Latest News
Archive
June to July
2007
July 2007
31 July 2007 – Increasing evidence against cannabis
The
evidence continues to mount that cannabis is very harmful and causes mental
illness.
The latest research, by scientists at the University of
Sydney, has found that 'YOUNG rats high on cannabis suffer far greater memory
loss and more lasting changes in brain function than doped-up adult rodents.'
Rats learn risk of cannabis
The Age , July 31
2007.
30 July 2007 – 'Amazing Grace' movie a
'must-see'!
The film Amazing Grace showing the life of William
Wilberforce and his battle to abolish the slave trade, is now showing in cinemas
around Australia. Many churches have organised groups - and Salt Shakers held
two sessions on Friday 27 July.
It was a great
film, faithful to the story and revealing the Christian faith of William
Wilberforce and his motivations. It also showed the encouragement given by John
Newton (who wrote Amazing Grace) and Thomas Clarkson, who had written of the
slave trade.
Make sure you
see the film whilst it is in the cinemas! Even The Age M magazine on
Sat 28 July 2007 featured it as the 'Movie of the Week'!
Click here for lots of information about
William Wilberforce and the movie on our website...
Click here to see
the official movie website including an inspirational trailer.
Click here for
the Australian movie website (also has the trailer).
30 July 2007 –
John Brumby elected as Victoria's new Premier
John Brumby, the former Labor Treasurer, has been elected
unopposed to be the new Victorian Premier. Rob Hulls has been elected as the
Deputy Premier.
Brumby, Hulls elected to lead Victoria
ABC Online, 30 July 2007.
Brumby voted in as new Victorian premier
SMH, July 30, 2007.
27 July 2007 –
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks resigns
Steve Bracks, Premier of Victoria for the past 8 years, has
announced his resignation from being Premier and also from Parliament, citing
family reasons as the final factor that led him to that decision. (His son
recently had a car accident whilst over the limit for alcohol.)
Read his speech by clicking here.
A few hours later,
Deputy Premier John Thwaites also announced his resignation from the position
and from Parliament. Click here for media article.
As they say, a day is a
long time in politics!
27 July 2007 –
Abortion Update...
The decriminalisation of abortion continues to be a matter
for URGENT ACTION.
Click here for our Campaign and Action page.
The 'Freedom to be
born' march is on TOMORROW, Sat 28 July 2007.
Meet at Treasury Gardens 10.30 am.
March to Parliament - finish around 12.30 pm.
Click here for details.
More media
articles. . .
A vote to kill
Andrew
Bolt, Herald Sun, 25 July 2007.
Andrew writes against
the decriminalisation of abortion proposal by referring to Baby Jessica, the 32 week old pre-born with
suspected dwarfism who was aborted.
The right to life is the most important of all
The Age, Rita
Joseph, July 27, 2007
Rita
writes about the rights of the child and urges politicians not to decriminalise
abortion in Victoria.
Paul Austin reports on the politics within
Labor...
Messy politics masks Labor's shift on
abortion
The Age, 26 July
2007.
26 July 2007 – Smoking ban in cars?
Quit Victoria and Cancer
associations have called for a ban on smoking in cars when children are present.
We think that is a great idea - but should be extended
to ban all smoking in cars because of the risk from passive smoking.
It would also be safer - smoking while driving uses at
least one hand and diverts concentration. Using a mobile phone is illegal!
Quit Victoria media release
Wednesday 25 July 2007.
Article: Smoking ban sought in
cars
The Age,
Cameron Houston, July 25, 2007.
25 July 2007 –
Victoria: Catholic bishops oppose abortion bill
The Victorian Catholic
bishops, including Archbishop Denis Hart, have released a statement opposing the
proposed decriminalisation of abortion.
Click here to read their statement.
Click here for the Catholic News report.
Labor Sports Minister
James Merlino has said he will vote against Candy Broad's bill to decriminalise
abortion. Click here for article from The
Age.
For the latest
information, and details of how YOU can take action against this Bill, click here .
March for the
unborn - to oppose the decriminalisation bill.
'Freedom to be born' march ...
This Saturday 28 July
- Meet at Treasury Gardens, Melbourne - 10.30 am -
to march to the parliament. Click here for poster and details.
23 July 2007 – Western Australia - Human Rights Bill
The Western Australian Government has
released a draft Human Rights Bill.
A consultative committee has called for submissions by 31 August 2007 .
One report says that the draft Human Rights Bill "draws on both
the Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT) and the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities 2006".
Salt Shakers opposed the
introduction of BOTH these laws.
Click here
for the official government website.
The draft bill and
Discussion Paper are posted on this website.
ACTION: Make a submission by 31 August
2007.
Please make a submission to the Inquiry -
opposing the introduction of a ‘Human Rights Act’. You can make a ‘submission’
or answer 8 questions online.
Click here for FULL details of this issue and
how to take ACTION.
20 July 2007 – Candy Broad's
'Decriminalisation of abortion' Bill
The 'decriminalisation of abortion'
bill proposed by Candy Broad has now been posted on the Parliament website. (Now removed -
new proposal goes to Vic Parliament after a VLRC Inquiry - expected 2008)
The Bill and Explanatory Memorandum.
Click here to read the Bill. Click here
to read the Explanatory Memorandum.
