Congratulations, Australia

Australia has been very slow to subjugate the rights, interests and welfare of the majority to the wishes of sexual deviants.  Note:  "Deviant" means outside the norm or the average. On some estimations, no more than 2% of the population is homosexual so they deviate very far from normal. "Deviant" and "normal" have become loaded words for some but they basically have statistical meaning

IT’S a colourful map of the globe, daubed with vibrant splashes of pink, green and yellow. But the brightness of colour belies the fact Australia is lagging behind many nations it sees as equals when it comes to key areas of human rights.  The map’s creator has told news.com.au Australia’s lack of action, in one particular area, is a cause for "alarm".

The map is part of a report issued by Geneva-based ILGA, the international lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex association, on global laws covering sexual orientation.

Called State Sponsored Homophobia 2016, the publication coincides with the annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) held on Tuesday.

The report states that 75 countries currently criminalise homosexuality and while this is a marked decrease from the 92 countries a decade ago, 13 nations continue to apply the death penalty to gay men including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, which are shown in red.

Australia is in the upper echelon of nations when it comes to gay rights, with ILGA singling out effective employment protection laws and anti-discrimination legislation covering health and education.

But the report’s author, Aengus Carroll, told news.com.au that Australia was still behind many countries it otherwise regards as peers such as the US, UK and New Zealand.

"In terms of relationships, Australia is not too hot compared to [New Zealand]. Relationship recognition is uneven throughout Australia."

That status is reflected in the lighter colouring of Australia which illustrates that the recognition of same-sex unions is deemed "clearly inferior substitute to marriage" or as Mr Carroll puts its, legislation that is "very weak … that hardly protects". Different coloured dots on Australia represent areas, such as NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania, where civil partnerships are in place.

More than 30 countries now allow same-sex marriages including most of Western Europe, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay and the US, shown in dark green on the map.
The map, published by ILGA, shows countries that have legalised marriage equality in bright green. Those in light green, like Australia, have yet to do so. Countries in pink imprison gay people, those in red have the death penalty for homosexuality.

The map, published by ILGA, shows countries that have legalised marriage equality in bright green. Those in light green, like Australia, have yet to do so. Countries in pink imprison gay people, those in red have the death penalty for homosexuality.Source:Supplied

AUSTRALIAN DECISION LOOMING

Despite opinion polls showing a majority of Australians favour marriage equality, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said a final decision in parliament will be dependent on a plebiscite following a Coalition victory.

Labor has said they will ditch a public poll in favour of a parliamentary vote to be held within 100 days if Shorten gets the keys to the Lodge.

In South Australia and Queensland, the so-called "gay panic" defence continues to remain a viable legal argument in murder cases whereby the accused can have their charge downgraded if they can prove they were provoked into killing someone of the same gender because of a sexual advance.

Comedian Tom Ballard on Tuesday joined forces with a Catholic bishop to call for an end to the legal loophole, reported the Star Observer.

Queensland, uniquely, also continues to have an unequal age of consent for heterosexuals and gay men.

The ILGA also launched the first ever worldwide survey of global attitudes to LGBTI people which found 68 per cent of people globally would be upset if their child came out as gay including 44 per cent of people in Australasia.

SOURCE






Dutton says illiterate and innumerate refugees would take Australian jobs

The Left have feigned great outrage over the comments below but have provided no evidence to refute the claims concerned. What they do instead is point to examples of refugees who have done well.  But nobody has denied that some do well.  It is what MOST do that is of concern.  But looking at only part of the story is characteristic of Leftist argument

MALCOLM Turnbull has echoed Peter Dutton’s comments on "illiterate" refugees this afternoon, as the Immigration Minister’s inflammatory comments put the Liberal Party on the defensive.

Labor has accused the government of Pauline Hanson politics over Mr Dutton’s remarks, which cast refugees as illiterate, long-term welfare recipients, who take jobs from Australians.

In a press conference in Townsville this afternoon, Mr Turnbull said many refugees "have never been employed. Many of them have not had very much education. Many of them are illiterate in their own languages".

He praised his "outstanding Immigration Minister" but appeared to downplay concerns about refugees becoming welfare addicted or taking jobs from locals.

The Prime Minister said it was no criticism to point out many refugees were unskilled and illiterate: "It’s no fault of theirs. That’s why we reach out to help them with compassion."

He said $800 million a year was spent on ensuring refugees received the a settlement services they needed, and were integrated.

He said for Mr Dutton was arguing we had to take "the number of refugees that we can effectively settle".

Speaking earlier today in Cairns, Mr Turnbull pointed to "an enormous amount of money" spent settling refugees and teaching English language skills.

