"I don't think we have to speculate. All we have to do is look at the countries where same-sex marriage has been brought in." - Prof. Iain Benson "It's not possible for a politician to promise that there will be no changes." - Prof. Janet Epp-Buckingham Besides the ICS publications on this topic, a series of short
Research conducted by the International Labour Organization and the Walk Free Foundation reveals that currently, there are likely over 40 million people in slavery-like conditions worldwide. An estimated 25 million of these are in the Asia Pacific, and over 28 million are women and girls. One in four are under the age of 18. A
Executive Summary This paper outlines some of the implications of same sex marriage. One of these is the accelerated legal and cultural damage to freedom of speech, conscience and religion for those who support traditional marriage. That issue is not just about forcing ministers to conduct weddings or bakers to bake cakes for same sex
Mark Sneddon quoted in The Australian: "Rights Clash Looms in Same-Sex Debate" by Paul Kelly, 12/8/17 "Institute for Civil Society executive director Mark Sneddon summarises his views based on his submission to the Senate committee: “I am extremely concerned about the lack of legal protection across this country in terms of freedom of conscience, belief
Mark Sneddon quoted in The Australian: "Christians Plan to Target Coalition" by Simon Benson, 8/8/17 "Institute for Civil Society executive director Mark Sneddon, a board member of Freedom for Faith, yesterday warned there were holes in Australia’s discrimination regime that would be exacerbated by the legislation of same-sex marriage. He called for urgent changes to
Education Department officials in Queensland have decided that primary school students can’t talk about Christianity or even give Christmas cards because this is “evangelism” and creates an unsafe environment. This policy, which officials admit is unsupported by any statute or regulation, has the smell of totalitarianism. It also has the smell of discriminatory bigotry. It doesn’t apply to
The antidote to the slow yet real monopolisation of community by the state is a strong civil society and the voluntary associations that thrive within it. Voluntary associations are key to protecting diversity in a pluralistic society, write ICS' Peter Mulherin and Simon P. Kennedy in the Centre for Independent Studies' quarterly POLICY Magazine. Read
In mid-February 2017, Attorney-General George Brandis asked the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to inquire into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia. The inquiry called for submissions exploring: The nature and extent of modern slavery (including slavery, forced labour and wage exploitation, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, human trafficking, forced marriage
On Sunday 2nd of April, ICS Executive Director Mark Sneddon was interviewed by Stephen O'Doherty for Open House, a current affairs program on Hope 103.2 (Sydney). Mark and Stephen discussed the importance of the freedom of speech in Australian society in the context of section 18C. Mark maintained that the irresponsible use of free speech should primarily
Modern slavery rarely uses the shackles, whips, ships' holds and slave markets historically associated with the transatlantic slave trade of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Britain legislated to abolish slavery in 1833 after years of lobbying by William Wilberforce and others. But slavery has not gone away. As far as the world may have come
