This video was prepared for tonight’s Q&A but no video questions were aired. It’s too good not to go viral. Maybe consider reblogging/tweeting/facebooking – or send a copy to your local MP.
Donations towards Ron Williams’ legal fees can be made at his website: High Court Challenge
Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear 
The question is great, and I submitted a question about the chaplaincy program as well (at least, in part). I was in the studio audience, and I was shortlisted and given a special aisle seat. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to me. Everyone was too interested in the impact of the budget on their back pocket and no one seemed interested in Science funding or religious boondoggles. Typical.
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/video-questions.htm#id=71398640-a45a-4c2b-855b-58ed8e403aee
Reblogged this on Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey and commented:
Definitely worth sharing. Let’s hope the High Court ruling doesn’t take too long.
Reblogged this on auntyuta.
Thank you.
Right question ________________________________________
Christopher Pyne was questioned about school chaplaincy funding on Lateline last night :
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2014/s4008642.htm
EMMA ALBERICI: “How can you argue that you’re increasing school autonomy while at the same time – or autonomy from the states, while at the same time you are preventing schools through your school chaplains funding – the $250 million allocated in the Budget – you’re preventing those schools from appointing a welfare officer unless they’re associated with a religious group?”
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: “Because the School Chaplaincy Program is a separate program from the states and territories. If they want to fund school counsellors, they’re welcome to do so; that’s a decision that they can make. The Commonwealth, being an adult government, has made the decision that we’re going to fund chaplaincies because that was the original intention of the program. Now if the states and territories want to add to that in their own way, good luck to them. This new dawn of Commonwealth-state relations is that we’re going to treat the states and territories like adult governments, whereas the previous Labor government tried to be both the Commonwealth governments and the state governments.”
What a steaming pile of horseshit. This man is clearly not a fit and proper person to be the nation’s Education Minister. Children trust adults to make responsible and rational decisions on their behalf. An adult government should be funding genuine counselling services for public schools, not granting millions of dollars to religious groups so that their hand-picked representatives can have privileged access to our kids.
Makes it sound like Pyne knows they’re going to lose the Williams case and it also sounds like they’re not going to be using the Section 96 option of funding the chaplaincy program through the States. Hard to say for sure, but that’s what it sounds like to me. I did think when the funding was announced it might be a win-win for them – announce a huge amount for chaplaincy, score brownie points with the religious right, then when the ruling comes in say, “Well, you KNOW how much we wanted to continue it, but because of that horrible militant atheist chap in Toowoomba we just can’t – quarter of a billion back in the coffers for some other pork-barrel program and they’ve reeled in two narrow interest groups for the price of one. Or, am I just a cynic?
I don’t think it’s possible to be too cynical when trying to interpret the utterances of Christopher Pyne.
Why doesn’t anyone mention taxing the churches? It seems to be a taboo subject. The AFA have suggested it could be worth eight billion dollars annually. That would cover a few needed things.
+1