Retired Anglican Bishop says devout Christian Scott Morrison’s views go AGAINST the Bible

In good Anglican style, Dr Browning is a very secular Bishop. His doctoral thesis was on global warming and he despises the many Bible condemnations of homosexuality (Jude 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Leviticus 18:32; Leviticus 20:13; Genesis 19:4-8). So it ill behooves him to criticise the Biblical beliefs of Scott Morrison

And his account of scripture is very incomplete. He objects to the offshore detention of illegal immigrants on the basis (apparently) of the injunction to the ancient Israelites in Deuteronomy 10:19, "Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt"

But the NT version of that clearly refers to spiritual differences. 1 Peter 2:11 says: "Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul". It is now the Christians themselves who are strangers to the world around them and they are urged to separate themseves from it. So separating ourselves from law-breaking migrants is entirely scriptural.

And it is Morrison, not the Bishop, who is obedient to the Bible when it comes to his practice of sending his children to a Christian school so they will not be subjected to pro-homosexual propaganda.  Something that is "an abomination to the Lord" is fine and dandy with the fake bishop


A former bishop has claimed Scott Morrison's beliefs are against the Bible, with the statement coming just after devout Christian Prime Minister revealed he sends his children to private school to avoid the 'values of others'.

Mr Morrison said he sends his daughters, aged nine and 11, to an independent Baptist school rather than the local public school to avoid sexual education classes requiring children to role-play bisexual teenagers with multiple partners.

Dr George Browning, a former bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia, said Christians have a right to be concerned that Mr Morrison will 'behave in a way that is out of step with true biblical values' due to his views on asylum seekers, climate change and social welfare.

Dr Browning said Mr Morrison's maiden speech to parliament in 2008 in which he quoted Bishop Desmond Tutu while detailing the values he derived from his faith were not reflected in his actions as a politician.

'Given these are clues to the values that Mr Morrison holds dear, we have the right to be somewhat surprised by the stand, or lack of it, that he has taken on several issues, the first and most obvious being refugees and asylum seekers,' he wrote in a column for The Melbourne Anglican.

'On the matter of "strangers and aliens" the Bible is unequivocally clear - we are to welcome and embrace them.

'It is a matter of national shame that we have mistreated so terribly those who have come to our shores. Those still incarcerated on Manus and Nauru are prisoners of a political ideology that has very little to do with the ongoing security of Australian borders.'

Dr Browning said Mr Morrison's views on climate change showed he did not 'stand up for truth'. 'That the Australian government has abjectly failed to produce a policy to address this truth is quite shocking,' he said.

'Thirdly, in using the quote from Desmond Tutu, Mr Morrison nails his colours to the mast of a preferential bias towards the poor and needy. This of course is the bias of Jesus himself.

'Is this bias demonstrated in successive budgets over which Mr Morrison has had the responsibility of shaping? It is hard to see it.'

Australians have a right to feel the values Mr Morrison 'espoused as a Christian' are 'being ignored', Dr Browning aruged.

Mr Morrison told 2GB on Monday that he did not want the 'values of others being imposed on my children in my school'.

'I don't think that should be happening in a public school or a private school. It's not happening in the school I send my kids to, and that's one of the reasons I send them there.'

Mr Morrison said his objection to elements of the controversial Safe Schools program was why he wants to protect the religious freedoms of private schools.

The activities in question are part of the Building Respectful Relationships program, written by Deakin University associate professor Debbie Ollis, which is mapped to the curriculum in Victoria.

One exercise titled 'Different perspectives on sexual intimacy' requires students to use character cards to do 20-minute role-plays.

Mr Morrison went on to tell Mr Jones he backed federal funding for public education, which is run by the states and territories.

'[But] how about we just have state schools that focus on things like learning maths and science,' he added.

Mr Morrison is a devout Christian and attends the Hillsong Pentecostal mega church.

