GordonMoyes.com

Tonight I am pleased to inform the House of another excellent church-based initiative set up to offer practical assistance and friendship to a particularly vulnerable segment of our community—the women who survive by selling themselves on the streets of Sydney, particularly around Kings Cross. I will not try to civilise what they do by calling it “the sex industry”. It is not a regular, decent industry with set hours, safe working conditions, sick leave and public holidays. It is a harrowing last resort for desperate people.

Tonight I inform the House of a great initiative to combat alcohol abuse in our community. In an age where the community is plagued by binge drinking, especially among youth, and the emergence of alcohol-related violence in bars, pubs and clubs, it is important to mention the positive and successful stories that come from effective partnerships between local communities, Christian churches and local police.

Last week I had the privilege of hosting a book launch here in Parliament House. Caroline Fraser launched her first novel, Jocelyn’s Journey, published by Ark House Publishing, a wonderful story of love and triumph told against the tragic history of colonial Australia. It was my privilege to write the foreword to her book.

In 2007 Mission Australia conducted its sixth annual survey of young Australians. This survey was for those aged 11 to 24 years and explored what young people value, what concerns them, where they turn for advice and support, their level of engagement in the community and who they admire. Close to 29,000 young people from communities across Australia participated, providing a rich source of information on some key areas of their lives.

Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes: The Earth Hour saw a remarkable response from average people. People all over the world joined millions in Sydney in turning off lights for one hour last Saturday night. More than 1,700 companies turned off their lights and half of the consumers on the national grid did the same. It was reported that more than two million Victorian families flicked switches and turned off appliances last Saturday night, resulting in a 10-per cent drop in energy use across Melbourne.

Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes: One of the fathers of the change to decimal currency in 1966 died this week at the age of 101 years. Stan Gilmour, head of the then Victorian Employers Federation, stumped the country for more than a decade persuading employers of the financial benefits of departing from pounds, shillings and pence and adopting the decimal system. Despite immense opposition to his logical and researched arguments, he convinced businesses and industries to change.

Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: The Christian Democratic Party has always strongly opposed the Kings Cross injecting room. It was opposed to its establishment in 2001 and it remains opposed to it. Our opposition is based on one fundamental principle: drug addiction can be curtailed only through preventative measures such as detoxification, treatment and rehabilitation. It is beyond comprehension how this facility, a veritable licence for illegal drug consumption, is able to help drug users kick their addiction. It simply provides a legal rubber stamp for users to continue their deadly habits.

Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: I wish to comment on Director Martin Durkin’s documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle , shown on the ABC last week. It argues that man-made emissions have only a marginal impact on the world’s climate, and that climate change can be better explained by changing patterns of solar activity. It ends with the warning that uncontrolled global warming hysteria is potentially devastating to economic development in the Third World. The Great Global Warming Swindle contains some memorable assertions.

Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: The man at the centre of the Federal Government’s intervention in Aboriginal communities with the strongest push ever to save the health, welfare and sexual life of indigenous children, Mal Brough, intriguingly is an Aboriginal descendent. His sister identifies herself as an Aboriginal woman and is married to an Aboriginal pastor of a Christian evangelical church.

Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES [10.09 p.m.]: I have always admired the American Thanksgiving celebrations. This past week millions of Americans travelled back to the family home, enjoyed good food, relived memories and many of them celebrated a deeply religious experience where thanks were given to God for their nation.