Weekend Wrap for 11 July 2021
Welcome to the NSL Weekend Wrap for 11 July 2021, where you can catch up on the latest secular-related news from around the country.
Don’t forget that the Weekend Wrap, which aims to help secular-minded Australians keep abreast of the latest news on current issues, is also published on our Facebook page!
At the National Level
A report looking into mainstream media's coverage on people who are transgender has highlighted that News Corp publications feature stories about transgender people much more often that their rivals, and that reports in The Australian newspaper between April and October 2019 framed transgender people and issues negatively 90 per cent of the time. (Out in Perth)
Around the Country
QLD: A new law that requires priests to report to police any information about child sexual offences heard during confession came in to force on July 5, after passing through the state parliament with support from both major parties last September. All adults will have a legal duty to report sexual offending against children to police, unless they have a reasonable excuse for not doing so. (Catholic Leader)
NSW: A former member of multi-million dollar Sydney megachurch C3 has spoken about attempting suicide twice after undergoing two years of "extremely traumatic" conversion therapy to turn him straight. (Daily Telegraph)
NT: Conservative MPs will resist Coalition senator Sam McMahon’s push to overturn a ban on euthanasia in the Northern Territory, with one MP labelling assisted-dying laws passed by the states as “monstrous”. Senator McMahon wants to end a 24-year-old federal law which prevents the NT parliament from implementing its own assisted-dying policy, leaving euthanasia in the hands of Canberra. (The Australian)
TAS: LGBTI advocates say that much progress has been made in the state, but that further legislation is needed, particularly in order to protect children. (The Advocate)
VIC: Members of the Boroondara community have supported a push by Councillor Victor Franco to replace a Christian prayer recited in council meetings with a more inclusive opening ritual. Along with the RSA, the NSL was also actively involved in raising support on this issue. (RSA)
Commentary and Analysis
The NSL's Brian Morris writes on the inaccuracy of the data on religion collected by the ABS in the census and the corrupting effects this has on funding and policy in Australia. (Australian Independent Media Network)
Paul Gregoire muses on the "archaic agenda" of the Religious Discrimination Bill. (Sydney Criminal Lawyers)
The Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) is calling for changes to the proposed national curriculum to include greater recognition of the contribution of non-religious Australians. In a submission to the Australian Curriculum Review, the RSA warned that the current curriculum “fails to acknowledge the existence, let alone the relevance” of the fast-growing non-religious section of society. (RSA)
Humanists Australia CEO Heidi Nicholl comments on why it's important for people with non-religious worldviews to mark 'No Religion' in the coming census. (Census21 - Mark No Religion)
That's it for another week!
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