News

GirlWatchingOnlinePorn 600px

Last week, Brisbane’s Courier Mail published a disturbing article by Melinda Tankard Reist of Collective Shout.

“Barely a day goes by,” she said, “that a parent doesn’t contact me to tell me of the devastation and trauma caused as a result of their child being exposed to porn:

‘My 6-year- old was shown porn by an older boy at school.’

‘My daughter was on a kids’ games site and a porn pop-up appeared.’

‘My child googled an innocent term, and it took him straight to a porn site.’

‘My son was shown porn on the school bus on the way home.’

‘My 7-year-old saw porn at the school camp.’”

My own Downie children were largely home-schooled – protected to some degree from pornography thrust under their nose by other kids.

But these days, internet-connected devices are required for all types of school subjects. Some of the horror stories Melinda mentions can happen to any child or grandchild – yours or mine.

“Some of these children now suffer insomnia, nightmares, anxiety,” Melinda went on. “In the worst cases, they are medicated due to the level of disturbance caused by exposure to violent porn.

“It surprises many parents to learn there is nothing to prevent their child being exposed to porn. No barriers – such as proof-of-age requirements – to stop them entering rape, sadism, torture porn and incest websites. All before their first kiss.

“We have allowed a never-before-seen experiment on the sexual development of our kids,” Melinda says. “And we’re now seeing the results.”

And what are those results?

Melinda relays reports from deeply worried parents and grandparents:

“My 10-year-old granddaughter was approached by a boy while waiting for the school bus and asked, ‘Do you do arse?’

“My 8-year-old found a note in her school bag which read, ‘Ready for sex?”

“An 8-year-old old boy told my 8-year-old girl he wanted to ‘f**k you hard’.”

Melinda points out that no boy is born this way – it is learned behaviour. Pornography has become the world’s biggest department of education. It’s a sex ed handbook that links sex with aggression, and the word “consent” is never mentioned.

It is child abuse on a massive scale.

So what can we do about it?

Peter Stevens, Director of FamilyVoice Victoria, is also our Coordinator for Child Internet Safety.

In 2019 he sent a detailed submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and pornography, urging compulsory age verification for these websites in order to protect children.

The inquiry report, Protecting the Age of Innocence, was released in February 2020. It agreed with Peter Stevens and many others, recommending mandated age verification for pornographic and other harmful websites. This would not be a “silver bullet” – but would be a big step forward.

Now more than a year has gone by. The federal government has not responded.

Peter Stevens has met with an adviser to the federal communications minister Paul Fletcher to ask what is going on.

The adviser assured him that the government’s response is complete, but the Covid pandemic has delayed its tabling in parliament.

That was weeks ago. Still nothing has happened.

That is why I'm asking that you send a quick message to your federal MPs via our website on this issue.  It will only take a few moments.

Peter Downie

National Director

emptyclassroom

The School Strike for Climate protests across the country indicates that education in NSW has been hi-jacked yet again by the left-leaning NSW Department of Education. 

“Why are we not protesting about the quality of education, the disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and children with disabilities including children from single parent households who are at risk of being left behind,” said Greg Bondar Spokesman for FamilyVoice Australia.

Australia has been ranked 39 out of 41 high and middle-income countries in achieving quality education, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

This appalling ranking hides some stark and troubling findings for children’s education in Australia and in particular NSW if we prioritise inconclusive ‘Climate Change’ rhetoric ahead of the educational well-being of our future generations.

Based on the results presented in Report Card 14, UNICEF calls for the Australian Government to take action in five key areas and FamilyVoice highlights that one of the recommendations states to ‘Leave no child behind’ and is a wake-up-call for all educators.

800px Australian Defence Force U.S. Marines strengthen ties during Exercise Koolendong 140822 M PU373 152

Members of the Australian Defence Force being told to use the term ‘partner’ instead of ‘’husband or ‘wife’ and ask colleagues “what is your pronoun” is political correctness gone mad.

