Letters to the editor

Monarchists reject the Enlightenment doctrine of separation of church and state, human equality, religious equality and the right of the people to rule themselves, espoused so succinctly by the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the British philosophers Thomas Paine and Walter Bagehot.

Why do they do it? They do it for a modicum of social influence. They wish to be seen as a fraction more important than the rest. In Australia, followers of the King’s religion were given the land to enjoy while the non-conformists were given the work to endure. 

When heads of state are challenged the relationship between religion and power becomes evident. We might wonder why the most vile of dictators have supporters when challenged.

Their supporters are invariably co-religionists who have gained preference within the regime by supporting its religion. It is clearly a symbiotic relationship. The head of state and his exclusive group support each other.

This is why the Enlightenment scholars demanded separation of church and state.

As democracy spread, countries such as Britain maintained this odious pre democracy strategy, so that followers of the Kings religion could continue to have more influence than one vote would offer. To suggest Britain is some sort of font of democracy is plainly ridiculous.

Did Henry start his own religion so he could be close to God. If so , then chopping his wifes head off was not a great start. Henry started his own religion because religion is a source of power for self and a source of radiated power and influence for co -religionists. A profoundly symbiotic relationship, as I said.Each supports the other to the exclusion of the rest.

A couple of quotes if I may. The eminent sociologist Samuel Huntington said: "The driver of opposition to changing constitutional paradigms is always self interest."

Luke Mansillo, writing in The Australian Journal of Political Science said: "Protestant identity is a strong predictor of support for monarchy". I have seen the Queen swearing to uphold Protestantism on the History Channel. I have also seen it in the movie made about the crowning years ago.

Clearly we need a head of state who does not take oaths to uphold Protestantism. This means an Australian citizen, because for him or her to do so would be an offence against our ethos of tolerance and religious equality. It would also be an offence against the religious discrimination provisions in the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. In what way have I failed to make the case for separation of church and state in Australia.

If Prime Minister Turnbull and his new government want to have a lasting impact on Australia - and the world - he will campaign to cut Australia's meat consumption by at least 50 per cent, much like the Chinese government is doing.

Australians eats more meat than people in any other country. We devoured more than 90 kilograms of meat per capita in 2014. That’s not something to be proud about. The Chinese eat about 60kg per capita and are planning a campaign to reduce that by half. Eating meat causes immense animal suffering, life-threatening health problems, and widespread environmental destruction. Research shows that meat-eaters are responsible for approximately 2.5 times as many food-related greenhouse-gas emissions as vegans, and that the demand for meat will cause more worldwide species extinctions than any other factor.

The Institute of Social Ecology in Vienna believes that the only way to meet the expected global food demand in the year 2050 - without sacrificing any more forests - is for everyone to go vegan.

Mr Turnbull's new ministry should start off on the right foot by encouraging Australians to do our part to stop animal suffering and save the environment by eating healthy meat-free meals.

I wish to express my thanks to local State Member, Adam Marshall, and his office manager, Lisa Williams, for their representation and support.

Their intervention has assisted me to fulfill my current job requirements and maintain my livelihood and for that I am extremely grateful.

These days, there’s a test for almost every health threat imaginable: mammograms; blood pressure checks; even bowel cancer screening kits you can mail in for testing. But there’s one test you won’t read about in a doctor’s waiting room, and it could save your life.

Loose-fill asbestos testing is being offered by the State Government for free until August 1 across more than 60 local government areas, in a bid to eradicate the threat from New South Wales homes.

I deal with the effects of asbestos-related disease every day in my job – it is an invisible killer; a ticking time-bomb with no cure that only shows symptoms after it’s too late. Taking up the government’s free loose-fill asbestos testing offer will save you more than $1,000, but could also potentially save you and your family’s lives.

Register before it’s too late: www.loosefillasbestos.nsw.gov.au or call 13 77 88.