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Golliwogs again



When I was a little kid, I had a golly and I thought it was great.  I think all kids should be allowed one

THE Royal Adelaide Show has been forced to remove three award-winning golliwog dolls from a display of handicrafts following a racism outcry on social media.

The three dolls, which are a caricature of black people stemming back to the 19th and early 20th century, won first, second and third place in the handicrafts division but have since been removed from display.

The Facebook group Deadly Yarning from South Australian Aboriginal communities posted images of the dolls at midday on Sunday.

“When you go to the 2018 Royal Adelaide Show Royal Adelaide Show only to see #RacistDolls being awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the Judging,” the post read.

Dozens of people responded to the post including the official Royal Adelaide Show account, which said “no offence was intended”.

“There are variety of traditional dolls entered in the handicrafts competition including Parisian dolls, Japanese dolls and African dolls, however the dolls above have been removed from the display.”

SOURCE 

Comment from an Australian social worker correspondent:  "More golliwog nonsense from lefties telling blacks what they should be offended at.

How can golliwogs be racist when many blacks like golliwogs. Several weeks ago I visited an Aboriginal woman who told me she loved her golly. And I have been in other Aboriginal homes with golliwogs sitting happily on shelves.

Lefties are the true racists, because lefties try so hard to make blacks feel offended. Lefties try to cause offence by proxy. They tell blacks to be offended by conservatives and by western traditions, while pretending they are on the side of blacks, so it is the lefties causing the offence for the blacks, and the smarter lefties know it. They are manipulators.

And they do the same with Muslims; orchestrating offence wherever they can, while making out it is others doing the offending".
  




Indonesian businesses want Australian education

Australia's geographical proximity to Asia and its use of English have made it a strong attractant to Asian parents seeking a Western education for their children.  There is a huge population of Chinese and Indian students in Australia already and now Indonesia wants in

Indonesian businesses are crying out for Australian universities to get involved in skilling up its huge workforce.

Indonesian business leaders are desperate to get Australian universities in to dramatically lift the number of workers in higher education.

They praised the decision to conclude a free trade deal between the two countries, with plans to get it signed before Christmas.

Indonesia has a work force of about 132 million people, but half of them only have a primary school education, and just 13 per cent have a university qualification.

"We want to open up for education, and also the focus on training. We need it very badly," Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chair Rosan Roeslani told reporters in Jakarta on Saturday. "This is I think the key element for our agreement."

Business leader Shinta Kamdani said the deal was more of a partnership, and it wasn't all about trade liberalisation.  "Services is a big part of this agreement, it's not just about trading goods," Ms Kamdani said. "The fact we can skill exchange, vocational training, I think that's a big thing for Indonesia."

The agreement will free up Indonesia's university sector for Australian investors, allowing up to 67 per cent foreign ownership. Foreign investors are currently barred from majority ownership in an Indonesian university.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding committing the countries to signing the deal this year.

Australia and Indonesia are two of the world's 20 largest economies and close neighbours, but neither are in each other's top 10 trading partners.

"This is one of the earliest bilateral (deals) that we're doing," Ms Kamdani said. "So our government is still trying to work it out. I have to say this is a big achievement for our government."

Both leaders urged Australian businesses to look at how they can get involved in Indonesia's surging economy. "I think this is the best time to come in and invest in Indonesia, because we are simplifying a lot of policy and regulation," Mr Roeslani said.

"We want to encourage more players, not just the same that are the existing ones, but new players," Ms Kamdani said.

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Queensland in court fight with domestic violence victim whose details were leaked by a policeman

The vicious Queensland police again

The Queensland government is fighting a domestic violence victim in court, in an attempt to avoid paying up to $100,000 in compensation for having to relocate her family after her personal details were leaked by a police officer.

The woman, who has been referred to in previous media reports as Julie*, told Guardian Australia she felt "intimidated" by the government’s attempts to brief a senior counsel in the supposedly "accessible" and "inexpensive" Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Julie was forced to go into hiding after a senior constable, Neil Punchard, accessed her address from the police QPRIME database and sent it to her violent former husband, who has been convicted of domestic violence and faces another charge of breaching a domestic violence order.

