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AUSTRALIAN NEWS 20th May 2009
Sent: Wednesday 20/May/2009 Topic: National
- NATIONAL LEADERS ENDORSE THE NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING
- CHURCHES UNITE IN STAND AGAINST ISLAMIC SCHOOL
- TOUGH MEASURES AGREED UPON TO FIGHT BINGE DRINKING
- HOMOSEXUAL INDOCTRINATION NOW AIMED AT TWO YEAR OLDS
NATIONAL LEADERS ENDORSE THE NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING
Source: Australian Prayer Network
Statements have been received from the Governor General and Prime Minister endorsing the National Day of Thanksgiving and encouraging participation by all Australians in joining in the spirit of the day.The Governor General in her statement said "Our National Day of Thanksgiving is a marvellous opportunity to remind ourselves how much we have to be thankful for, and, ..... to acknowledge the efforts and contribution of those who walk with and before us.
The Prime Minister said "Saying thank you does not just warm the heart of those receiving thanks - it also reminds each of us of how much of what we have is the result of others' generosity and efforts. That is why I enthusiastically support this, the sixth National Day of Thanksgiving, on May 30 2009. I encourage other Australians to use the National Day of Thanksgiving to recognise and thank those people within their lives who offer them guidance, inspiration, strength and support."
The full text of each message, which are designed to be read out at all official National Day of Thanksgiving functions, can be found at www.thanksgiving.org.au
A statement from the Leader of the Opposition is still awaited and will be placed on the website as soon as received.
CHURCHES UNITE IN STAND AGAINST ISLAMIC SCHOOL
Source: Compiled by APN from media reports
Churches and Christian ministries have joined together in seeking to stop the building of an Islamic school in their area. In a submission to the Land and Environment Court in Sydney they call the religion an ideology driven by a desire for world domination, and claim the proposal to build a school at Camden is part of a repeated pattern of seeking to advance their influence into new non Muslim populated areas by first establishing a presence through a supposed community facility, such as a School.
The submission, co-signed by local heads of the Baptist, Anglican and Presbyterian Churches, and the Evangelical Sisters of Mary, forms the spearhead of Camden City Council's defence to a court challenge over its rejection of a development application for the Muslim school. "Islam is not simply a private religion. It is driven by a powerful political agenda and it is an ideology with a plan for world domination," the letter says.
"The Quranic Society application to establish an Islamic school in Camden is typical of a regularly repeated pattern to form a beachhead in an area for the development of a sub-culture which, for the most part, regards its own legal system as superior to the current Australian law." They said the Muslim community would seek to dominate public space in Camden "as we have seen in Auburn, Bankstown, Lakemba and more recently Liverpool".
Use of the letter is a turnaround from previous claims that the council's ruling was on the grounds of traffic congestion. In their objection, the Christian ministries say they are simply trying to preserve a rich, hard-won way of life that was incompatible with Quranic Society teachings. "The Quranic Society espouses a world view which is not compatible with broader, Australian egalitarian culture," they said. A decision in the case is expected in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile the same Land and Environment Court has this week handed down a judgement allowing construction of a 1200-student primary and secondary school in Bass Hill, another Sydney suburb, which has been fought by residents since the land was bought in 2006. Bankstown council first knocked back the proposal in 2007 after residents launched a campaign opposing the project. The group behind the school, Al Amanah College, appealed against this decision with the outcome that the court has now overturned the Council's decision thus rejecting the local residents objections.
TOUGH MEASURES AGREED UPON TO FIGHT BINGE DRINKING
Source: Communique issued by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy
Australian ministers responsible for illicit and legal drug issues have announced a range of tough measures to tackle binge drinking to which will now be put forward to be considered by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) as part of the National Binge Drinking Strategy. As part of the package agreed for submission to COAG, Ministers supported the need for strengthening alcohol advertising regulation, developing liquor licensing principles, including greater national consistency and for more brief interventions.
The Ministers, attending the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS), agreed that the existing Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code, which is meant to ensure that alcohol advertising is responsible and doesn't encourage underage drinking, had significant shortcomings and should be reformed. Ministers supported a series of proposals about alcohol advertising regulation to be presented to COAG including mandatory pre-vetting of all alcohol advertising and meaningful sanctions for the breaking of the Code.
Ministers also discussed concerns about ready to drink alcoholic beverages and resolved to ask COAG to consider calling on industry to stop producing beverages. They also recommended a reduction in the alcohol content of such drinks and the stopping of the usage of alcohol masking agents such as sweeteners which has led to early introduction to alcohol by young people. They also endorsed the need for an early intervention program to support existing initiatives designed to get young people under the age of 18 back on track before more serious alcohol-related problems emerge.
Ministers agreed to an Early Intervention Pilot Program (EIPP) that provides police with options for implementing the program with underage drinkers within their core activities. The Framework allows for targeted health assessments and alcohol education sessions for young people with a focus on person responsibility. Commonwealth funding of $19.1 million under the National Binge Drinking Strategy will support activities under the EIPP.
HOMOSEXUAL INDOCTRINATION NOW AIMED AT TWO YEAR OLDS
Source: Compiled by APN from media reports
A book that teaches children about lesbian mums getting pregnant using sperm donors is being pitched at kids as young as two. The publication, Where Did I Really Come From?, also features a drawing of two gay men holding a baby, in a chapter about surrogacy. The book, which includes descriptions of sexual intercourse, is being promoted as suitable to be read to two-year-old children. But angry family advocates claim the book targets children too young. "It devalues the traditional family unit and at the very least desensitises us," Focus On The Family spokeswoman Deb Sorensen said.
A chapter on assisted conception, tells children: "Sometimes, a woman really wants to have a baby but she doesn't want to have intercourse with a man. "Some women want to bring up a baby by themselves, or with another woman, so the baby gets two mums. "A woman may arrange for a doctor to get some sperm for her, or a special man she knows may give her some of his sperm." The book was first penned in the early 1990s, but has been updated and relaunched by Learn to Include, which has published a range of books featuring child characters whose parents are gay.
Learn to Include's website says the book's "simple, non-judgmental explanations of sexual intercourse, assisted conception, pregnancy, birth, adoption and surrogacy are "suitable for 2-12 year olds". Ms Sorensen said a two-year-old would probably not understand the content. She questioned the message it delivered, particularly in relation to same-sex parents. "Research shows consistently that children are much better off with a mum and a dad," Ms Sorensen said.