News

Published: 15 October 2020

Thousands of WA women will no longer be alerted to alternatives to abortion as new legislation seeks to outlaw peaceful vigils within 150 metres of abortion facilities.

The Public Health Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2020 is unnecessary, perpetuates violence and is a foolish attack on freedom of speech, according to FamilyVoice WA Director Darryl Budge.

“This proposal to ban speech opposing domestic violence against the unborn is unnecessary, as police already have the power to regulate public gatherings and they can intervene if unlawful harassment occurs,” Mr Budge said.

“Pro-life sidewalk counsellors in WA have never been charged, let alone convicted of ‘nuisance’ or ‘obstruction’ as set out by the existing Public Order in Streets Act (1984).

“This bill seeks to ban harassment, intimidation and threatening behaviour, but the government has not provided a single example of this occurring in WA. 

“It proposes an extraordinary $12,000 fine and 12 months jail penalty if one breaches an Orwellian subjective ban on communication outside an abortion clinic that is ‘reasonably likely to cause distress or anxiety’.

“If the test for the validity of censorship is to stop any person feeling anxious, then the WA government should admit it discriminates against people who seek life for the unborn, while allowing speech and intimidation by animal and forest activists that distresses farmers and forest workers.

“The unborn must be protected from this unjustified attack against their right to life, and for their mother to be supported and encouraged to choose life.”

Health Minister Roger Cook admitted that choosing to kill a child’s life is “emotionally challenging”, and WA Liberal Party leader Liza Harvey said in 2019 that abortion is “traumatic” and alleged, without evidence, that women might have been “spat on or… coerced” by sidewalk counsellors.

FURTHER DETAIL

Forty Days for Life vigil attendee Steve Klomp says that since the pro-life vigil came to WA fifteen years ago there have been no arrests, let alone convictions of wrong-doing, of any attendee.

“Vigil attendees are actually loving, non-judgemental, Christian people who pray on public land,” Steve explains.  “They never approach any clinic attendees, nor do they call out anything. The only contact they have with people attending the clinics, save perhaps for an occasional wave, is when they are approached first.”

At times a passer-by will verbally abuse vigil attendees.  “Their abuse is met with a smile and a blessing,” Steve says.

“Vigil attendees do not block driveways, they do not enter the clinic or its parking area and they do not occupy the footpath. The vigil is subject to a police permit and all attendees adhere strictly to the conditions laid out in that permit.”

In recent times these vigils have saved the life of an average of five children each year, according to Steve.  

Vigils are held from 7AM to 5PM each day of Lent, except Sundays. They are held at other times of the year as well, but the largest vigils occur in the lead up to Easter.  

“Every year there are five more children happily enjoying their childhood, with mums who are forever grateful they didn’t make the dreadful mistake of opting for an abortion,” he said.

Steve says that clinic staff will sometimes walk attendees from their cars into the clinic. “I wonder if they recognise the customers who are wavering and go and get them to ensure the sale.”

Although the clinics ring police often, “to set up a history of complaints,” according to Steve, vigil attendees have only been asked to leave once due to the technical issue of possessing the police permit electronically, but not on paper.

The last 40 Day for Life vigil at the Midland clinic was only permitted to stand beyond a four metre exclusion zone on one side of the driveway.  No vigil attendees are permitted on the other side.   

“WA Parliamentarians have often stated their goal is to reduce the number of abortions occurring in Western Australia, but the proposed legislation prevents us from saving lives.”

“No other expression of protest or vigil is so specifically over-regulated,” according to Mr Budge.  “You are free of such legislation if you pray to end farming or if you want to protect trees or puppies, sharks or chickens, but not if you want to defend a child.”

Published: 15 October 2020

In January this year, Aussie tennis legend Margaret Court was persecuted for her view that marriage is between a man and a woman. On the 50^th anniversary of her world record 24 tennis Grand Slams, she was presented with a trophy in Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena, but not allowed to speak.

At the same time, lesser champions John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova ranted against her in a different part of the venue.

Now Margaret Court is being penalised again. But this time, the poor and needy in the community are being made to suffer as well.

Margaret now pastors the Victory Life Centre church in Perth. Among other things, her church provides free food, clothing and shelter for the growing number of people who need it.

The Margaret Court Community Outreach used to distribute 30 tonnes of food each week. But since the COVID pandemic hit and many people lost their jobs, they’ve been handing out 70 tonnes – more than double. As Andrew Bolt said on his Sky News program on 8 October, “Something had to give!”

So Victory Life approached LotteryWest. This body runs WA lotteries and is required to donate to charitable causes. Victory Life applied for a grant to buy a freezer van to help support desperate WA families.

