From a friend (June 10, 2009):

Charter Rights No Wrongs

:: what’s all the fuss about? | the issues in brief

“I think there is no doubt the bill of rights of any form does transfer some power from politicians to judges”. – Father Frank Brennan, Chair of the National Human Rights Consultation, when interviewed on ABC radio about a bill or charter of rights for Australia.

Australia is one of the freest countries in the world. But freedoms we have taken for granted will be under immediate threat if a national Charter of Rights is introduced.

A Charter of Rights gives tools to those opposed to Christianity to erode our freedoms.

For example, within months of the Victorian Charter of Rights being enacted, an inquiry was set up questioning the freedom of Christian schools and organisations to discriminate in favour of staff who shared their Christian ethos.

Who knows what a Federal Charter will unleash.

In other countries, charters or bills of rights have been used to achieve the aims of fringe groups who have failed to win support for their ideas through the normal democratic process.

A Charter of Rights will effectively transfer responsibility for our values on human rights from elected Parliamentarians to unelected judges. In other countries this has had disastrous consequences.

In Canada Judges

* Ruled that tobacco advertising was a form of free speech * Overturned the restriction on marriage between a man and a woman

In New Zealand judges can ignore the wording in legislation passed by elected politicians and have given themselves the power to grant remedies for breaches to the charter.

In the US where there is a Bill of Rights, judges ruled that laws passed by the Congress to block internet pornography were against free speech.

Christians of all people believe passionately in the protection of human rights. The question is how to achieve this. Surely it is better to have the rules made by politicians who are accountable to the people.

Those promoting a Charter say politicians can’t be trusted to protect the rights of minorities, refugees and terror suspects. But there is no evidence a charter provides greater protection.

The United Kingdom, which has a Charter of Rights, has anti-terror laws far more draconian than Australia and still places children in immigration detention – something Australians settled at the ballot box without a Charter of Rights.

While no system is perfect, our free press, parliamentary democracy, Common Law and independent judiciary have helped ensure Australia’s human rights record is the envy of people all over the world.

Specific legislation debated robustly in the democratic and open forum of parliament is the way to protect human rights, not by allowing judges to determine which rights should be upheld according to their own views.

In recent months, a committee has been consulting Australians about the need for a Charter of Rights. The Christian view has been largely absent as those with a vested interest in a Charter have attended in numbers.

It is vital that we take action now in two quick and easy ways.

1. Click on the link below to send a submission to the Human Rights Consultation Committee telling them why we think there are better ways to protect human rights – it doesn’t have to be long.

Here are some points you might like to make in your own words:

* If the Government is of a mind to introduce a Charter, it should first hold a referendum of the Australian people * Elected politicians, not judges need to be in charge of deciding how to protect human rights * If a Government makes a poor human rights decision, it can be changed by the people, but judges are not put in authority by the people * Human rights charters in other countries have led to the will of the people expressed through their politicians being overturned by unelected judges * Australia is already one of the freest countries in the world, a Charter is not going to improve this * A better way to address violations of human rights is through specific and tailored legislation as needed

2. Sign our petition to the Australian Senate urging Parliament not to introduce a Charter of Human Rights.

https://http://www.makeastand.org.au/campaign/index.stw?campaign_id=22& function=petition#petition