Australian Politics
Surrogacy advocates defend family-making practice, after Pope Francis calls for blanket ban of 'deplorable' act
I must say that I find it distasteful when male homosexuals are given access to surrogate parenting. I think all children need a mother. In the case below, however, the actual mother -- the egg donor - remains in close contact so I am less disturbed by that
Stephen Page and his husband Mitch were brought to tears when a friend offered to become a surrogate mother and give birth to a child for them so they could form a family.
"It was Christmas Day, of all days, when she said she loved us both and wanted to be our surrogate," Mr Page said.
"Then a very good friend offered to be an egg donor. "Both of them were giving the gift of life to us."
That gift is now a "magical", four-year-old girl named Elizabeth who has taken to calling Mitch "Dad" and Stephen "Daddy", so they know who she is referring to.
The women who helped to bring Elizabeth into the world are also part of her life, as they remain close friends of the family.
As the Pages are based in Brisbane, Elizabeth was born through an unpaid, altruistic surrogacy arrangement, the only kind of surrogacy legal in Australia.
A nationwide ban on commercial surrogacy — which is available to prospective parents in several countries overseas — means it is illegal to pay surrogate mothers in Australia.
But all types of surrogacy are back in the spotlight following a call earlier this week by the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, for a worldwide ban on all forms of surrogacy.
In his yearly speech to diplomats in Vatican City on Monday, the pope declared surrogacy to be a "deplorable" act that exploited poor women.
"I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother's material needs," Pope Francis said.
"A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract."
Pope Francis has previously described surrogacy as using a "uterus for rent" and a practice that commercialises motherhood.
The Catholic Church also opposes in-vitro fertilisation, abortion, artificial contraception and homosexual sex, although in a landmark ruling in late 2023, Pope Francis approved blessings for same-sex couples.
The Archdiocese of Brisbane did not respond to the ABC's requests for comment on the pope's latest condemnation of surrogacy.
Mr Page, who is a fertility lawyer and surrogacy advocate, said the pope's comments were hypocritical, as the numerous cases of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests meant the church did not have the high ground when it came to sexual morality.
"It's a bit rich to hear the Catholic Church, of all institutions, talking about women's and children's rights given their history," Mr Page said.
"They should put their own house in order first," he said.
However, Mr Page said there were legitimate concerns about women being exploited overseas, with the majority of Australians who pursue surrogacy to create or expand their families going abroad to find surrogate mothers.
He said, in his opinion, surrogate mothers should be allowed to receive payments in Australia, because the current system disincentivises local surrogacy, resulting in more people entering into commercial arrangements overseas.
A Monash University paper, 'Australian intended parents’ decision-making and characteristics and outcomes of surrogacy arrangements completed in Australia and overseas', noted that overseas surrogate mothers and the babies they gave birth to had worse health outcomes, including higher rates of preterm births, multiple births, and neonatal intensive care, than babies born via surrogates in Australia.
Sweeping changes to ACT surrogacy laws proposed
The ACT government proposes changes to the territory's surrogacy laws, including allowing single people to access surrogacy and removing the requirement for the intended parent to have a genetic connection to the child.
The researchers found that overseas surrogacy practices included many cases of multiple embryo transfers and anonymous egg donations, which are both illegal in Australia.
Their survey revealed the most common reasons Australians sought international surrogacy were difficulties finding a local surrogate and the complicated legal processes at home.
"Improving access to surrogacy at a domestic level would reduce the number of people engaging with international arrangements and, in turn, reduce the potential for harm," the paper found.
There were 213 Australian babies born through international surrogacy in the 2021-22 financial year.
This compares with 100 surrogacy births reported by Australian and New Zealand fertility clinics in 2021.
'A beautiful extended family'
Surrogacy lawyer Sarah Jefford said she felt blessed to become the surrogate mother for two Melbourne dads in 2018.
The podcaster said in her view she was receiving the gift of life just as much as she was giving it.
She said throughout the process she formed an intimate bond with the two dads and her surrogate daughter, who is about to turn six.
"While they gained parenthood and the ability to raise and parent her, what we gained together was this beautiful extended family," Mrs Jefford said.
