Tag Archives: Australia

ABC News reports: Federal Liberal MPs have overwhelmingly decided to keep their current policy on same-sex marriage. Only seven Liberals voted to change the policy after a two-hour meeting ended with a show of hands. The seven MPs who voted to change the policy were: Warren Entsch and Trevor Evans (Qld), Tim Wilson and Jason Wood (Vic), John Alexander and …

Australia’s public broadcaster reports: A private members’ bill, supported by Dean Smith [photo], Trent Zimmerman, Warren Entsch, Trevor Evans and Tim Wilson, has been circulated ahead of a special party room meeting on the issue in Canberra on Monday afternoon. The legislation would allow two people to marry regardless of their sex or gender. It also would protect all religious …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump made building a wall along the southern U.S. border and forcing Mexico to pay for it core pledges of his campaign. But in his first White House call with Mexico’s president, Trump described his vow to charge Mexico as a growing political problem, pressuring the Mexican leader to stop saying publicly that his government …

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: Malcolm Turnbull today cleared the way for a Liberal bill legalising same-sex marriage by endorsing the right of back benchers to offer their own legislation. The Prime Minister moved from a strict insistence that Coalition policy was to hold a plebiscite on the Marriage Act change before any legislation entered Parliament. An increasing number of …

The Australian reports: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has poured cold water on a Liberal backbencher’s move to present a private member’s bill to allow a conscience vote on same-sex marriage. “The government’s policy is very clear: we support a plebiscite where all Australians would be given a vote on the matter and that remains our policy,” he told reporters in …

The Associated Press reports: Cardinal George Pell, a top adviser to Pope Francis, took a leave of absence as the Vatican’s financial chief Thursday to fight criminal charges in his native Australia that alleged he committed sexual assault years ago. Pell forcefully denied the accusations, denounced what he called a “relentless character assassination” in the media and said he would …

The Guardian reports: Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic and the third-ranking official in the Vatican, has been charged with multiple sexual offences by police. The charges were served on Pell’s legal representatives in Melbourne on Thursday and they have been lodged also at Melbourne magistrates court. He will appear at Melbourne magistrates court on 18 July. “Cardinal Pell …

The BBC reports: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been recorded apparently mocking US President Donald Trump in footage leaked by the media. Mr Turnbull was filmed speaking at an event for the Australian media at Parliament House on Wednesday night. The event is normally not reported on, but the political editor at Australia’s Nine Network said he had chosen …

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: In the skit released on Saturday night in Paris, McEnroe said Court telling fans that “tennis is full of lesbians” prompted three thoughts to him. “This is true and who gives a f**k? This is not true and who should give a f**k? This is half true and should we really give a f**k?”, he …

The BBC reports: Tennis great Margaret Court believes there is a “conspiracy” from the “US gay lobby” to strip her name from one of the Australian Open stadiums. The 74-year-old has been criticised for her beliefs on same-sex marriage, with 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova calling for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed. “They have a lot of …

This morning the Australian press published an open letter from Martina Navratilova to the arena named for fellow tennis legend and raging homophobe Margaret Court. From the Sydney Morning Herald: Dear Margaret Court Arena, Sporting venues named for athletes, or any place, really, named for whoever, are so named for one reason. That reason is their whole body of work. …

Perth Now reports: Margaret Court has reaffirmed her opposition to homosexuality, telling a Christian radio station that tennis is “full of lesbians”. Speaking to 20Twenty Vision Christian radio host Neil Johnson on Monday, Court said when she was on the professional tennis tour lesbian players would try to influence younger players. “When I was playing there was only a couple …

NBC News reports: Declaring “love comes in all flavors,” Ben & Jerry’s said Thursday it’s banning its Australian customers from buying two scoops of the same flavor of ice cream until same-sex marriage is legalized across the country. Ben & Jerry’s, based in Vermont, is famous for its socially conscious advocacy, from combatting climate change to promoting ethical treatment of …

Tennis.com reports: Former tennis great and now Christian pastor Margaret Court says she will stop using Qantas “where possible” in protest over the Australian airline’s promotion of same-sex marriage. “I am disappointed that Qantas has become an active promoter for same-sex marriage,” Perth resident Court said in the letter published in The West Australian newspaper. “I believe in marriage as …

CNN Money reports: The CEO of Australian airline Qantas says he’ll continue to publicly support same-sex marriage after he was attacked with a pie over the issue. “My opinion on this has not changed,” Alan Joyce said in a statement Wednesday. “We’ll continue to speak about important social issues including indigenous reconciliation, gender diversity and marriage equality, because it’s the …

The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump contradicted his spokeswoman’s statement that he was just being nice when he said Australia has a better healthcare system than the United States Friday, saying “of course” Australia’s universal healthcare system is better. Earlier Friday, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump wasn’t saying Australia’s healthcare system was better than the United …

CNN reports: Hours after scoring a victory in the House to effectively kill Obamacare, US President Donald Trump praised Australia’s universal health care system during a press conference with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. “It’s going to be fantastic health care,” Trump said, referring to his new health care plan. “I shouldn’t say this to our great gentleman and my friend …

The Australian reports: Some of the country’s biggest businesses have upped the ante in the crusade for marriage equality by asking Australians to wear a specially designed “acceptance ring” until same-sex marriage is legalised. Led by accommodation provider Airbnb and supported by Qantas, ANZ, Fairfax Media and Foxtel, the Until We Belong campaign has been billed as the “most public …

The BBC reports: Former Australian Labor Party leader Mark Latham has been fired from his political chat show by Sky News Australia after a series of controversial remarks. His recent comments about women in the media and schoolchildren proved too much for the broadcaster. He had questioned a 15-year-old boy’s sexuality and attacked fellow presenters on air. Latham has long …

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: A court has allowed a four-year-old girl to be adopted by a same-sex couple despite her birth parents’ opposition on the basis of their Catholic faith. The girl was taken from her birth mother at four days old due to the mother’s long history of drug use and conviction for the manslaughter of her infant …