Click here to read Candy Broad's second reading speech
(19 July 2007).
20 July 2007 – Decriminalisation of abortion - Update
Some Labor MPs – Bronwyn Pike and John
Brumby and Steve Bracks have said they are unhappy with the extent of Candy
Broad's proposed abortion bill (which would remove it from the Crimes Act and
basically legalise abortion for any reason.
These MPs are still in favour of ‘reform’ and have
proposed ANOTHER Bill which would remove abortion from the Crimes Act and
put it into the Health Act.
But this Bill would still allow abortions for health and
other reasons.
Click here for media report.
Another report claimed it would also include social and
financial reasons.
The fact is that either bill would legalise abortion for
anyone who wants one…
Click here for FULL details - and how YOU can take
ACTION!
18 July 2007 – Decriminalisation of abortion - Victoria
Decriminalisation of abortion - bill proposed in
Victoria
The decriminalisation of abortion in
Victoria
has moved a step closer, with Labor MP Candy Broad
announcing on 17 July 2007 that she plans to introduce a Private Member's Bill
into the Victorian Legislative Council about the decriminalisation of abortion.
The Labor caucus apparently gave her permission to
introduce the Bill. A conscience vote on the matter will be given to ALL MPs.
She hopes that it will be debated by 7
August.
The proposed bill would remove Section 65 from the
Crimes Act. It will be replaced with another section creating a new offence —
that anyone other than a doctor who performed an abortion would be committing a
serious offence attracting five years' jail.
What would really happen is that abortion would be
LEGALISED in
Victoria
- not just
'decriminalised'.
Click here for FULL details - and how YOU can take
ACTION!
16 July 2007 – Welfare policies announced
The federal election
campaign is on in earnest...
Both leaders - Prime
Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd - have announced a new
(similar) policy on welfare payments.
The government
had intimated they might withhold part of the welfare payment in cases where
families were found to be neglecting their children or failing to send them to
school.
The Labor Party then pre-empted the
government,by announcing a similar policy - the government released their policy
the following day.
Rudd trumps PM on welfare
restrictions
The
Age , 14 July 2007.
10 July 2007 – Call to ban all X-rated porn in
Australia
Recent reports of child abuse in aboriginal
communities in the Northern Territory have shocked the nation and led to
intervention by the federal government. Alcohol abuse and pornography have been
cited as causes and the federal government has called for a ban of X-rated
pornography going into aboriginal communities.
A number of concerned groups around the nation have
called on the Prime Minister and the government to extend the ban so that all
children are protected.... calling for a ban on the
sale of X-rated pornography from the Northern Territory and the ACT.
All of the states ban the sale of such material but it is shipped by post from
the Territories.
The government is currently looking at that situation.
Now John Anderson,
former leader of the National Party and former Deputy Prime Minister, has spoken
up, saying all children - indigenous and non-indigenous - need to be protected
and that all governments need to consider the issue.
He said “I think what comes out of this is we are now
conceding that there's a problem with this stuff, and frankly I think that all
Governments ought to have a long hard look at it again.” ... “And we ought to
say that civil libertarian arguments are not enough in the face of too many
young Australian children's lives are being deeply scared even permanently and
seriously damaged.”
Ban all hard-core porn, says Anderson
July 09, 2007
- The Australian
ACTION: Write to your
local federal Member and the Prime Minister asking them to ban the sale of all
X-rated pornography in the ACT and the NT.
Members of Parliament - click here for details.
The Prime Minister - click here to email him online.
Click here for full
details on the campaign to stop the sale of X-rated pornography.
9 July 2007 – Homosexual activist renounces
lifestyle
Michael Glatze
was a young homosexual activist in the USA who edited a magazine called 'Young
Gay America'. He has now written a column for World Net
Daily explaining why he left the homosexual lifestyle after God showed him
that is was wrong and abnormal.
His heartfelt column is
on WND - read it by clicking the headline.
How a 'gay rights' leader became straight
WND, 3 July 2007.
It is essential
reading!
Then read the WND article about his column. . .
'Gay'-rights leader quits homosexuality
WND, 3 July 2007.
A few months ago, lesbian activist Charlene Cothran , longtime publisher of Venus magazine, became a Christian and gave her
magazine a new mission "to encourage, educate and assist those who desire to leave
a life of homosexuality."
Click here to read an interview she had with Christianity Today .
Website UPdate!
The
website has had a problem from late April until mid-July and we could not add
new content.
It is now operating again!
Regular news and information is sent through our E-News and
monthly journal.
Click here for more
information!
From the past month...
22 June 2007 - Religious
Vilification complaint - finally resolved
It is over FIVE years since the Islamic Council of
Victoria made a complaint of religious vilification against Catch the Fire
Ministries, Pastor Danny Nalliah and Pastor Daniel Scot.
In December, the Victorian Court of Appeal upheld an
appeal against the VCAT decision made by Judge Michael Higgins against CTFM.
The case returned to VCAT – and was resolved at a
Mediation held on Friday 22 June 2007.
The ICV has withdrawn the complaint and an official
Statement was put out jointly by Catch the Fire Ministries, Pastor Danny Nalliah
Pastor Daniel Scot, and the Islamic Council of Victoria.
Click here to read the Statement, media
reports and a response from Salt
Shakers… Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 27 March 2008 |
