ACL compiles a daily media monitoring service of stories of interest to the Christian constituency relating to children, family, drugs and alcohol, marriage, human rights, religious freedom etc.
Visit the ACL’s website each day to see what’s of interest in the news. Please note that selection of the articles does not represent ACL endorsement of the content.
.Drugs & Alcohol
Drug test plan considered for those on dole, as Coalition reviews welfareThe AustralianThe Abbott government is considering drug testing for the unemployed as part of a major overhaul of welfare. The suspension of payments to people with outstanding arrest warrants is another option being debated, News Corp Australia newspapers report.
Joyce joins calls for medicinal cannabisNews LtdThe campaign to ease the suffering of terminally ill patients by legalising medicinal cannabis is gaining momentum, with high-profile Nationals minister Barnaby Joyce adding his voice to the groundswell of support for cancer sufferer Dan Haslam.
Education
'Jesus is a person, not just a swear word': video promotes chaplains in schools fundingMichael Lallo - Canberra TimesA video aimed at raising community support for religious instruction in state schools, made by its main provider, Access Ministries, has sparked heated discussion after being posted on YouTube.
Gambling
Clubs bet $1.2m on gambling research, Xenophon claims 'stalling tactic'Sean Nicholls - Sydney Morning HeraldThe NSW clubs industry and leading poker machine makers have given $1.2 million to the University of Sydney to fund a three-year research project into ''real life'' problem gambling. But the donation has been criticised by gambling industry activist Senator Nick Xenophon as a stalling tactic designed to prevent governments undertaking poker machine reform while the research is carried out.
Health
Survey reports smoking decline
Corey Martin - The ExaminerDaily smoking rates have fallen by 4 per cent as tobacco use across the state reaches a new low, a Tasmanian Population Health Survey details.
Indigenous
No winners in game that reduces race to a political footballChris Kenny - The AustralianMillions of us will happily celebrate the unique contribution of Aborigines to our indigenous game this weekend in the AFL’s indigenous round. But there will be no escaping the politics at play. And it could prove influential in the bid for indigenous recognition in the Constitution.
Overseas Aid
Aust pledges $100m for polio fightNews LtdAustralia has pledged $100 million to help eradicate polio for good. The funds will be spread over five years and will go towards making countries in northern Africa and the Middle East - where outbreaks have been reported - polio-free.
Politics
Victorian MP Peter Crisp’s gun charges another blowThe AustralianThe Victorian Coalition’s tenuous grip on power is under mounting pressure as a Nationals MP faces the threat of more criminal gun charges and the constitutional crisis over rebel Liberal independent Geoff Shaw deepens.
Prostitution & Sex Trafficking
Britain's red light economy: drugs and prostitution a £10b a year industryCamilla Turner - SMHThe contribution of prostitution and illegal drugs to the British economy is now greater than industries like advertising and real estate and on-par with agriculture, official statistics show. Prostitution and illegal drugs are contributing around £10 billion a year to the British economy, according to official data.
Other
Liberal senator Cory Bernardi dodges student protest
Kim Stephens - SMHLiberal Senator Cory Bernardi gave a small but vocal group of student protesters the slip in Brisbane on Saturday, opting for back-door entry to the Broncos Leagues Club for a speaking engagement.