Notes: Wednesday, September 30-Monday, November 30, 2015 (part 1 of 2)

1. Some recent announcements by H.M.A. Government concerning foreign affairs

1.1 Australia will "provide $7 million over three years to support the United Nations’ Joint Programme for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health in the Pacific."

The quotation in that headline comes from the media release "Promoting Economic Growth in the Pacific", dated September 29, 2015, downloaded from the website of the Minister for Foreign Affairs (currently The Hon. Julie Bishop M.P.):

http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2015/jb_mr_150929a.aspx?w=tb1CaGpkPX%2FlS0K%2Bg9ZKEg%3D%3D

(That iniative came to my attention via this article at The Australian's website.) According to a press release issued jointly by the United Nations Children's Fund (U.N.I.C.E.F.), the United Nations Population Fund (U.N.F.P.A.), and the World Health Organisation, Ms Bishop "noted that the AU$7 million investment will support the UN Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health". That Strategy can be downloaded from its official website here:

http://globalstrategy.everywomaneverychild.org/

Or go straight hither:

http://globalstrategy.everywomaneverychild.org/pdf/EWEC_globalstrategyreport_200915_FINAL_WEB.pdf

(And the aforementioned press release is available under the headline "Joint Media Release: Australian commitment to UN joint programme for Pacific mother, child and adolescent health kicks off investment in Global Goals for Sustainable Development", dated September 30, 2015, at U.N.I.C.E.F.'s website:

http://www.unicef.org/pacificislands/1852_24727.html

and under the headline "A JOINT PRESS RELEASE: Australian commitment to UN joint programme for Pacific mother, child and adolescent health kicks off investment in Global Goals for Sustainable Development", same date, at the U.N.F.P.A.'s website:

http://countryoffice.unfpa.org/pacific/2015/09/30/12827/a_joint_press_release_australian_commitment_to_un_joint_programme_for_pacific_mother_child_and_adolescent_health_kicks_off_investment_in_global_goals_for_sustainable_development/)

Labels: abortion, contraception, feminism, foreign affairs

1.2 Were it to be elected to "the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2018-2020 term", Australia's "focus would be on empowering women and girls, strengthening governance and democratic institutions, promoting freedom, freedom of expression, and advancing human rights for all", and it "would be unrelenting in [its] efforts to secure abolition of the death penalty."

The quotations, excluding my square-bracketed replacement of the word "our", in that headline come from the text prepared for the spoken national statement by Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs (The Hon. Julie Bishop M.P.) in the United Nations General Assembly (seventieth session), dated September 29, 2015, downloaded from the official Minister for Foreign Affairs website:

http://foreignminister.gov.au/speeches/Pages/2015/jb_sp_150929a.aspx?w=tb1CaGpkPX%2FlS0K%2Bg9ZKEg%3D%3D

See also the media release "United Nations Security Council & Human Rights Council", dated September 29, 2015, downloaded from the same website, in which Ms Bishop says similarly that

We are an international leader in advancing the rights of women and girls, strengthening governance and democratic institutions, and promoting freedom of expression.

As a member of the Human Rights Council, Australia would bring a clear focus on addressing human rights violations and holding perpetrators to account. Australia would also be a leading advocate for global abolition of the death penalty.
[http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2015/jb_mr_150929.aspx]

Labels: death penalty, democracy, feminism, foreign affairs, human rights, liberalism

2. "The tensions for parents, educators and children in building a sustainable culture of ethical and respectful relationships early in life" is the project title of taxpayer-funded (to the tune of $198992) research which "hopes to move the debate around sexuality and sexual relationships away from being viewed as problematic for young people to that of building a culture of ethical and respectful relationships in early life."

The quotations in that headline come from the Western Sydney University (W.S.U.) "RESEARCH DIRECTIONS" flyer "Building Children’s Ethical Relationship Skills with Parents and Educators", dated December 2011, presumably published by W.S.U.'s Office of Research Services, downloaded from W.S.U.'s website:

https://www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/248057/071211_KidsEthicalRelationships_Robinson.pdf

(That project came to my attention via the print version of the article "Let's talk about sex, knowledge, health and well-being, baby", by Fran Molloy, dated October 12, 2015, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/lets-talk-about-sex-knowledge-health-and-wellbeing-baby-20151008-gk44ht.html?skin=text-only)

See also Prof. Robinson's staff profile here or here.

Labels: feminism, G.L.B.T., morals, sex ed

3. On the second day of the recently-concluded Synod, H.H. The Pope made His Holiness's "first direct intervention at the Synod in the course of the past two years"; in that intervention, The Pope said "that thus far the only official Synod documents which enjoy full ecclesiastical approval are the two discourses he himself delivered at the opening and closing of the Extraordinary Synod last October, as well as the "Relatio Synodi" or final document of the Extraordinary Synod which he approved."

The quotations in that headline come from the article "Pope Francis makes first direct intervention; was Cardinal Erdö undermined?", by The Rev. Fr. Nicholas Gregoris, dated October 6, 2015, downloaded from The Catholic World Report's website:

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/4239/pope_francis_makes_first_direct_intervention_was_cardinal_erd_undermined.aspx

(That article came to my attention via this blog post by Fr. Zuhlsdorf.) Interestingly, the Vatican revoked Fr. Gregoris's press credentials the next day; see the article "Vatican revokes Catholic priest’s press credentials after he challenged archbishop", by Mr. Patrick B. Craine, dated Monday, October 12, 2015, downloaded from LifeSiteNews.com:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-vatican-revokes-catholic-priests-press-credentials-after-he-challe

Labels: Francis Bergoglio

4. "ultimately, the package is about trying to devise ways to increase female workforce participation amongst mums, single mothers, mothers in couple families. Historically, we know that that is occurring, we would like to keep it occurring, it can and should be a great engine room of the Australian economy and it’s great way to increase family wealth and prosperity."

