38 Comments

Why did I vote NO in the same sex marriage plebiscite? Same reason I voted NO in the Voice referendum. I knew they'd screw us on the details.

Malcolm 'in the middle' Turnbull's promise to protect religious faith was a slimy promise from a slimy man.

Expand full comment

I understand you pain. I had a pilot mate in the same situation. He ended up in Germany for years.

Unions have huge power. E.g. CMFEU control of construction industry encouraged by Labor governments adding massively to costs and known for rogue actions.

Expand full comment

The union that looks after staff at Christian schools is pretty useless. I wasted so much money being a member. They promote the Labor party and Roman Catholic Schools.

Really it is a pretty silly thing to say. Who else be is going to want to work there anyway? It requires a great deal more commitment than working in a public school. Lots of extra admin and attendance out of hours required. None of this parent interviews during school time.

Expand full comment

Try implementing that in a Moslem school! There would be fireworks and jihads and mayhem if the government did that, but Christian schools are sitting ducks for persecution (I wonder why?). It should be entirely up to the person hiring to make the decision and nothing else! Faith based schools are just that - faith based.

Expand full comment

Where is Gordon Moyes when you want him? He told the Muslim schools when the Greens tried all this tiresome stuff in NSW that the Greens had effectively declared Jihad. It all went away!

Expand full comment

Is he still alive? I always liked him

Expand full comment

No, Gordon Moyes died. He is with Jesus. But with Fred Nile he was very effective in the upper house. He told us at an Association of Christian Schools meeting in the Highlands how he saw off the greens attempt to take away the faith schools ability to discriminate. He write to all the Muslim schools and suggested that jihad had been declared. They swamped the green’s politician with emails, phone calls and letters.

Expand full comment

I always told my father back when the Gay marches started in Sydney that if I were there I would march with Fred Nile. They were both champions of the faith

Expand full comment

He lost his way at the end which was sad. Probably there too long and lots of factional fighting and bad administration of the party.

Expand full comment

That was sad

Expand full comment

This is a sound and common sense critique of the ambiguities inherent in anti-discrimination agendas. Excellent.

Expand full comment

Governments and unions need to stay the hell away from our lives. This is another “What can possibly go wrong?” situation like the Same Sex Marriage decision which was supposed to be simply about love but somehow society has ended up with the alphabet people who demanded and got rights in a complicated, illogical, screwed up system which has normal people wondering if they will be charged if they say the wrong thing and hurt the sensitivities of the alphabet people.

We need less government interference in our lives and as for unions, pfff!

Expand full comment

totally agree

Expand full comment

It’s absolutely an attack on Christian schools. They’ll use any excuse to attack the Christian faith.

Do you think their rules would apply to other faiths?? The comment from the CFMEU secretary is beyond laughable.

Expand full comment

"Union leaders have warned the government that a religious discrimination bill must not allow faith-based schools to hire staff based on their faith. And it makes sense, right."

It sure does. Termites rot wood from the inside out and cancer destroys a person's body from the inside out. The effects may not be noticeable to begin with, but will be catastrophic in the end.

In the same manner, the result of hiring staff to work in faith-based schools, regardless of their faith, will dilute, and in the end, disintegrate the Christian ethos of the school, it's moral foundation based on biblical principles and it's ability to teach from the bible and make decisions based on biblical teaching. Hiring staff to work in faith-based schools, regardless of their faith, is guaranteed to produce 'faith-based' schools, that are faith in name only and anything but God-centred. This is exactly what the union leaders and all the other members of the Socialist and Marxist left want.

Expand full comment

All part of the plan. Destroy families, destroy religion, destroy the rule of law, control the media (propaganda). 1984

Since when did unions govern the country? They represent about 10% of workers and are Socialists at best. They should stick to their knitting.

