The Church decisions on justice
1980 B.B. 116
5. Request the State Attorney General to take action to amend the law which allows persons under the influence of alcohol or drugs to plead this as extenuating circumstances in criminal offences.
1988 B.B. Min. 203
17. Encourage members to voice their opposition to any attempts on the part of the legislature to relax standards of morality through law reform and to oppose such reform through the appropriate channels, eg petition, letters to the editor etc.
1988 B.B. Min. 203
22.Instruct the Clerk to write to the Premier and all his Ministers and to all Members of the Queensland Parliament advising them in terms of the following: “that the Presbyterian Church of Queensland holds unequivocally and uncompromisingly to the position that the Holy Bible is the only valid standard of morality in which is set forth the Moral Law which finds abundant expression in the New Testament Imperatives.”
“The Presbyterian Church of Queensland respectfully calls upon the Premier and all his Ministers and the Leader of the Opposition and all Members of Her Majesty’s Parliament to acknowledge that their authority derives alone from the Sovereign God revealed in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, and that they are under a solemn obligation as His servants and ministers to uphold His law both by their own example and in all legislation.”
1989 B.B. Min. 279
9. (a) Affirm that God instituted marriage and the family on the Biblical method of ordering society (Gen.2:21-25); Ephesians 5:21-6:9) and that child abuse and other activities weakening the family are against the will of God.
(b) Note the proposed action of the Minister for Justice in introducing legislation to strengthen the penalties which may be imposed on persons convicted of a child pornography offence; and commend the Minister.
10. Urge the Minister for Justice to resolve the matter of video-taping of evidence by minors in child abuse cases.
11. (a) Caution communicants and Sessions that families may be falsely accused of child abuse (sometimes anonymously) and that such families may experience great difficulty and stress while attempting to establish the truth.
(b) Draw to the attention of Mininsters and Elders the need for sensitive pastoral care for families accused of child abuse.
(c) Commend for study the book “The Child Abuse Industry” by Mary Pride.
(d) Note the 4 Corners program screened on 13th and 14th February re Child Abuse and write to the Director of the ABC asking that it be re-screened.
12. Express its desire for the Minister for Family Services to continue to examine the possibility of introducing legislation to raise the legal age for leaving home; and advise the Minister accordingly.
1989 B.B. Min. 279
29. (i) Deplore the moral downturn in many of the basic institutions within our society, and resolve as an Assembly all the more fervently to pray for those who lead in the legislative, executive and judicial areas of our society.
(ii) Register its grave concern, that in the dispensing of justice and the sentencing of prisoners, there appears to be an imbalance between the process of rehabilitation of criminals and the fair treatment of the innocent victims of criminal activity; and accordingly call upon the Attorney General to continue to pursue a course whereby -
(a) criminals will be given adequate sentences, and discrimination for judges be limited;
(b) parole and rehabilitation systems will be overhauled to minimise the danger to law abiding citizens;
(c) more use will be made of the “never to be released” sentencing process for hardened criminals, or those criminals who will be a definite danger to law-abiding citizens;
(d) greater consideration will be given to those who are the victims of crime.
(iii) Affirm its general support for organizations such as “Victims of Crime” and call upon Sessions to seek ways to minister to people who are the victims of criminal activity and resident in the area of the Session’s responsibility.
(iv) Advise the Premier, the Attorney General, the Speak of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, the Minister of Police, the Chief Justice, and the Chairman of the Corrective Services Commission (and that Commissioner’s Minister) of the preceding three clauses.
30. Declare its affirmation of the principle of the innocence of persons accused of any crime until proven guilty, and encourage the Minister for Family Services to ensure that in all investigations by his department, this principle is strictly upheld.
31. (i) Commend the Hon Lin Powell, MLA for his commitment to the protection of children in State Schools by opposing the re-employment by the Minister of Education of teachers in State Schools who have been convicted of drug offences.
(ii) Rejoice in the knowledge of the fact that while a person may be convicted of a crime, there are those who show true repentance and a change in lifestyle.
(iii) Acknowledge that, because of the sensitive nature of some areas of employment such as teaching children, there may at times be a need to exclude a person from re-employment in such a position even after a person has repented and has shown a change in lifestyle.
(iv) Direct the Clerk to advise the Premier and Mr Powell of these decisions.
(1990) B.B. Min. 241
10. (i) Note 1980 BB Min. 116.8.
(ii) Request the Clerk to express its support to “Right to Life” Australia in its opposition to the planned decriminalisation of abortion in Queensland by the present State Government.
(iii) Request the Clerk to write to the Premier and the Attorney General of Queensland reaffirming 1980 BB Min. 116.8, and that the Assembly opposes any law which allows, or encourages, the destruction of human life by abortion.
1991 B.B. Min. 203
11. Commend the Premier for his intervention, and the subsequent changes to the Adoption of Children Act.
1991 B.B. Min. 203
19. (a) Affirm, in accordance with Acts 4:18-21 and Acts 5:29, that the only valid laws of any State which may be binding upon Christians are those which do not require them to be disobedient to the Word of God.
(b) Urge all members, adherents and worshippers of the Church to be prayerfully and graciously active in lobbying politicians and other community interest groups towards a Biblical life and world view.
(c) Commend the writings and various film series produced by Rev. Francis Schaeffer to the Church at large as profitable introductory reading on the whole question of a Christian life and world view, and developing a Christian response to other life and world views.
1993 B.B. Min. 227
15. (i) Note that the Queensland Law Reform Commission is reviewing the law in Queensland relating to consent to medical treatment of people under the age of 18, and that:-
(a) Written or oral submissions should be received by 15 June 1993.
(b) An information paper discussiong a number of the issues which will need to be addressed by the Commission is available upon request from the Commission’s offices.
(c) The Commission’s contact is: Wayne Briscoe, Commissioner, PO Box 312, Roma Street, Brisbane Q 4403, phone (07) 227 4544, Fax (07) 227 9045.
(ii) Encourage members of the Church, Sessions and Presbyteries to make submissions to the Commission.
(iii) Advise the Commission, with a copy to the media, that the Assembly is opposed to any action which would:
(a) undermine the status of a parent with the child,
(b) encourage or assist immoral behaviour.
(iv) Advise the Commission, with a copy to the media, of the following resolutions of the Assembly:-
(a) 1989 BB Minute 279.14
Regard instruction in human sexuality to be primarily a responsibility of parents, to be given within the Biblical constraints of chastity before marriage and fidelity within marriage, to the exclusion of all other sexual practices and preferences.
(b) 1980 BB Minute 116
Affirm the Biblical teaching of the Right to Life, especially as this applies to the unborn child, that all life is sacred to God, and that human life is a gift of God from conception.
(c) 1983 BB Minute 123,.20,21
20. Affirm that abortion is always unacceptable, except where at least two competent medical authorities (other than the one under consideration to perform the abortion) deem the abortion essential to protect the life of a mother or of her prenatal child (or children), when threatened with immediate death, should the pregnancy continue.
21. Affirm that if and when the rare contingency mentioned in clause 20 should ever arise, everything medically possible also be done to try to ensure the continuation of the lives of all that are thus being threatened.
(d) 1991 BB Minute 203.17
17. (a) Affirm that in relation to the issue of prostitution, we have a moral obligation to our neighbour, and to proclaim Christ as the Saviour who sets free and cleanses the sinner.
(b) Declare prostitution is not a ‘victimless crime’ for it essentially destroys a human being’s personal worth by corrupting such human being into ‘merchandise to be traded’.
(c) Advise the Premier, Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Liberal Party, Criminal Justice Commission, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Justice, Minister for Local Government, and the Media that the Assembly:-
i Strongly opposes any relaxing of the laws relating to prostitution (male or female) or soliciting.
ii Request the introduction of laws which prosecute those who use male or female prostitutes.
iii Strongly opposes the setting aside of special areas for use for the purpose of prostitution.
1994 Commission of Assembly November 9, Min. 19
MINUTE 19 Sexual Privacy Bill
The Clerk laid on the table a communication from the Public Questions and Communications Committee, and correspondence relating to the Human rights (Sexual Conduct) Bill 1994 and moved that they be received. The motion was seconded and approved.
It was moved, seconded and approve that the Commission:-
Advise the Prime Minister (with copies to the Attorney General, the Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party, National Party, and The Australian Democrats, the Premier of Tasmania, and the media) that The Presbyterian Church of Queensland has the following grave concern in relation to the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct ) Bill, 1994:-
1. (a) The Bill uses International obligations under Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to overarch State Legislation dealing with matters for which no provision has been made in the Constitution of Australia.
(b) The “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” as a secular humanistic covenant is being used to set aside the provision of laws based on the Word of God declared in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.
2. That in enacting legislation which declares:
“Arbitrary interferences with privacy
4.(1) Sexual conduct involving only consenting adults acting in private is not to be subject, by or under any law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, to any arbitrary interference with privacy within the meaning of Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Note: Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is set out in Schedule 2 to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986.
(2) For the purposes of this section, an adult is a person who is 18 years old or more.”,
the following practices, against the holiness of the declared will of God, viz sodomy, lesbian practices, sado-masochism, beastiality and incest, could become legal between consenting adults in private anywhere in Australia and its Territories.
MINUTE 20 It was moved, seconded and approved that the Commission:-
Forward copies of the above decision to Senator Ron Boswell and the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference.
2006 B.B. MIN. 134
17. (a) Note that in relation to the letter from the International Commission of Jurists Australia branch – regarding the Rule of Law respecting the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay and the treatment of David Hicks, the GAA Church and Nation Committee, at its meeting of the 7th June 2006, resolved to receive the “open letter” and send a copy to the Prime Minister indicating the Committee’s endorsement of the sentiments expressed in the letter.
(b) Note the letter from the International Commission of Jurists Australia branch – regarding the Rule of Law respecting the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay and the treatment of David Hicks, and record a copy of the letter in the record of the Assembly.
(c) Send a copy of the letter from the International Commission of Jurists Australia branch – regarding the Rule of Law respecting the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay and the treatment of David Hicks, to the Prime Minister, indicating the Assembly’s endorsement of the sentiments expressed in the letter, with copies to the Leader of the Federal Opposition, the Leader of the Parliamentary National Party and the Media.