Punchard then sent text messages to Julie’s former husband joking about the matter.

"Just tell her you know where she lives and leave it at that. Lol. She will flip," Punchard wrote in one message that was later sent to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Punchard was disciplined but not charged with a criminal offence and remains a serving police officer. Julie told the tribunal she remained fearful knowing he still had access to her details.

"An officer gave the details of where I was living, gave them to his mate, using the police database as if it was a Yellow Pages," Julie said during a QCAT hearing in June. "Now, this officer, Neil Punchard, is still in a job. He still has access to the police computer. And I have had to move ... [and] cross my fingers like this and hope he doesn’t do it again.

"I’m already intimidated. I come here today because there is an officer with a gun and a grudge and access to my private details. The damage is done."

Julie launched a breach of privacy claim and is seeking compensation for having to relocate her family after her details were leaked. The matter is being heard by QCAT after she lodged a complaint with the Queensland office of the information commissioner. The maximum payout she can receive is $100,000 and she estimates the ordeal has cost her "much more than that".

The police service is represented in the proceedings by the government legal service, Crown Law Queensland. The lawyers are instructed by the Queensland Government Insurance Fund.

Julie is self-represented in QCAT. She says she wanted to mediate the matter and negotiate a settlement. Instead, the government applied to the tribunal to brief a senior counsel.

During the June hearing, a government solicitor could not give the tribunal a guarantee they would not ultimately pursue Julie for legal costs.

"I’m here trying to recoup the costs that I’ve had to bear after having to relocate and the extra security for my family after the gross breach to my privacy," Julie told QCAT. "I am the victim. Yet, I understand today that the public purse is funding [the defence of] the state and the police union will be funding [the defence of] the officer, no doubt, that disclosed my private details to a violent perpetrator.

"Now, how would it make sense for me to wear the costs of having to brief or bringing in a senior counsel in order to recoup the expense that has been incurred by me so far? I absolutely see this as absurd. The crown has said that this matter is complex. What is complex about this?

"I’m supposed to wear the expense of senior counsel if I want a level playing field. I wish for this to be fair. This goes against everything that QCAT says it is."

The police defence to Julie’s claim is broadly that the state should not be held responsible for the actions of rogue individuals.

Guardian Australia approached the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, with questions about whether this position was an abrogation of the government’s responsibilities in managing and protecting the sensitive personal data of citizens.

Palaszczuk, who is a public advocate for domestic violence victims, was also asked why her government had not sought to support Julie, or to negotiate a settlement with her.

The premier’s office responded with a one-line statement.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on a matter currently before QCAT, just as it would be inappropriate for the premier to intervene or become involved in tribunal proceedings in any way."

Julie has also attempted unsuccessfully through right to information to obtain a copy of her QPRIME file, which would include details about how and when her personal data had been accessed, and by which officers.

Police have refused to hand over the file. She has made a similar application to QCAT but has not yet been granted access.

Police said in a statement the service "has substantial information holdings and takes information privacy very seriously".

Police said that, as of last month, 11 officers had been charged for improperly accessing the system. Eight officers had been stood down from official duties for conducting unauthorised checks of QPRIME and five suspended.

The statement did not respond to specific questions posed by the Guardian, which which included why Punchard had not been charged, and why Julie had been unable to access her police data file. In other cases, people who applied for their files have been granted access.

"[Police] cannot comment further on access to specific information on this system for privacy reasons."

The matter is ongoing.

SOURCE 







Trusts an issue if Labor wins

Investors planning for the prospect of a change of government have no doubt considered the ALP’s plans for shares and property, but a crucial issue that has flown under the radar is the ­planned changes to trusts.

The increase in popularity of family trusts or discretionary trusts has placed this wealth management tool at the centre of many family businesses.

