Welcome to the first Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) column for Christian Today Australia! In this month's column we look at some of the issues which have been a source of concern in recent weeks, as well as what can be done to address those concerns. The plight of children - including the unborn, those put up for adoption, and teenagers – is a feature of the column this month. It highlights the importance of putting pressure on both State and Federal Governments to protect those who are often the most vulnerable in the community, namely our children.
Concerns Over Lack of Controls and Offensive Behaviour
ACL continues to have strong concerns over the easy availability in the community of material which encourages offensive and even criminal behaviour.
As technology progresses there are increasing instances of a lack of proper controls leading to problem behaviour. For example, just recently there has been the instance of teenagers from exclusive Melbourne schools organising 'fight clubs', with the violent beatings being filmed and then placed on the Internet.
In the past there have also been disturbing instances of sexual assaults being filmed and also placed on the web, apparently for bragging purposes.
The Federal Government's initiative to provide free Internet filters to families is a welcome one, although it has been beset by delays. Internet filtering of pornography at Internet Service Provider level is still vitally needed. It is currently being trialled in Tasmania but needs to be given a much higher priority.
There also need to be much tougher film and literature classification standards to combat offensive material influencing problem behaviour in the community.
ACL has welcomed recent moves by Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock to act swiftly to address community concerns about the availability of material that advocates terrorism.
We recently made a submission to a discussion paper on the Federal Government's proposed new laws to specifically ban Australian publication of material advocating or commending terrorist acts.
What this highlights, however, is the need for more prescriptive laws to ensure that other detrimental material, such as that involving extreme violence and pornography, is also banned or at the very least given very restricted access.
While some advances are being made, there is still much more to be done if we are to reduce some of the concerning problem behaviour that is becoming characteristic of our community. From this point of view, it is not surprising to see pornography, along with drugs and alcohol acknowledged as the key reasons for the epidemic of child sexual abuse in indigenous families.
Governments must admit that the detrimental effects of pornography, drugs and alcohol and are not restricted by race, and act to restrict their availability to all parts of society.
WA Government Urged to Repeal Same-Sex Adoption Laws
News that a homosexual couple has adopted a child in Western Australia is distressing for a number of reasons, but particularly because it runs against the best interests of the child.
The Australian Christian Lobby has always been strongly opposed to same-sex adoption and over the years we have campaigned heavily on this issue. Now we are calling on the West Australian Government to repeal the 2002 laws which have allowed this adoption to take place.
It is clearly in the best interests of the child to start out in life with both a mother and a father. Children also need stability, and the average length of a homosexual relationship has been shown to be much less than for a heterosexual couple.
Adoption laws should make the child's welfare paramount, and put this above the wishes of same-sex lobbyists, in their relentless campaign to promote their aberrant lifestyle as normal.
News of the West Australian adoption must be heartbreaking for the many heterosexual couples in the State who have been waiting to adopt a child and know they can provide a more complete family environment.
Prior to the last West Australian election in 2005, the West Australian Liberals gave ACL their commitment that they would overturn the same-sex adoption laws if elected. ACL is urging them to maintain this position and to put pressure on the Government to amend the laws in this area.
Victorian Law Reform Commission Report Slammed
The issue of same-sex adoption is also under the spotlight in Victoria, where the Victorian Law Reform Commission recently tabled a report which makes a range of recommendations which ACL believes are not in the best interests of children or society in general.
The Assisted Reproductive Technology Report includes recommendations to allow same-sex couples to adopt children and to make IVF available to single and lesbian women. It also recommends permitting surrogacy arrangements for same-sex couples.
ACL feels that many of the recommendations in the report are an example of 'social engineering gone mad' and treat a child as a commodity.
We are urging the Victorian Government to reject recommendations which put the wishes of same-sex parents and single people above what is best for children.
Maintaining a pro-life overseas aid program
A group of Federal MPs led by WA Liberal Mal Washer, is pushing the Government to overturn a long-standing policy, which prevents Australian aid money being used to fund abortion advice and services overseas.
The ACL believes that the current Australian policy is a sound one, and is very much in keeping with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which provides for the special protection of children both before and after birth. The UN does not recognise abortion as a human right, but instead affirms the rights of children and mothers to special care and assistance
We are opposed to a pro-abortion agenda being foisted onto Australia's aid program.
The existing policy already provides for a number of safe and effective family planning methods.
To change the policy to provide for abortion advice and services would be to go against the rights of children, divert the purpose of important aid resources, and could lead to situations where Australia would become party to abhorrent population control measures which further devalue human life.
Concerns over the mortality rate of women in relation to pregnancy and childbirth in developing countries would be far more effectively addressed through better standards of medical care, as well as better nutrition, sanitation, and adequate clean water.
ACL is a non-denominational, non-party partisan lobby group representing a broad constituency of Christian supporters. ACL's vision is to see Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business, and relate as a community. For more information about ACL or to become a supporter go to www.acl.org.au