Religion & Ethics Australia Daily

A twice-weekly public affairs review from the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College

No. 003, 22-25 October 2004  ² compiled by Rod Benson

News reports

Advertising

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has won a case against failed property spruiker Henry Kaye in the Federal Court over his “millionaire challenge,” in which he promised to make millionaires of ordinary Australians. Kaye had allegedly made false and misleading representations in advertisements.

Weekend AFR, 23-24 Oct 04

Bioethics – stem cells

Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve (aka Superman), joined US presidential candidate Senator John Kerry in advocating federal funding for embryonic stem cell research in the hope of reversing spinal cord injuries. Weekend Aust 23-24 Oct 04

A research team at Sydney’s Garvan Institute will grow adult stem cells to generate new hair cells in a program that has the potential to restore hearing to the three million Australians suffering hearing loss. Sun-Herald 24 Oct 04

Capital punishment

The SMH opposes the reintroduction of the death penalty in Australia. “Capital punishment is a victory of pessimism over optimism where the most dogmatic form of retribution sweeps away all consideration for reformation . No society grows from its inhumanity; it just diminished.” SMH 25 Oct 04

Censorship

Viewers’ groups and MPs in Britain have called on the government to prevent the film Nine Songs, which depicts real sex, from being screened in cinemas. SMH 25 Oct 04

Contraception

The Pill does not increase the risk of breast cancer, and can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and heart disease, according to the US government-funded Women’s Health Initiative, the largest study ever conducted into the oral contraceptive. Aust 22 Oct 04

Domestic violence

An Access Economics report has found that 408,100 Australians are victims of domestic violence (and 87 per cent of sufferers are women), that 263,000 Australian children live in homes afflicted with domestic violence, and that the “epidemic” costs $8.1 billion each year. Weekend Aust 23-24 Oct 04

Education policy

Public schools should put religion back on the curriculum as part of a “values education” push to enhance student wellbeing and prevent the slide into substance addiction and suicide. Aust 25 Oct 04

Energy

A report by international conservation group WWF has found that Australia is among the top four most resource hungry countries, outranked only by the United Arab Emirates, the US and Kuwait. SMH 22 Oct 04

Environment

Australian energy producer Origin has joined conservation group WWF Australia to educate the public about the endangered rock wallaby, as Australian companies push environmental responsibility. Aust 22 Oct 04

Greenpeace has labelled Prime Minister John Howard’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol as embarrassing following the Russian government’s move to join the global climate protection agreement. Australia and the US are the only developed Western nations that have not ratified Kyoto, which requires industrialised countries to cut or stabilise greenhouse gas emissions by a timetable of 2008-2012 when compared to their 1990 levels.

Sun-Herald 24 Oct 04

Ethics – business

A major study commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage has found that only 23 per cent of Australian companies report on sustainability issues (such as environmental, social and ethical issues). There are no legislative requirements on companies to produce reports on environmental issues, although the Corporations Act requires companies to include details of any breaches of environmental laws and licences in their annual reports. Aust 22 Oct 04

James Hardie chief executive Peter Macdonald will collect $8.8 million after quitting on Friday, and finance chief Peter Shafron also resigned and was paid $US865,000, despite a government inquiry finding that the executives might have misled the public and breached the law in underfunding an asbestos trust by at least $1.5 billion. Weekend AFR 23-24 Oct 04

Ethics – government

How Ethical is Australia, a new book by Peter Singer and Tom Gregg, observes that the Howard government’s foreign policy, its attitude toward international aid, its trade policy and its global economic policy are all underpinned by the philosophy that they “must serve our national interests.” The authors ask what is meant by national interests, and whether these can be defined in ethical terms. SMH 23-24 Oct 04

Ethics – medical

Millions of Australian children were given a polio vaccine infected with a cancer-linked monkey virus. Scientists knew the dangers but released the vaccine anyway.

SMH 23-24 Oct 04

The Commonwealth Serum Laboratory used babies in orphanages and children’s homes to test a new quadruple antigen vaccination. SMH 25 Oct 04

Gambling

The Uniting Church and Inter-church Gambling Task Force has called on the federal government to use its banking powers to get rid of automatic teller machines in gambling venues. SMH 24 Oct 04

Judiciary

A Judicial Commission report has found that most child sexual assault convictions are overturned on appeal and cases are taking more than ten years to reach court.

