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Silencing Israel Folau with Queer Fascism 'betrays our Gay Marriage victory,' from Peter Myers

This newsletter is at http://mailstar.net/Latham-Folau-v-QueerFascism.docFriends, if you have time, read Mark Latham's speech. It's long, so I have placed it at the last item.Latham was previously leader of the Australian Labor Party, and Opposition Leader in Federal parliament. With Labor's turn to 'Political Correctness', Latham has switched to a dissident party, 'One Nation', which Trotskyists call 'Far Right'. In this speech, he comes out in defence of Western Civilization and against Cultural Marxism.(1) Rugby panel finds Israel Folau guilty of a high-level breach for saying Gays go to Hell(2) Sportswear company ASICS pulls out of sponsoring Israel Folau(3) Wallabies legend and devout Christian Nick Farr-Jones defends Folau(4) Nick Farr-Jones defends Folau, threatens boycott of Rugby World Cup(5) Aboriginal sportsman & activist Anthony Mundine supports Folau(6) Mark Latham attacks 'leftist elites', defends Folau in maiden speech to NSW Parliament(7) Trotskyists protest Latham’s return to politics(8) Silencing Folau with Queer Fascism betrays our Gay Marriage victory(9) Australian Labor Party embraces the radical LGBTQI political agenda(10) Mark Latham’s Maiden Speech to New South Wales Parliament(1) Rugby panel finds Israel Folau guilty of a high-level breach for saying Gays go to Hellhttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/folau-hearing-concludes-but-no-verdict-reached-20190507-p51kzw.htmlFolau hit with high-level breach as RA hearing concludesBy Tom DecentMay 7, 2019 — 6.20pmA three-person independent panel has found Waratahs and Wallabies star Israel Folau committed a high-level breach of Rugby Australia's professional players' code of conduct for his controversial social media post last month, leaving him open to being sacked from the game.After three intense days of deliberations, Folau's hearing with RA finally concluded in Sydney on Tuesday but no sanctions have been decided and no timeline established on when that will occur.It is believed that will not happen until next week but the fact Folau has been issued with a high-level breach means there is a solid chance RA will be able to carry through with its intention to sack him.While a high-level breach is the only way a player's contract can be terminated, effective immediately, there is no guarantee that will be the result.The panel of John West, QC, Kate Eastman, SC, and John Boultee, AM, could still decide that a fine and a suspension would suffice, even if that appears unlikely at this stage.Both parties will now go away and give written submissions to the panel about what they believe is an appropriate punishment to be handed down but the writing appears to be on the wall for the talented footballer."The panel has today provided a judgement that Israel Folau committed a high-level breach of the Professional Players' Code of Conduct with his social media posts on April 10, 2019," read an RA statement released on Tuesday evening."The panel will now take further written submissions from the parties to consider the matter of sanction."A further update will be provided after the panel delivers its decision on sanction."Folau posted a photo on social media last month that said homosexuals, among other groups such as drunks and atheists, were destined for hell unless they repented. [...]Earlier, Folau arrived for day three of his code of conduct hearing in slick fashion. The Audi was back, driving into an underground car park away from a number of television cameras waiting on Castlereagh Street.Tuesday's proceedings were not expected to take the entire day but the same was said for Sunday before news filtered through that a third day was required for lawyers on both sides to argue their respective points of view. [...]Folau has been stood down from playing commitments and that is set to continue indefinitely, even if he has been training privately by himself.The decision comes after Waratahs chairman Roger Davis told the Herald he wanted to see a resolution sooner rather than later."This is a no-win situation for the game and fans and I'd like to see it resolved as quickly as possible," Davis said. "I think a settlement is a common sense approach ... it would be smart."(2) Sportswear company ASICS pulls out of sponsoring Israel Folauhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-09/israel-folau-dropped-by-sponsor-asics/11095318Israel Folau loses ASICS as a sponsor as he awaits Rugby Australia sanction over his Instagram postKey points:  Sportswear company ASICS — which also sponsors the Wallabies — pulls out as a sponsor of embattled Israel FolauFormer Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones comes to Folau's defence, saying the player was never instructed properly on his social media postsAlan Jones, who coached the Wallabies in the 1980s, urges Folau to keep fightingRugby Australia confirmed a verdict on Folau's "high-level breach" over his Instagram posts would not be handed down before next week.Folau's Instagram post proclaimed hell awaits "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters", which saw a conduct breach notice levelled against the fullback, resulting in the hearing over his future.But the controversy surrounding Folau has proved too much for sportswear company ASICS, which has severed sponsorship ties with the player."ASICS is dedicated to sport and its healthy contribution to society," the company said in a statement on its Facebook page."We believe sport is for everyone and we champion inclusivity and diversity."While Israel Folau is entitled to his personal views, some of those expressed in recent social media posts are not aligned with those of ASICS. As such, our partnership with Israel has become untenable and he will no longer represent ASICS as a brand ambassador."ASICS is also a major sponsor of the Wallabies.But former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones has come to Folau's defence, saying he has changed his mind about the star player after meeting with him personally."When I first met with him … I was going to encourage him to say 'look, I apologise. I won't do it again and can I have another chance'," Farr-Jones said."He doesn't believe he's done anything wrong."I did originally [think he should apologise] had he been told don't do this again — don't mention the word hell, for example, awaits these various groups of people."But he's saying he was never instructed that way."He does it, I promise you, in a loving way, wanting to seek change in people. I know a lot of people don't get it."Alan Jones urges Folau to keep fighting Former Wallabies coach Alan Jones, who has also spoken to Folau, said on 2GB radio that the player should "take this fight every inch of the way". [...](3) Wallabies legend and devout Christian Nick Farr-Jones defends Folauhttps://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/farrjones-on-falau-the-ban-is-a-trainwreck/news-story/58edd998de828701dee0f2b95fa128feFarr-Jones On Folau: The Ban Is A "Trainwreck"Andrew BoltHerald Sun, Melbourne  May 9, 2019 8:21amWallabies legend and devout Christian Nick Farr-Jones has threatened to boycott the upcoming Rugby World Cup. He says Rugby Australia's move to ban star Israel Folau for posting that "hell awaited homosexuals" is a "trainwreck". He spoke to Folau before coming on The Bolt Report. Watch our chat. Very interesting.