Religion & Ethics Australia Daily

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

No. 002, 18-21 October 2004  ² compiled by Rod Benson

News reports

Aboriginal issues

Children as young as five in the Northern Territory are getting high on petrol sniffing. The permanent brain damage that results leaves a $160,000 annual care bill for each disabled sufferer. A combination of “tough love and zero tolerance” is advocated. Aust 18 Oct 04

Abortion

Special Minister of State Eric Abetz has backed an end to Medicare funding for most abortions. Aust 21 Oct 04

Agriculture

Food Standards Australia New Zealand “sat on its hands for more than ten years, ignoring a request by the quarantine service and the organic food industry to codify certification for all product in Australia labelled organic.” SMH 19 Oct 04

Anglican Church

Speaking at the Sydney Synod [on 19 Oct], Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen claimed that Anglicans were “engaged in spiritual warfare in which it was right to call sin, heresy and corruption what it was,” and denied calling Kings College Chapel in Cambridge a “temple to paganism.” Referring to comments he made in England, he said, “I’m truly sorry if I failed you in any way but I was only earnestly doing the shepherd and watchman task to which I believe I have been ordained.” SMH 20 Oct 04

Bullying

The psychological effects of cyber and mobile-phone bullying on school children may be even more severe than face-to-face bullying, says Queensland University of Technology researcher Marilyn Campbell. Aust 19 Oct 04

Capital punishment

The Howard government will attempt to save a 24-year-old Melbourne man from the gallows after a Singapore court yesterday dismissed his final appeal against the death sentence for drug trafficking. The Age 21 Oct 04; SMH 21 Oct 04

Childcare

After years of favouring single-income families, the Howard government has agreed to subsidise child care. Ross Gittins observes that “Howard has just committed us to a new, huge and ever-growing taxpayer subsidy to working mothers’ child-care costs,” and points to the influence of the Family First Party’s policy. SMH 20 Oct 04

Environment

A Japanese whaling fleet operating illegally in Australian waters has allegedly killed over 400 minke whales.

Aust 19 Oct 04

Ethics – business

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will examine the practice of insurance companies and underwriters paying brokers rewards for using their services. Aust 19 Oct 04

National Australia Bank provided enforceable undertakings to ASIC yesterday designed to ensure that systemic problems evident in its $360 million rogue trading loss never recur. Aust 21 Oct 04

NSW Premier Bob Carr has introduced laws abolishing James Hardie’s legal privilege over evidence given to a government inquiry, clearing the way for possible civil claims against the company. AFR 20 Oct 04

Ethics – media

Former Australian Broadcasting Authority chairman David Flint argues that arguments against cross-media ownership “seem utterly ridiculous today.” Aust 21 Oct 04

Foreign affairs

Australia has refused to contribute to a military force to protect UN officials in Iraq. Aust 18 Oct 04

Australia must do much more to help in Iraq, says The Australian. “If the Government cannot, or will not, deploy a battalion to Iraq, at the very least we should contribute a few hundred soldiers to support the UN.”

Aust 19 Oct 04

Health policy

The Howard government should consider commonwealth control of public hospitals; encourage healthcare self-reliance among the well-off; and end the shortage of doctors and specialists by allowing many medical services to be delivered by ancillary staff including nurses and midwives. Aust 19 Oct 04

Support grows for a major overhaul of the state health systems. Aust 21 Oct 04

Homosexuality and faith

A Lambeth Commission report has called for a moratorium on the ordination of openly gay Anglican bishops and same-sex blessings and an end to interference by one member church in the internal affairs of another. The report also demanded an explanation from the US Episcopal Church about “how a person living in a same-gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ.” Aust 19 Oct 04; SMH 19 Oct 04

Judiciary

A District Court trial was aborted after jurors ignored a judge’s warning not to surf the internet. SMH 21 Oct 04

Politics – Australia

South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said he was unaware of a secret slush fund used by senior public servants. Aust 21 Oct 04

Politics & faith – Australia

Gerard Henderson argues that religion has a legitimate role in secular politics, whatever media pundits say. Jim Wallace, executive chairman of Australian Christian Lobby, claimed that “Christians have had a significant impact on the [federal election] result.” SMH 19 Oct 04

Failed Christian Democratic Party Senate candidate Rev Fred Nile will return to the NSW Upper House next week after allegedly “elbowing aside” his party’s appointee for the position, Rev Dr Ross Clifford, Principal of Morling College. SMH 19 Oct 04