"I am her Aunty Sarah and we spend time together, I've babysat for her, and we celebrate milestones like birthdays and Christmas together."
Growing Families global director Sam Everingham said there needed to be a global framework to regulate surrogacy overseas.
The Australia-based research organisation advises governments and families who are considering undertaking surrogacy.
Mr Everingham said some countries had very poor protections for surrogates, but the solution was not a blanket ban on all surrogacy.
He said Australian surrogacy was very highly regulated. "We've got many thousands of surrogates who do so in an ethical manner," he said.
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IPA poll reveals overwhelming majority of Aussies want to celebrate Australia Day and are against changing the date
Less than one in five Australians want to change the date of Australia Day while nine in ten Aussies say they're 'proud to be Australian'.
A new poll from the Institute of Public Affairs surveyed more than 1,000 Australians about their attitude towards Australia Day.
It found nearly two-thirds of Australians, 63 per cent, agree the date of Australia Day should stay as January 26 - the day the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove in 1788.
In recent years, the national holiday has grown increasingly controversial with many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians referring to it as 'Invasion Day' because it marks the beginning of Australia's colonisation.
However, only 17 per cent of survey participants believe the date should be changed while 20 per cent had no opinion.
The 2024 result closely aligns with the IPA's previous annual survey results, which also found the majority of Australians want to keep Australia Day on January 26.
Data collected also revealed the only age group in which the majority supported a date change was 18-24-year-olds.
IPA deputy executive director Daniel Wild blames young Australians' attitude on 'relentless indoctrination' in schools.
'Australia is the greatest nation on earth. Our way of life and freedoms are the envy of the world and they must be cherished and celebrated,' he told the Daily Telegraph.
'It is concerning just 42 per cent of those aged 18-24 support Australia Day on January 26.
'This is a direct result of relentless indoctrination taking place at schools and universities - a strong majority of younger Australians beyond the years of formal education support our national day.
'You can hardly blame young Australians for having a negative view of their country given they are continually told it is not worth celebrating or fighting for.'
NSW upper house member Rachel Merton has been a vocal for keeping Australia Day on the 26th. 'On the 26th of January we celebrate the miracle of modern Australia,' she said.
'We recognise the incredible courage and vision of Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet, and give thanks for the privilege of living in the world's greatest democracy.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12961361/Australia-Day-January-26-change-date.html
*********************************************EV charging company ChargePoint pulls the plug on Australia as US-owned network shuts down stations in NSW, Victoria and Queensland
Electric car charging firm ChargePoint will shut down its network of almost 50 stations in a major blow to Anthony Albanese's plan to turn Australia green.
The US-owned company confirmed in an email to company members that it would shut down its charging stations in NSW, Victoria and Queensland from February 1.
ChargePoint told its customers it will 'no longer maintain a presence in Australia' and would cease operations of its 46 charging ports.
Electric vehicle owners have until the end of January to use the charging stations - which can only be accessed with a credit or ChargePoint card - despite the brand's app no longer working.
ChargePoint installed its first EV station in Australia in 2010 and expanded across the country's east coast as popularity of electric cars rose among motorists.
However, in 2020 the brand stopped maintaining its charging ports in Australia, with its network of stations operating via remote support from the US.
ChargePoint claimed it would shut down its charging ports in May, last year, after its local and US divisions split.
However, it took an additional seven months for the company to finalise its exit from the Australian market.
The move comes after ChargePoint announced it would be firing 12 per cent of its global workforce.
The Californian-based company share price reached a peak of $US46.10 in late 2020 but is now sitting at an all-time low of $US2.
Customers who have remaining credit on their accounts after February 1 will be refunded their full amount.
It comes after Australian EV charging company Tritium closed its doors on its local factory before Christmas, leaving the jobs of up to 400 workers uncertain.
The troubled fast-charging firm announced the closure at the company's annual general meeting that it would shut Murrarie, Brisbane factory on December 22.
Tritium confirmed it would consolidate manufacturing operations at its Tennesse base in the US in a desperate bid to save money after its share price plummeted 98 per cent.
