It seems to me that making one's living as a 'children's rights' academic addles the brain. By the same 'logic' children should be on electoral rolls since arguably all decisions made by all elected governments affect, or eventually will affect, all children. Is Dr Doel-Mackaway advocating a doctrine that children are capable of giving informed consent? That would be pretty radical. And if she really thinks so, I suggest its most important application would be to require such informed consent prior to a child having its parents' religion thrust upon it. Important, but it might put the cat amongst the pigeons.

The greatest danger to the child , had he/she looked up, would be if a cow happened to be flying overhead at that time.
Perhaps the author should contemplate getting a job.

The voice of a conniptious overprotected female. Life goes on forever in a protected zone, for some!

From childhood to the grave, enveloped in the department of education!

Another good example of why it is has become urgent to defund education!

A bridge too far!

If anyone valued the rights of children in Australia? We'd outlaw divorce and put wife, children and sheep abusing men in stocks.

With a bowl of overripe tomatoes, rotten eggs etc placed at a convenient distance, so the town could take turns chucking *@#$(!)%&* rubbish in his general direction.

As the town crier rang a bell, with the obligatory hear ye hear ye, and then bellowing a voluminous shame list of gozando offences for all to hear!

As opposed to courtrooms and warring barristers deciding, what part of a life's worth of blood sweat and tears and or family inheritances/favorite sheep, (baasil or baarry) he/she/they could keep?

With some cases costing around a $100,000.00 and more, to settle. And a liability the kids usually wind up paying!

The postal survey breaches no child's rights! In fact they don't even need to see the letter!

Just open it up, minus the song and dance routine, tick the appropriate box! It's just a simple yes or no!

Or if that's too hard? Rip it up and throw it in the bin.

If any child is affected? It's because of indifferent, uncaring parents over the top, how dare they, [in a child's presence,] overemotional reactions!

If it'll ease your concerns?

Take a butchers across the ditch and see what transpired there, when SSM, was a done deal around four years ago. And then please stop hyperventilating about confected kid's rights!

Without bias and with all due respect.
Alan B.

http://youtu.be/3jFqhjaGh30
- Been a while for that one...

Personally I think you are trying to use children to manipulate the outcome of an adult discussion, and I don't like it.

Some people think that children being raised and indoctrinated by same sex parents contravenes Rights of a Child.
I'm not concerned with Sams feelings, and you aren't protecting him from anything except criticising his mother.
Is you aware that it required a male for him to be born? Is he? Where is his Dad?
Why should Sam feel embarrassed because of his mother's choices?
They weren't his choices, or haven't you explained how things in the world work?
You say he's vulnerable to public abuse.
The public are not responsible for Sam his parents are.
The public did not choose Sams mothers sexuality.
Is Sam being bullied or victimised because of his Mothers choices?
Is that not parental abuse?

On people sharing their views and opinions in public -
Is the SSM side not pushing themselves into the lives of others with 'txt messages' & calls to 'Burn Churches'
Do you think children by chance might also go to church?
Do you deny my right to have an opinion on issues that affect me?
Do you oppose free speech?
Free Speech was what allowed gays to speak out for themselves in the first place.
Is your stance not just hypocritical but moronic placing 'Rights of Child' above 'Right to Free Speech'?

And finally I don't care what anyone from Catholic Pedophile Sanctuaries says.

I'll quite happily have the chat with 9yo Sam if you're to gutless too.
Firstly this SSM thing isn't really about love, but just as much about sex.
And I voted no, not because I oppose two people being together, but because of the indoctrination of children in a sexual sense and victimisation of other members of the community which Sams mother likely supports and is a hypocrite for doing so.

Oh and btw, It 'IS' ok to Vote 'No' you stupid moron.
It's called the right to have your own opinion and the right to speak freely.
And if it it was wrong or illegal to have an opinion the government wouldn't be asking us for it.
How dumb are you exactly? I bet Sam's actually probably smarter, even with same sex parents that tell him lies and mislead him.

Just a side question, when Sam grows up and acts violently towards women, that forced him to think and act a certain way - are you going to blame men?

Am I right, or just biased.

I have noticed that people with hyphenated names, manage to talk or white much more bulldust than any other group. Meanwhile we seem to be getting many more of them. Is this a women's lib thing?

The first few sentences of the above twaddle confirmed this judgement for me, so I ignored the rest. In future I may not even bother looking at anything written by such people.

and every poor child that has been denied a mother or father have to put up with selfish 'yes' campaigners promoting their unnatural lifestyles.

It is sad that Marriage Equality is deceiving people, when its agenda is not so-called marriage equality, but the destruction of the institution of marriage. Lesbian journalist Masha Gessen actually admitted that homosexual activists are lying about their radical political agenda, and said that they don’t want to access the institution of marriage, but want to radically redefine and eventually eliminate it. (Source: https://illinoisfamily.org/homosexuality/homosexual-activist-admits-true-purpose-of-battle-is-to-destroy-marriage/)

THE POSTAL SURVEY BREACHES ANIMAL'S RIGHTS!

My camel ate the survey and had an ink poisoning.

All this bar-code especially...

Yuyustu, hear, hear and well said!

More power to your pen and a survey sampling camel. That said, I"d find a different way of poosting it back.

The poony express is running late and a camel's a poor substitute for a faster horse. Yes, no, maybe? Please don't throw your surveys in the urinal, as they become soggy and hard to light!
Alan B.

It takes all sorts - unfortunately.

Isn't the Yes campaign mentally abusing children of de facto heterosexual couples?

"My family must be bad, because my parents aren't married".
Little Jimmy crawls under bed, worrying what's wrong with his family.

Of course, the difference being, Shockadelic, that the de facto parents have the option of marrying.

I don't think little Jimmy is going to be too traumatised over the fact that his parents choose not to get married.

I would like to make a short announcement:

Following the abusive threat of Senator Bernardi to send robots to intrude on people in the privacy of their homes (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/cory-bernardi-behind-robocalls-to-urge-millions-to-vote-no/8998500), I no longer support the 'No' campaign and had I known in advance about Bernardi's repugnant intentions before I voted, I would have surely boycotted this survey.

The shameful fact that such intrusions on our private space are still legal in Australia, is much more major than petty questions about legal marriages.

//Following the abusive threat of Senator Bernardi to send robots to intrude on people in the privacy of their homes (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/cory-bernardi-behind-robocalls-to-urge-millions-to-vote-no/8998500), I no longer support the 'No' campaign and had I known in advance about Bernardi's repugnant intentions before I voted, I would have surely boycotted this survey.//

Yuyutsu and others similarly concerned, I direct your attentions to a post I made previously on a different thread:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=7926#245985

The average child understands what's fair and honest. If asked to run Parliament for the best interests of the kids and grown-ups and politicians then would they do any worse ?