Politics & faith – general

The emergence of conservative Christian political power in Australia may be part of a much bigger global phenomenon. AFR 21 Oct 04

Pornography

The NSW state government has been forced to amend child pornography laws to remove the possibility that charges laid against 30 people in NSW under Operation Auxin could be declared illegal. SMH 20 Oct 04

Poverty

The income of Australia’s poorest families is growing faster than that of middle-income families, a report from the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling claims. “Reducing joblessness among families is a big social policy challenge for Australia,” the report said. The increase was mainly due to a rise in family benefit payments. Aust 19 Oct 04; SMH 19 Oct 04

Racism

As a French school expelled two girls for wearing Muslim headscarves on Tuesday, a French government report said mounting racism and anti-Semitism represented “a radical threat to the survival of our democratic system.”

SMH 21 Oct 04

Smoking

Queensland smokers, who already face a total ban on smoking inside licensed venues, will be able to light up and drink in part of an outdoor area, following intense lobbying from the hotel industry. AFR 19 Oct 04

Trade

Independent cost-benefit analysis of trade policy, including anti-dumping, is good economic management, says Andrew Stoeckel. “Anti-dumping duties raise the cost of imports, hurt exporters, harm consumers and are against the national interest . We should root out this last refuge of protectionism.” AFR 19 Oct 04

The Howard government faces intense pressure over its US free trade agreement, with some of Australia’s strongest supporters in Congress telling the US President to ensure that Australia is in full compliance before implementing the deal. Aust 20 Oct 04

Water

Desalination is back on the Carr government’s agenda as an alternative water supply for Sydney. Aust 18 Oct 04

The private sector will be asked to invest $560 million in water recycling systems in new Sydney suburbs as part of a plan to solve the city’s water crisis. AFR 19 Oct 04

Anne Davies claims that Sydney Water has an inherent conflict of interest as a business selling water, which makes it incapable of promoting measures such as recycling, stormwater harvesting and demand management. SMH 19 Oct 04

Sydney’s dams will be regularly topped up from the Shoalhaven River (south of Wollongong) via a new $250 million pipeline. SMH 19 Oct 04

Sydney manufacturers will have to introduce water conservation schemes that will be partly subsidised by the state government as part of a plan to solve the city’s water crisis. AFR 20 Oct 04

The NSW government’s Metropolitan Water Plan is insufficient to address the city’s water crisis, and the government “can’t afford to ignore any [water supply] option, though desalination must be the most expensive and the least environmentally attractive.” SMH 20 Oct 04

Work

The traditional linear career path is over as an increasingly demanding workforce creates new patterns of employment. AFR 19 Oct 04

Workplace relations

The Institute of Public Affairs urges the Howard government to build upon the reforms blocked in the Senate, with industrial relations as the priority. “The productivity bonus from IR reform will assist us to cope with the effects of the ageing population. AFR 19 Oct 04

Peter Hendy argues more workplace reforms mean more jobs and higher living standards. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s reform agenda, “Modern Workplace: Modern Future 2002-10 Blueprint,” sets out the key elements he believes the Howard government needs to adopt. Aust 19 Oct 04; also SMH 20 Oct 04

The ACTU has asked John Howard not to implement a full-blown reform agenda on industrial relations, fearing that it will put unions out of business and restrict workers’ rights. Aust 19 Oct 04

John Howard has vowed to push through the Senate all of the Coalition’s workplace reforms blocked since it took office, signalling the biggest crackdown on union power in the nation’s history. Aust 21 Oct 04

Whistleblowers

Australian Protective Service whistleblower Gary Lee-Rogers died mysteriously before the federal Attorney-General responded to his allegations of compromised security at Sydney Airport. SMH 19 Oct 04

Other items of interest

Glen Harold Stassen, “Pro-life? Look at the fruits.” The co-author of Kingdom Ethics (IVP, 2003) and Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Seminary argues that US economic policy during George W. Bush’s presidency has contributed to a rise in the number of abortions – http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=4832

Ron Sisk, “Associate ethics for a senior pastor” – http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=4871

ABC Radio National’s The Law Report, 19 Oct 04: Gerald Tooth, “Reporting child sex crimes” – http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/lawrpt/stories/s1222920.htm

Clive Hamilton, “Self-absorption wins the day: our private greed drives out the social good” – http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2654

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.