You Can Make A Difference

Just some of the issues needing action

February 2007

SA	Equal Opportunity (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill More Prayers Answered

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

8 February 2007 More prayers answered Dear Friends, My husband David and I were in the public gallery of the SA House of Assembly last night for debate on the Equal Opportunity (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill - which could penalise those who make true (but critical) statements about sexuality, marital status, pregnancy choices and many other areas. It would also further restrict the ability of Christian schools to promote a biblical ethos. It would allow the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity to investigate anything with no accountability, even though no one has complained. Mrs Isobel Redmond, the Liberal Party shadow Attorney-General, spoke for two hours - analysing the bill in great detail and pointing out its many flaws. They were words we had been longing to hear. The Liberals had been examining the bill for over three months without giving any indication that they would definitely oppose it. But our prayers were answered last night! Mrs Redmond said she rarely agrees with Festival of Light, but she believes we are right on this issue. The Liberal Party will oppose the whole bill, and vote against it at the second reading stage. The government has the numbers to pass the bill in the House of Assembly. But Mrs Redmond's speech indicates that when the bill reaches the Legislative Council it could be defeated. The eight Liberal MPs in the upper house plus two from Family First will need only one more MP to vote "no" for the bill to fail, 11:10. There are 22 MPs in the upper house, but one of them is the President (Labor's Bob Sneath) who does not normally vote. Now is a strategic time for concerned South Australians to send upper house members a short polite email asking them to vote against the bill - perhaps using the brief arguments in my first paragraph: Hon Ann Bressington ann.bressington@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon John Dawkins john.dawkins@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Andrew Evans andrew.evans@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Bernard Finnigan finnigan@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Gail Gago minister.gago@saugov.sa.gov.au Hon John Gazzola john.gazzola@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Paul Holloway ministerDTED@state.sa.gov.au Hon Dennis Hood dennis.hood@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Ian Hunter ian.hunter@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Sandra Kanck sandra.kanck@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Robert Lawson robert.lawson@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Michelle Lensink michelle.lensink@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Rob Lucas rob.lucas@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Mark Parnell greens@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon David Ridgway david.ridgway@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Caroline Schaefer caroline.schaefer@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Bob Sneath bob.sneath@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Terry Stephens terry.stephens@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Stephen Wade stephen.wade@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Russell Worsley russell.wortley@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Nick Xenophon nx@xen.net.au Hon Carmel Zollo minister.zollo@saugov.sa.gov.au There is great hope. Please keep praying! God bless! ROS Mrs Roslyn Phillips, B Sc Dip Ed Research Officer, Festival of Light Australia 4th Floor, 68 Grenfell Street, Adelaide SA 5000 Phone 1300 365 965 Email rhp@fol.org.au Website www.fol.org.au