Churches protest Christmas prison visits

Churches protest Christmas day prison visits cancellation.

“Over 2,700 children and family members have visited prisoners on Christmas Day for the past 16 years, until NSW Corrective Services stopped the visits last year. After an initial change of heart, Christmas Day visits have been cancelled again” JA coordinator Brett Collins revealed today.

“The Catholic Church, the Uniting Church through its division Uniting Care, the Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes and others have called for Corrective Services to reinstate Christmas Day visits” he said.

“Christmas Day is traditionally a day for families to come together in a spirit of love and forgiveness. It celebrates a day when the most important family in the Christian world first came together. This day is about children, wives, parents and husbands of prisoners who need contact with their jailed loved ones” said JA coordinator Michael Poynder.

“The recidivism rate in NSW is a shocking 43.7% - the highest in the country, but State Plan efforts hope to reduce it by 10%. Corrective Services acknowledge the significance of the family to help prisoners readjust upon release. Support for Christmas Day, which promotes the family ethos including the missing family member, is essential to reduce this figure” said Mr Collins.

“Justice Action calls on Commissioner Woodham to return Christmas Day visits and to make Christmas a feature goodwill event in the Corrective Services calendar – a day where hope and rebirth are expressed as it has in the past” said Mr Poynder.

For comments:

Brett Collins on 0438 705 003
Michael Poynder on 0401 371 077

JUSTICE ACTION
Trades Hall, Suite 204, 4 Goulburn St, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
PO Box 386, Broadway NSW 2007 Australia
T 612 9283 0123 | F 612 9283 0112
E ja@justiceaction.org.au

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SHINE for Kids
What happens for a young person who has a parent in prison?


There are a lot of consequences for children or young people who have a parent in prison. During Groupwork the kids themselves have identified as being:

Isolated – feeling lonely
Stigmatised – feeling they aren't as good as others
Ostracised/ignored – left out
Missing out
on time with Mum or Dad
on activities, because there isn't enough money
Angry – at Dad, at Mum, at the police, at themselves
Deserted – betrayed, let down
Frightened
about Mum or Dad not being OK
about what is going to happen to them now
Humiliated/embarrassed – most kids wouldn't dare tell any of their friends
Stressed – stress can trigger anger/aggression, fits of crying, even bedwetting
Guilty – a lot of kids feel like it is their fault that mum or dad is in jail
Confused by changes in family dynamics
Insecure – most kids no longer feel safe and secure, they miss their parent
Low in self esteem
Having to become the adult
Statistics indicate that at any one time approximately 15,000 students in NSW are directly affected by the imprisonment of a parent, and that 60,000 students under the age of 16 have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives. The peer groups of each of these students can also be affected indirectly.

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Judge clips driver's wings

A woman serving jail time because she believed it was her "God-given" right to drive without a licence, has failed to have a conviction overturned by the NSW Supreme Court.

Losalina Rainima, who is a member of a group known as the "United People's Movement Against Road Taxes" has been in jail since her arrest in December last year for driving while disqualified.

The Fijian-born woman had been fined, had her licence revoked and was placed on a five-year good behaviour bond but refused to enter the bond and was subsequently jailed.

Ms Rainima also refused to accept the conditions of parole, telling the court: "Christ has redeemed me from these laws. I am of good mind and good intent. There is no law to which I need to answer in this case ..."

"I have a right of passage. I have a right of movement. All living things are given graces - the birds fly, the fish swim, the kangaroo hops and I've been given good graces to drive."

In his decision Justice Peter Hidden said the arguments advanced by Ms Rainima were "entirely without substance and were doomed to fail".

"Either the driver licensing legislation is valid or it is not. If it is, all of us, including the plaintiff, are bound by it and no inalienable right resides within any of us to free us from obligations which it imposes."

He found that no credible challenge has been mounted to the legislation and that would be the end of the matter.

He reminded Ms Rainima that her license was disqualified until May 2023.

Hillsong's schools recruitment drive

Parents send their children to public schools in the anticipation that they will not be indoctrinated," Mr Kaye said.

A NETWORK of Christian youth ministries with links to the Hillsong Church is attempting to recruit members in public schools through free lunchtime concerts and barbecues called "Exo days", church manuals reveal.

Exo or Excellent days are free events run by Christian students under the direction of Youth Alive, an arm of the Australian Christian Churches - formerly the Assemblies of God - of which Hillsong is the largest member.

