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The World Congress of Families – now on in Sydney
Poor let down again by delay to reaching Millennium Development Goals promise
Aid budget increases but funding target delayed
Investigations needed into babies being left to die after surviving late-term abortions
Gosnell found guilty, but babies still being left to die in Australia
ACL urges SA lower house to reject bill allowing IVF for singles and same-sex couples
Worldview thinker to tour Australia
Monthly Newsletter – May 2013
Jim Wallace on the Political Spot about his trip to the Middle East to look at persecution of minorities
Professor Ian Harper on the Political Spot about healthy families and their impact on the economy
Steve Thomas on the Political Spot wrapping up political ideology series
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We are living in times where not only are our views about marriage and family sneered at and ridiculed in the public square, the force of law is being used to marginalise and suppress them.
A New Zealand family advocacy group is about to lose its charitable status, it would appear in part because of its views supporting marriage between a man and a woman.
Family First (not related to the political party of the same name here in Australia) took a lead role in the campaign against redefining marriage. Sadly, they lost.
But no sooner had the dust settled when they were advised by the NZ Charities Registration Board that their charitable status was to be revoked.
The board claimed Family First’s main purpose was political, not charitable although other charities in NZ participating in political debate retain their status.
“This is a highly politicised decision which is grim evidence that groups that think differently to the prevailing politically correct view will be targeted in an attempt to shut them up,” said Family First’s leader Bob McCoskrie.
ACL’s Katherine Spackman recently spoke to Bob for the Political Spot
ACL is carefully monitoring charities reform here in Australia to ensure that policy makers understand the public benefit that flows from religion, something that has never been questioned until now.
Bob is in Australia for this week’s World Congress of Families in Sydney, an event which has also come under pressure from activists who have written to the NSW Government in a bid to ensure speakers are reminded of anti-discrimination laws.
This move is clearly designed to intimidate speakers and delegates, and suppress the debate and discussion the Congress seeks to foster about the importance to society of the natural family. In a free society, all views should be allowed to be discussed and contested in the public square without let or hindrance.
That coercive legal pressure is creeping in to limit this is something we all need to be vigilant about.
God bless,
Lyle Shelton
Managing Director
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