GordonMoyes.com

A number of organisations are very upset, claiming that the Rudd government is promoting a fatherless society. What they are mad about is the December 2009 publication of a report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) to the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) regarding its in-depth evaluation of the changes made in 2006 to the Australian family law system.

There are many professional societies that research childcare and the effect it has on the well-being, development and socialisation of children. One of these is the American-based National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, which carried out a 10-year study of what constituted excellent childcare and put together some recommendations for parents (and grandparents) who needed guidance in choosing the best for their young ones.

The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) is a population-based measurement of young children’s development in communities across Australia, which gives us a national picture of our children’s health and development, being the first study of its kind ever undertaken in Australia.

The Cotton-On stores throughout Australia have continued to sell baby clothes with inappropriate slogans on them. I won’t quote any of them here because they are too offensive. Consumer activists such as Julie Gale, the founding Director of Kids Free 2B Kids, as well as many members of the general community have registered complaints against this company.

The Christmas holiday can bring issues of concern to families who already have pets and to families about to obtain pets.

The Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW is an agency that deals with complaints from the public regarding problems with their utilities, either electricity, gas, or water. Recently the number of complaints has risen unexpectedly, especially regarding problems with billing that seems to be unusually high.

Every year for eight years Mission Australia has commissioned a national survey on the key and emerging issues that are concerning young Australians aged 11 to 24. This year it included nearly 48,000 participants from across the country giving their feedback.

For several decades an activity called ‘Schoolies Week’ has taken place across Australia. This year Schoolies Week will take place during the weeks of 21 Nov – 13 Dec after schools let out for the year, and the Year 12 students are celebrating the completion of their Higher School Certificates. Crowds of youths are expected to reach 30,000 in the Gold Coast alone.

With these essentials we have unity. In matters nonessential we have liberty of opinion, and in all things we act and think with charity.

Cyber-bullying is the term used to describe a range of serious, socially destructive behaviours using the new electronic technologies including chat rooms and social networking sites on the Internet, and the tools available on mobile phones such as texting, and the taking and sending of photographs and video clips.