Youth Alive describes the events as "a free lunchtime festival … put on by the Christian students as a gift to the school", but a leaders' manual prepared by the body reveals that Exo days are aimed at recruiting students to their local youth ministry.

A teacher at one public school said students had returned to class after an Exo day concert complaining about attempts to convert them, while the Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations says it is an attempt to sneak evangelism into schools and reveals the need for new laws.

The Exo day instruction manuals include numerous references to recruitment and evangelism.

"The whole goal for Exo week and Exo day is to see your youth ministry grow," it states.

"The vision is to see evangelism and growth come from the students themselves in your youth ministry."

The manual includes "testimony" from a youth minister working outside Newcastle who states: "Exo day started a rapid increase in the number of salvations within our youth ministry.

"But, most importantly, Exo day has given our young people the belief that they can take their schools for Jesus."

The Youth Alive website indicates that about 30 NSW public schools have registered to hold Exo days.

Manuals given to the Christian students refer to Exo days as an opportunity to "show our peers that God wants us to have an excellent life" and encourage them to promote the event at school. Youth Alive declined to comment.

The revelations follow recent reports that Hillsong was running its Shine program - aimed at young women - in at least 20 NSW public schools.

The NSW Education Act says that "instruction" at public schools must be non-sectarian and secular except in designated religious education classes.

The NSW upper house Greens MP, John Kaye, said Exo days went against the spirit of the act, but that there was a need for new laws specifying "clearly and precisely who is allowed on school campuses and who is not".

Parents send their children to public schools in the anticipation that they will not be indoctrinated," Mr Kaye said.

"What these ministries are doing is seeking to rip off that legitimacy and authority and use it for their own purposes. We need a protocol that makes it clear that these kinds of things should not be happening."

A spokesman for the Department of Education said the events were not a cause for concern as they were not compulsory. He denied they breached departmental guidelines.

Neil Simpson, the principal of Batemans Bay High School, where Exo days have run for several years, agreed they were within guidelines. "It's 40 minutes at lunchtime … there's no hard-core message or evangelising," he said.

Mr Simpson said he was happy for students to be exposed to different cultural experiences, likening Exo days to the indigenous event NAIDOC.

However, a number of public school teachers said students had complained about evangelism.

A spokeswoman for the Federation of Parents and Citizens' Association said religious recruitment in schools was inappropriate. "We need to ensure that children when they go to school aren't exposed to discreet evangelism," she said.

Related:

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Public schools allowing Christian sex ed
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Austraila detained Afghans in 'dog pens'

Australian special forces troops detained suspected Taliban militants [or indigenous Afganistanis] in "dog pens" in actions which have prompted a protest from the Afghan ambassador.

Australian Muslim groups have also expressed outrage that four suspected insurgents [or indigenous Afganistanis] were held for 24 hours after being arrested by special forces soldiers in Afghanistan on April 29.

An army inquiry last week rejected claims that the raid on suspected Taliban [or indigenous Afganistanis] members, which resulted in allegations of mistreatment, was carried out in response to the fatal shooting two days earlier of Sydney commando Lance Corporal Jason Marks.

Defence [Military] officials have confirmed that Afghan prisoners were held in the dog pens in Afghanistan.

"Yes, however this holding area provided the best secure, safe and isolated short-term accommodation until the following day," a Defence [Military] spokesman said.

However, Islamic decrees warn Muslims against contact with dogs which are regarded as unclean.

Afghan ambassador Amanullah Jayhoon has strongly criticised the use of dog pens for human detention and warned the incident could provide valuable propaganda for the Taliban.

Australia's peak Muslim body the Islamic High Council has expressed alarm at the practice.

"This is of concern to us whether they are Muslim or other people being confined to other accommodation designed for dogs," said Council spokesman Mohamed Mehio.

"This is a matter of human rights."

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon denied any wrongdoing by the diggers [militia].

"The detainees were held for 24 hours at this transit facility, which was the time required to arrange appropriate transport to move them to a purpose-built detention facility at Tarin Kowt," he said.

Children killed in NATO artillery attack

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan says it has accidentally killed three children in the eastern province of Paktika.

A statement says soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were attacked and retaliated with artillery fire.

The first shell landed too close to a civilian compound and troops called a halt to the attack, but a second shell had already been fired.

NATO soldiers found the bodies of three children in the compound. Seven people were wounded.

In a statement, NATO expressed deep regret and said the incident was being investigated.

On Friday Afghan and German troops killed two children and a woman when the cars they were in failed to stop at a checkpoint.

The incidents are the latest in a string of civilian casualties caused by foreign soldiers.