"We invest more on settlement than many other countries so it’s very expensive. We don’t begrudge the money. But it’s important to get it right," Mr Turnbull told reporters.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said the Prime Minister’s comments didn’t go far enough.

"Mr Turnbull, if he has any shred of self respect left on this matter, must immediately condemn Mr Dutton’s comments," Mr Shorten told reporters.

"But of course, I’m sceptical that he will condemn Mr Dutton’s comments because I wonder if Mr Turnbull is actually feeding the lines to Mr Dutton."

He said Mr Dutton’s remarks were "comments Pauline Hanson would have been proud to make". This was a reference to the one-time Liberal candidate, who formed a party based on anti-immigration issues, but who has not won an election in 20 years.

"Mr Turnbull needs to come me out and recognise the damage that Mr Dutton’s remarks are making," Mr Shorten said.

"Mr Dutton didn’t just insult refugees when he made those comments. He insulted millions of migrants who have contributed to a truly great country."

In an attack on Greens policy to take in 50,000 refugees a year, Mr Dutton, during a rambling appearance on Sky News last night said "many" refugees in Australia were unproductive or working too hard, and he also managed to slip in remarks about Green and Labor associations with a controversial trade union.

"Many (refugee) people, they won’t be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English," he said.

"And, this is a difficulty because the Greens are very close to the CFMEU, as obviously the Labor Party is, and their affiliations with the union movement are obviously well known.

"Now, these people would be taking Australian jobs. There’s no question about that."

Mr Turnbull was in Cairns to announce a $24 million shipbuilding project when he was asked about Mr Dutton’s statement.

"We have the most successful multicultural society in the world," he said.

"We have a very generous humanitarian program, which as you know we are increasing over the next few years to 18,000 a year and of course in addition to that we’re taking 12,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict zone.

"Now, the reason we are successful is because we invest an enormous amount of money into the settlement services, to make sure that our refugees who come to Australia get the language instruction, all of the support to enable them to integrate into Australian society and move into employment and take up those opportunities."

Earlier today, Labor’s Chris Bowen demanded Mr Dutton apologise.

"There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in Australia whom have worked hard, who have educated themselves and their children, and they will be shaking their heads at their minister today in disgust, frankly," the shadow Treasurer and former immigration minister said on ABC radio today.

"And frankly, if Peter Dutton owes anybody an apology it’s not the Labor Party it’s them — hundreds of thousands of refugees who have made Australia a better place.

"Minister Dutton should come out to Cabramatta High School and see the children of refugees topping the state in maths. "He should walk around ... the small businesses which have been started by refugees and see the contribution they have made to Australia."

SOURCE






Peta Credlin defends the Coalition’s immigration policy

Peta Credlin defended the Coalition’s immigration policy on Sky News on Tuesday night in a debate with public policy fellow at Melbourne University Nicholas Reece.

The former Liberal Party chief of staff said the plans to increase the uptake of refugees, like the Greens plan announced today, were illogical without the funding and infrastructure to support them.

"Let’s be fair dinkum we are talking about public housing, we are talking about water shortages, we are talking about a range of issues, it’s not a simple hand on heart humanitarian response, it’s got to be hard-headed and it’s got to be paid for."

Mr Reece countered that Australia has had many successful waves of immigration, including after the WWII, where the country accepted hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Holocaust in Europe.

"They’ve built this country into the amazing country that it is. This line that Peta is running that there is certain types of people that shouldn’t be allowed in this country is extremely dangerous and I’d pause you to reflect on what you’re saying," he said.

Ms Credlin was quick to respond: "Do not play that lefty line. Do not play that lefty line. Do not try and say my side of politics somehow is morally corrupt by wanting the intake to be paid for," she said. "You’ve got to pay for it … my side of politics is just as generous as your side of politics.

But the thing is we’re always left with the bill. And you want Australians to come with you on your humanitarian intake. You want Australians to support the level of intake. Because if you don’t, you get a feral outbreak, like [Pauline] Hanson, and you must not have that happen again."

SOURCE






East West Link decision returns to haunt Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews

Appalling waste by a know-all Leftist government

PREMIER Daniel Andrews’s decision to waste $1.1 billion killing off the East West Link has returned to haunt him, with his hand-picked infrastructure advisers listing it as a key project.

In a sensational report to be released Thursday, Infrastructure Victoria lists the East West stages one and two as ­important to "meet Victoria’s infrastructure needs".

Mr Andrews controversially dumped East West, despite contracts having been signed with the previous Napthine government.

Stage one of the $17 billion project would have provided a new tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway to CityLink, with stage two connecting CityLink and the Western Ring Rd.

