And our right to freedom of speech

For argument’s sake: where we take a debate, cut out the party politics and try to talk it out

Will the Religious Discrimination Bill be a good thing?

Freedom for Faith‘s executive director Michael Kellahan is in the hot seat, as Megan and Michael throw some contentious questions at him about the Religious Discrimination Bill:

• Don’t we already have religious freedom in Australia?
• Can the bill actually create discrimination?
• Is a bill of rights – which also covers other freedoms – a better approach?

Mentioned in this segment:

• Draft Religious Freedom Bills – including the Religious Discrimination Bill
• Sydney Anglican Archbishop’s apology over letter about religious freedom
• Hobart Catholic Archbishop case of religious freedom

Further listening/reading:

• With All Due Respect episode 5 – Public vs private schools, religious freedom and *that* letter on gay teachers
• A simple guide to the religious discrimination bill
• The Government’s Plans for Freedom of Religion Legislation

Discomfort zone: ever thought someone might think differently if they step outside their comfort zone? This is where we make the other do just that.

“The Madness of Crowds – Gender, Race and Identity” by Douglas Murray

Michael chose this book knowing that Megan wouldn’t like it. Guess what? She didn’t. Written by a journalist for the UK’s Spectator, the book tackles the epic issues of sexuality, gender, technology and race, as well as forgiveness and justice.

Mentioned in this segment:

• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray
• The Guardian‘s review – The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray review – a rightwing diatribe
• Black Lives Matter movement

Glossary:

• Cultural Marxism: an ambiguous term and many believe that what it refers to doesn’t really exist. The term is often used to flag behaviour that applies Marxist class theory to broader categories – such as race, gender and sexuality.
• Raison d’etre: A French phrase meaning ‘reason for being’

Marg and Dave: reviews from two people obsessed by stories, but not always the same ones

The Post

Megan introduces us to Steven Spielberg’s gripping film on the true story of Washington Post journalists who attempted to publish classified documents about the US government’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The film ring bells about the recent Australian police raids on the ABC. It also leads to the question: is freedom of the press worth defending, particularly in this era of fake news?

Mentioned in this segment:

• The Post

Further reading:

• AFP raid on ABC reveals investigative journalism being put in same category as criminality
• Katharine Graham’s memoir Personal History
• Comparing ‘The Post’ to Katharine Graham’s memoir 

WHAT IS WITH ALL DUE RESPECT?

Less aggro, more conversation.

Is it even possible to have a deep discussion without it descending into chaos? Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit think yes, and want to show the rest of us how to do it.

There’s plenty of things they disagree on: free will, feminism, where you should send your kids to school and what type of church you should go to. But there are also plenty of other things that they have in common. They want to talk about all these things with conviction. But they also want the conversation to be constructive. Tune in to find out if that’s possible.