The Canberra Declaration

Why Cory Bernardi Was Right All Along by Mark Powell In the lead-up to the South Australian state election this weekend, Cory Bernardi is once again being pilloried by certain sections of the media for arguments he made fourteen years ago against the re-definition of marriage. But to his credit, the One Nation candidate is not backing down, saying, “I own what I said. I live up to it, and I don’t care if the ABC or their political wing, the Greens, are offended by it.” The hypocrisy of our national broadcaster is quite simply staggering, especially when one considers how it has positively platformed and promoted TV shows portraying sexual activity between owners and their pets. See, for instance, Rake, Season 1, Episode 5, “R V Chandler” starring Sam Neill, which is still freely available on ABC iView. This weekend’s election is surely a litmus test, though, for the great political shift which has occurred throughout the entire country. Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/20/cor…

The Reckoning We Owe Generation Covid by Jennifer Sey Six years ago, on 16 March 2020, the world as I knew it slammed shut. In deep blue San Francisco, where I’d lived for three decades, panic hung in the air like fog rolling off the bay. If you dared go outside, passersby on the sidewalk shrieked if you came within a few feet. If you went to the beach maskless with your 3-year-old – as I did – a woman might approach and spit at you that she wouldn’t care when your children died because you were a murderer. We lost our humanity as terror took hold. Those braving the outdoors thought themselves brave warriors in a battle that would almost certainly take their lives. San Francisco – and arguably the world – became a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The only people outside were drug addicts in exploding tent cities and DoorDash food delivery workers. Everything closed — schools, businesses, playgrounds. Officials promised it was just for two weeks to “flatten the curve.” But I knew better. I’d been ranting about it on social media even before the lockdowns hit, warning that once the government seized such power, they wouldn’t relinquish it easily. What followed was a nightmare of authoritarian overreach that upended my life and scarred an entire generation. From day one, I resisted. As a mother of four and a senior executive at a major corporation where I’d worked for over 20 years, I couldn’t stand by while children were treated as vectors of disease rather than human beings with rights. I simply didn’t care about the cost to me personally for speaking up. I pushed back online, building a following of like-minded dissenters who saw the madness unfolding. I attended virtual school board meetings that dragged on for nine hours, only to watch masked officials at home alone obsess over renaming schools – the names deemed “racist” – while ignoring the real crisis: the buildings themselves remained shuttered, trapping kids at home in isolation. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/20/gen…

Dennis Quaid on Prioritising God Over Hollywood Glory: “Who Cares About the Oscars?” by @Rod_Lampard Dennis Quaid is not interested in seeking glory. He’s just loving the game. One of the coolest and hardest-working actors around, Quaid told podcast "Out of Order" that he’s “enjoying doing work (he’s) interested in doing.” “I’m enjoying work a lot more than I did back then,” the screen legend of the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond said, adding, “I’m not trying to get anywhere.” Noting that Hollywood hasn’t handed him its coveted Golden-bronze accolade, Quaid explained that he’s “not trying to push to get an Oscar.” “Who cares about that?” Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/20/den…

Legalisation of Marijuana: Oh, Australia, Don’t Blindly Follow Canada’s Lead by Pamela McColl I’m really happy to share what I know about marijuana because it took me 15 years to educate myself and to connect with people around the world who work on this policy. And it’s always a delight to share my knowledge and my concerns about marijuana policy with audiences such as yours and particularly youth. Now, some of you are here possibly because you’re interested in the conversation about marijuana legalisation. As a Canadian, I know all about that. I was part of the campaign to oppose it in Canada from 2014 to 2018. Or, you might be here because you’re considering using marijuana. And I can share some concerns I have on that, specifically based on good science. You may be here because somebody in your world is using marijuana, and you may be concerned about them and don’t know how to approach them. I hope this conversation helps you. I came to marijuana through a tobacco-prevention background. I worked on the “denormalisation” campaigns that took on the tobacco industry, an industry that was lying, deceiving and coercing people, particularly youth, into buying its products and becoming addicted. It was fascinating to see the marijuana industry turn around when they realised that they were getting pushback about the idea of legalisation in the 1970s and 1980s, and they came out with a campaign of “normalisation”. They wanted to normalise marijuana across society before we could de-normalise it any further. They were so far ahead of us and they were so well funded and well positioned that they succeeded in rolling out marijuana for medical purposes, by having people vote on a medicine. They have also had some success in the legalisation of marijuana for non-medical purposes. How do you arm youth against an industry that is going after them with another addictive product and with great amounts of money? How do you put a 12-year-old or a 13-year-old up against the likes of that? It’s on us to find ways to legislate and to control these industries so they don’t prey on our youth. Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/20/leg…