The quotation in that headline comes from the transcript of an interview of The Hon. Christian Porter M.P. (Federal Minister for Social Services) on Sky News on October 22, 2015, downloaded from Mr. Porter's Ministerial website:

http://christianporter.dss.gov.au/transcripts/sky-news-pvo-newsday

(That transcript is also available here, at Mr. Porter's electorate website.) See also

• The joint media release "Revised Family Tax Benefit measures to fund $3.5 billion child care investment", issued by Mr. Porter, The Hon. Scott Morrison M.P. (Federal Treasurer), and The Hon. Sen. Simon Birmingham (Federal Minister for Education and Training), dated Wednesday, October 21, 2015, available at the respective Ministerial websites of Mr. Porter:
  
  http://christianporter.dss.gov.au/media-releases/revised-family-tax-benefit-measures-to-fund-35-billion-child-care-investment
  
  Mr. Morrison:
  
  http://sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au/media-release/007-2015/
  
  and Sen. Birmingham:
  
  http://ministers.education.gov.au/revised-family-tax-benefit-measures-fund-35-billion-child-care-investment

• the transcript of the joint media conference which (conference) was given by Messrs. Morrison and Porter and Sen. Birmingham on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 in Canberra; the transcript is available at the respective Ministerial websites of Mr. Porter:
  
  http://christianporter.dss.gov.au/transcripts/joint-media-conference-with-the-hon-scott-morrison-mp-treasurer-and-senator-the-hon-simon-birmingham-minister-for-education-and-training
  
  Mr. Morrison:
  
  http://sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au/transcript/021-2015/
  
  and Sen. Birmingham:
  
  http://ministers.education.gov.au/joint-press-conference-revised-family-tax-benefit-measures-fund-35-billion-child-care-investment
  
  and also at the latter's personal website:
  
  http://www.senatorbirmingham.com.au/Media-Centre/Interview-Transcripts/ID/2861/Joint-Press-Conference--Canberra--Scott-Morrison-Christian-Porter

• the Hansard transcript of Mr. Porter's speech in the House of Representatives at 0911 hrs. on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 moving the second reading of the Bill in question, namely the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Family Payments Structural Reform and Participation Measures) Bill 2015:
  
  http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fb15942d6-e86a-4a01-8094-d46337096349%2F0013;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fb15942d6-e86a-4a01-8094-d46337096349%2F0013%22

• the Hansard transcript of a question without notice asked in the House of Representatives at 1407 hrs. on Thursday, October 22, 2015 and Mr. Porter's answer to it:
  
  http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2F93a1fa0d-0b2c-453c-bbeb-b700dd4555c5%2F0101%22

• the joint media release "TURNBULL’S BIG FAIL ON FAIRNESS FOR FAMILIES", issued by The Hon. Bill Shorten M.P. (Leader of H.M.A. Opposition), The Hon. Chris Bowen M.P. (Shadow Federal Treasurer), and The Hon. Jenny Macklin M.P. (Shadow Federal Minister for Families and Payments and for Disability Reform), dated Tuesday, November 10, 2015, available at Ms Macklin's official website here:
  
  http://www.jennymacklin.net.au/turnbull_s_big_fail_on_fairness_for_families
  
  or go straight hither:
  
  https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/jmacklin/pages/572/attachments/original/1447125856/TURNBULL%E2%80%99S_BIG_FAIL_ON_FAIRNESS_FOR_FAMILIES.docx_10112015.pdf?1447125856
  
  (That media release is also available, in HTML format, at Mr. Shorten's official website:
  
  http://billshorten.com.au/turnbulls-big-fail-on-fairness-for-families)
  
  Mr. Bowen's last answer in a press conference in Canberra on the same date is also worth reading because it deals with the link between the Family Tax Benefits package and the soon-to-be-released child care package. The transcript of that press conference is available at Mr. Shorten's website:
  
  http://billshorten.com.au/doorstop-canberra-12
  
  and at Ms Macklin's website:
  
  http://www.jennymacklin.net.au/transcript_parliament_house

• the Hansard transcript of the appearance on November 19, 2015 by Mr. Brian Lawrence (Chairman, Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations) at the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Family Payments Structural Reform and Participation Measures) Bill 2015:
  
  http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Fcommsen%2F068adf10-f588-402a-a5b6-c607bb8d507e%2F0004;query=Id%3A%22committees%2Fcommsen%2F068adf10-f588-402a-a5b6-c607bb8d507e%2F0000%22
  
  (The text of Mr. Lawrence's opening statement that day is also available at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Media Blog:
  
  http://mediablog.catholic.org.au/family-tax-benefits-under-attack-legislation-before-parliament-would-have-a-major-impact-on-the-living-standards-of-families/
  
  and came to my attention via the version of this Sydney Catholic Weekly editorial which was printed in yesterday's issue of the Weekly.)

• the official webpage of the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Family Payments Structural Reform and Participation Measures) Bill 2015
  
  http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Family_Payments
  
  whence you can download, among other things, the inquiry report and the official submission of the Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations (the latter is especially worth reading for the historical perspective which it provides).

Labels: economic rationalism, economics, family, tax, work

Reginaldvs Cantvar
St. Andrew's Day, A.D. 2015