Australia

Stop Digital ID – Demand the Coalition Repeal It!

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Stop Digital ID – Demand the Coalition Repeal It!

petition author imageGeorge Robert Christensen started this petition to Peter Dutton, and the Liberal National Coalition leadership team – 2024/07/16

Our Freedom is on the Line – Act NOW!

The Digital ID system is one of the most dangerous threats to our personal freedoms in modern Australian history. The Albanese Labor Government rushed this legislation through Parliament, silencing debate and ignoring widespread public opposition. If we don’t act now, Australians will be forced into a government-controlled digital identity regime that could restrict access to essential services, increase surveillance, and open the door to mass data breaches and abuse.

This is why we need the Liberal National Coalition to take a firm stand BEFORE the federal election.

The Digital ID Act Must Be Repealed – No Replacements, No Compromise!

Labor wants a permanent digital identity system that will track and control Australians’ access to daily life. This cannot be allowed to happen. We are demanding that the Liberal National Coalition leadership and marginal MPs publicly commit to:

✅ Repealing the Digital ID Act 2024 and its associated legislation if elected.

✅ Rejecting ANY future Digital ID system – no rebranded replacements, no second attempts.

✅ Making this an ironclad pre-election commitment, not just vague political rhetoric.

Why This Fight Matters

🔴 Erosion of Privacy & Freedom – The Digital ID system gives the government and corporations sweeping control over your data, your access to services, and even your daily activities.

🔴 Government Surveillance & Overreach – Once this system is in place, it will be expanded to monitor and control more aspects of our lives, just as we’ve seen with authoritarian regimes worldwide.

🔴 Security Risks & Data Breaches – The government cannot even secure its own sensitive data. Centralizing every Australian’s identity information creates a massive target for cyberattacks and identity fraud.

Time is Running Out – We Must Act NOW!

The next federal election is our chance to force the Opposition to take a real stand. If we allow weak, half-hearted commitments, the door remains open for a future government to expand and entrench Digital ID.

The Liberal National Coalition MUST publicly commit before the election to repealing Digital ID and ensuring no replacement system is ever introduced.

We need to make this issue politically unavoidable for every Liberal and National MP in a marginal seat. Their election chances depend on voters like us – and we must make it clear that failing to act will have consequences at the ballot box.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW – Demand the LNP Pledge to Repeal Digital ID!

https://citizengo.org/en-au/node/13531?dr=4177717::de7c0340d9371123da20362cd5fb2528&utm_source=em&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_content=em_btn&utm_campaign=EN_AU-2024-07-15-Local-NA-GCH-13531-Repeal_Digital_ID.03_AAB_Relaunch_1&mkt_tok=OTA3LU9EWS0wNTEAAAGZEhBQmT_ckQ1VoHGqRWCO3VWsN421SmBQk4CYda2Oa8ox9yGCLwlpsY9FEvFGEYB1sCriLZ2icA4dwClyo1AfG6frMfX7eOzQ–HFw1iP0tCaoZnucEY

Let Jesus Calm Your Storm

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As I write this, Tropical Cyclone Alfred is heading for Brisbane and is expected to wreak havoc though the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast areas as well as into the North Coast of New South Wales.

Tropical cyclones, called hurricanes or typhoons in other parts of the world, are very intense low pressure systems that generate huge winds and heavy rainfall, sometimes over very big areas. They can cause destruction and flooding and people rightly get nervous when a cyclone approaches. Readers of a certain age will recall Cyclone Tracey which on Christmas Eve 1974 flattened most of Darwin and killed 66 people.

Cyclones are very important in regulating the earth’s temperature. They are like conveyor belts for energy taking heat energy from the tropics and transporting it to more temperate regions. That is great for the planet, but not so good when people get in the way.

We often speak of storms as descriptions for what is happening in our lives. Relationships can be stormy. Angry individuals act like cyclones, destroying everyone they encounter. Sometimes we might go through a “perfect storm” where everything seems to be coming against us and it all threatens to overwhelm us.