SMH 23-24 Oct 04

Justice

A special investigations unit is to be established at the Coroner’s Court to examine all work-related deaths in Victoria. Age 25 Oct 04

Aboriginal Liaison Officer Phillip Sullivan has won the Aboriginal Justice Award. Sullivan favours “circle sentencing,” where local magistrates and Aboriginal communities decide how to punish those charged with minor crimes. SMH 25 Oct 04

Law reform

The Law Council of Australia and the NSW Bar Association have attacked as draconian the NSW government’s new laws that squash the common law rights of James Hardie Industries officers. The legislation could undermine the fundamental principle of privacy relating to advice lawyers provide to their clients, deny natural justice to a particular group of individuals, and jeopardise future special commissions of inquiry. Aust 22 Oct 04

Masculinity

Men face an identity crisis with many conflicting role models to choose theatre I’m God,” one of Australia’s top surgeons said. “Then I arrive home and the kids won’t even say hello, my wife says she’s already eaten, and the tap’s leaking. I can’t change gears that fast.” Weekend AFR 23-24 Oct 04

Politics & faith – Australia

Greg Sheridan argues that Prime Minister John Howard has presided over, though not caused, “a tremendous Americanisation of our political culture.” The recent election demonstrates this in the emergence of a Christian Right, the Americanisation of the middle class, the acceptance of ethnic diversity, and our unique security dynamics. “There is nothing even remotely threatening to the traditional Australian way about a political movement [i.e. Family First Party] that takes its inspiration from Christian values. Indeed we are only two generations away from a time when all mainstream political movements did.” Weekend Aust 23-24 Oct 04

Pornography

Five West Australian men have pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing, copying and selling illicit images of children. Aust 22 Oct 04

Several mainstream video game publishers are releasing games containing nudity and explicit sexual content, “their graphic graphics setting a precedent for a whole new sexual dimension.” SMH 23-24 Oct 04

Privacy

NSW police will be given unprecedented “sneak and peek” powers to combat terrorism, including warrants to search properties without telling the occupants they have done so, and the power to bug terrorist suspects continuously for up to three months. SMH 22 Oct 04

Occult

A British Navy non-commissioned officer has become the first registered Satanist in the British Armed Forces.

Aust 25 Oct 04

Racism

The SMH declares that the French government’s ban on the wearing of Muslim headscarfs by girls attending state schools is strange, counterproductive, reinforces resentments, and is discriminatory. SMH 25 Oct 04

Sex

Jacquelynne Willcox discusses the adulterous lives of Australian politicians and other public figures, and their urge to reveal all to the media. Aust 22 Oct 04

A small but growing group of people, ‘asexuals,’ who do not experience sexual attraction has a new website – http://www.asexuality.org. SMH 25 Oct 04

Smoking

A landmark WorkCover ruling relating to Moama Bowling Club on the NSW-Victoria border could have led to the banning of smoking in all NSW pubs and clubs, but it was mysteriously rescinded earlier this year. The Bowling Club became a focus for the smoking debate in April 2003 when bar worker Steven Kane was sacked for wearing a respirator mask to work. Aust 22 Oct 04

Violence

A survey of 1800 people by AAMI Insurance has found that 73 per cent of Sydney drivers believed that anti-social behaviour had increased this year, and 18 per cent admitted to having been forced off the road.

Weekend AFR 23-24 Oct 04

Workplace relations

The AFR claims that the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, which turned 100 today, needs a new role and structure. AFR 22 Oct 04

In the wake of the landmark High Court decision in the Electrolux case, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission has found that unions’ right to strike has not been affected but has confirmed fears that thousands of enterprise agreements could be invalid.

Weekend AFR 23-24 Oct 04; Weekend Aust 23-24 Oct 04

Other items of interest

US Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, interviewed on CNN, said he warned George W. Bush about casualties before going to war with Iraq, but the president dismissed him by saying “We’re not going to have any casualties” – http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/19/pzn.01.html

White Ribbon Day – 25 November (United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) – wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge to not commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women and children.

http://www.unifem.org.au/IDEVAW_2004_Home.html

J. Budziszewski, “Capital punishment: the case for justice” http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0408/articles/budziszewski.htm

READ is published by the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College, 120 Herring Rd, Eastwood NSW 2122 AUSTRALIA. Telephone (02) 9878 0201. The content of READ and the views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College or the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT. Subscription is free. To subscribe, email with the words “subscribe to READ” in the subject line. Use the same email address to request more information. Copies of original articles are available on request. Abbreviations: AFR=The Australian Financial Review; Aust=The Australian; SMH=The Sydney Morning Herald.