According to the most recent Australian Taxation Office research, there is now more than $590 billion of assets sitting in discretionary trusts, nearly double the amount a decade ago. In fact, it is estimated that more than one million small businesses in Australia use trusts.

On July 30 last year Bill Shorten announced, as part of the ALP’s tax reform plan, proposed changes for discretionary trusts if it wins government. The ALP’s proposal stops short of taxing trusts as companies. Instead, it suggests the introduction of a minimum 30 per cent tax on trust distributions to beneficiaries aged over 18 and would apply from July, 2019 — immediately after the election.

The ALP proposal is not to tax the trust — the income tax liability falls upon the individual beneficiaries of the trust in the form of supplementary personal income tax.

At present a trustee must lodge a tax return each year reporting the net income or loss: trusts are treated as "pass through vehicles" for tax purposes, so tax only applies when the income is in the hands of beneficiaries.

Income distributions from trusts are generally taxed at the individual income tax rate of the beneficiary. Trusts (unlike companies) can also pass through the benefit of the capital gains tax discount, making trusts attractive vehicles for tax purposes. For people receiving trust money who do not work — or are on low incomes — the change of rules will almost certainly mean a lift in tax costs.

In common with many advisers, I believe discretionary trusts are a legitimate and positive structure adopted by many in small business, individuals and families to help support effective planning.

Trusts provide flexibility in allowing small businesses to manage cash flow with additional benefits in asset protection as well as succession planning and estate planning. In the case of taxing discretionary trusts, I contend those that will be affected will be those that can least afford it.

The ALP has acknowledged that individuals and businesses use trusts for a range of legitimate reasons, but it has also claimed that "in some cases, trusts are used solely for tax minimisation". This seems an extraordinary claim.

The policy has excluded both charitable trusts and farm trusts. In the case of farm trusts, KPMG argues in an August 2017 paper that this decision will raise "difficult questions of ‘equity’ from the perspective of tax policy design".

Other trusts that are excluded from this policy are special disability trusts, deceased estates and fixed trusts.

It’s also worth noting some other relevant KPMG points:

* Without strong anti-avoidance provisions to accompany the change, the policy will incentivise taxpayers to "re-characterise" discretionary trust distributions into another type of income in the hands of a beneficiary (such as interest/employment income or private company dividends).

* To the extent that the ALP policy is targeted at ‘‘income splitting", it should be noted that a range of statutory provisions, anti-avoidance laws, and tax office rulings already address this issue comprehensively.

With the uncertainty in Canberra it is looking likely that we may soon have a new government via an early federal election.

The government has demonstrated its inability to articulate to voters that a change of government will mean a significant change — that means an increase in taxation. The ALP has flagged negative impacts in signalling likely policy changes in the areas of capital gains tax, negative gearing and personal taxation. Indeed, if you are in the top marginal taxation bracket, there will also be detrimental changes in family trusts and franking credits.

In April, I wrote about the implications for retirees resulting from the ALP’s plans to scrap cash rebates for franked dividends.

For those investors with self-managed super fund in retirement phase, franking credits represent a valuable part of their income strategy. Yet this stream would be affected were the ALP to win government and its franking credits plan become a reality.

Already we are witnessing a spike in demand for clarity among the many obtaining financial advice on how the mooted changes might play out.

My view is that the proposed changes discriminate against those in retirement: they are clearly targeted at those with an SMSF, those in retirement, and those that are not members of an industry-based fund. In the case of the franking credit rebate abolition, 96 per cent of the individuals affected have taxable income of less than $87,000.

The ALP’s proposed policies are going to hurt small business and will have broad ramifications across wealth management.

SOURCE 

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).    For a daily critique of Leftist activities,  see DISSECTING LEFTISM.  To keep up with attacks on free speech see Tongue Tied. Also, don't forget your daily roundup  of pro-environment but anti-Greenie  news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH .  Email me  here