Latest News - Archive
June - July
2008
___________
July 2008
30 July 2008 - 'Assisted Suicide Bill' debate in
Victoria - NOW!
The Medical Treatment (Physician
Assisted Dying) Bill is being debated by Victoria's Legislative Council
- starting today.
The Bill has
been proposed by Greens MLC Colleen Hartland.
Please
contact your MPs in both the Legislative Council and ALSO in the Legislative
Assembly.
Please PRAY that the Bill is defeated in the Legislative
Council.
ASK your MPs to vote AGAINST the Bill
[MP names and contact
details - click here]
FULL
details of the Bill and the campaign - click here.
28 July 2008 - German Court allows married
'transeexual' to change name/sex
(Lifesite) A German high court has ruled that those who have
undergone "gender reassignment" therapy can now change their legal name and sex
while they are still in legal marriages. Previously, the law
only allowed the recognition of "sex-changes" if the person was unmarried.
Married "transsexuals" who wanted to change their designations on birth
certificates and other official documentation had to first obtain a
divorce..."
The Court ruled that the government must change the law by
2009.
Article:
German
Government must Recognise "Sex-Change" of Married
"Transsexuals"
LifeSiteNews.com - 25 July 2008.
25 July
2008 - Lesbians lose neglience case
A lesbian couple in teh ACT sued their IVF doctor because they got
twin girls, but wanted only one child. Bill Muehlenberg wrote
up the case 10 months ago.
Today he writes
"Hours ago the ACT Supreme
Court ruled against the pair, and in favour of the doctor. The lesbians have to
pay the legal costs, but can still appeal. Finally a bit of sanity! Since most
papers are covering this story, you may want to send in a letter to the editor,
applauding this win for common sense and morality."
Media report:
Twins'
lesbian mums lose compo case against IVF doctor
The
Age , 24 July 2008.
24 July 2008 - Community Cabinet in Arnhem Land
NT
The first 'Community Cabinet' meting
held by the Rudd government was held in Arnhem Land, home of aboriginal
communities. They presented Mr Rudd with a petition calling for recognition in
the Constitution. This is something Mr Rudd can't grant on his own - it would
have to go to a referendum of all the people of Australia.
A couple of
concerning things: another smoking ceremony and a consideration that this matter
might be put into the Constitution ... last time there was considerable debate
over terms that might be used - using the word 'owners' for instance would cause
even more division... we need to all be Australians together!
Report
on PM's website - click here.
Media report: Rudd
revives push to recognise indigenous rights in Constitution
The Australian, Yirrkala | July 23, 2008
Includes Mr Rudd's speech on video.
"KEVIN Rudd today declared it was time to recognise the
rights of indigenous people inAustralia's
Constitution.
In Arnhem Land for a historic cabinet meeting, Mr Rudd
said the Government would "give attention to detailed, sensitive consultation
with indigenous communities about the most appropriate form and timing of
constitutional recognition"….”
21 July
2008 - David Evans changes his mind on global warming!
Who is David Evans? He is the scientist
who did the modelling for the Australian government's Greenhouse Office from
1999-2005.
Why has he changed his mind? He says there is more information now
and there is no evidence the world is warming or that man-made carbon dioxide is
causing a problem!
We'll let you read his article... click here.
Seven
Graphs to end the warming hype
Meanwhile Andrew Bolt has
published an article (18 July 2008) showing SEVEN graphs that he says "should
make the Rudd government feel sick"... the graphs show, for instance, the
temperature going down (not up) etc.
17 July
2008 - Government releases 'Green Paper'
The federal government has released a 'Green Paper'
regarding climate change and a carbon emissions trading scheme.
Over the
next few months they will be asking for input from businesses and other
'stakeholders'... but submissions close in September - BEFORE Treasury completes
their economic modelling (due in October)!
The most disturbing initial
response is their use of the word 'POLLUTION'!
They call it the
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CAPRS).
Click here to go the the
official webpage with the full report and explanations.
We have posted links
and more information on a section of our Global Warming page. Click here.
15 July
2008 - ACMA finds 'Californication’ breached the TV
Code
During 2007 we ran a long
campaign against this appalling Channel
10 program along with some other groups, and over 64 companies
withdrew their advertising from it, but it took the Australian Communications and
Media Authority (ACMA) over 8 months to decide we were right.
After refusing to uphold complaints about many episodes, they finally found
something even they could not gloss over. Nevertheless, they still refused to
issue any penalty against Network 10.
It is time the government acted to set
up a watch dog with the teeth, one that could establish effective guidelines and
accountability back into all free to air TV networks.