The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) launched this week is an insult and divisive for most Australians (in fact 97%) who identify, and rightly so, as husbands (male) and wives (female).

The directive to defence force members that they should wear rainbow colours is like putting a target on your back in times of war.

Let’s acknowledge that 97% of the Australian population is indeed heterosexual (straight) and is the norm. To avoid using language such as ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ insults all families who Dads and Mums and identify as husbands and wives.

“FamilyVoice supports the former soldier Bernard Gaynor who was persecuted by the Defence Force for speaking out against political correctness in the armed services believes the Australian Defence Force does not have its priorities straight,” said Greg Bondar, spokesman for FamilyVoice Australia.

With military conflict worldwide one can only agree with exasperated former military officer Bernard Gaynor who said: “Our generals and military leaders have become an absolute joke.” Let our dedicated do their job without having to focus unnecessary LGBTIQA+ language.

“The choice of ‘pronouns’ do nothing for our military security,” added Greg Bondar.

Let’s promote words like ‘hero’ and ‘loyalty’ rather than spurious pronouns that do nothing for the dignity of the 97% mums and dads who identify as husbands and wives.

Greg Bondar radio promo pic

Click here to listen.

bernardandall800px

Two years ago, in 2019, teacher Rachel Colvin sued the Ballarat Christian College for discrimination because she did not agree with its view that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

Parents send their children to this Bible-based school because they expect Christian schools and their staff to uphold the Christian view of marriage.

But Colvin resigned, because she supported same-sex marriage and wanted to teach her view. She sued the school under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act.

The case was eventually settled in March last year. The school retains its Statement of Faith defining marriage as a union between a man and woman, but had to pay an undisclosed amount to Rachel Colvin and give her a positive employment reference.

The legal battle was stressful. College principal Ken Nuridin said: “Our college provides high-quality Christian education in accordance with our beliefs. The claim has taken an enormous cost in time and resources already – detracting from the ability of a small school like ours to focus on what is important, the education of our students.”

New case

But now there is a new case of religious freedom under attack, this time in a UK Christian school. And the boot is on the other foot.

In June 2018 Trent College in Nottingham invited the leader of LGBT activist group Educate and Celebrate, to conduct staff training. The college – founded to educate children according to “the Protestant and Evangelical principles of the Church of England” – wanted to “embed gender, gender identity and sexual orientation into the fabric of their school” from the earliest preschool years.

During the training session, staff were encouraged to chant “smash heteronormativity!” – that is, to reject any idea that heterosexuality is the norm.

A number of pupils were concerned about the school’s new teaching. They asked the chaplain, Rev Dr Bernard Randall, whether they had to agree with it.

Dr Randall’s job description states he is to be “the particular voice and embodiment of … Christian values which are at the heart of Trent’s ethos”.

So, among other things in his next sermon, he said that “when ideologies compete, we should not descend into abuse, we should respect the beliefs of others, even where we disagree”. He added: “No one should be told they must accept an ideology. Love the person, even where you profoundly dislike the ideas”.

He said same-sex attracted people and those struggling with gender dysphoria should not be discriminated against. They are made in the image of God. But he also said: “You do not have to accept the ideas and ideologies of LGBT activists” where they are in conflict with Christian values.

Would you believe? For this sermon the college board suspended him, referred him to a counter-terrorist organisation as a potential violent extremist, and to the local child protection authority as a danger to children.

I kid you not!

Dr Randall was reinstated after appealing to the school’s governors, but was ultimately made redundant five months ago after his hours were drastically reduced. He has no income to support his family. He is now suing the college for unfair dismissal, supported by Christian Concern UK.

This case is a sad reminder that the religious freedom we once took for granted is now being trampled across the Western world.

Please pray for Dr Randall, that he may receive justice. And for us at FamilyVoice, as we campaign for religious freedom – including the right of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions. We greatly value your ongoing financial support as we work to uphold religious freedom here in Australia.

Peter Downie - National Director

FamilyVoice Australia