Report: China Hacked US Voter Databases in 2020 to Fraudulently Obtain Mail-in Ballots by Dan Hart A startling new report surfaced this week, revealing that China’s communist regime hacked into United States voter registration databases in 2020 and planned to use the information to produce thousands of fake American driver’s licenses in order to obtain mail-in ballots, with the purpose of casting fraudulent votes for former President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Just the News reported Monday on the recent re-emergence of a highly redacted formerly classified memo produced by the National Intelligence Council in April 2020, which stated, “[Redacted] Chinese intelligence officials analysed multiple US states’ [Redacted] election voter registration data, [Redacted] to conduct public opinion analysis on the 2020 US general election.” Two years after it was produced, the memo was quietly declassified by former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. But even after it was released, Just the News noted that the memo failed to gain attention, in stark contrast to the aftermath that occurred in March 2024 after it was discovered that Beijing had hacked into the United Kingdom’s databases and accessed the personal files of millions of Brits, causing widespread outrage. Now, the rediscovered memo could have significant implications for US lawmakers as they consider the SAVE America Act, a bill currently being debated in the Senate that would require potential voters across the nation to present identification and proof of citizenship before being allowed to vote in federal elections. The data that was reportedly obtained by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operatives included driver’s license data and partial Social Security numbers, which can be used to make absentee ballot requests and to cast fraudulent ballots in person. According to Just the News, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is currently “working to declassify raw reports” on the CCP’s breach “for potential public dissemination.” In June of last year, FBI Director Kash Patel made public an intelligence report from 2020 that warned the CCP was planning to mass-produce fraudulent US driver’s licenses to obtain mail-in ballots, which the communist regime planned to cast for Biden, since he was considered more favourable to Beijing’s interests. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/20/chi…

Talk to Your Pastor about Political Involvement by Philip Irvin Don’t discuss whether the church should be involved in politics. Rather, ask, “What activities should the Church avoid?” Should it avoid digging wells in Africa? Developing land for a nursing home? Prudently investing an endowment? Helping refugees establish a business? In addition to ministries, there is no objection to a Church pursuing activities whose primary goal is to generate revenue for ministries. Generally, we accept that the Church can be involved in pretty much any activity it can support, except things that are morally wrong or corrupt, such as prostitution or casino gambling. If we believe there is a specific essential area of life that the Church should avoid, it suggests a flawed theology that limits the Church’s reach and Christians’ influence while assuming a god who is impotent in that area. So why would a pastor say that the Church shouldn’t be involved in politics, even as he attends a board meeting where two members try to persuade others to support their stance, just like legislative debates? Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/19/pas…

Compassion Isn’t Enough When It Comes to Euthanasia by Hayden Ramsay One of my first tasks after moving to Australia in the early ’90s was to speak to the South Australian parliament about euthanasia. It seemed a remote possibility then, and the case against it was – and is – unanswerable. In 1997, the Commonwealth overthrew the Northern Territory’s euthanasia legislation after patient work by Kevin Andrews, Church leaders and many non-Christians too. Now, however, euthanasia is permitted in every state. What a mess. I’ve met no euthanasia supporter who has wicked, malicious motivation. The motivation is compassion (or despair or fear) over suffering, and it’s most usually connected with a personal story. This makes euthanasia a genuinely moral issue. Moral issues start with compassion – but it’s not how they finish. Or it shouldn’t be. We are thinking creatures, and particularly when we are filled with fear or love or despair or rage (and ideally, before these feelings happen), we need to stop, think and work through what acting on our feelings of compassion would actually mean. I don’t want to rehearse the anti-euthanasia arguments. They’re well-known. They’re unanswerable – and yet people don’t care about that. I’ll say a couple of brief things. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/19/com…