(4) Nick Farr-Jones defends Folau, threatens boycott of Rugby World Cuphttps://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/rugby-union/wallabies-legend-nick-farrjones-defends-israel-folau/news-story/d3f69ce39466505c3d1929855e494a58?nk=018440ff821af948929ced2d9b418751-1557539756Wallabies legend Nick Farr-Jones defends Israel FolauELIAS VISONTAYSky News, 10:17PM MAY 8, 2019Wallabies legend and devout Christian Nick Farr-Jones has threatened to boycott the upcoming Rugby World Cup over the "trainwreck" situation between Rugby Australia’s and its embattled star Israel Folau.Speaking on Sky News’ The Bolt Report tonight, Mr Farr Jones’ comments come after a Rugby Australia tribunal yesterday found Folau guilty of breaching his $4 million contract over social media posts that said "hell awaited homosexuals"."It’s a train wreck. I’ve got some cheap tickets for World Cup matches in October if anyone wants to offer me for them.Mr Farr-Jones defended Folau, saying: "From Israel’s perspective he absolutely believes he’s done nothing wrong."He believes that he’s put those posts out in love to people hoping that they’ll listen as a warning to the sinner, of the consequences of sin."I would say in a nutshell Israel loves the person, he hates the sin," Mr Farr-Jones said.Mr Farr-Jones also explained how he had met Folau."I really didn’t know the man until 11 days ago when he asked if he could come and meet me at home and we had 90 minutes and I asked him a lot of hard questions."I wanted to know about his background, I wanted to know about bis biblical knowledge, I wanted to know about his faith and most importantly I wanted to know about, was he warned about the actual nature of the posts and did he think that they would be offensive to people.Earlier today, Mr Farr-Jones claimed that Rugby Australia did not make its social media guidelines clear to Folau, despite the governing body saying it had formally warned him."Everyone, including myself, had assumed that he was told by Rugby Australia, whether it was the (Rugby Australia) chief executive Raelene Castle or (Wallabies) coach (Michael) Cheika, ‘Do not do this again’," he said."But from the 90 minutes I had with Israel, and I strongly believe him, he was basically told by Cheika once, not four or five times as the coach would say in his statement."He was basically told do it in a non offensive way. You can continue to communicate like this and communicate your faith, just do it in a respectful way."And it was the same with the chief executive. After meetings last year after the first post that seemed to offend everyone, certainly the media, he had a meeting with the chief executive, or at least the chief executive Raelene Castle came out and gave a press statement which greatly offended Israel as to the truth of that press statement."Mr Farr Jones said that Ms Castle told Folau to "say something like ‘heaven awaits those who repent from their sins’."(5) Aboriginal sportsman & activist Anthony Mundine supports Folauhttps://www.sportingnews.com/au/rugby/news/mark-latham-comes-out-in-support-of-israel-folau-during-maiden-speech-in-nsw-parliament/181hyfda4qexc1k7b3koqih885Mark Latham comes out in support of Israel Folau during maiden speech in NSW parliamentWRITTEN BY SPORTING NEWSOne Nation politician Mark Latham has come out in support of Israel Folau during his maiden speech in the New South Wales parliament on Wednesday night.Latham, who was elected to the upper house in March, is the leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party in NSW.He used his first remarks as an elected official to signal his support for the under siege Folau."I stand with Israel Folau," Latham, declared."In his own private time away from his job playing football, he's a preacher at his community church and naturally, he quotes the Bible."How did our state and our nation ever come to this? Those claiming outrage have fabricated their position solely for the purpose of censorship."This is not an argument about diversity."Australians shouldn't have to fear being sacked for stating their religious beliefs."No Australian should be fearful of proclaiming four of the most glorious words of our civilisation: I am a Christian."Folau faces the sack after posting an inflammatory post to Instagram in April.After a marathon hearing last weekend, an independent panel ruled that Folau had committed a high-level breach of his contract when he published the post.Latham's support follows that of radio shock-jock Alan Jones, who launched a blistering attack on Rugby Australia's handling of the case."The Australia that our Anzacs fought for seems to be disappearing before our very eyes," Jones said on his morning talk show on 2GB."It prompts you to wonder what kind of society we're living in."Nothing wrong with Israel, it's the society and those who prosecute him who are sick."Meanwhile, Anthony Mundine said Folau was being persecuted because of the colour of skin."People are missing the point here, it's not about the Bible or the Biblical quote that Izzy put up, it's a black man expressing it," Mundine told Channel 7 on Wednesday."If it was about the biblical quote then why don't they push to ban that?"I commend Izzy for sticking up and facing such racism and being persecuted and not having the right to make a living ... There've been guys out there been done for drugs, assaults ... yet he can't express his mind?"People are missing the whole point, it's about racism."The comments come on the same day that ASICS made the decision to drop Folau as a brand ambassador.(6) Mark Latham attacks 'leftist elites', defends Folau in maiden speech to NSW Parliamenthttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-08/mark-latham-makes-maiden-speech-to-nsw-parliament/11093386By Jessica Kidd Updated yesterday at 8:11pmMark Latham stands behind a microphone. There are two Australian flags behind him. PHOTO: Mark Latham asked "how did our nation ever come to this?" (AAP: Daniel Munoz) RELATED STORY: 'Extraordinary personal triumph': Latham to return after One Nation wins Upper House seat One Nation senator Mark Latham has used his maiden speech to the NSW Parliament to attack political correctness and identity politics, making references to Monty Python, George Orwell and Israel Folau.Key points:Mark Latham compared "leftist elites" to characters in George Orwell's Animal FarmHe attacked political correctness and said gay people are joked about because they are lovedMr Latham was one of two One Nation MPs elected to the NSW Parliament in MarchAddressing the upper house for the first time, he praised the state's early colonialists and criticised "leftist elites" for what he said was an attack on western civilisation."It's like a scene from The Life of Brian," he said."What has Western civilisation done for us?"Only advanced healthcare and education, architecture, engineering, information technology, free speech and the rule of law."Mr Latham even compared the left to the characters in political satirist George Orwell's novel Animal Farm."In their lust for authority, they lose their respect for the rights of others," he said."Like a scene from Orwell's Animal Farm, the Green-Labor-Left has become the thing it originally opposed: elitist, would-be dictators taking away from the working-class communities the things these battlers value."He also attacked political correctness and the "confected outrage" of the "elites".Quoting Monty Python actor John Cleese, Mr Latham argued that telling a joke about someone does not mean you hate them."We love the people we joke about — the Irish, the blondes, the gays, everyone — as they've helped to bring humour and joy into our lives."He also used his inaugural speech to call for laws protecting freedom of speech and religious freedoms and to pledge his support for rugby player Israel Folau.The Wallabies star is facing a possible contract termination after he made comments denouncing homosexuality on Instagram."I stand with Israel Folau … he believes, as millions of people have believed for thousands of years, that sinners go to hell," Mr Latham said."Yet for his beliefs, his Christianity, he is not allowed to play rugby, to chase the pigskin around the park."How did our State and our nation ever come to this?"The One Nation MP spoke for more than 47 minutes, calling for limits on immigration, an end to identity politics, an overhaul of the state's education system and the introduction of nuclear power and greater investment in coal-fired power.He is one of two One Nation MPs elected to the upper house who hold the balance of power with nine other crossbenchers.