Expand full comment

Sorry Andrew the bloody unions run the place now thanks to that gutless creep in the Lodge. Unions who were the only PMs that used the military to break a strike? Both labor Ben Chifley in 1948 used the army to load coal when the unions were on strike . And "the little Aussie battler"and his fat mate Abeles used the air force in the pilots dispute in the late 80s( while not directly involved with the warring parties )it cruelled my aviation career by flooding the industry with overseas scabs,many who could not speak English. Good one Bob. The reason was that the A.F.AP.wouldnt afiliate with the ACTU. no labor control so they had to be destroyed.Funny thing about the coal loaders ,while the army were at it productivity skyrocketed.

Expand full comment

2nd line delete word "unions'

Expand full comment

That's exactly right! 100% agree, Andrew.

Expand full comment

Brilliant editorial James . Union leaders are blockheads who should be seen and seldom heard .

Expand full comment

Assuming that the Faith Based School in an extension of the ministry of the Church surely hiring a Christian teacher would be the same as hiring a Christian as a Youth Pastor or an assistant Pastor in that same church. Pretty sure it’s a key pre-requisite of working for a faith based organisation in these cases.

It’s highly unlikely that I would pass muster if I was to apply for a job at the local LGBTQ Lobby group in my city. I assume the first question they might ask is “Do you agree with the ethos of our organisation and affirm same sex marriage”? “Dose that matter? is my reply, I can make fliers, and make up chants to 1234 bla bla bla, what I truly believe shouldn’t matter”. What are my chances for getting the job? Zero.

Expand full comment

I had the same idea except that I'd apply to join the CFMEU as a proud conservative and capitalist............... think I'd make the short list?

Thought so, what a bunch of hypocrites!

Expand full comment

FFS would you want to? Just joking. point taken though

Expand full comment

Interviews for jobs at Christian schools are pretty gruelling. Most are not attached to churches. But most make sure that you are a Bible believing Christian.

Expand full comment

Your interview for the job could make for wonderful entertainment!

Expand full comment

If you answer "no" to their first question, they would probably show you the door. And when leaving their office, they would give you something to remember them by - a rainbow-coloured eye! And this would, of course, make them the victim, not you.

Expand full comment

worth it

Expand full comment

Yeah, I'd rather two rainbow coloured eyes than to even set foot in a place like that! Yeah I know - people might say, "Well, Jesus hung out with prostitutes...". Well, He also said not to throw pearls at swine too!

Expand full comment

I sat shaking my head the whole way through this editorial as I watched, it’s just appalling how one sided things are.

Expand full comment

It would be interesting to see if the same stringent guidelines apply to say, Muslim schools. Just a thought.

Expand full comment

Bet ur bottom dollar it doesn’t

Expand full comment

Well said James. You are exactly right - Unions and the government don't really care about discrimination as they openly practice it against Non-Unionised workers, and others who are not aligned with their Left wing values. They actively want to dilute the Christian schools, by forcing them to hire staff who are not aligned with Christian values.

If i want my children to be taught by a secular/atheist/LGB+++ supporter, i would send my kids to a State school. No thank you. This is why we are willing to pay high school fees so our kids are not indoctrinated with left wing ideology from the get go.

Expand full comment

These meddlesome unions are out of their bounds when interfering with the hiring rules of faith-based (eg Christian, Jewish, etc.) schools.

Expand full comment

Exactly. Who has the right to tell someone who they can and can't hire?! No-one. If someone is running a business/service (including education), they have the right to choose to hire whoever they like, so long as the prospective employee has the necessary education, skills and experience required for the job, and has not committed certain criminal offenses.

These unions sure are out of bounds and someone ought to put them in their place!

Expand full comment

I would wonder how a union leader would react if a convicted paedaphile was to be given a job in his childrens kindagarten?

Expand full comment

I might be wrong, but as far as I know, it is totally illegal for a Kindergarten to allow a convicted paedophile to work with children. I think if this was found out, those responsible for employing such a person would lose their job and may face charges. I'm pretty sure that these sort of criminal checks are done on anyone who is about to commence work with children.

Expand full comment

These days you need a 'Blue Card' for almost every kind of employment and to volunteer with a community organisation. A registered paedophile would be on the dole for the rest of his life!!

Expand full comment