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John McCain More Of The Same



Investigation last week found mass NATO Killings of 90 Afghanistan Civilians including 60 Children.


"Investigations by UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) found convincing evidence, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, and others, that some 90 civilians were killed, including 60 children, 15 women and 15 men," U.N. Special Envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide said in a statement.

Falun Gong's Olympic 'call for justice'

About 100 protesters from the Falun Gong have gathered in Sydney's CBD calling for greater scrutiny of China's labour camps during the Olympics.

The Falun Gong say about 8,000 of their members in China have been arrested since December in crackdown leading up to the games.

Protest organisers say they have gathered to call for journalists to scrutinise China's labour camps while covering the Olympics.

About 50 people gathered in front of banners calling for justice, while two Falun Gong women who say they have survived torture spoke about their experiences.

One of the women, Jennifer Zeng, says the Games should be used by international media as an opportunity to investigate torture claims.

"Just miles away from the Olympic venue, people are being tortured or even being tortured to death," she said.

"I was detained in the Beijing female labour camp for one year for practicing Falun Gong."

Chinese political prisoners 'worse-off' in Games lead-up

A letter from a jailed Chinese dissident to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) claims the treatment of pro-democracy supporters in China has worsened in the lead-up to the Games.

The New York-based group Human Rights in China has released the letter written by veteran dissident He Depu.

He is serving an eight-year sentence for inciting subversion of state power.

His letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge was written in April and smuggled out of his Beijing prison.

Mr He writes authorities are treating political prisoners worse because of the Olympic Games.

He says they are not allowed to call or meet with their families, obtain a reduced sentence or participate in recreational activities.

He Depu invites Mr Rogge to visit, saying he should see for himself if the Olympic Games have really been a catalyst for political change.

Another human rights protest in Beijing



As the Olympic Games draw closer, more human rights protests are breaking out in Beijing.

Yesterday there were protests about repression in Tibet and by foreign Christians about China's population control policies.

Today, the same foreign Christians were detained after another protest.

Also, a group of athletes, including 40 Olympians, have called on China's President to respect human rights and to resolve the Tibet issue.

Human rights were always going to be a sensitive issue for the Beijing Games, and various groups believe now is the time to get their causes heard.

During the Olympics China wants to shine in the international spotlight - others want to use it to expose dark corners [gross human rights abuse.]

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President Bush is heading to China this week, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics on Friday. The Games’ presence in Beijing have helped spotlight opposition to China on a number of policies, including its repression of the Tibetan independence movement, its support for the Sudanese government in Darfur and its crackdown on dissidents and civil liberties at home. In the latest issue of Harper’s Magazine, Ken Silverstein says many of the bipartisan experts who have advocated so-called “constructive engagement” with China are tied to major US multinational corporations that profit heavily from the Chinese market.

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Public schools allowing Christian sex ed

The Greens say the New South Wales Government needs to better control which groups have access to public school classrooms.

It has emerged that a Christian church-backed program is being taught as part of regular curriculum in some NSW schools.

The Choices of Life program, devised by the Presbyterian and Baptist churches, has been taught in human sexuality classes in at least three state primary schools and some high schools.

Greens MP John Kaye says the program pushes an anti-abortion and pro-abstinence message, and it is disturbing that it has been allowed into classrooms.

"It's indoctrination of students, it runs counter to the demands of the Education Act that public schools instruction be strictly non-sectarian and secular," he said.

"It also runs counter to the more than 80 per cent of Australians who oppose any restrictions on the rights of women to have abortion."

Mr Kayes says the anti-abortion, pro-abstinence message goes against the Education Act, which demands that public school instruction be secular.

"The Iemma Government has lost control of who gets access to public school class rooms," he said.

"Earlier this week, we had the Hillsong Church with its Shine program running in 20 public schools. Now we've got the Choice of Life organisation.

"There needs to be far better regulation to stop groups getting access to public school classes when they haven't been appropriately vetted."

The Department of Education and Training says it will review the use of the Choices of Life program.

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Apology must go further: victims

While the apology has been welcomed, victims say more direct dialogue is needed.

Support groups for victims of sexual abuse by clergy have branded Pope Benedict's apology as meaningless and called on him to say sorry to victims in person.

Speaking at a mass to dedicate an altar at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral this morning, the Pope said he was "deeply sorry" for sexual abuse committed by priests and other Catholic figures in Australia.

"Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice," he told an audience of Australian bishops, seminarians, and novices.