(7) Trotskyists protest Latham’s return to politicshttp://honisoit.com/2019/05/activists-protest-lathams-return-to-politics/Activists protest Latham’s return to politicsThe protest marked Mark Latham and Rod Roberts’ first day as One Nation crossbenchers in NSW State Parliament{photo} Activists Hersha Kadkol, Connor Parissis and Maddie Clark stand in front of the NSW State Parliament building.by Sylvie Woods May 8, 2019Student and community activists protested Mark Latham and One Nation today outside the first sitting of NSW State Parliament.National Ethno-Cultural Officer of the National Union of Students, Hersha Kadkol, led the demonstrationa gainst the controversial former Australian Labor Party leader, prompted by his recent election to the Legislative Council on the One Nation ticket."Mark Latham, as well as ex-cop and bigot Rod Roberts, now have a platform in the New South Wales parliament," Kadkol said. "They are ultra-conservative… anti-women, anti-LGBT, anti-muslim and immigrant, and anti-indigenous."Protesters gathered around NUS Ethno-Cultural Officer Hersha Kadkol at the gates of State Parliament.Speakers at the protest included Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who called for ‘organised action’ against far-right groups in her address:"The far-right are actively organising to extend their reach in politics. We must actively organise to stand up to the far-right."Since the mosque shootings in Christchurch by white supremacist and right-wing terrorist Brenton Tarrant, there is increasing concern over far-right influences coalescing in parliament and targeting oppressed groups with greater force.Kadkol told Honi, "the far-right minority that exist in society – they have a project: the violent intimidation of oppressed groups."Mark Latham was a prominent voice in the ‘no’ campaign of the marriage equality plebiscite in 2017. Over the past decade, he has featured in headlines for sexist comments directed at prominent women, including Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, former New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally and journalist Leigh Sales.The crossbencher also described Australia as having a ‘Muslim problem’ in 2015.Senator Faruqi told Honi, "I want to see an Australia where everyone is one of us; I want to see an Australia free of racism, bigotry and xenophobia, and that’s why we need to rise up and fight One Nation and their bigotry, but also any far-right extremism that exists in Australia.""We have seen the damage that hate speech does to our community, we know not only that hate speech hurts and damages communities every single day, but hate speech leads to political violence.""I came to Australia as a migrant. I came to an Australia where I really felt I was welcome, but things have really changed in twenty-seven years."Faruqi put it that, in the upcoming federal election, the vital crossbench seat will come down to One Nation or Senator Mehreen Faruqi in the Greens.There is also significant conjecture over how much influence, if any, Clive Palmer will win in the Senate. He has spent $60 million on campaign advertising.Yesterday was Mark Latham and Rod Roberts’ first day as crossbenchers representing One Nation in the 57th state parliament of New South Wales.(8) Silencing Folau with Queer Fascism betrays our Gay Marriage victoryhttps://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/video-emerges-showing-israel-folau-fighting-back-tears-during-a-sermon/news-story/c98620399e4f84df8b9144aaceebaad2By Dawn Grace-CohenMay 4, 2019 — 12.00amI think Israel Folau's views make him a Neanderthal; he thinks I am a sinner. I should be able to say so and keep my job. So should he.Marriage equality activists won over Australians not by silencing the opposition but by  winning the argument. I was one of them, and last year I married my fiancee, Robyn Grace, after a 34-year engagement.Resorting to bully tactics now against people who oppose us betrays that victory. We have asked the country to celebrate our diversity, but that means we must also celebrate diversity of opinion.Historically, the church tried to annihilate alternative viewpoints. Remember Galileo, who was imprisoned for life for asserting the planet was round when the Catholic Church believed it was flat. Darwin was also given a rough trot.Dictators on the left and the right have a poor track record in tolerating opposition. Now a queer fascism that rules through fear rather than reasoned persuasion is gaining momentum. First they came for Germaine Greer for speaking her mind on transgender ideology. Then they took jobs away from musicians who refused to comply with a queer boycott of the Michigan Women's Music Festival.More recently, tennis legend Martina Navratilova was sacked from a board and Barry Humphries has been stripped of an honour by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for similar crimes. Leunig lost his graphics gig with the comedy festival, for reasons undisclosed. Some think his lack of enthusiasm for marriage equality may have contributed.It is a left-wing version of the McCarthy era when American actors and singers who were suspected of communism were denied work. If you attack a person’s livelihood you don’t change their view; you just make them afraid to speak it, or feel persecuted if they do.Folau’s halting Easter Sunday sermon proved this to be true. The tearful Wallaby saw himself as fighting for his soul in a battle with an unethical employer. He does not know how to be true to himself and comply with Rugby Australia’s inclusion policy which aims to create a safe space for everyone.Instead Folau makes pronouncements from Instagram, telling me I am going to Hell because the Christian gospel says so, and that Jesus is the only way out. If I was a young sports hopeful, might I be be forced to choose between giving up myself to be like him – Christian, straight and fundamentalist – or being excluded and condemned?How painful that would be. Ironically, it is the same pain that Folau cried about when he thought Rugby Australia was making him choose between having his beliefs and belonging to the rugby family.Today, as Izzy faces his code-of-conduct hearing, I am sure he is praying for the courage and faith to stay true to himself. I wonder if he realises that any gay person reading his posts would have to do the same.Rugby Australia will argue that it warned Folau last year to comply with its policy and that this is his second infringement. Clearly the warning was useless because it did not help Folau resolve the conflict he feels between his love of rugby and his beliefs. I suspect Rugby Australia has not backed up its inclusion policy with sufficient training in advanced skills to meet its demands.We all need to skill up to create a new