MR: Decisive Senate votes 41-26 in favour of keeping the Marriage Act intact
Media Release
For release: Thursday, September 20, 2012
Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Jim Wallace said today’s 41-26 vote in the Senate against same-sex marriage means the Parliament has now expressed a decisive view on the matter.
“The Greens should respect the wishes of the Parliament and drop their remaining two bills.
“Everyone has had enough of this debate,” Mr Wallace said.
“It has been one of the most vitriolic campaigns I have ever seen and it has demonised so many good people out of the public square, such as Victoria’s chief psychiatrist Kuravilla George, who lost his job as a member of Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Commission because he supported marriage.”
Mr Wallace repeated calls for Attorney General Nicola Roxon to defend the Commonwealth Marriage Act against Greens moves in State Parliament to introduce competing same-sex marriage bills.
“It is not in the interests of the nation to have a hodge-podge of marriage laws.
“The Greens and gay activists should respect the Commonwealth’s marriage power instead of continually abusing the processes of state and territory legislatures to achieve a rolling campaign for homosexual marriage.
“They have had a fair go, it is time to move on,” Mr Wallace said.
For release: Thursday, September 20, 2012
Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Jim Wallace said today’s 41-26 vote in the Senate against same-sex marriage means the Parliament has now expressed a decisive view on the matter.
“The Greens should respect the wishes of the Parliament and drop their remaining two bills.
“Everyone has had enough of this debate,” Mr Wallace said.
“It has been one of the most vitriolic campaigns I have ever seen and it has demonised so many good people out of the public square, such as Victoria’s chief psychiatrist Kuravilla George, who lost his job as a member of Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Commission because he supported marriage.”
Mr Wallace repeated calls for Attorney General Nicola Roxon to defend the Commonwealth Marriage Act against Greens moves in State Parliament to introduce competing same-sex marriage bills.
“It is not in the interests of the nation to have a hodge-podge of marriage laws.
“The Greens and gay activists should respect the Commonwealth’s marriage power instead of continually abusing the processes of state and territory legislatures to achieve a rolling campaign for homosexual marriage.
“They have had a fair go, it is time to move on,” Mr Wallace said.
MR: PM’s withdrawal from ACL conference a blow to constituency, win for aggressive gay activists
MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday 6 September 2012
The Prime Minister’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Christian Lobby’s national conference is based on inaccurate media reporting and misrepresentation by gay activists.
Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Jim Wallace said the decision would come as a deep disappointment to Australia’s Christian constituency.
“This is a victory for the relentless campaign of demonization against anyone who would challenge the gay activists’ agenda in the public square.”
Mr Wallace said at no stage did he say that “smoking is healthier than gay marriage”, as reported by some media.
“What I did say is that heterosexual sex and homosexual sex are different and have different health consequences. They should not be packaged the same way as marriage because, as just one of many reasons, they are different.
“If we warn against smoking because it carries health dangers, we should also be warning young people in particular about activity which clearly carries health risks,” Mr Wallace said.
“The experience in places like Massachusetts is that it is very difficult to have this conversation where the lifestyle is held to be the equal of marriage.”
Mr Wallace rejected the characterisation of himself and the ACL as heartless.
“This is a blow to free speech of which there will be even greater pressure if the definition of marriage is changed,” Mr Wallace said.
“It is disappointing that the Prime Minister has acted so hastily on the basis of misreporting and false information from gay activists.”
Thursday 6 September 2012
The Prime Minister’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Christian Lobby’s national conference is based on inaccurate media reporting and misrepresentation by gay activists.
Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Jim Wallace said the decision would come as a deep disappointment to Australia’s Christian constituency.
“This is a victory for the relentless campaign of demonization against anyone who would challenge the gay activists’ agenda in the public square.”
Mr Wallace said at no stage did he say that “smoking is healthier than gay marriage”, as reported by some media.
“What I did say is that heterosexual sex and homosexual sex are different and have different health consequences. They should not be packaged the same way as marriage because, as just one of many reasons, they are different.
“If we warn against smoking because it carries health dangers, we should also be warning young people in particular about activity which clearly carries health risks,” Mr Wallace said.
“The experience in places like Massachusetts is that it is very difficult to have this conversation where the lifestyle is held to be the equal of marriage.”
Mr Wallace rejected the characterisation of himself and the ACL as heartless.
“This is a blow to free speech of which there will be even greater pressure if the definition of marriage is changed,” Mr Wallace said.
“It is disappointing that the Prime Minister has acted so hastily on the basis of misreporting and false information from gay activists.”
MR: Tas bill not ‘marriage equality’, it is cruel politics creating ‘marriage apartheid’
MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday, 29 August, 2012
The Green-Labor same-sex marriage bill tabled in the Tasmanian Parliament yesterday does not provide so called ‘marriage equality’, it creates an entirely different legal arrangement called ‘same-sex marriage’.
The Australian Christian Lobby said the Greens, Labor and Tasmanian gay activists were playing cruel politics with the hopes of the very small number of same-sex attracted Australians who might want to get ‘married’.
“What was tabled yesterday is not marriage, it is an entirely different legal concoction,” ACL’s Tasmanian Director Mark Brown said.
“The four bills in the Federal Parliament sought to change the definition of marriage but the Tasmanian bill creates a type of marriage apartheid with its own same-sex marriage celebrants who are different to real marriage celebrants.
“This is most likely because there are obvious constitutional issues with a State trying to legislate in an area of Commonwealth responsibility.”