The new report backing East West will be highly embarrassing for Mr Andrews, who set up Infrastructure Victoria last year to provide independent advice on the state’s building needs.

It will also provide a boost to federal Liberal MPs in the eastern suburbs who are still campaigning for East West Link to be built and will put pressure on Labor leader Bill Shorten, who is fighting to hold on to marginal Labor seats in the outer east, Chisholm and Bruce.

The East West stages are important to "meet Victoria’s infrastructure needs", according to the report.

Mr Andrews said in October he was setting up Infrastructure Victoria to "give us clear, expert advice that is independent of politics and focused on our state’s priorities". The body is due to release its "foundation paper" on Thursday.

A copy was seen by the Herald Sun, and it examines Victoria’s infrastructure needs for the next 30 years. "The purpose of this paper is to put all the options we’ve thought of for meeting Victoria’s infrastructure needs on the table and to invite you to contribute your views and ideas," it states.

Under the headline "new and expanded assets" in one section of the report, it lists: "Eastern Freeway to CityLink connection (EWE) — improve connectivity across the city from east to west linking the Eastern Freeway to CityLink.

"CityLink to Western Ring Road connection (EWW) — Improve connectivity across the city from west to east, linking CityLink with M80."

An international airport in Melbourne’s southeast is suggested in the report.

The 148-page "All Things Considered" report also includes controversial options such as closing small rural schools, building a second Melbourne port, a third international airport in Melbourne’s southeast, expanding the desalination plant at Wonthaggi and using recycled water for human consumption.

But it is the ghost of the East West Link, which will haunt Mr Andrews, who pledged before the 2014 state election to tear up the contract because it "wasn’t worth the paper it was written on".

The report makes no mention of the government’s priority road project, the $5.5 billion Western Distributor, proposed by private toll road operator Transurban, which links the West Gate Freeway to CityLink.

The release of the report will also provide another headache for Mr Shorten. As head of the Australian Workers Union and the member for Maribyrnong, Mr Shorten twice wrote letters backing the East West Link project.  But after Mr Andrews axed it, Mr Shorten said he no longer supported it being built.

Liberal MP for the federal seat of Deakin, Michael Sukkar, said the report showed how flawed the decision was to kill off the East West Link.  "This report confirms Bill Shorten’s absolute lack of judgment when he backed Daniel Andrews’s decision to waste $1.1b of taxpayers’ money cancelling the East West Link," he said.

SOURCE






Vic Uber driver wins legal appeal

An Uber driver has won a landmark appeal that means the ride-sharing service can operate freely in Victoria.

The court case over a $9 Uber fare is expected to cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars after Nathan Brenner won an appeal against a $900 fine and charges that he illegally picked up passengers.

In a decision that had effectively outlawed Uber in Victoria, a magistrate last year found Mr Brenner guilty of two counts of operating a commercial passenger vehicle without a licence, and one of driving a commercial passenger vehicle without driver accreditation.

But Victorian County Court judge Geoffrey Chettle on Wednesday dismissed the charges and ordered the Taxi Services Commission pay the costs of Mr Brenner's appeal, led by prominent QC Neil Clelland.

The barrister represented former prime minister Julia Gillard during the royal commission into trade unions, and 32 Essendon players who appealed a world anti-doping ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

While the appeal costs have not been disclosed, opposition transport spokesman David Hodgett estimates they will be high.

The opposition says the Labor government wasted money fighting Uber instead of regulating the service to provide industry certainty.

"This is not about taxis versus Uber. It's about getting the city on the move again," Mr Hodgett said.

"You need to have a level playing field where both taxis and Uber can co-exist."

Mr Brenner, who used to manage rock groups Men at Work and Split Enz, was fined $900 without conviction in December following a sting operation involving undercover taxi compliance officers.

His appeal heard the $9 fare from that ride couldn't be used as evidence in a criminal prosecution against Mr Brenner.

Mr Clelland argued the "antiquated" definitions in the legislation which apply to commercial passenger vehicles excluded Uber arrangements.

Uber Victoria general manager Matt Denman has called for the state government to now regulate the service.

"The government needs to listen to the hundreds of thousands of Victorians who are choosing ride-sharing every week and introduce sensible, safety-based regulations without delay," he said in a statement.

The Taxi Services Commission is assessing the appeal's implications.

Uber has been given the green light by the ACT, NSW, and West Australian governments, but is banned in the Northern Territory.

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).    For a daily critique of Leftist activities,  see DISSECTING LEFTISM.  To keep up with attacks on free speech see Tongue Tied. Also, don't forget your daily roundup  of pro-environment but anti-Greenie  news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH .  Email me  here