world where everyone gets a fair go. When we are not demanding compliance with our own view, many Australians habitually attack a person with an alternative view, rather than countering with a reasoned argument.We mock rather than debate. We use slut-shaming or racist, ageist and sexist slurs. We don’t listen for the grain of truth in the opposition’s perspective because we cannot bear the discomfort of there being no easy answer. We cannot wait for the resolution to emerge. We do not trust that it will.If we want a robust democracy, we need to learn how to distinguish between hate speech and an alternative, if unpleasant, view. We should sack people who promote physical or verbal abuse or who try to undermine or isolate colleagues. Did Folau threaten to kill, maim or abuse anyone? Did he insult gay people at work? Did he use contemptuous or abusive language ? Did he tell deliberate lies? No?Then let him keep his job, with considerable support laid on to help him explore what inclusion means. Reinstate the Barry Award, let Leunig draw and, meanwhile, let Penny Wong be Australia’s first Asian Australian foreign minister who also happens to be brilliant and a lesbian.We are, after all, Australians who have come from many different places. We are many and we are one, as we sang not so long ago in one of our finest moments. Australians can be trusted to talk things through and, over time, to find what is fair. My wife and I know that to be true.Dawn Grace-Cohen has been a gay activist and marriage equality advocate for 40 years. Her wife, Robyn Grace-Cohen, is a 78er who was arrested in the gay rights march that founded the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.(9) Australian Labor Party embraces the radical LGBTQI political agendahttps://www.conservatives.org.au/gender_ideology_and_australia_s_federal_electionGender Ideology and Australia’s Federal ElectionAPRIL 29, 2019The Conservative Party is warning that the May 18 Federal Election could change the very character of Australian society if we don’t elect enough Australian Conservatives Senators.NO B.S. Bring Back Common Sense to Australia - we must block Bill Shorten's plans to destroy jobs, bankrupt the economy, unleash political correctness and reward Labor's political comrades. Add your name if you agree.The Epoch Times reports, while there is much debate in the media about economic issues, there has been very little comment about the social agenda contained in the Australian Labor Party’s 302 page long policy document.The ALP policy document is freely available from the ALP website, but given its size, few voters will take the time to read it.A quick reading reveals that the ALP has fully embraced the radical LGBTQI political agenda. The term sexual orientation appears 19 times. There are 55 mentions of intersex. The term LGBTI is used 44 times. The term Queer occurs 16 times and transgender 35 times. The terms lesbian, bisexual, gay occur 29, 30 and 28 times respectively. Transphobia and biphobia get mentioned twice. Surprisingly, homophobia only occurs 3 times. Gender occurs 100 times, including 21 mentions of gender identity.The ALP has taken a big risk in embracing the LGBTQI agenda so wholeheartedly, as it will alienate many of their supporters in the ethnic communities.Historically, Labor supporters in ethnic communities have been socially conservative. But it seems that the ALP no longer wants to accommodate the wishes of conservative voters.Among the policies that will disturb socially conservative voters is Labor’s commitment to embracing the Yogyakarta Principles, which include removing gender from government documents, such as birth certificates, drivers licences etc.Labor is also committing to funding a variety of gender ideology promotion programs in schools, which teach among other things, that gender is fluid, and that no one can tell a child whether they are a boy or a girl; that is up to the child to decide what gender they want to embrace.The Safe Schools program that caused so much controversy and which the Liberal Government defunded, will be re-instituted under a Labor Government. It seems Labor is determined to indoctrinate children with this ideology.The problem that parents face is that unless they can afford private schooling for their children, they can not prevent their children being exposed to this ideology, which results in many children suffering from gender confusion. Labor has also committed to requiring LGBTQI content in all sex education courses in schools.In seeking to win the LGBTQI vote, Labor has committed to fully funding sex change operations and hormone therapies that a person needs to live their life as a gender different to their biological sex.One of the hallmarks of the LGBTQI movement is that it will not tolerate anyone who disagrees with their view of the world.Activists have repeatedly taken people to anti-discrimination tribunals, simply for expressing a view that is different to theirs.Archbishop Porteous in Hobart found himself hauled before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination commission, simply for issuing a booklet to parents that outlined the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage.Jason Tey, a photographer in Perth, found himself before the Equal Opportunity Commission for simply telling a person inquiring about his services, that he did not agree with same sex relationships.Currently the federal Sex Discrimination Act exempts religious bodies, including religious schools from its provisions.The Greens for a long time, and now Labor, are determined to remove these exemptions, which will make it virtually impossible for religious schools to maintain their religious ethos, as they would not be able to require teachers to model the faith that is taught and embodied by the school community.The removal of these exemptions even creates the question whether they could continue to teach the traditional understanding of human sexuality.Christian, Muslim and other faiths consider same sex acts to be morally wrong, but whether this could then continue to be taught is under question. The Labor policy states that religious belief should not be the basis for discrimination.These aspects of Labor policy should be of grave concern to people of faith.If Labor wins the Federal election, it will be seek to implement these radical social policies with the help of the Greens, who have long advocated for such changes.It is pleasing to see that the Australian Conservatives and the Liberal Party do not support these society changing policies.The choice that voters make at this Federal election will have far reaching consequences for generations to come.(10) Mark Latham’s Maiden Speech to New South Wales Parliamenthttps://www.onenation.org.au/mandatory-reading-mark-lathams-maiden-speech/Mandatory Reading: Mark Latham’s Maiden Speech9 May, 2019Mark Latham has delivered his maiden speech to New South Wales Parliament.