On one occasion some followers of Jesus were caught out on the sea at night time in a tiny boat when a huge storm blew up. The waves threatened to sink the boat. They were already terrified when a ghostly figure approached them, walking on the water. One of them, Peter, called out, “Lord if it’s really you command me to walk on the water.” With that, Peter stepped out of the boat and strode across the waves that had a short time before scared him. (See Matthew 14:22-33)

You might be going through a “perfect storm” right now. Cyclone Alfred is nothing compared to the personal devastation you are fearing or feeling. Hand over all your cares to the Lord and put your trust in Him. He still calms the storms and gives us the grace to stride across them confidently.

Welcome To Country

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Meaning of “Welcome To Country


“Welcome To Country” or “Acknowledgement of Country” rituals have become pervasive throughout Australia in recent years. They range from a rushed acknowledgement of elders “past, present and emerging” through to long speeches by paid indigenous performers.

    People generally tolerate them as another tedious fact of life, like searching for somewhere to charge your phone, while others bristle at being “welcomed” to a place they have lived all their lives.

    On the web site of Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) there is a whole page dedicated to “Welcome to Country”, https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/welcome-country .

    On the AIATSIS page we read this:
    Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material sustenance, family and identity.

    Aboriginal people believe that there are spirits dwelling in the rocks, rivers, trees and so on, which must be respected by all people, but especially by visitors.

    Welcome To Country means telling the local spirits that a visitor has the support of the people:
    ‘Being welcomed to Country means that you are talking to your spiritual ancestors and you’re saying just let this person come through. We trust that they’re not going to do any harm on this Country and so do not harm them.’ — Jude Barlow, Ngunnawal Elder.

    An Acknowledgement of Country is described like this:
    Acknowledging when you’re on the land of Traditional Owners is a sign of respect which acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership and custodianship of the land, their ancestors and traditions. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can show this form of respect.

    What is described as “a form of respect” seems to carry political and social weight if it is acknowledging aboriginal ownership and custodianship of the land, especially when it is not restricted to land that has been ceded to Native Title.

    Worse still, from a christian point of view, is that a “Welcome To Country” is actually a religious ritual appeasing spirits. Christians rightly reject such occultic practices as tarot cards, ouija boards and the like, for the very reason that these are means of communicating with spirits. How can a “Welcome To Country” be any different?

    Use in Christian Gatherings

    In September 2023, the NSW Presbyterian Church passed a resolution forbidding the use of Welcome to Country/ Acknowledgement of Country in worship services.i It should be noted, though, that this did not necessarily apply to all meetings held on property owned by the Presbyterian Church.

      A the other extreme is the Uniting Church in Australia web site (uniting.church) which ha a banner that says


      The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly acknowledges the sovereign First Peoples of the lands and waters where we work in locations across the country. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and to all their descendants who have cared for this place since creation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware this website may contain images, voices, and videos of deceased persons.

      No explicitly christian gathering should use these rituals in any form. After all, they are an appeal to the spirits governing the land, where Christians recognise only one spirit in the land, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a part of creation but a member of the Trinity, the three-in-one creator of all things. This is what Paul called “another gospel” in which entities other than the Lord Jesus Christ are asked to bring protection.

      The spiritism (belief that spirits inhabit the landscape and interact with the human inhabitants) that underlies Aboriginal beliefs is at odds with the gospel. There is no way to bring the two world views together coherently. Unbelievers will probably say that it is a good thing to recognise indigenous people and their beliefs. For christians there can be no compromise.

      Given the all-pervasive nature of these rituals, it is hard to escape them. Every meeting run by a Government sponsored or funded organisation starts with the Welcome to Country. Every email or letter from a Government Department has an Acknowledgement of Country. You can’t even travel in a domestic airline now without being “Welcomed to Country” at the destination.

      How then should christians respond? I think that we are in the a similar situation here to Paul’s teaching about meat sacrificed to idols. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul tackles what was then a thorny question: Should christians eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols? At that time some of the meat that was available at the market may have been sacrificed to the local “gods”. Paul argues that as christians we know that the so-called gods are not real, and even if they are, they are inferior to the one God, the Father who created all things. Therefore is is not an issue, except if we are eating with a believer who is accustomed to thinking that these “gods” are real, in which case we should abstain in order to help this weaker brother’s conscience.

      Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul speaking on the same subject of meat offered to idols makes this statement:

      What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods?  No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.ii

      Making a fuss doesn’t help in these situations, and may harden people against the Good News. If we must endure these pagan rituals in modern Australia, then we should do so with grace. We should pray and bind the spirits in silent prayer and quietly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.

      Alternatives to “Welcome to Country”

      A number of people have suggested christian alternatives to Welcome/ Acknowledgement words.

        One such suggestion is Psalm 24, which opens with the words:


        The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. 
        For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. 

        A group called Revival Ministries Australia has produced this Acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus Christ, which they recommend be read at the beginning of meetings

        Acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus Christ

        Today I acknowledge the Lordship and Godhood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We acknowledge You, Jesus, as the Owner and Possessor of all things, including the land that we are meeting on today, in accordance with Your word from Psalm 24:1 which says, “The earth is Yahweh’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell therein”.

        We acknowledge that the nations are Your inheritance and that the ends of the earth are the possession of Jesus, the Son of God according to Your word in Psalm 2:8.

        We acknowledge that the name of Jesus is the name above every name, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those beneath the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father – Philippians 2:9-11

        We acknowledge You Jesus as the Only Way to know the Father, the One who is Truth Himself and the One who is Eternal Life. No-one compares to You! – John 14:6

        We acknowledge You as the Great I AM, the Lord of the Harvest, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Blessed and Only Potentate and Sovereign, and we thank You for this most awesome opportunity and privilege to meet together, on this land, in Your name where You are Present in the midst of us.

        Amen.

        Conclusion

        We are surrounded these days by aspects of animist aboriginal practices. We can become complacent about them and think they do not do any harm.

          Generic Acknowledgement of Country statements are probably quite harmless. When a person is on specific aboriginal land and is welcomed by the local elders, this may carry more weight, and open the person up to demonic oppression. Smoking Ceremonies specifically appeal to the spirits to protect a person from “bad spirits”, and as such should be avoided by christians.

          Western Australia elder Rodney Rivers has detailed some of these cases and the effects that have hounded people for a long time after participating in these cultural rituals.iii

          Christians must put the lordship of Jesus Christ at the forefront of their thinking at all times. This is especially true when being forced to participate in pagan practices. Let us maintain good grace and take the opportunity to pray in the name of Jesus.


          Notes

          i. See this and numerous news reports from the time. https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/presbyterian-church-of-australia-rules-indigenous-acknowledgement-of-country-not-appropriate-for-service/news-story/6d80e4cc84e4591b914bb9e39cbe1948

          ii. 1 Cor. 10:19-20

          iii. https://dailydeclaration.org.au/2019/11/25/australia-my-country-the-smoking-ceremony-and-its-effects-rodney-rivers/

          Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

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          Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

          Halloween has only become a big deal in Australia over the last few decades. As a boy growing up, it barely rated a mention, except through the ever present American TV shows. In Australia, it was generally ignored, considered irrelevant.

          Recently in a quick trip to my local Woolworth store, I was surprised to see a big crate of oversized orange pumpkins. In America, Halloween is now the second biggest commercial holiday, only behind Christmas. I don’t know that we are at that point yet, but clearly retailers are pushing the band wagon.

          The promotion of the dark side of the spiritual realm raises the question, should christians celebrate Halloween. It is not a simple question to answer definitively, but on reflection, the answer is “No.”

          The Origins of Halloween

          Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain. This festival marked the changing seasons and the descent into winter. Winter was seen as a season of death, because in the places where the Celts lived, plants did not grow , animals hibernated or moved to warmer places.

          It was the beginning of the Celtic year and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves.

          In 837 Pope Gregory III named November 1st as All Saints Day, a day to celebrate al the saints who have reached eternal life in heaven. All Saints Day was also known as All Hallows Day and the night before became known as Hallows Eve or Halloween. In Christian Europe it was a time to reflect on the character of the great saints.

