The Coalition for Marriage has been suddenly left without a venue for a same-sex marriage No campaign event in Tasmania, after the Wrest Point Casino cancelled its booking with little explanation.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-04/acl-anti-ssm-event-loses-venue-aft...

Bob Hawke has called the same-sex marriage survey "without any question, the worst economic decision made by any Australian prime minister" ("Evans happy to yield to rapier thrusts from Hawke", October 5). He is wrong. Certainly in my lifetime, the worst economic decision made by any Australian prime minister was John Howard's, to join the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only has our unnecessary involvement in these wars cost many millions in direct costs, they have also cost many more millions in the damage done to our servicemen and women who are suffering horrendous physical and psychological damage. And that decision cost lives. At least we get a say in the SSM survey; we had no say in Howard's decision to go to war, and neither did Parliament.

Trevor Connell Lidcombe

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/photo-recognition-wont-explain...

The role of women in national decision-making has come up again, this time in an interview between 3AW's Neil Mitchell and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

While praising his colleague Julie Bishop, Mr Turnbull said: "... and of course I have more women in my cabinet than any previous government."

His claim was rebuked shortly afterwards by Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek. Responding on Twitter, she said it "[s]eemed Mr Turnbull lied" and that there were in fact more women in cabinet during the last Labor government.

So does the Turnbull Government have more women in cabinet than any previous government?

RMIT ABC Fact Check takes a look.

Mr Turnbull is wrong.

There are now five women in cabinet, but when Kevin Rudd returned to lead the Labor government in 2013, he appointed a record six female cabinet members.

Until Sussan Ley resigned in January 2017, Mr Turnbull was entitled to say he had the same number of women in cabinet as Mr Rudd, but he has never had more than any previous government.

In percentage terms, women fared best under Mr Rudd's leadership, making up 30 per cent of the cabinet.

Under Mr Turnbull, that ratio was initially 27 per cent and has now dropped to 24 per cent.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/factcheck/2017-10-11/fact-check-are-there-mor...

Sydney's Archbishop Anthony Fisher has urged parishioners in a Sunday congregation at St Mary's Cathedral in the city's CBD to maintain clarity about the definition of "real marriage".

During his homily, the Archbishop argued the only kind of relationship the state should have an interest in recognising and regulating was heterosexual marriage.

"Governments should, in general, keep out of the friendship business and out of the bedroom," Archbishop Fisher said.

He spoke about heterosexual marriage being primarily focused around the importance of children.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-15/governments-should-keep-out-of-the...