GordonMoyes.com

We are called to be good stewards of God’s creation: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1). Climate change is proving to be a powerful reminder that we share a common belief – a belief that caring for God’s creation is our moral responsibility.

Latin was a hard language for boys commencing High School. But into the Latin class I had to go. By the grace of God I had a remarkable teacher – Jack Guthrie – who had been a Wing Commander in the Air Force in the Second World War, a man who was used to commanding men.

Last Wednesday, in the pouring rain a rally of about 1,000 striking prison officers protested outside New South Wales Parliament against the State Government’s plans to implement wide-ranging prison system reforms. Rain did not deter the men and women from the State’s 75 correctional facilities from closing Macquarie Street and chanting abuse at the new Treasurer and the Attorney General.

The NSW Government has scrapped plans to allow Sydney University to build a campus for 5,000 students and 400 staff at Callan Park in Sydney’s inner west. Next week the Legislative Council will vote on a Private Member’s Bill from the Green’s Sylvia Hale that would strip the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) of control and management of the 60-hectare site in Rozelle. Under the plan, 40 hectares out of the total of 60 hectares will be handed over to Leichhardt Council under a 99-year lease.

People in this country know little of Assyrian culture, language and history, although we may recognise the names Sargon II, Sennacherib, and Ashurbanipal from our Bibles. But are we aware that the Assyrian empire at its peak stretched from the Caspian Sea to the island of Cyprus, and from Anatolia to Egypt? It was a vast civilisation, the cradle of modern civilisation, with learning, culture and an indigenous language that survives today in what is now modern Iraq.

Yesterday, NSW Premier Nathan Rees has decided to abolish RailCorp and legislation will be introduced in Parliament when it resumes later this month to abolish RailCorp’s four-year experiment as a corporate entity. The legislation will remove the commercial board of RailCorp and return the organisation to a statutory authority under the direct control of the Transport Minister, David Campbell.

Readers will know that from the beginning I opposed the sell off the State electricity generators and production capacity. There were many reasons – the poor economic return for the sell-off, the bad Iemma-Costa campaign to the public, the loss of jobs involved and the potential huge increase for families in the costs of electricity based on the experience of other states, and so on.

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri’s painting “Warlugulong 1977” sold for $2.4 million earlier this year, which set a new record for Australian Aboriginal art. The sale of Tjapaltjarris’ painting, and others like it, has been part of a remarkable success story, with art collectors all over the world eager to purchase Australian indigenous art. That industry is now estimated to be worth about 400 million dollars per year.

Teachers are a key to unlocking Australia’s economic and social potential, but their contribution to society is undervalued. With 16,000 public school teachers due to retire in the next four years, the State Government must act now. To replace these teachers and maintain high standards of education, the Government must pay teachers a competitive salary and work with them to ensure qualified teachers are available for all school students across the State.

On 27 August, I received an email from a CDP official on behalf of Rev Fred Nile which stated:

“I wish to formally advise you that the distribution of A Christian Voice in Politics eMag to any CDP constituents using the CDP NSW PHP Lists service has been suspended until further notice. You and members of your staff are not authorised to use the CDP NSW State Office communication systems as these are only to be used for authorised CDP National and/or NSW party and branch communications…Any such offence would oblige us to notify the NSW Parliamentary Clerk for their consideration and follow-up.”