[...] Like so many parts of our politics that have changed quickly in recent times, there are voices here who do not believe in the virtues of the West, who do not acknowledge the nation-building achievements of our culture and our country.It’s like a scene from The Life of Brian, a case of: What has Western civilisation done for us?Only advanced healthcare and education; architecture, engineering, information technology, free speech and the rule of law.In fact: this chamber, this parliament, in this city, all our public institutions and the material comforts we take for granted – none of them could exist without the greatness of the West.Without the advances that began with the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution and continue to this day.Yet still, among the Leftist elites, among the social engineers and cultural dietians, sneering at our civilisation and its achievements has become their new pastime.They preach diversity but practice a suffocating cultural conformity, wanting everyone to be just like them.They argue for inclusion but as soon as a Christian, a conservative, a libertarian, a nationalist, a working class larrikin, an outsider from the vast suburbs and regions of our nation disagrees with them, they crank up their PC-outrage machine to exclude them from society.They are tolerant of everything except dissenting values and opinions – meaning, of course, they are tolerant of nothing that matters, only themselves.This is the Leftist curse through the ages: the recurring history of those who so badly crave control over others, they lose control over themselves.In their lust for authority, they lose their respect for the rights of others.Like a scene from Orwell’s Animal Farm, the Green-Labor-Left has become the thing it originally opposed: elitist, would-be dictators taking away from working class communities the things these battlers value:The right to speak their mind.To say they love their country and want Australia Day to stay.To practice their Christianity, openly and freely.To send their children to school without the garbage of Safe Schools, Wear-It-Purple days, ‘HeadRest’ indoctrination and the other crackpot theories making some NSW classrooms more like a Hare Krishna meeting than actual education.And when they go to work, the chance to do their job without being bombarded by employment quotas, ‘unconscious bias’ training and a long list of unspeakable, taboo words – scary, scary stuff, like ‘guys’ and ‘mums and dads’.The New Left are the new primitives of our time: junking the importance of evidence, of recorded history, of biological science, to pretend that all parts of our lives (especially race, gender and sexuality) can be fluid, that everything we know and feel around us is, in fact, ‘socially constructed’.Mr President, they’re peddling Fake News.We haven’t been brainwashed by ‘capitalist hegemony’ as the post-modernists argue.People know and understand the things they see and feel in their lives.It’s called evidence.Our personal characteristics and identities are fixed, not fluid. With few exceptions, people are born either male or female. We shouldn’t be confusing young people and risking their mental health by pushing gender fluidity upon them.We shouldn’t be taking away from parents their essential role as the primary carers of their children – in matters personal and sexual.We shouldn’t be changing the purpose of our education system: transforming schools from places of skill and academic attainment into gender fluidity factories.Most of all, we shouldn’t be losing sight of the interests of mainstream, majority Australia.In the last national census, for instance, 13 hundred Australians identified as transgender.But to listen to the political and media coverage of this issue, you would think there were 13 million.Mr President, Everywhere I travel, parents and grandparents, workers and communities, tell me how concerned they are about Australia’s direction.They ask me, ‘What’s happened to our country; where has this nonsense come from?’The answer is clear.The Leftist project, then and now, is about control. Having, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, lost the struggle for economic control, the Left got smarter.It shifted from the Cold War to a culture war.It moved from pursuing economic Marxism to pushing cultural Marxism.Instead of trying to socialise the means of production, it’s now trying to socialise the means of individual expression and belief – our language, our values, our behaviour.Instead of seeking revolution at the top of government, it has marched instead through our institutions – a tactic that’s harder to combat.The elites have been remarkably successful in this cultural invasion.Our abiding national traditions of free speech, merit selection, resilience and love of country are being lost, not just in the public sector – in schools, universities, public broadcasters, major political parties and government agencies – but also in large parts of corporate Australia and the commercial media.The rest of us are the Resistance to this national takeover.Our chief ally is evidence.Evidence and human nature.Through the power of reason and enlightenment, people want to have a say about the things that are important to them.They want free speech.They want freedom of religion and belief.Australians are also a tough yet fair-minded people.It comes from our origins in colonial times, the things depicted in Talmage’s painting.The Australian story in settling a harsh and sometimes hostile continent on the other side of the world is one of the most remarkable in human history.Leaders like Arthur Phillip and Lachlan Macquarie, in little more than a generation, turned a penal colony into a civilisation – building what has now become the best nation on Earth.It was achieved through resilience and mateship – the Australian habit of toughing it out and treating others as equals.Jack is as good as his master.It’s in our nature to treat people as we find them – to judge them on their individual merit, their work ethic, their community contribution.This is what makes identity politics – subdividing our people on the basis of race, gender and sexuality – so foreign to the Australian way.Just as the old Soviet Union fell over because human nature wanted economic competition and individual wealth and excellence, I believe these new mutant strains of social control – post-modernism and identity politics – will also fail. They run contrary to the nature and evidence of our lives. Mr President, I ran for parliament to be part of the fightback for freedom and fairness.NSW One Nation took 34 detailed policies to the election, including a detailed package for human rights reform.We believe NSW needs new laws protecting freedom of speech, especially on university campuses where so much of academic and student freedom has been lost.Sometimes we laugh at the absurdity of political correctness but at its core, it’s an insidious movement, a handbrake on liberty.If you control someone’s language, you control a big part of their lives: how they interact with others, how they communicate in society, their feeling of belonging.Like every other Australian, I own my own words, I know what I mean by them.Like so many Australians, I refuse to allow my words to be controlled by strangers: by the elites with their confected outrage and PC-censorship.In truth in society, offence is taken, not given.It’s a personal choice, based on assumptions about what someone meant by their words.Yet only the person speaking those words truly knows what was meant.As the great John Cleese has pointed out, telling a joke about someone doesn’t mean we hate them.We love the people we joke about – the Irish, the blondes, the gays, everyone – as they’ve helped to bring humour and joy into our lives.The other problem with political correctness is in knowing what’s genuine and what’s not.So much of the offenderati, the outrage industry, involves the fabrication of offence – saying that their feelings have been hurt solely for the reason of closing down their political opponents.PC is riddled with these internal contradictions.Let me give an example from this parliament.Labor MPs are not allowed to say two words – ‘white flight’ – even though they are a truthful expression of what’s happening in Western