News

Published: 13 July 2021

Ash Barty’s Wimbledon win on Saturday – the first by an Australian woman at Wimbledon since Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s victory in 1980 – is a huge achievement.

It was also the 50th anniversary of Goolagong Cawley’s first win at Wimbledon in 1971.

But while there has been much media focus on Goolagong Cawley in the media – and rightly so – there has been a deafening silence around Margaret Court – a three-time Wimbledon singles champ.

In fact, one of the rare mentions Court has had in the media has been about her trending on Twitter.

Sky News host Rita Panahi reported that Margaret Court was trending on the social media platform “based on the absolute hate and hysteria of the left” amid Ash Barty's Wimbledon victory.

“Even in this wonderful moment where they should be celebrating Ash Barty they could not let go of the hate,” Panahi said.

“There seemed to be more tweets about Margaret Court and how dare she be there ... and what right has she got to be there.

“Even in this jubilant moment, the hate is what just dominates their thinking.”

It really is appalling the treatment that 24-time singles Grand Slam winner Margaret Court has been subjected to over a long period of time because of her Christian beliefs.

There have been ongoing calls for the arena named in her honour at Melbourne Park to be removed.

Last year, British tennis player Andy Murray said: “When you get to the Australian Open you want to concentrate on the tennis. Court’s views detract from that,” Murray said.

“As far as renaming the venue ... yes, it’s something the sport should consider. I don’t know who makes the final decision on that but I don’t think her values are what tennis stands for.”

Also last year, Margaret Court’s charity had a grant application rejected because she holds faith-based views on marriage and gender.

Margaret Court’s charity had invited Lotterywest to donate funding for a freezer truck that will assist the delivery of food to the needy. Lotterywest denied the grant, informing Margaret’s husband the charity would not receive any funding. According to reports, Lotterywest said they would never give Margaret Court funding, as Lotterywest is the principal sponsor of WA's Pride Festival.

“As you know there's been a bit of publicity out there and just something I'd like to put straight,” Court said at her church service at the time.

“I know when you're going through persecution, and Barry and Brian went into lottery's commission, and you know there was discrimination that came through all that.”

Margaret went on to say that: “I'll always stand for marriage and that's my beliefs and I shouldn't be discriminated because of my beliefs.  And I will always stand with the word of God and it's been brought up in me since I was little so I'm not going to change for anybody.”

No one should be persecuted because of their Christian beliefs.  Sadly, there is a concerted effort to marginalise people with Christian views. That’s why it is so important that the Prime Minister deliver protections for religious freedom.  Please send a quick message to the PM now!

For family, faith and freedom,

Peter Downie

National Director - FamilyVoice Australia

Published: 09 July 2021

The announcement today by NSW MP Alex Greenwich declaring that he will introduce a euthanasia and assisted suicide bill into NSW parliament is another step toward making NSW a ‘killing state’.

Euthanasia is not a solution. Euthanasia is not healthcare. Euthanasia is not palliative care. The term Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a misnomer and sends the wrong message to everyone. Pro-euthanasia organisations are feeding misinformation to our MPs.

“The concession by Sydney MP Alex Greenwich’s voluntary assisted dying bill to permit religious-run hospitals and aged care homes to refuse to offer it on their premises in a bid to soften the Catholic Church’s staunch opposition to the laws is a fake olive branch,” said Greg Bondar, media spokesman for FamilyVoice Australia.

FamilyVoice is encouraging all NSW mothers, fathers, parents, and children of grandparents to send a quick message our MPs in both houses of the NSW parliament urging them to reject any proposals to implement euthanasia.

As Australians we are committed to preventing suicide but promote euthanasia which is just ‘legalised’ killing.

If you live in NSW, please send a quick message to your MPs.

Published: 08 July 2021

Click here to listen to the interview.

Click here to send a quick message to the Prime Minister & Education Minister calling on them to fix the flawed draft national curriculum.

Published: 08 July 2021

You may have heard that quite a few people are unhappy about the revised national curriculum, planned to replace the current one now operating in schools across Australia. 

Teachers complained that the original curriculum, introduced by the Gillard government some ten years ago, was “too crowded”.

Indeed it was. So what parts do you think Australian education “experts” are proposing to cut out?

There are no prizes for guessing that the deleted/grossly inadequate bits include our Christian heritage and the history of Western civilisation.

The current curriculum is not OK. But the revised version is far worse.

Take for example the new draft version for “Humanities and Social Sciences” (HASS), which includes history, geography and civics education. 

If you search for words or phrases in the document, you will find that the words “Christ, Christian, Christianity” appear a total of 16 times, sometimes in a very minor context. “Islam, Islamic, Muslim” appear 12 times. “Britain, Europe” appear 74 times.

But “First Nations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Indigenous”? These terms appear a total of 329 times! 

The curriculum uses the term “invasion” seven times and “genocide” twice, to describe British settlement in 1788. 

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is among several Aboriginal critics of the proposed new curriculum. She says it is “dangerous” and leaves Aboriginal history “open to complete misinterpretation and manipulation”.

“Education is no longer education, but ongoing indoctrination,” she said.
 
Warren Mundine, another Aboriginal leader, shares Jacinta’s concerns. He has attacked the revised national curriculum, claiming its authors have sought to create a society where people are divided by the colour of their skin. 

“They’ve gotten the balance all wrong,” he said.
 
Federal education minister Alan Tudge has also been open about his curriculum concerns. Flaws he has mentioned include its failure to require the teaching of reading by systematic phonics from the beginning of schooling, and its lack of evidence-based methods in other areas such as number skills.

“The national curriculum, it goes to the heart of what children are taught. Not just the content but the values which are embedded in it,” Mr Tudge said (in part).
 
“We absolutely have had tough times in the past and students should learn about that. But fundamentally students should come out school with a love of this nation and what we have achieved together. They should understand our deep Indigenous history.

“They should (also) understand our deep British foundations which set the scene for our great democracy, built on Judaeo-Christian values.”

What can we do?

Send a quick message now to the Prime Minister and Education Minister Alan Tudge asking them to require a rewrite of the proposed national curriculum to place a proper emphasis on our Christian heritage and Western civilisation.

Peter Downie

National Director - FamilyVoice Australia