Click here for Salt Shakers' CALIFORNICATION
PAGE – with a list of many of the 64 companies.
13 July 2008 - 'Big Brother'
evicted
Big Brother will be no more after next
week!
Channel 10 has announced that, after 8 years, Big Brother ratings
had slumped and they would not be presenting the program next year.
Another factor could be the problem of having to dump the 'adults only'
version in 2006 when many people complained after sexually explicit incidents -
or the fact that Channel Ten pays $30 million a year for the rights to the
show!
We are sure many parents will say Hallelujah to the demise of Big
Brother.
We certainly do!
Click here
for the full story.
[There were no news items reported here for the first two weeks of July - we
were on holiday!]
June 2008
30 June 2008 - Muslims and
polygamy
The question of polygamy has arisen
again, with some Muslim leaders calling for it - some say it already happens so
it should therefore be 'recognised'.Islam allows a man to have FOUR
wives.
Keysar Trad says it will 'protect the women'.
Federal Attorney
General Robert McClelland says it won't be recognised - but the Family Law Act
already recognises polygamous marriages from overseas as a 'marriage' for the
purpose of accessing the Family Court. Is that the thin end of the
wedge?
Read media articles: click here and here.
Other Muslim leaders say it exists and call for it to be recognised - click here.
Family Law Act reference - click here.
Any recognition of
polygamy will undermine marriage in Australia!
27 June 2008 - Vic - Dying Bill
deferred
The 'assisted suicide' bill being promoted by Colleen Hartland was not
debated before the Parliament closed for the winter break. The parliament next
sits in late July - so the Bill may be debated then. If you live in
Victoria NOW is a good time to
contact your MPs and ask them to vote against this Bill - see more below or
click here for our Campaign page.
19 June 2008 - Dying Bill in Vic Legislative
Council
The 'assisted suicide' bill being promoted by Greens MP Colleen Hartland, was
tabled in the Legislative Council on 11 June 2008.
It is called the
Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying)
Bill.
Click here
to read the proposed bill.
Click here to read the second reading
speech.
Click here to
visit our campaign page.
PLEASE ACT - contact your
Legislative Council MPs NOW!
13 June 2008 - Free speech? Not any
more!
A Canadian human rights 'Panel' has handed down a remedy against Christian
pastor Rev Stephen Boissoin and the Concerned Christian
Coalition. Back in November 2007, he was found to have "contravened
Section 3 of the Human Rights Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act by causing to
be published in the Red Deer Advocate (before the public), a
publication in which it was likely to expose homosexuals to hatred or contempt
because of their sexual orientation."
Dr Darrell Lund brought the complaint under
Canada's hate
crimes law after the letter was published in 2002.. Now the Alberta
Human Rights Panels have told Rev Boissoin that he "shall cease
publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the
internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals" and also
against Dr Lund. He also has to provide a written apology to Dr Lund (who was
not mentioned in Rev Boissoin's letter to the Red Deer Advocate back in the )
and ask the newspaper to publish a copy of the order and the apology. He also
has to pay Dr Lund $5000.
Stephen responds: "In regards to the recent absurd
ruling by the AHRC, let me be clear, I will never apologize regardless of the
consequences and I will not pay fines unless failing to do so prevents my
ability to appeal. I stand by my right to have an opinion and to equally express
that opinion in private and in the public square. I will exercise that God given
right as long as I live. ..."
Read more:
Rev Stephen Boisson's website - click here.
The
remedy decision - click here.
The original letter - click here.
6 June 2008 - Censors classify Henson photo
'PG'
The federal censors - the Classification
Board - have classified a naked photo of a 13 year old girl as 'PG'
claiming it would only have 'mild' impact on children.
However, the point is
NOT the impact it will have on children but the impact it will have as child
pornography! Click here for media report.
Police have NOW decided NOT to charge Henson over the
photographs.
No
charges for Henson
SMH - Daniel Emerson - June 6, 2008
"Photographer Bill Henson and the Sydney
gallery which displayed his controversial pictures of naked children
last month will not be prosecuted after police accepted there was no reasonable
prospect of conviction. Police today said they made the decision following
advice from NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery. Assistant
Commissioner Catherine Burn said the matter was a "complex area of law'' but
police were obliged to launch their investigation after complaints from the
public..."
Follow up to 'Operation Centurion' arrests for child
pornography
There seems to be a disconnect between the two
incidents... the Henson photos and arrests for possessing and accessing child
pornography.
For a follow up report on the arrest of 90 Australians for
downloading and possessing child pornography in 'Operation Centurion', click
here.
The
images were accessed from an internet site that had been hacked into - the
hacker had uploaded images of child pornography onto the site.
