SPECIAL EDITION: ELECTION GUIDE Voice for Values NEWSLETTER JUNE 2016 July 2: The most Image: WilliamWest. AFP. GettyImages AFP. WilliamWest. Image: important electionI inWILL a • No people's vote on marriage • Same-sex marriage • Will hold people's vote generation legislated by October (plebiscite) on marriage • Will fund so-called "Safe • Won't renew funding for Schools" so- called "Safe Schools" This federal election is the But even more importantly, the are concerned about righteousness most important election future of what children are taught at and justice. However, this seismic school and even their very right to be shift on social policy has been in a generation. And for nurtured by their mum and dad is at accompanied by a growing hostility Christians like you and me, stake. there is nothing less than towards Christians and those who Australian social policy has taken a share our views on marriage … our very place in Australian big shift to the extreme left in the last society riding on the decade. Christians cannot be so easily (continued on page 2) outcome of July’s vote. pigeonholed as being left or right. We Discover the truth Inside We must demand more for Volunteer for our biggest about Labor’s rainbow the world’s poorest and most election campaign ever P4 ! vulnerable P2-3 policy positions >> Labor’s rainbow national How our schools became platform P5 Turn to page 5 to read about so unsafe P3 the ALP’s plans to give the From Lyle to you P6 gay lobby privileged status in Anti-discrimination laws hinder free speech P4 government decision-making. There’s more at stake this (continued election than marriage from page 1) … and family. an extraordinary attack on the then Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Kevin Rudd’s rise and fall is a perfect Rev. Dr Peter Jensen, and his views example. Elected Prime Minister in 2007 on marriage. “This whole issue drips after assiduously courting the Christian with hypocrisy,” Turnbull told the vote, in the 2013 election campaign House of Representatives, “and the he turned on the constituency in pools are deepest at the feet of the spectacular fashion. sanctimonious.” “Labor is committed Bill Shorten has also had a go. Speaking to ACL supporters at our national to changing the conference in 2014, he accused an definition of unspecified group of Christians of marriage within “hiding behind the Bible to insult and demonise people based on who they 100 days if elected.” love”. It is against this backdrop of Asked by Pastor Matt Prater on the ABC’s growing antagonism towards Christians Q&A about his views on marriage, Rudd that the July 2 election must be considered. to changing the definition of marriage ridiculed Pastor Matt, the Bible, and by within 100 days if elected. Bill Shorten implication, millions of people of faith Marriage has become a touchstone has explicitly said Labor would provide for their antiquated views. “Well, mate,” issue for measuring the suitability of no protections for the religious freedom Rudd snapped, “if I was going to have someone’s place in Australian society. of lay people who do not agree with that [biblical] view [of marriage], the Increasingly, Christians are finding same-sex marriage. Bible also says that slavery is a natural themselves on the wrong side of elite A marriage plebiscite is therefore the condition.” opinion. only way that, as Christians, we can Sadly Kevin Rudd is not the first or last The Coalition Government is promising secure both the future of marriage, and politician to have a go at Christians. to hold a plebiscite on the definition our freedoms to believe and practice In 2012, Malcolm Turnbull launched of marriage. But Labor is committed our faith. In June 2014, we all watched We must in horror as terrorist group demand ISIL stormed into the ancient city of Mosul – known better more for to Christians as Nineveh – and forced the city’s the world’s Christian population out. poorest Of course, Christians are not the only people facing persecution by extremist groups like ISIL, but the and most horrors broadcast on the evening news drew attention to the plight vulnerable of persecuted people in a tragic and compelling way. Image: Carillet stock-photo-52088280/Joel In 2014, more than 700 churches participated in Solidarity Sunday, an ACL initiative to pray and raise awareness about global persecution. And 20,000 ACL supporters signed a petition calling on then Prime Minister Tony Abbott to increase Australia’s humanitarian migrant intake and 2 3 How our schools became so unsafe Election campaigns are busy times. Lots of announcements are made. Some receive more attention than others. During the 2013 election campaign, Andrews Government in Victoria has the then Labor Education and Finance point blank refused to abide by the Ministers made a joint announcement recommendations of the Louden review promising $8 million of taxpayers’ money to prune "Safe Schools". to stop ‘homophobic bullying’ in schools. At this point, both major parties The then Education Minister Bill Shorten are in favour of "Safe Schools". introduced the now infamous, so- The Coalition have promised called “Safe Schools” program – and as not to renew funding for Opposition Leader, he is refusing to back the so-called "Safe Schools" away from it. programme while Bill “Safe Schools” has come under sustained Shorten's Labor have scrutiny from parents, the media, and committed to continue politicians for its dangerous queer gender funding it. And bullying ideology that teaches students and school words such as “bigot” teachers that you should not to refer to and “homophobe” “boys and girls”, while also promoting a are being employed view that gender is fluid. The program against anyone asking directs students to websites that give questions of the directions on how girls can bind their program. chests (a potentially lethal exercise) and Australian voters must how boys can tuck their genitals. be aware of the negative Despite a review, followed by a response implications of allowing this from the Education Minister, the program program to continue, and stand still contains material that teaches that up as a voice for values in the gender is a construct. Furthermore, the fight to remove “Safe Schools”. is cold comfort to those who We are told that Percentage of Australia’s national income spent on have been made homeless foreign aid everything is being by ISIL. Sadly, the world’s done to expedite poorest have had an even more disappointing response the process, yet from Australia in recent years. this is cold comfort After initially committing to those who to reaching our Millennium Development Goal of have been made allocating 0.7% of Australia’s homeless ... gross national income to overseas direct aid by 2015, respond to the growing crisis. Having successive governments have ‘stopped the boats’, the government pushed the deadline to meet could now afford a generous and this goal further and further targeted humanitarian program. back by cutting aid. To his great credit, Mr Abbott allocated In fact, as of the most recent – displaced and persecuted around an additional 12,000 places for people budget announcement, Australia’s the world, Australia must stand up and displaced by the Middle East conflict. overseas-aid budget is now the lowest support those whose governments However, almost a year later, less than since 2004 and we have become one are unable or unwilling to help. The 30 of these 12,000 refugees have of the least generous nations in the current situation is not good enough arrived on our shores. developed world. and, as the federal election approaches, We are told that everything is being With so many people – including Christians must demand more from done to expedite the process, yet this hundreds of thousands of Christians both major political parties. 3 Anti-discrimination laws hinder free speech In September 2015, ACL was made aware that a complaint against Hobart’s Catholic Archbishop had been registered with the government. Julian Porteous was made the As ACL’s Lyle Shelton has said, We are calling for legislative changes subject of an official complaint to “misguided laws and legal processes to allow free and fair debate to be the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination are silencing the community. When the conducted during the lead-up to the Commission after he promoted law stops decent people from saying election and potential plebiscite on Catholic teaching on marriage to the reasonable things, it is defective.” changing the definition of marriage. parents who enrolled their children in Tasmania’s Catholic schools. Thankfully When the law the complaint was dropped in May 2016. However, the complainant, stops decent Greens’ transgender political candidate people from Martine Delany, has conceded nothing. It seems this is a tactical retreat. saying reasonable It is a travesty that Tasmania’s Anti- things, it is Discrimination Commissioner believed defective. the Archbishop had a case to answer, simply for distributing the Catholic Church marriage booklet “Don’t Mess with Marriage”. Wildly excessive anti-discrimination laws are hindering the ability of those who believe the definition of marriage should not be changed from standing up and expressing reasonable and Julian Porteous was made the respectful opinions. Some lay people subject of an official complaint who wish to share their views will feel to the Tasmanian Anti- Discrimination Commission silenced by fear of facing the same for distributing the Catholic Church marriage booklet retribution as Archbishop Porteous. Don’t Mess with Marriage. Volunteer for our biggest election campaign ever With so much at stake this election, we are mobilising more people and resources than ever before. Thousands of people just like you are fanning out across the country to campaign in key seats ahead of July 2.