          The pagan beliefs and practices never died out completely. With the decline of christianity as a cultural force in much of the West, it is not surprising that Halloween has been reinvented as a season to celebrate the dark side of spirituality.

          Our Response to Halloween

          The starting point for a christian response to Halloween is to recognise that the spirit realm is real- demons are real, witchcraft is real, spiritism is real.

          In the past the church has responded to cultural forces such as Samhain by christianising them, that is appropriating them and converting them to a christian purpose. As the light of the gospel is being rejected by our culture, the darkness of Halloween is gaining ground. The old approach of appropriation no longer applies.

          Some argue that christians should be shining the light of the gospel at this time of the year. How that can be done varies from place to place. In parts of the USA the main focus on Halloween is not the spooks but on fancy dress and parties. Clearly christians can and should be involved in being light in these situations.

          Some churches, again in the USA, opt to produce other Halloween celebrations that are more in line with the gospel.

          However where people are asked to celebrate the occult in any form, christians should generally not be present. Not only are these things unhelpful, they can lead to demonic oppression by participating in things that the Lord has specifically forbidden.

          In 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 we read: “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?”

          The celebration of Halloween presents just one more opportunity (or challenge) for the believer to be in the world but not of the world.

          Thirty Days to Cycle Around Australia!

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          From road.cc

          450km a day, sweltering heat and headwinds, and dodging kangaroos and truck drivers: Lachlan Morton completes epic 14,210km lap of Australia by bike in 30 days and 10 hours – over a week faster than previous record

          “Trying to complete the route and also not get run over was a challenge in itself”

          by Ryan Mallon

          Sat, Oct 05, 2024 14:26

          1

          30 days, nine hours, and 59 minutes – and 14,210km – after rolling out of Port Macquarie, Lachlan Morton arrived back in his hometown at 1.54pm local time on Saturday afternoon, having completed the fastest known lap of Australia by bike.

          The EF Education-EasyPost pro averaged a staggering 450km a day to set the Around Australia record, pending verification from the official arbiters of such things, beating the previous mark by over a week, after battling sweltering heat, brutal headwinds and rain, and the usual dangers on the road (close passing lorry drivers), along with the not-so-usual (kangaroos and snakes).

          The record is the latest mammoth ultra-cycling feat for the 32-year-old, who in recent years has ditched the rigours of the WorldTour for a more varied, off-beat racing and riding schedule, winning Unbound Gravel in June and completing similar solo tours in the past.

          These have included his ‘Alt Tour’ in 2021, which saw him ride every stage of that year’s Tour de France (plus transfers, and sometimes in sandals) ahead of the peloton, clocking 5,509km in 18 days, while he also covered 1,000km non-stop in a fundraising ride for Ukraine in 2022.

          Lachlan Morton on unreleased Cannondale 2 - EF Pro Cycling

          (Karter Machen/EF Education-EasyPost)

          To qualify for the Around Australia record, the country’s most prestigious cycling distance record, first set in 1899, Morton had to cover at least 14,200km and pass through six of the following cities and towns: Adelaide, Brisbane, Broome, Darwin, Esperance, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. The rest of the route was left up to him, and he was also permitted to bring a support crew of hardy friends and family along for the ride.

          Before his homecoming in Port Macquarie this afternoon, the previous record, as certified by the Road Record Association of Australia, stood at 37 days, 20 hours, and 45 minutes, set in 2011 by Brisbane-based Dave Alley. However, another time of 37 days, one hour, and 18 minutes, courtesy of Reid Anderton, is credited by Guinness World Records, though Anderton’s lap covered 14,178km, falling short of the RRA’s minimum distance.

          In any case, once all the paperwork is completed, Morton’s time will certainly put that particular debate to rest, with his time of 30 days, nine hours, and 59 minutes for the 14,210km loop blowing those previous marks out of the water by around a week.

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          Lachlan Morton on unreleased Cannondale - EF Pro Cycling

          > “Not ideal, but it happens”: Lachlan Morton wakes up “drenched in sweat” and vomits up breakfast – but still manages to compete 500km in one day during Lap of Australia attempt

          Along the way, the 32-year-old was forced to endure long, hot days in the saddle on even longer, dead-straight roads in the outback, speed-debilitating headwinds, bouts of nausea and sickness, sleepless, sweat-drenched nights, and plenty of 500km and 600km, 16-hour-long epic days on the bike.