One teacher arrested has already committed suicide.
6 June 2008 - Pink dots for global warming sceptics
Do you have a
pink dot? l
Andrew
Bolt writes that he is the ONLY Australian who was located on a map with a 'pink
dot' by the Chasers variety show as a 'global warming sceptic'.
He goes on to describe numerous other Australians who really deserve a pink
dot also!
Dr Dennis Jensen, a nuclear physicist, who is now a federal
Liberal MP from WA, gave a good speech in Parliament this week outlining the
problems with the GW scenario. NO media reported on the speech!
He also lists
Bob Carter, a lecturer fromJames
Cook
University.
We have sections on
them on our Global Warming issues pages:
Click here for Dr Dennis Jensen's speech
and here
for Dr Bob Carter.
Column
- Strike me pink
Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun column,
Friday, June 06, 2008
“THE boys from the ABC’s Chaser show a map of Australia
in their new show at the Athenaeum with a pink dot to indicate the whereabouts
of our very last global warming sceptic….”
5 June 2008 - Child Pornography - 70 arrested in Australia
70
Australians have been arrested in a major raid on child pornography across the
world.
The article explains!
70
arrests in child-porn dragnet
The Age, 5 June 2008.
"DOZENS
of men - including community leaders, a police officer, a teacher and a youth
worker - have been arrested over child pornography and abuse offences after the
nation's biggest anti- pedophile investigation.
The six-month joint
operation by the Australian Federal Police and state police forces uncovered
several cases of child molestation and highlighted the astonishing way in which
pedophiles form secret communities in cyberspace and use the global reach of the
internet to trade child-exploitation images.
To date, 70 arrests have been
made
acrossAustralia.
A further 20 people have been issued with summonses to appear in court, where
they will be charged with possessing child-exploitation material. More arrests
are expected.
Dubbed Operation Centurion, the investigation was triggered
after a hacker infiltrated a respectable European website and inserted 99
degrading and explicit images of young girls from Eastern Europe, the US and
Paraguay.
The site, which cannot be named for legal reasons, was besieged by
an incredible 12 million hits in just 76 hours after word got around online
pedophile networks.
Almost 150,000 different computer users from 170
countries accessed the otherwise obscure website, including Australians using
2883 computer IP addresses. Of those, 1513 had downloaded one or more images in
the 76-hour period. . . "
4 June 2008 -
'Physican-assisted dying'?
Greens MP Colleen Hartland has tabled a draft Bill in the Victorian
Legislative Council last week - 28 May. Debate on the Bill was put off for two
weeks.
The Draft Bill has been posted on the Greens website: click here.
Under the Bill, doctors would be allowed to assist a person die if they have a
'terminal illness' or incurable disease. As well as defining a lot of the words
used, the Bill specifically says this would not be called 'suicide'!
Ms Hartland held a Briefing at the Parliament on 29 May - The other speaker
at the forum was Neil Francis - President, Dying With
DignityVictoria. This is
the new, sanitised name for what was once called the 'Voluntary
Euthanasia Society of Victoria'.
But 'Dying with Dignity' sounds nicer... and 'Physician-Assisted
Dying' sounds more appealing than suicide.
This organisation has been lobbying consistently for this legislation - DWDV
surveyed all the MPs and candidates prior to the last state election - they
posted their 'legislative charter' and survey results on their website.
Please contact your MPs
- ask them not to give leave for the Bill to be debated and ask them to oppose
it.
2 June
2008 - Victorian Law Reform Commission Report on Abortion tabled in
Victorian Parliament
The VLRC Report on the 'Law on Abortion' has been released. As
expected, the VLRC has recommended that abortion be 'decriminalised'
- removed from the Crimes Act. This really means making it
LEGAL.
This is not a surprise BECAUSE the government, in the
'terms of reference', asked the VLRC to "provide advice about options to:
1.
Clarify the existing operation of the law in relation to terminations of
pregnancy.
2. Remove from the Crimes Act 1958 offences relating to
terminations of pregnancy where performed by a qualified medical
practitioner(s)."
As expected, they have ignored all the people who said
NO - ABOUT 80% OF THE 500 SUBMISSIONS!!!
The Report lists three legislative MODELS for the government to choose
from in order to remove abortion from the Crimes Act.
All laws would be
placed in the Health Act.
Model A: Woman's consent - and doctor deciding if it is
'necessary'
Model B - Two stages - 24 weeks the dividing
line
Model C - Any abortion- ANY time
FULL details of
these 'Models' - and links to the Report on our Campaign page -
click here.
ALSO Action -
writing to your
MPs! Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 25 November 2008 |