Sydney, having been identified by Luke Foley.It’s a sad day for democracy when MPs can’t talk about the evidence in their electorates.Then last year in the Blue Mountains, when Michael Daley launched a wrong-headed attack on Asians with PhDs, the two Labor MPs in the room stood mute.So the Labor leader who had it right – his words can’t be repeated, while the one who had it wrong went unchecked, for months on end.Go figure.NSW needs freedom of speech laws, even for its own MPs. And also new laws for the protection of religious freedom. Mr President, as I’m sure you appreciate, many migrants came to Australia to escape religious persecution. Now they are saying the problems in their home country have followed them here.I’m not a Christian but I recognise the vital contribution of Christianity to our civilisation: its vast social and charitable work; its teaching of right and wrong in civil society.Mr President, I stand with Israel Folau.In his own private time away from his job playing football, he’s a preacher at his community church and naturally, he quotes the Bible.He believes, as millions of people have believed for thousands of years, that sinners go to Hell.As per his valid religious faith, he loves the sinner but condemns the sin.Yet for his beliefs, his Christianity, he is not allowed to play rugby, to chase the pigskin around the park.How did our State and our nation ever come to this?I was on Folau’s list of sinners, more than once actually. But as I don’t believe in Hell, there was no way I could take offence.Those claiming outrage have fabricated their position solely for the purpose of censorship.This is not an argument about diversity.The Wallabies have no female players, no disabled, no elderly, no middle aged.They are selected from a tiny fraction of the young, fit, athletic male population.By excluding a committed Christian, they are making their game less inclusive.And as for Folau being a role model for young gay men, one only needs to state this proposition to understand its absurdity.Footballers are not role models for anyone, other than in enjoying their sporting ability.I say to any young person: if you are looking for guidance and inspiration in life, study Churchill, Lincoln, Reagan and Roosevelt, not Todd Carney.By the way, that’s Ronald Reagan, not Reg Reagan.Mr President, I believe that no Australian should live in fear of the words they utter.No Australian should be fearful of proclaiming four of the most glorious words of our civilisation: I Am A Christian.No one should be sacked by their employer for statements of genuine belief and faith that have got nothing to do with their job.The Folau case exposes the new serfdom in the Australian workplace: how big companies, the corporate PC-elites are wanting to control all aspects of their employees’ lives – their religious and political views, how they speak and think, how they behave, even in their own time away from the workplace.This is a stunning intrusion on workers’ rights.Yet far from condemning the new serfdom, Labor and the trade unions have been cheering it on.As per our One Nation election commitments, I will be moving legislation for the protection of free speech, religious freedom and the privacy rights of workers.Mr President, The fightback for freedom is long overdue. As is the fightback for fairness.I mentioned earlier that for most people, identities of race, gender and sexuality are fixed.People are born a certain way and shouldn’t be judged by the things in life they can’t change.To do so is to practice the poison of identity politics. It’s become the great obsession of Leftists everywhere; even though for normal people, it’s not the way in which they live their lives.No one wakes up in the morning and thinks ‘I’m male or female, I’m black or white, I’m straight or gay’.They start their day as workers, as parents, as family members, as community contributors.Not only is identity politics irrelevant to most people, it’s a betrayal of social justice and social democracy.In the 80s and 90s we were told to look through a person’s race, gender and sexuality.Things like skin colour were irrelevant to a person’s true character – to their work ethic, to the way in which they care about others, to the individuality of their existence.There was no need to lump them into broad, unrepresentative categories based on the primitive notion of how they look.When I was first elected to Federal Parliament in 1994, if you had asked me: Who typically is the neediest person in your electorate, the one you are trying to help as a Labor MP; I would have said: A white working class man living in one of Campbelltown’s public housing estates who had been restructured out of manufacturing work in the ‘80s and now faces the indignity of long-term unemployment and welfare dependency.How silly of me.How little did I know.Now I’m told he was an example of White Male Privilege, that the bum out of his pants was actually a rainbow shot up his backside.Mr President, international studies have shown that Australia is one of the most racially tolerant and fairest nations on Earth.Through equal pay and employment opportunity laws, we have also achieved large slabs of gender equality.Australia now has more female than male university graduates, lawyers, GP doctors, vets, teachers, office managers and public servants.When the Prime Minister’s Department tested for evidence of ‘unconscious bias’ in its 2017 BETA study of workforce recruitment practices, it found that the only type of bias was against white men.Women, ethnic groups and Aborigines enjoyed favouritism in the workplace.This is the truth about Australia and the fair-mindedness of our people.Mr President, Identity politics is a zero-sum game.It uses employment quotas and other forms of institutionalised bias to favour one hand-picked identity grouping over another, regardless of personal need.This causes enormous resentment among those who miss out because they have the wrong skin colour, the wrong gender, the wrong sexuality – things they can do nothing about. Divisive identity politics subdivides our society, destroying its sense of common good.And it leaves the Rainbow Left impotent: they have no solution for the white welfare dependent man in a public housing estate.In fact, far from helping him, perversely and tragically, they define him as part of the problem.Imagine how he feels when he sees other identity categories gaining special treatment.Mr President, I have studied these things all my adult life and I come to this chamber convinced there is only one way of running a fair society and that’s through merit.The best person for the job must get the job, regardless of race, gender and sexuality.This is why One Nation proposes to abolish employment quotas and other identity-based forms of discrimination. Let me say something about identity politics at the other end of the political spectrum.When Pauline Hanson approached me to run for One Nation, I insisted on all discriminatory clauses and policies being purged from the party’s platform.When this happened, we were able to campaign as a pro-merit, anti-discrimination party in the NSW election. I was particularly pleased that the party ran its first Islamic candidate, Emma Eros, in the seat of Hornsby.In the social media storm that followed, some anti-Islamic fundamentalists told me they couldn’t vote for us as long as a Muslim was representing One Nation.Privately, I thought "So be it".I oppose discrimination in all its forms, whether it’s the new anti-white racism of the Left, or the flawed belief of some that all Muslims are evil, inspired by the Koran to cut