there?
Christopher Monckton (International Climate Science
Coalition) has analysed the 2,500 scientists said to support the global
warming scenario by the IPCC... After removing reviewers who looked at other
parts of the report, neutral papers etc, he shows that only FOUR Papers actually
support the notion of human-caused global warming.
Click
here
for his Research paper, published in the Newsletter of the American Physical
Society.
He has now written to Penny Wong, telling her the truth and asking
the Rudd government NOT to proceed with a carbon trading scheme. Click here for
his letter.
Click here for the letter, posted on Andrew Bolt's blog!