The company will keep a research and development business in Brisbane and has claimed only 75 workers will be laid off when the factory shuts, but did not disclose if there will be further rounds of redundancies.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the factory in March, last year, to publicise it as a shining example of his advanced green manufacturing ambitions.
The Prime Minister labelled the achievements of the Aussie start-up, founded in 2001, as 'extraordinary'. 'This company has grown in a very short period of time to operate in 42 different countries,' Mr Albanese said. 'This is my third visit to Tritium. Every time I come back, I hear about more revenue, more jobs being created, and more countries where Australia is exporting to. 'This is a great success story here... and the capacity that they have to grow further is just extraordinary.'
The federal government refused to step in with a rescue package for Tritium despite the importance of chargers for the increased take-up of electric vehicles.
Tritium submitted an application to the government's National Reconstruction Fund, which aims to rebuild Australia’s industrial base, but was reportedly rejected.
The $15 billion fund was created to provide loans, guarantees, and equity for projects to create secure, well-paid jobs and drive regional development.
However, Tritium failed to secure new funding to safeguard their factory's future and was forced to shut its doors.
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Big switch: The Sydney suburbs rejecting public education
Parents want to avoid the chaos of government schools
More Sydney parents are pulling their children out of the public education system at the end of year 6 and enrolling them in private high schools compared with a decade ago.
The growing exodus of students to private schools comes after years of sustained public focus on teacher shortages and debates over education funding.
Department of Education enrolment figures, which track the progression of public pupils through each year of their schooling, show more than 9000 year 6 students left the public system between 2021 and 2022, equating to 21 per cent of the year 6 cohort.
When schools in the rest of NSW were included, the exodus grew to more than 12,000 pupils in 2022, the latest year for which data is available.
In Sydney, the local government areas Canada Bay, Bayside and Cumberland recorded the biggest declines, with the number of students attending public high schools falling by more than 50 per cent between year 6 in 2021 and year 7 in 2022.
NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president Craig Petersen said public schools perform just as well as private schools in the HSC and other academic tests after socio-economic effects are considered.
“Parents are choosing to send them to the non-government sector because there is a mistaken belief they will get better results, but it is a fact that our public schools perform at least as well as non-government schools,” he said.
Grattan Institute education program director Jordana Hunter said it was important for the state system to make the case to parents that public schools can provide a high-quality education.
“Parents choose school for a range of reasons, one of them is the peer group they’re selecting for their children. Parents from more advantaged backgrounds can seek out schools with children from similar social groups,” she said.
“The consequence of that is the increased concentration of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in public schools, that can create challenges in terms of teaching and learning.”
Anglican Schools Corporation chief executive Peter Fowler, whose organisation oversees 18 schools in Sydney, said successive state governments had not built public schools in growing areas on the city’s fringes.
“There is not as broad a choice for parents, so they’re looking at what the independent schools have to offer,” he said.
On school tours, parents were less interested in the buildings and more interested in the culture and what classes were like. “They liked to speak to existing students about their experiences, they wanted to hear about that, not the facilities in the school,” he said.
Demographer Mark McCrindle said the shift to the private system, replicated around Australia, was in part driven by older millennials (born from 1981 onwards), who were increasingly opting for faith-based schools for their children, despite a declining percentage of Australians identifying as religious.
“They’re not churchgoers or mosque attenders – they’re saying, some of the values which come from that particular educational foundation does work,” he said.
Catholic Schools chief executive Dallas McInerney said his sector had its strongest growth in more than a decade in the past year. “We’re welcoming more and more families from non-Catholic families. It is a vote of confidence in Catholic schools,” he said.
A St Paul’s Grammar School in Cranebrook, which is a non-denominational Christian school in Sydney’s west, principal Ian Wake said parents who were not particularly religious were drawn to the focus on mental wellbeing for their child.
“Across the board, there has been an increase in mental health issues and anxiety. We have appointed a coordinator of wellbeing and a wellbeing framework throughout the school … that appeals to parents,” he said.
Mother of three Liz Henry from Cremorne sent her daughters to the local public primary school. “My experience of public school has been very positive,” she said.