our throats when the Caliphate is called.Islam, like all religions, is diverse in its range and intensity of belief.It gains more public attention because, at one extreme, when it’s bad, it’s barbaric, with the horror of radical Islamic terrorism.At the other extreme, it has some great people, such as the Indian Fijian community in South-West Sydney.Kicked out of India for being Muslim and then kicked out of Fiji for working too hard, they have come to Australia and set up businesses, with a strong work and study ethic.I know several of these families and I’m proud to call them friends.As I am for Emma Eros.As a party, One Nation can’t go around calling on migrants to integrate yet not support someone like Emma, who has. A licensed plumber and businesswoman, she talks Western, dresses Western and works hard Western-style, yet also practices a moderate, conservative strand of Islam.She’s a wonderful example of what multiculturalism should be: a seamless blend of the best of our country and her traditional beliefs.Whether we are talking about the extreme Left or extreme Right of politics, the challenge – a work in perpetuity – is to overcome ignorance – for people to cross racial and religious boundaries and get to know each other, building a more trusting and cohesive society.Mr President, The rise of identity politics has coincided with Australia losing control of the scale of its immigration program.Governments seem to think we owe the rest of the world easy entry into our country when, in fact, immigration policy should be framed for the benefit of the people who live here now.Big Australia immigration has flooded the labour market, holding down wages.It has also flooded the housing market, driving up demand and prices.It’s fuelling Sydney’s congestion and over-development crisis. This city cannot continue to grow at 100,000 per annum, at a severe cost to the environment and residential lifestyle.Whether someone is a longstanding resident or they recently came to Australia and Sydney, we are all in the same circumstance: crawling along car park roads, standing on crowded trains, trying to combat congestion and urban sprawl.For a government struggling to build a couple of tram tracks down the main street, the promise of better planning is a hoax.We know this problem well in Western Sydney.For 40 years I’ve been arguing that jobs and services need to come to our region before the people do.It’s the reason I got into politics in the first place.If anything, in this era of high immigration, the problem is getting worse.None of the lessons of the 1970s and 80s have been learned. Look at the proposed Aerotropolis, surrounding the Badgerys Creek Airport site.The government talks about it like it’s a cross between Silicon Valley and Disneyland.But it’s looming as just another excuse for urban sprawl and under-servicing.The government says it’s building a new city the size of Adelaide, with 1.3 million people.Yet remarkably, there are no plans for a new public hospital, only a so-called ‘integrated health facility’ servicing less than 20 percent of the proposed population.Adelaide has four public hospitals.The Aerotropolis: None.I say to the government: fix this problem.It’s a huge priority for One Nation.You’re creating the youth capital of Australia between Penrith and Camden.It needs not only a new public hospital but also a specialist children’s hospital to cope with rapid population growth.Mr President, Earlier I asked where the attacks on our country and our civilisation are coming from.Here’s the problem: I’m not just talking about the usual suspects from the Green-Labor-Left.I’m talking about Liberal and National Parties that have been paralysed on these issues, that haven’t stood up for freedom of speech, freedom of religion and meritocracy.Specifically in this place, I’m talking about a Coalition Government that tried to abolish greyhound racing in NSW, surrendering to a belief that animal rights are more important than human rights.I’m talking about a National Party that under Minister Adrian Piccoli allowed the monstrosity of post-modernism, of fluidity theory, to run through the NSW school curriculum.The Nationals used to believe in the basics of school education.Sure, they’re still committed to young people learning the alphabet, but it’s the LGBTQIWTF version.The rot set in under Piccoli, who amazingly, became a mouthpiece for the Teachers Federation.He broke the golden rule of sound education policy in this State: when the Teachers Federation says something needs to be done, do the opposite.Through a loss of academic standards, testing and grading, NSW’s school results are going backwards compared to other States and other countries.There’s no one thing that’s gone wrong in the education system.What we are experiencing is system failure: multiple problems feeding off each other, a downward spiral in standards and outcomes.Teacher quality has collapsed in many government schools, to the point where it now resembles social work, more than academic instruction.The curriculum has been infested with ideological content, with high school English becoming a tutorial in identity-politics.Student resilience is being lost, replaced by snowflake schooling, where only half-an-excuse is needed to avoid testing and grading.Useless fads, like ‘growth mindset’, ‘soft skills’ and ‘progression points’ are also clogging up the classroom.The ‘All Must Have Prizes’ mentality is leveling out notions of excellence and effort – like the old Soviet Union, no matter how students perform, they all get the same result and recognition.In disadvantaged communities, a ‘welfare school’ model has emerged, whereby teachers pursue pastoral care and student happiness as their primary goals, rather than results and career paths.I must say, Mr President, these developments break my heart. One of the best parts of my life was attending Hurlstone at Glenfield – by far the best school in South-West Sydney, until Piccoli ripped it off us with his hare-brained scheme for moving it to Richmond.The tragedy of declining school results is that they hit disadvantaged students hardest.I can tell you, a good school is a poor kids passport to a better life.There’s a mountain of work to be done in restoring these opportunities, in uplifting the standards of NSW education.It’s all there in the One Nation policy platform.Measurement is the key.The old adage in public sector management applies: what gets measured gets done.And in NSW schools, we measure very little.The repair job in education is massive: hours of discussion, hundreds of questions to be asked and answered, scores of policy ideas and reform proposals to be advanced. And that’s what I’ll be doing throughout this term of parliament – my word I will.Mr President, I’m concerned for the future prosperity of our State.There are two clear and present dangers to the NSW economy: I’ve mentioned one, in education. The other is energy policy.This involves a basic question of responsibility.This government and this parliament has no greater duty of care to the people of NSW than to keep the lights on: so our essential services can continue to save lives, our households can continue to function and our businesses can continue to grow.History shows and commonsense confirms the best way of doing this is through reliable, dispatchable baseload power.To build the system on a strong foundation of fulltime, 24/7 power generation, on top of which intermittent, part-time sources can then play a role.When the peak demand hits (invariably in summer) and accidents hit the system (again in summer), around-the-clock baseload power is our