But Anthony Foster, whose two daughters were repeatedly raped by a Melbourne priest as children, says the Pope's apology was "remote" and "limited" and does not ease their suffering.

"I think a remote apology does not carry anywhere near the weight of a personal, direct apology," he said.

"I recognise that the Pope used appropriate words in terms of adding in a little of his own thoughts, I recognise that.

"But this is only an apology, it is only words, it does not commit all the resources of the Church to this problem."

He has called for all archdioceses to provide "practical, unlimited support" and stop blocking legal action.

"There are a lot of victims support groups who can advice the church on what's needed," he said.

Victims support group Broken Rites says victims should have been invited to the mass.

Spokeswoman Chris McIsaac says the apology is meaningless without the victims being present.

"Victims I'm sure would feel very disheartened by this and I'm sure that as the weeks go by they won't feel that there was ever a real apology ever given," she said.

John Ellis, who suffered years of abuse from the age of 14, agrees the Pope should go further.

"It (an apology) needs to be given in an event where victim's representatives are invited to specifically," he said.

"I think it will be very hurtful if he doesn't do that since we won't have been listened to."

Sexual assault victim Anthony Jones says he was abused as an adult and that has been left out of the Pope's apology.

"So he's totally ignored the sexual abuse that has been happening to adults in the Catholic Church," he said.

A series of revelations has been televised, outlining contradictions and omissions in the way the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, dealt with complaints from Mr Jones.

The complaints related to sexual abuse that Mr Jones received at the hands of a priest while he was serving as a religious education teacher.

In response to mounting pressure, Cardinal Pell referred the controversial matter to a hand-picked panel.

Victims say there is still time for the Pope to apologise in person.

Updated: 21 July 8:51am (AEST)

Pope meets abuse victims

Pope Benedict XVI conducted a mass with representatives of sexual abuse victims this morning, less than an hour before he is due to take off to return to Rome.

The Pope officiated at the mass with a group representing victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy.

The Pope listen to their harrowing stories and consoled them and assured them of his support and his continuing prayer of their friends and families of the victims

With this gesture the Pope wanted to demonstrate once more his support and sorrow for all those who have been sexually abused around the world at the hands of Catholic priests.

It is understood that the mass was conducted in the chapel of St Marys.

The Pope celebrated the mass with four victims - two men and two women - and their supporters.

It was held in a tiny chapel of the chapter house in St Marys. It began at 7am and he was helped in the mass by Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Filoni.

It was a highly emotional meeting and which Pope said conveyed the drama and the sorrow of the victims.

Updated: 21 July 11:17am (AEST)

Pope meeting angers abuse activists

The Catholic Church has angered prominent sex abuse activists after they were left out of a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and a small group of abuse victims in Sydney this morning.

Melbourne couple Anthony and Christine Foster, whose two daughters were repeatedly raped by a Melbourne priest, say that neither they nor the victims group Broken Rites were told about or invited to the meeting.

"No we weren't aware of this meeting," Mr Foster said.

"There were some rumours yesterday and it seems to have been conducted without any knowledge of either ourselves or Broken Rites.

"Broken Rites, as a group representing victims, applied for a meeting with the Pope two months ago and have not had any response to that.

"We are very disappointed that people who I think the public have come to accept represent the views of victims have not been included in this meeting."

The Archdiocese of Sydney says its Professional Standards Office nominated three abuse representatives to be present at the mass, which was held ahead of the Pope's departure from World Youth Day events.

"It seems absolutely incredible that the Catholic Church would ignore the views of people who've been articulate in putting forward the needs and requirements of all victims and simply meet with a few victims who may well not be able to present the views of all victims," Mr Foster said.

"Its not realistic to meet all victims, no.

"But I think it would have been quite realistic to at least give us the courtesy of telling us whether he was going to meet with us or not, and to certainly listen to our views so that we could help the Church move forward.

"We want to see a strong united Church that can speak for all its members and the public and put forward views that are respected in the community.

"When this sort of thing happens, they can't be respected."

Chris MacIsaac from Broken Rites says her members are upset that they have missed out on meeting the Pope.

"There wouldn't be all this hullabulloo and people putting up their hands complaining if the process worked properly," she said.

"You can always select hand-picked people who are happy with something.

"Nothing's ever totally wrong or totally right. But if they want to fix this they must listen to the people who have grievance with it."

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The father of two girls who were repeatedly raped by a priest while they were primary school students in Melbourne is on his way to Australia from Britain seeking a personal audience with the Pope.