          Despite the seemingly never-ending torture of it all, Morton did find time three weeks into his ride to pull over and help an injured bird by the roadside, though that wasn’t his only encounter with Australia’s wildlife.

          During one nighttime ride, he collided with a kangaroo that had leapt on the road, almost sending him over his handlebars, while he also spent a day dodging snakes on southern Australia’s Nullabor Plain.

          Lachlan Morton, Lap of Australia attempt (Karter Machen/EF Education-EasyPost)

          (Karter Machen/EF Education-EasyPost)

          Animals were the least of his worries, however. On the 25th day of his ride, Morton was forced to “bail off the side of the road” after an oncoming lorry driver close passed him – a startlingly frequent sight on Australia’s roads that forced the EF pro to eventually eschew the continent’s faster, more dangerous roads and seek out some quieter gravel trails.

          > “The truck driver actually tried to kill me”: Lachlan Morton forced to “bail off the side of the road” as lorry driver “kept going directly at me” and “didn’t move his truck one inch” during monster ‘Lap of Australia’ effort

          “I just had the first truck driver actually try and kill me,” Morton said on his daily Instagram video following that particularly bad close pass.

          “He just kept driving directly at me, until I realised he wasn’t going to move. So I bailed off the side of the road. He didn’t even flinch, didn’t move his truck one inch.

          “All good things come to an end, but the trucks seemed to have quieted down a bit… Basically I just get off the road when they come. There’s no shoulder and it’s just not worth taking the risk.”

          Lachlan Morton, Lap of Australia attempt (Karter Machen/EF Education-EasyPost)

          (Karter Machen/EF Education-EasyPost)

          “Trying to complete the route and also not get run over, it’s been a challenge in itself, for sure,” Morton told CNN(link is external) towards the end of his ride this week.

          “Rainy days, big, long headwind days – I think mentally they’re probably the most challenging. You’re going to spend 17 or 18 hours just pedalling in one direction straight into the wind, which is quite maddening, to be honest.

          Read the rest of the article here

          Home Improvements- Days 24 & 25

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          So, the electricians finished their work late this afternoon. The kitchen sink was late arriving but all the plumbing finished, even though the tradies had to sacrifice their prime drinking time.

          This is a picture of the new unit we installed in the back veranda to keep some undesirable activities out of the kitchen- that would be things like water changes in the fish tank, Tim cooking sausages and his Soda Stream.

          I have produced a bit of a video that I will edit into a “Before and After” feature next week. As usual with these things, we find ourselves hosting a seminar weekend the same time we are wanting to move in.

          Home Improvements Day 23

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          Lights! Camera! Action!

          We have lights everywhere, including LEDs under the kitchen cupboard.

          The electrician asked us if we wanted dimmers on the downlights, in case they are too bright. Too bright is a problem we have never had before. I think they will be right without them.

          We are lacking a sink, however. Apart from that, the kitchen is sort of usable.

          Tomorrow, it’s more shenanigans with the sparkies, including a trench to be dug out to the power pole.

          We have the gas and power on, so we can heat up the living room!

          Margaret is threatening to come home to sleep tonight. It will be the first time in a month.

          Home Improvements Day 22

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          We have a new floor!

          It’s been a long day for the boys. They thought they would be done by about 2 pm, but it’s after 5 and they are still going.

          It looks great. In fact, it looks so good that the first thing Margaret wants to do is cover it up with a large rug.

          Tomorrow it’s electrics and plumbing. Nearly there!

          Home Improvements Day 21

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          We have carpet in the bedroom!

          Slight technical problem is that the doors don’t work. The builders will be in tomorrow to shave the doors. It’s a bit ironic because Dan, one of the chief workers, has told us he hates cutting doors. I hope he doesn’t want to shave the carpet or lower the floor.

          The flooring guys also laid the MDF boards and will get the vinyl down by tomorrow afternoon.

          It’s looking good to be all done by the end of the week.