best insurance policy against blackouts.The two ways of achieving this are through nuclear power and coal-fired stations.Yet across the country, nuclear is banned, while coal is being run out of the market through the subsidies, targets and special deals being offered to renewable energy.The Australian Energy Market Operator has said that in the decade to 2025, the equivalent of 30 percent of NSW’s peak electricity demand is being lost in power generation. It’s being replaced by a patchwork system – a series of part-time power sources, the effectiveness of which rely heavily on weather and environmental conditions.When the sun’s not shining, there’s no solar power.When the wind’s not blowing, there’s no wind power.When the water supply runs short, there’s no hydro.Even gas power is limited, due to access and pricing issues in NSW – meaning it’s best suited to peaking plants, rather than 24/7 baseload.These are part-time sources of power.Yes, it may be possible to cobble them together in a way that meets full-time electricity demands.But the risks are high.We are talking about a privatised, vertically integrated market where normal pricing signals don’t apply.There are perverse incentives to short the market, as we have seen with AGL.In terms of green technology, there’s another leap of faith: reliance on the rapid development of battery storage.Good luck with that.For all the PR hoopla about Elon Musk’s battery farm in South Australia, it has a capacity for meeting the needs of the Tomago aluminum smelter in the Hunter Valley for just 8 minutes.In truth, the projections for energy production and peak energy consumption in NSW are beginning to separate, in the wrong direction.The State is losing its energy self-sufficiency.The likely tipping point, a heightened risk of blackouts will occur in the summer of 2022/23, following the closure of Liddell.As a parliament, our responsibility, our duty of care to the people of NSW is to make provision now, right now, for this contingency.We have to stop sleepwalking into disaster.Mr President, I’m not a climate denier.I respect all forms of science.But just as much, I don’t believe in running public policy through the work of zealots.And that’s what renewables have become – a new pagan religion, whereby the Green-Left wants to hand over human control of our energy grid to the vagaries of the weather, through wind and sun worship.We are being asked to change the climate by relying on the weather – a high-risk, paradoxical way of planning for the needs of a modern economy.There is a place for renewables in the system.But it must be supplementary to baseload power, not the other way around.Currently the Federal Labor Shadow Minister for Energy, Mark Butler, is promising the Australian people a new era of "dispatchable renewable energy".Yet when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, there is nothing to dispatch.Butler will end up being the Minister for Blackouts.Mr President, our Asian economic competitors must be laughing their heads off.Australia is the world’s most resource-rich nation yet we have some of the world’s highest electricity prices, and we’re shedding generation capacity that would otherwise meet 30 percent of public demand during the hot summers of the nation’s largest State.NSW should be a global energy super-power, with abundant nuclear, coal-fired, gas and renewable energy. How can this goal be achieved?I have confidence in the new Energy Minister Matt Kean. Under his policy leadership, it would be wise for the government to pivot away from a renewables fetish and emphasise the importance of energy security and affordability.One Nation offers its cooperation in implementing 6 vital changes:1. Upgrading the capacity of our inter-state connectors, especially into coal-rich Queensland;2. Bundling up the State Government’s electricity consumption and putting out to tender a supply contract exclusively for additional coal-fired power;3. Abolishing all targets, subsidies and special deals for renewables – leveling the playing field on the production side of the market;4. Abolishing the government’s Climate Change Fund, which has become a slush fund for projects unrelated to climate change. This would cut electricity prices for households and businesses;5. Immediate approval of the Santos project at Narrabri to overcome the State’s chronic deficiency in gas supply – this is no longer an environmental or land use issue, but a question of keeping the lights on;6. In longer term planning for the State, lifting the ban on uranium mining and nuclear power, as per the Deputy Premier’s policy. I can advise the House that yesterday I gave notice of a Private Member’s Bill for this purpose. Mr President, I’ve had a fortunate life.As a child, my parents told me to study hard at school and I did.As a young man I had the honour of being Labor Mayor of my hometown, Liverpool, building facilities that should have been built 30 years earlier.Then I had the opportunity to serve in the House of Representatives, doing what very few Australians ever have a chance to do: running to run the country at a general election.For the past 14 years I’ve had the greatest joy and responsibility of my life: as a home dad, as a primary carer, giving support and all my love to my wife Janine and our three children, Oliver, Isaac and Siena.When I left the Federal Parliament in 2005, the words of the former Member for Bass, Warwick Smith, echoed in my ears: "Every day you spend away from your children is a day you never get back."The days and years with my children have been the best of my life but now they are so much older and, through them, having seen what the government school system has become, it was time to come here to do something about it. On 23 March, among the minor parties on our side of politics, three MLCs were elected – two from One Nation.I congratulate my friend and colleague Rod Roberts on his election and thank those who made it possible: our party leader Senator Pauline Hanson, a committed patriot who would do anything for her country.Our highly dedicated NSW One Nation officials Mick Jackson and Amit Batish, all our candidates, party workers and volunteers.I especially thank my campaign manager Corrine Barraclough, who was magnificent in every respect. I also thank Alan Jones, who at various times gave me a chance when no one else would.No one in Australian public life does more research or is more thoroughly across his brief than Alan, making him not only a great broadcaster but a great fighter for Australia.Most of all, I thank the people of NSW who have given me a second go at parliamentary service.To top the personal vote, below-the-line, at the election confirms a special responsibility.Our supporters are a long way from the centre of political power but they hold a powerful belief in what politics should be.They are salt-of-the earth people without a parliamentary or media megaphone of their own.So they rely on parties like Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to fight for the things they love about their country.Mr President, For those of us who believe in the virtues of Western civilisation, who treasure the advances and values of the Enlightenment, who look at Talmage’s painting and marvel at its meaning, this is the fight of our lives.Our ethos, sir, is simple:No surrender.No surrender in any debate, in any institution, on any front.No surrender in trying to take back our country,That, Mr President, is why I’m here and what I’m fighting for. ==video of Mark Latham's speech is at http://catallaxyfiles.com/2019/05/08/is-he-really-allowed-to-say-this-in-public/