ACL 11th September 2014

11 September 2014

This week we are excited to announce two new speakers at our National Conference.

Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Michaelia Cash will be speaking about refugee policy.

Also Roger Kiska, Senior Legal Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom will be speaking on religious freedom.

These are two important presentations that you won’t want to miss.

Kind regards

ACL Team

474 tragic reasons why WA’s abortion laws need to change

By Rhys Vallance

“Abort it and try again.” Those chilling words, tweeted last month by Richard Dawkins, caused an international uproar.

Dawkins was responding to a post from Twitter user @InYourFaceNewYorker who had said, “I honestly don’t know what I would do if I were pregnant with a kid with Down Syndrome. Real ethical dilemma.”

David Ould’s tips for discussing controversial topics with non-Christians

By Daniel Simon

SBS’s new show Living With the Enemy had an Anglican minister live together with a same-sex couple for ten days. How would a Christian who opposes same-sex marriage engage with two atheists and activists who invited him to their wedding?

Read more plus audio interview

Cost should not thwart refugee help

By Lyle Shelton

Now that the lethal practice of people smuggling has been stopped, I’ve been wondering why Australia cannot increase its humanitarian intake.

Australia accepts 13,700 refugees per year. There are a staggering 51 million displaced people in the world.

NSW could ban ISIS flag

By Laurenne Abdelmalak

New South Wales premier Mike Baird has refused to rule out the possibility of banning the Islamic State (IS) flag across the state. This comes after reports of an IS flag recently being auctioned at a Sydney mosque fundraiser.

3% drop in abortion support – poll

By David Hutt

A recent Galaxy Poll has shown support for abortion dropped 3% in Tasmania in the last 15 months.

The decline in support has been attributed to a sustained television, print and radio and online advertising campaign funded by the group Emily’s Voice.

Read more plus audio interview

Government should heed calls to settle more refugees fleeing persecution

Media Release

Liberal Member for Longman Wyatt Roy’s call for a doubling of Australia’s humanitarian intake should be heeded, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.

Three Senators deliver their first speeches to the Senate

By Daniel Simon

Should the minimum wage be scrapped? Family First Senator Bob Day thinks so. What does Senator Day have in common with two long-time unionists now taking their seat in the Senate for the ALP?

Listen to highlights from Senators Day, Chris Ketter, and Joe Bullock.

Why we need to re-think surrogacy

In this week’s edition of Politics In Focus, ACL’s Managing Director Lyle Shelton talks about the World Congress of Families event in Melbourne, and weighs in on the current surrogacy debate in Australia.

Watch the video

Are you our next NSW Director?

We’re seeking a full-time New South Wales Director after our long-serving NSW Director has taken on a new role in the organisation.

The New South Wales Director is tasked with achieving political effectiveness for the ACL within the state of New South Wales. This involves political influence and lobbying, relationship building, building of public credibility, representing ACL to various parties, and establishing/maintaining a strong supporter and financial base.

For the diary – a selection of upcoming events

12 September – Political Q&A, WA (ACL’s Rhys Vallance speaking)

17 September – Tasmanian Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast 2014, TAS

24-25 October – ACL National Conference, ACT

26-27 October – National Leader’s Prayer Breakfast, ACT

27 October – Theology @ the Pub, State Election Special, VIC

31 October – Conference, Freedom of Religion, QLD

14-16 November – Conference, Caring for the garden in a fallen world, NSW