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Rape victims' father seeks papal audience

The father of two girls who were repeatedly raped by a priest while they were primary school students in Melbourne is on his way to Australia from Britain seeking a personal audience with the Pope.

Anthony Foster's daughters Emma and Katherine were raped by Melbourne priest Father Kevin O'Donnell when they were in primary school.

Earlier this year Emma Foster committed suicide at the age of 26. Katherine developed a heavy drinking habit and was hit by a drunk driver in 1999. She was left physically and mentally disabled and requiring 24-hour care.

Father O'Connell died in prison about 10 years ago.

In 1998 the family rejected the then-Melbourne Archbishop George Pell's offer of compensation, made under his 'Towards Healing' protocols, and spent eight years in a protracted legal battle.

They eventually negotiated a settlement, believed to be the largest compensation pay-out of its kind in Australia. The initial offer of compensation would have been capped at $50,000.

Despite an earlier admission and an apology from Archbishop Pell, during the settlement the Church's lawyers denied that any admissions had been made about the abuse of the two girls.

Mr Foster says he will not accept a papal apology to Australian victims of sexual abuse unless the Pope also moves to change the way those victims are dealt with by the Church and its lawyers.

He believes his daughter would still be alive if the church had have been more supportive.

"In Melbourne, Archbishop Pell put a system in place which he says he is very proud of and he said recently he doesn't know what more he could do," he said.

"There's a lot more he can do. He can beg forgiveness from the victims, he can offer continuing help to the victims and he can just stop fighting the victims in court."

He says the Church must do more than it has so far to help all victims of sexual abuse.

"Emma carried the pain of her abuse for all her life until it ended recently and Christine and I now carry that pain instead of her," he said.

"We really want to make sure that in her name, and for her memory, something is done for all the remaining victims.

"An apology is not enough unless it is backed up with action, unless he removes all obstacles to continuing support for victims."

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Youth Day laws 'crept up on us'
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Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'
The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech. Under the new regulations, people who refuse to stop engaging in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims can be arrested and fined up to $5,500.

Tough police powers outlive APEC
CONTROVERSIAL powers granted to NSW police during last year's APEC summit are likely to be made permanent - or at least available to police for any special event - under a proposal to be taken to state cabinet. The powers made it possible to exclude people from certain zones during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in September. Police were given extraordinary rights to search people.

Court dumps WYD 'annoy' law

Two Sydney activists have won a Federal Court challenge to special World Youth Day laws which carry $5500 fines for annoying or inconveniencing pilgrims.

NoToPope Coalition members Rachel Evans and Amber Pike took the NSW government to court over the police powers granted for the month of July seeking a declaration that they were unconstitutional.

Justices Catherine Branson, Robert French and Margaret Stone today ruled the specific clause relating to annoying and inconveniencing pilgrims went beyond the intention of state parliament.

In 2006, the parliament passed the World Youth Day Act which allowed the World Youth Day Authority to pass the annoyance clause in 2008.

In dismissing the other points of the coalition's claim, Justice French found that parts of the act banning the sale of certain items including stickers, badges and T-shirts did not infringe upon the right to free political communication.

However, the judge said the annoyance clause was invalid because it could not have been the intention of parliament to make such vague and extensive limits to free speech.

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100k pilgrims expected at WYD opening mass
More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend the first major event of World Youth Day in Sydney today, the opening mass. Pilgrims from countries including Spain and Canada gathered at St Mary's Cathedral next to Sydney's Hyde Park overnight to watch the clock strike midnight and mark the start of World Youth Day activities.

Youth Day laws 'crept up on us'
The state's community legal centres are calling for an inquiry into the expansion of police powers in New South Wales ahead of World Youth Day. The Combined Community Legal Centres Group has investigated the way new powers have been given to police by the State Government, especially for last year's APEC summit in Sydney.

Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'
The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech. Under the new regulations, people who refuse to stop engaging in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims can be arrested and fined up to $5,500.

Tough police powers outlive APEC
CONTROVERSIAL powers granted to NSW police during last year's APEC summit are likely to be made permanent - or at least available to police for any special event - under a proposal to be taken to state cabinet. The powers made it possible to exclude people from certain zones during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in September. Police were given extraordinary rights to search people.

100k pilgrims expected at WYD opening mass

More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend the first major event of World Youth Day in Sydney today, the opening mass.

Pilgrims from countries including Spain and Canada gathered at St Mary's Cathedral next to Sydney's Hyde Park overnight to watch the clock strike midnight and mark the start of World Youth Day activities.

While Pope Benedict enjoys another day of relaxation at a retreat in Sydney's north-west, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, will officially open World Youth Day this afternoon.

He will lead the opening mass at Barangaroo.

The two-hour mass will be followed by a concert which is expected to run well into the evening.

Related:

Youth Day laws 'crept up on us'
The state's community legal centres are calling for an inquiry into the expansion of police powers in New South Wales ahead of World Youth Day. The Combined Community Legal Centres Group has investigated the way new powers have been given to police by the State Government, especially for last year's APEC summit in Sydney.

Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'
The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech. Under the new regulations, people who refuse to stop engaging in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims can be arrested and fined up to $5,500.

Tough police powers outlive APEC
CONTROVERSIAL powers granted to NSW police during last year's APEC summit are likely to be made permanent - or at least available to police for any special event - under a proposal to be taken to state cabinet. The powers made it possible to exclude people from certain zones during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in September. Police were given extraordinary rights to search people.

Court challenge for WYD nuisance powers

The Council for Civil Liberties is preparing a court challenge against new fines for people who annoy or inconvenience pilgrims during Sydney's World Youth Day later this month.

The regulations empower police, firefighters and State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers to stop people who engage in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to Catholic pilgrims during the week-long event.

People who do not comply could be arrested and face a fine of $5,500, but the SES says its volunteers do not want to enforce the rules.

Protest groups and civil libertarians fear the rules could lead to the confiscation of items such as placards and T-shirts bearing anti-World Youth Day slogans

The secretary of the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties, Stephen Blanks, says the rules are absurd.

"They're counterproductive because they've produced the situation this week that now there are many groups who wish to use the Pope's visit as an occasion to protest against a wide variety of subjects," he said.

"That was not going to occur if the Government and the police had taken a sensible approach."

The council intends to bring the case to court next week.

Earlier today, SES director-general Philip McNamara said volunteers provided support at big events all the time without the extraordinary powers.

"Really, they're all about assisting the public to get to the right spot and doing that sort of thing, rather than having to be telling the public or directing or actually imposing fines on the public," he said.

"That's not what they are there for... It's all about for us making sure that World Youth Day participation for our volunteers is a very positive experience, where they have a good interaction with both the pilgrims and anybody else that's around.

"They just didn't need the powers that have been allocated."

The new World Youth Day rules cover 680 venues.

Related:

Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'
The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech.

Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'

The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech.

Under the new regulations, people who refuse to stop engaging in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims can be arrested and fined up to $5,500.

The same provision did not apply during last year's APEC Summit in Sydney.

The association says the terms are too vague and the penalties are excessive.

It says if existing laws are considered sufficient to regulate conduct at events like the Mardi Gras or the Rugby World Cup, they should be good enough to cover World Youth Day.

The Bar Association has also accused the Government of avoiding public scrutiny by creating a criminal offence by regulation, rather than making it an Act of Parliament.

It says the NSW Government is trying to restrict freedom of speech.

Association president Anna Katzmann SC says the laws are ridiculous because any person displaying opposition to the event could be affected.

"If I were to wear a t-shirt proclaiming that World Youth Day is a waste of public money in a World Youth Day-declared area, and I refuse to remove it when an officer, an authorised officer of the Rural Fire Service asks me to do so, then I'm potentially committing a criminal offence," she said.

The Greens say the powers aim to shut down protests and provide a sanitised view of Sydney.

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says the definition of causing annoyance is open to interpretation and the subsequent penalties are excessive.

"If somebody exposes themself to a World Youth Day participant they face a fine of $1,100, but if they wear an anti-Catholic t-shirt, the fine could be $5,500," she said.

But Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Owens says officers will act reasonably in determining what is offensive.

"Police officers do it every day of the week," he said.

"As I've said, they have a discretion. We're not the fashion police, we're not kill-joys."

World Youth Day spokesman Father Mark Podesta rejected suggestions the Catholic Church requested the special powers.

Judges depart Red Mass

Several hundred members of Sydney's legal community attended the 78th annual Red Mass, led by Wollongong bishop Peter Ingham.

Supreme Court justices and judges and magistrates from the district and local courts wore traditional robes as they led Tuesday morning's procession into St Mary's Cathedral in central Sydney. Judges attend the Mass, which signifies the commencement of the law term, to seek divine guidence in the legal profession.

Bishop Peter Ingham reminded the Judges about locking up the mentally ill in prison and that they should not be dishing out double punishment to them.



Jails Fail Mentally Ill