However, she decided to send them to a religious school for their secondary education. She had attended a single-sex private high school and wanted a school for her daughters that went beyond academics.
“It was important to me and to us as parents that there was a code of conduct or a set of values which were going to be instilled into our children … It didn’t have to be religious but there had to be some guiding principles,” she said.
A NSW Department of Education spokesman said there were currently 800,000 students enrolled in public schools– meaning the majority of school-aged children were educated in public schools.
“Through our new plan for NSW Public Education, we are explicitly aiming to make NSW public schools the first choice for young people and their families,” he said.
That plan, released in November, said the Department was addressing staffing shortages in public schools by giving teachers pay rises of up to $10,000 and would bolster student wellbeing via whole-of-school approaches. Success in some areas would be measured via “increasing community confidence in public education”.
“We have taken strides to ensure public schools continue to be the first choice for the majority of families, such as the recent historic pay rise for over 95,000 teachers, making them some of them the highest-paid public school teachers in the nation,” he said.
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Pregnant nurse Ella refused to get a Covid jab and was duly sacked from her job at a children's hospital. Now she's plotting revenge
A passionate nurse is threatening legal action after she was sacked this week for refusing to get a Covid jab in 2021 - even though the mandate for healthcare workers was repealed in September 2023.
Ella Leach, 29, secretary of the Nurses Professional Association QLD, sued Queensland Health for her 'unfair dismissal' last weekend.
The seven-months pregnant mum-to-be is also demanding an apology from Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace for making 'misleading' comments about her case.
Ms Leach claims that by firing more than 1,200 nurses in a similar position, the state's government is 'just trying to prove a point' in the middle of a health care worker shortage.
'Terminating experienced nurses in a critical workforce shortage after keeping them in limbo for over two years, which to all appearances seems to be a power play… .I don't think, passes the pub test,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'This is not about me. This is about thousands of healthcare workers prevented from working in their profession.'
Ms Grace had said there had been 'specific circumstances' behind Ms Leach's firing when she was asked about the decision to sack her.
According to Ms Leach however, the only allegation listed in her termination letter regarded her refusal to comply with the vaccine mandate.
'Ms Grace has my permission to elaborate further about the 'specific circumstances' surrounding my case,' she told the Courier Mail.
'Considering another pregnant nurse was sacked from Queensland Health two days after myself, I know that this is not an isolated incident.'
The Minister had previously said that 'there was more' to Ms Leach's case than met the eye, but that she was unable to disclose any extra details due to privacy concerns.
'It's very hard to comment on an individual case, but I think there's more to this case in relation to this,' Ms Grace said.
'We are doing all that we can to attract health workers but quite clearly, when directions are given, we expect them to be followed.'
In a letter replying to the Minister, Ms Leach wrote that she had 'relinquished any right to privacy' and was 'eager' to hear the circumstances that Ms Grace was referring to.
'I am yet to receive any further information ... beyond what was espoused in my termination letter,' Ms Leach wrote.
'Otherwise, I would like to receive an apology from you for portraying my circumstances of dismissal as anything other than what they were - a pregnant Queensland Health nurse being dismissed for disobeying a Health Employment Directive that is no longer in force.'
Queensland's hospital system has been plagued since the pandemic by long waiting times and ambulance ramping.
Ms Leach believes this is almost entirely due to a chronic lack of staffing.
'Nurses are pushed to the point of burn out, women are unable to give birth in our rural facilities and forced to have caesarians far from home - and all exacerbated by the fact that we don’t have enough nurses and midwives in our healthcare facilities.'
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Grace's office and Queensland Health for comment.
Ms Leach worked as a registered nurse for seven years and had experience in neurosurgical, neurology, orthopaedics, medical and oncology.
Prior to the pandemic she had never been subject to disciplinary processes or management intervention.
Speaking to Sky News Australia on Tuesday, Ms Leach said that the drama had taken her attention away from her pregnancy.
'I should be focused on the joys of becoming a first time mum but it has been overshadowed by this whole process,' she said.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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Evelyn Rae, a 
Sahara Ray is undoubtedly a good-looking woman. Since she is Australian-born there is even a possibility that we may be distantly related
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