RESPONSE FROM COALITION HEADQUARTERS

Mr David Nicholls
President
Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
Private Mailbag 6
Maitland SA 5573

Dear Mr Nicholls,

I am writing on behalf of Coalition Members of Parliament and candidates in relation to your recent survey.

Excepting the self evident truth that all citizens should be equal under the law, most of the matters raised within your organisation's survey are quite involved and go to the essence of human development and belief.

I do not believe that a simple yes/no survey can do justice to the importance and complexity of the issues covered. Accordingly, although keen to engage in debate on policy and values, the Coalition does not consider it appropriate to respond specifically to the questions raised.

I believe the choice at the coming election will be the starkest for a generation and you can be assured our policies reflect both the plans and experiences of the Government and the risk posed by a union dominated Labor Party.

Throughout the election campaign we will be progressively announcing further policies outlining our vision for Australia's future.

Once announced, these policies will be available at www.liberal.org.au and www. nationals. org.au.

Yours sincerely

Brian Loughnane
Federal Campaign Director

Mail Box 11, 120 Collins Street MELBOURNE VIC 3000 Ph 03 8637 2400 Fax 03 9662 9493

Brian Loughnane
Federal Campaign Director
On behalf of Coalition Members of Parliament and candidates

24th October, 07

Dear Mr Loughnane,

Thank you for your undated letter received 24th October 07 regrading the Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc Social Issues Survey. I must say that I was disappointed, but not surprised, and intrigued that you found fit to speak for all MP’s in The Coalition both sitting and those with political aspirations.

The matters raised in the Survey generally attract a ‘conscience vote’ and therefore that you have read the minds of all involved can be seen as nothing less than a remarkable feat. Your suggestions for a rephrasing of the Survey where it could be viewed as being "appropriate" would be appreciated.

The assertion that the AFA requires a yes/no answer is patently wrong. Respondents have the choices of; agree – disagree – no comment, to seven socially important statements.

The interference of religion in politics is becoming increasingly upsetting to millions of Australian voters and it is a very reasonable request that the public know the ‘beliefs’ held by their leaders. Electors place politicians in power, not for their own satisfaction or to implement their own (hidden) agendas, but to carry out the informed wishes of the electorate.

The survey will be resent at least once more before the election on November the 24th and it is hoped that a rethink will elicit a more publicly accountable response.

Yours sincerely,

David Nicholls
President

Dear Mr Nicholls,

I understand the Federal Director of my party has provided a response on my behalf to this questionnaire.

Kind regards,

Gary Humphries
SENATOR FOR THE ACT

Dear Gary,

The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc expected Coalition members and indeed all politicians to act with individual autonomy regarding this important survey.

Sincerely,

David

David Nicholls
President

RESPONSE FROM ALP CAMPAIGN INFORMATION

Federal Labor’s Response

Australians should have the right to Legal Voluntary Euthanasia.
In the limited circumstances when the legalisation of euthanasia has come before Federal Parliament (for instance, in Kevin Andrews' 1997 Private Members' Bill to overturn the euthanasia law of the Northern Territory), Labor has treated this issue as a matter of conscience. This means that Labor does not take a binding position on the issue, and Labor MPs are allowed a free vote. Labor takes this position because the issue of euthanasia is a very personal one, and individual Labor MPs have very strong ethical, religious and personal opinions both in favour of, and opposed to, euthanasia. A conscience vote allows MPs to express these opinions freely.

All citizens should be equal before the law regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Labor’s vision for Australia’s future is for a united nation where freedom, responsibility and power are fairly and equitably shared. Our commitment to human rights is based on our belief in the fundamental equality of all peoples.

Labor is committed to equality for gay men, lesbians and same sex couples and, if elected, will remove provisions which discriminate on the basis of sexuality.

That means ending discrimination in the areas of taxation, superannuation, social security benefits, the Medicare Safety Net, immigration, veteran’s entitlements and all other areas (aside from the Marriage Act). All practical, day-to-day discrimination faced by the gay and lesbian communities will be removed from our laws.

Women will get a better deal under a Rudd Labor Government. Labor wants Australia to be a high skill, high wage economy underpinning a fair society. Women’s participation is integral to both our social and economic goals.

The termination of pregnancy up to 22 weeks after conception should be at the sole discretion of the woman.
Labor’s National Platform and Constitution contains two statements on the issue of abortion. Firstly, Labor’s National Platform contains a statement that is broadly supportive of abortion (at page 209): 21. As women are the major users of health and community services, Labor will: …
• support the rights of women to determine their own reproductive lives, particularly the right to choose appropriate fertility control and abortion;
However, although this would appear to be a statement committing the party to abortion, it is not binding. The National Constitution states (at page 313):

5. Conference resolves that the matter of abortion can be freely debated at any State or federal forum of the Australian Labor Party, but any decision reached is not binding on any member of the Party.

'Intelligent design' or 'creationism' must not be taught as a scientific alternative to the theory of evolution in any Australian school.
Labor will establish a National Curriculum Board to ensure a rigorous, consistent and quality curriculum for all Australian students – from kindergarten to year 12 in the four key, core disciplines of English, history, maths and science. Any addition to the science curriculum would be determined by a National Curriculum Board which would consult with teachers, experts and parents and be based on the best available evidence. Choices about the religious views that children learn are matters for parents.

Comprehensive sex education should be compulsory in all schools.
This is an issue for State and Territory Government, Independent and Catholic school sectors in consultation with parents.

Religious instruction, whether by chaplains or any other means, has no place in the education of minors.
Federal Labor is focussed on the quality of education a child receives, whether that education is from a government, non-government, religious or secular school. Federal Labor is committed to parental choice in education, understanding that parents make decisions about where their children go to school on the basis of maximising their child's potential and giving them the best start in life. Often that choice is based on a variety of reasons, including a religious or personal conviction, and often parents make these decisions at considerable personal financial cost.

Church and state must remain separate.
Section 116 of the Constitution provides: Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth. Labor supports s116 of the Constitution as an important guarantee of personal liberty.

Dear Anonymous Labor Party official,

Thank you for your letter. Might I remind you that people do vote for individual Labor representatives and not the Labor Party as such? What their local Member thinks on social issues is therefore in the category of reasonable questions that need addressing.

Many of these concerns attract a conscience vote as you have pointed out. The Party Platform is thereby irrelevant as it tells the voter nought.

It was perplexing to read in The Age today – 9th November that “Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd pledged only to remove all the discriminations concerning inherit­ance and social security laws and other categories.”

The official Labor Party response in your letter under the heading in the AFA survey - All citizens should be equal before the law regardless of gender or sexual orientation, stated the following:

“Labor is committed to equality for gay men, lesbians and same sex couples and, if elected, will remove provisions which discriminate on the basis of sexuality.”
Electors have no other choice than be confused by the apparent contradiction. Maybe you could clear this up with a definitive and unambiguous statement. Does Labor intend to remove the 58 federal laws that discriminate against same-sex couples, identified by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission?

Yours Sincerely,

David

David Nicholls
President
Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc