Chelsea • Mordialloc • Mentone
Chelsea
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Wednesday 8 July 2015
5973 6424 or email: team@baysidenews.com.au www.baysidenews.com.au Colour their world: Maddy, left, and Mia, of Mentone and Lily, of Bonbeach, enjoyed being creative on their holidays. Picture: Gary Sissons
Making a splash HOLIDAY Arts Kingston, at Cube 37 Frankston Arts Centre, offers youngsters plenty of activities to engage in during the school break. Hot Arts for Cool Kids is a creative and diverse art-and-craft program ideal for 4-12 year olds and their families. Created by artists and art therapists, the activities allow children to explore, bang, create, sew, sculpt, draw – and simply enjoy themselves. In Jungle Safari, children can create their own tribal artworks through woodwork using recycled materials, sewing and painting. The shows run 10am-12.30pm, Thursday 9 July and Friday 10 July. The cost is $15 for the first child and $10 a sibling. Details: 9784 1896. Book at Frankston Arts Centre on 9784 1060.
Same-sex marriage views differ Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THE debate around legalising samesex marriage in Australia gathered pace last week after the United States Supreme Court ruled that nation’s Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. The US is the latest in a series of western countries – including the UK and Ireland – to legalise marriage for gays and lesbians.
Federal politicians are facing increased pressure to follow suit in Australia but the possibility has deeply divided politicians within both the Liberal and Labor parties. Isaacs federal Labor MP Mark Dreyfus said he is “a long-standing supporter” of marriage equality. “I believe that our nation should treat all of its citizens as equally as possible, including through marriage laws,” he said. “I am not persuaded that it will harm
our society to permit same sex couples who love each other and are committed to sharing their lives, to marry. I also cannot see that it harms any presently married couple, or the institution of marriage itself, to permit same sex couples to marry. Mr Dreyfus said he would vote in favour of marriage equality when the next Bill to establish marriage equality comes before Parliament, as he has done in the past. Flinders MP and Environment Min-
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ister Greg Hunt supports a ‘conscience vote’ by federal MPs on the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Fellow Liberal MP for Dunkley and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson opposes its legalisation. “I am a firm believer in equal rights and I have made my views on this known publicly,” Mr Hunt said in a statement provided by electorate office staff. “I anticipate that the Party Room will consider the issue in the near future
and I am very comfortable with a free vote (a conscience vote) taking place.” According to parliamentary records, Mr Hunt has previously voted against any legislation put before Parliament supporting any changes to the Marriage Act (1961) to move towards legally recognising same-sex marriage. Mr Hunt was in Germany for the latest UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting so was unavailable for further comment. Continued Page 6