But LotteryWest said no.

It told staff from the Victory Life Community Services Inc that they needn’t apply in the future either. It said LotteryWest is a major sponsor of the Gay Lesbian Mardi Gras. Any Victory Life request would not be successful because of Pastor Margaret Court’s views on marriage and gender issues.

“We do not discriminate,” LotteryWest told the staff. “We sponsor the LGBT parade, but not this church charity outlet.”

LotteryWest does not appear to know what “discriminate” means!  

It is yet another case of people suffering discrimination for stating a view shared by many other Australians. Free speech is under attack in this country as never before.

Curiously, section 62 of the WA Equal Opportunity Act says it is an offence to discriminate against another person in the provision of grants on the grounds of a person’s religious convictions.

I have written to the WA Equal Opportunity Commission. I have asked them require LotteryWest – a WA government agency – to obey section 62 of the Equal Opportunity Act, and stop discriminating against Victory Life Community Services, whose help for the needy is vital during the COVID pandemic.

Margaret Court is planning to lodge a complaint against Lotterywest with WA's Equal Opportunity Commission.

But in the meantime, we need to send a strong statement to Lotterywest that religious discrimination is not okay and that the decision should be reversed immediately.

You can sign the open letter to Lotterywest at the following link:

https://familyvoice.org.au/campaigns/tell-lotterywest-don-t-discriminate-against-margaret-court

Peter Downie - National Director

FamilyVoice

Published: 13 October 2020

Tennis champion Margaret Court has criticised the West Australian Lotterywest charity that rejected her grant application last week, 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 on Sunday.

“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.

“But some of the things that the press is saying from many years ago – that I said transgender, lesbians, that their children are the devil - I never said that”.

She said the Margaret Court Community Outreach is committed to helping all people -  “whether you're a lesbian, whether you're transgender … we love all people and down in our MCCO all people are accepted in there.”

“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,” she explained.

Sign our petition calling on Lotterywest to reverse its discriminatory decision

Published: 08 October 2020

Our October OnPoint magazine features the extraordinary story of Tasmanian Liberal Senator Claire Chandler, so I thought I should update you on the latest news.

Last month, Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt ordered the senator to attend a “conciliation conference” with a person who claimed to be offended and insulted by a newspaper column she wrote in July.

The senator had pointed out the significant danger to women in contact sports from transgender women who, being born male, were significantly bigger and stronger. She also said: “Women’s sport, women’s toilets and women’s changing rooms are designed for the female sex and should remain that way.”

I believe most Australians would agree. But Sarah Bolt told Senator Chandler that these reasonable words were potentially “prohibited conduct” under Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act.

Section 17 of this law says a “person must not engage in any conduct which offends, humiliates, intimidates, insults or ridicules another person on the basis of an attribute…” (including race, age, sexual orientation, religious or political belief and gender identity).

I’ve lost count of the newspaper columns that offended and insulted my political or religious beliefs! But I didn’t call the thought police.

Last week I wrote about Bernard Gaynor being hauled before the NSW Anti-Discrimination Tribunal.  Archbishop Porteous had the same experience when he was hauled before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner in 2015, merely for distributing a booklet about his church’s teaching on marriage.

Bravo Senator Chandler for standing firm!

On 30 September she said: “I have written to Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to reiterate that I will not be withdrawing, retracting, modifying or apologising for my comments on women’s sport and women’s facilities…

“All Australians should be free to discuss public policy issues and to acknowledge the realities of biological sex without being silenced by anti-discrimination tribunals and unelected bureaucrats…

“The appropriate course of action for the Commissioner to now take is to dismiss this complaint as vexatious, trivial and without substance…”

The Commissioner didn’t do that. Instead she required Senator Chandler to sign a confidentiality agreement that would have prevented her speaking about the complaint process. Senator Chandler refused to sign.

The complainant backed down. He withdrew his complaint. Victory!

On 1 October Senator Chandler wrote: “I have learnt this afternoon via the media that the anti-discrimination complaint against me has been dropped by the complainant. I am both relieved at this outcome and furious at the abuse of process which has occurred.

“If I had not refused to sign a confidentiality agreement, I would be currently sitting in a conciliation conference on the basis of a spurious complaint which the Commissioner had no legal authority to accept…

“It’s clear that the Anti-Discrimination Act needs to be substantially amended to prevent these tactics being used in the case of frivolous complaints…”

This is a victory for free speech, and I salute Senator Chandler for her courage. But the battle, which FamilyVoice has been waging for two decades, continues.

With your prayers and support, we can keep fighting!

Peter Downie - National Director

FamilyVoice Australia