Mr Brown said the tabling of this bill showed that the agenda of the Green-Labor Government and Tasmanian gay activists was not ‘marriage equality’ in Tasmania, it was about keeping alive the same-sex marriage campaign in order to put pressure on the Federal Parliament.
“This bill has been rushed seemingly to coincide with the four marriage bills being debated in the Federal Parliament, which have already made a farce of it and are most likely heading for defeat.
“It is a shame that the Parliament of Tasmania is being cynically manipulated in this way,” Mr Brown said.
Wednesday, 29 August, 2012
The Green-Labor same-sex marriage bill tabled in the Tasmanian Parliament yesterday does not provide so called ‘marriage equality’, it creates an entirely different legal arrangement called ‘same-sex marriage’.
The Australian Christian Lobby said the Greens, Labor and Tasmanian gay activists were playing cruel politics with the hopes of the very small number of same-sex attracted Australians who might want to get ‘married’.
“What was tabled yesterday is not marriage, it is an entirely different legal concoction,” ACL’s Tasmanian Director Mark Brown said.
“The four bills in the Federal Parliament sought to change the definition of marriage but the Tasmanian bill creates a type of marriage apartheid with its own same-sex marriage celebrants who are different to real marriage celebrants.
“This is most likely because there are obvious constitutional issues with a State trying to legislate in an area of Commonwealth responsibility.”
Mr Brown said the tabling of this bill showed that the agenda of the Green-Labor Government and Tasmanian gay activists was not ‘marriage equality’ in Tasmania, it was about keeping alive the same-sex marriage campaign in order to put pressure on the Federal Parliament.
“This bill has been rushed seemingly to coincide with the four marriage bills being debated in the Federal Parliament, which have already made a farce of it and are most likely heading for defeat.
“It is a shame that the Parliament of Tasmania is being cynically manipulated in this way,” Mr Brown said.
MR: Tas Parliament being used as a tool by Green and activists
MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, 28 August, 2012
The same-sex marriage legislation being tabled today in Tasmania, as well as surrogacy laws due to be debated this week, are both radical pieces of social legislation that should be rejected by the Tasmanian Parliament.
According to the Australian Christian Lobby’s Tasmanian Director Mark Brown, it is absurd for Tasmania to be going alone on the issue of same-sex marriage when it is clearly a federal issue.
“The last thing Australia needs is conflicting marriage laws throughout the nation,” Mr Brown said.
“Clearly, the Tasmanian Labor party is not in control of the Parliament if it is allowing the Greens and their loyal activists to control its agenda as part of a wider campaign to pressure on the Federal Government to redefine marriage.
“These are not issues to be taken lightly; it is not in the best interest of children to be deliberately severed from their biological parents – something which surrogacy and same-sex marriage paves the way for,” Mr Brown said.
“The Tasmanian parliament has a responsibility to protect the rights of children to their biological mother and father wherever possible rather than succumb solely to the desires of adults,” Mr Brown said.
Tuesday, 28 August, 2012
The same-sex marriage legislation being tabled today in Tasmania, as well as surrogacy laws due to be debated this week, are both radical pieces of social legislation that should be rejected by the Tasmanian Parliament.
According to the Australian Christian Lobby’s Tasmanian Director Mark Brown, it is absurd for Tasmania to be going alone on the issue of same-sex marriage when it is clearly a federal issue.
“The last thing Australia needs is conflicting marriage laws throughout the nation,” Mr Brown said.
“Clearly, the Tasmanian Labor party is not in control of the Parliament if it is allowing the Greens and their loyal activists to control its agenda as part of a wider campaign to pressure on the Federal Government to redefine marriage.
“These are not issues to be taken lightly; it is not in the best interest of children to be deliberately severed from their biological parents – something which surrogacy and same-sex marriage paves the way for,” Mr Brown said.
“The Tasmanian parliament has a responsibility to protect the rights of children to their biological mother and father wherever possible rather than succumb solely to the desires of adults,” Mr Brown said.
MR: Time to resolve gay marriage and move on
MEDIA RELEASE
For Release: Sunday August 19, 2012
The Australian Christian Lobby has renewed its call for a vote in the Federal Parliament to resolve the long-running same-sex marriage debate.
ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said the debate had dragged on for years through three Parliamentary inquiries and there were now three bills before the Parliament.
“I think everyone is tired of this debate. MPs know it doesn’t rate in their electorates.
“Last week Labor stared down the Greens on border protection. This week the Parliament should stare them down on protecting the Marriage Act, as both Labor and Coalition promised to do before the 2010 election.
“It is clear that the Greens and gay activists do not want to accept the likely outcome of the democratic process and are continuing to stall for time.”
With a relatively light legislative program, this week would be ideal to resolve this issue and move on, Mr Wallace said.
For Release: Sunday August 19, 2012
The Australian Christian Lobby has renewed its call for a vote in the Federal Parliament to resolve the long-running same-sex marriage debate.
ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said the debate had dragged on for years through three Parliamentary inquiries and there were now three bills before the Parliament.
“I think everyone is tired of this debate. MPs know it doesn’t rate in their electorates.
“Last week Labor stared down the Greens on border protection. This week the Parliament should stare them down on protecting the Marriage Act, as both Labor and Coalition promised to do before the 2010 election.
“It is clear that the Greens and gay activists do not want to accept the likely outcome of the democratic process and are continuing to stall for time.”
With a relatively light legislative program, this week would be ideal to resolve this issue and move on, Mr Wallace said.