Nauru Gov't to Kerryn Phelps: " Get your facts right"
Written by Kathy Clubb
While virtue-signalling progressives hammer on about conditions in detention centres, and try to force Australian taxpayers to foot the bill for welfare-hopping migrants, the Nauru Government has issued a wake-up call. Published on its website on October 24, 2018, is this statement which hones in on the unscrupulous behaviour of many 'asylum seekers.' The kinds of activity mentioned in the statement will come as no surprise to those of us who are very concerned about the UN's current push for mandatory open-arms policies on migrants and refugees. Comfortable Christians who want to pin this latest social justice badge on their hats would do well to think through the implications of allowing migrants to roam about until they find the most generous foreign welfare system, forcing sovereign nations to advertise their benefits and social programmes on purpose-built websites. For that's exactly what the UN's Compacts aim to do.
A brief note about the Sex Discrimination Act amendments which have the subject of a number of recent posts. The House of Representatives has now adjourned for the year without a Government Bill being introduced to make any changes concerning religious schools and discrimination. So no binding changes will be made this year. On 6 December the Senate referred the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Removing Discrimination Against Students) Bill 2018 to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 11 February 2019. Submissions to the Committee can be made at the website linked here, and must be provided by 11 January 2019: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Sexdiscrimination.
Queensland
Exclusion-zones went into force yesterday in Queensland, along with the state's new act that moved abortion into the health code. Queensland is the fourth Australian state to enact the zones - this includes New South Wales, where abortion is still technically illegal; both territories also have the so-called 'Safe-Access' zones. Pro-lifers who wish to pray outside abortion mills and offer help to the women entering them will now have to stand 150m away from the entrance or risk huge fines and potential incarceration.
Irish politician: "Real healthcare does not have a victim"
Written by Kathy Clubb
Ireland's pro-life politicians have been facing ferocious opposition in trying to push through amendments that would mitigate the impact of that country's disastrous new abortion law. The Eighth Amendment - the part of the Irish constitution which had protected pre-born children from abortion - was repealed in September of this year. The Eighth Amendment was replaced by the phrase, "Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy", allowing abortion on demand in the first trimester, and potentially to full term on certain conditions. Ireland's Lower House has been debating the terms of this change in law.
Contacting parliament on sex discrimination amendments
Written by Neil Foster
A number of Christian and other religious organisations are deeply concerned about the proposals in the ALP-sponsored private Bill due to be debated in the Senate on Monday Dec 3. As I have discussed in previous comments (here and here) the Bill, which started out as an agreed measure to stop religious schools from expelling gay students on the basis of their “orientation” alone, has a number of other serious consequences for religious freedom, not only for schools but for churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organisations (such as, for example, University student ministries.) The Bill amends the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to remove some clauses which have previously provided protection for Christian organisations to operate in accordance with their religious beliefs.
Government amendments to religious schools bill
Written by Neil Foster
For those following the debates about proposed amendments to discrimination laws removing religious freedom from faith-based schools, the LNP Government has now tabled a number of amendments to the ALP Bill released earlier this week. While these amendments are a move in the right direction, there are still some serious concerns about their effect on religious schools and their ability to operate in accordance with their religious beliefs. The Government amendments can be seen on this page as separate documents. I will aim to briefly outline the effect of the amendments. I will assume readers are familiar with the ALP Bill discussed in my previous blog.
[Senator Wong, leader of the Opposition in the Senate, has introduced a Private Senator’s Bill aimed at removing the power of religious schools to discriminate against same sex attracted students. Unfortunately, the amendments do much more than stop schools expelling students on the basis of their internal sexual orientation (a goal all sides of politics agree on.) They will have a serious impact on the ability of such schools, and other religious bodies, to operate in accordance with their religious beliefs. A more nuanced approach is needed.