Secularism, Islamism and Biblical Truth — Leading The Way with Dr @MichaelYoussef_ In this powerful 20Twenty interview from @VisionMediaAU, Dr Michael Youssef delivers a bold and urgent warning about the growing convergence between secularism and Islamism—what he identifies as an “unholy alliance” shaping the future of the Western world. Drawing from decades of global ministry and firsthand experience, Dr Youssef exposes how this alliance is not accidental, but strategic—working through cultural, political, and ideological channels to influence society and silence Biblical Truth. He highlights what he describes as “jihad by democracy”, where influence is gained not only through force, but through cultural infiltration and political systems. Yet, with clarity and conviction, Dr Youssef makes a crucial distinction: this is not about people groups, but about ideologies that oppose the Truth of the Gospel. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/19/sec…

Normandy’s La Trappe Abbey Closure Exposes the Secularist ‘Spiritual Disaster’ That is Rotting the West by @Rod_Lampard Normandy’s Trappist monastery will fall under the auctioneer’s hammer after holding out for over 900 years. This marks yet another piece of Christianity forced out of the marketplace and into the museum. Like the great pubs and family estates of Britain, which were designed for a different age to serve a specific time and purpose, in 2028, the French Abbey of La Trappe will close its doors for the last time. An announcement was reluctantly made in March. Cistercian monks who live on the grounds said the decision was “the result of a long period of discernment by the community.” Reasons for the planned departure were stated in a press release, which reassured visitors that the Abbey had not yet been sold. The statement also confirmed that the monks were still on site and were still living out nine centuries of consistent Christian prayer, work, and community service. “Day and night, the brothers will remain a prayerful presence for the Church and the world.” 2028’s farewell comes down to a “scarcity of vocations and the increasingly heavy burden of maintaining the land,” the Abbey said. They’re not giving up without at least trying to keep the Abbey alive. The Cistercians said they were negotiating “with other communities to find more suitable solutions, more economically and spiritually relevant.” Although this appears to be a bold attempt to save the Abbey, they said, with dwindling numbers of monks, maintaining the site, “has been difficult for the past several decades.” Not willing to call it a catastrophe, the monastery did say this was “undoubtedly a turning page in history.” They additionally used the news as a rallying cry for more prayer. “This is,” the Cistercians said, “an invitation for the Church to respond to pray for vocations of priests, deacons and consecrated men and women in the Church.” Leaving the Perche region and the iconic site “will be very demanding and painful” for the monks, the press release added. That “profound loss” will also be felt by the community connected to the Abbey, which, for some, goes back generations. Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/19/la-…

Good News: God ‘Remembers’ Us by Bill Muehlenberg A phrase used in Scripture that speaks of how God knows all about us, cares for us, and interacts with us, involves the use of the word “remember”. Given that God is omniscient and knows all things, this is clearly a figure of speech since God does not forget anything, and so does not need to be reminded of things. So the term has a decidedly human reference: we can tend to think that God ‘forgets’ all about us, and we wish He would ‘remember’ us. It is in the same vein that we might speak of God being ‘far’ from us, or being ‘hidden’ or being ‘silent’ and the like. The truth is, God is always fully aware of us and dealing with us. But from our end, it seems at times that He is nowhere to be found, and He is absent or aloof. The Bible makes it quite clear that God has NOT forgotten us nor abandoned us. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/19/god…

From the Outback to the City, Aussies Will Be Tame-Free by Mark Powell Grace Tame, a former Australian of the Year recipient, recently revealed at a speaking engagement in Hobart that she is the victim of an orchestrated “smear campaign”. This has resulted in seeing her cancelled from any future speaking engagements, at least for the foreseeable near future. As Ms Tame said, “This is my last presentation of the year, and it’s only March”. Perhaps her extended sabbatical will give her time to reflect on the consequences of her actions, when earlier this year she publicly led a chant in Sydney to “globalise the intifada”. Significantly, this was not just a call to ethically cleanse the land of Palestine, but that it be extended “from Gadigal (Sydney) to Gaza”. Which doesn’t leave the Jewish people anywhere to really go, does it? Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/18/tam…

Christian Voters Sidelined as SA Labor Nears Election Victory by Ashlyn Vice South Australians are already heading to the polls for early voting ahead of election day this Saturday, 21 March. Polling throughout this campaign has been remarkably consistent, pointing towards a decisive Labor victory. At the very least, it is likely South Australia will see an overwhelming Labor majority in the lower house, with the possibility of a near wipeout for Liberal MPs. Without the stabilising influence of a strong crossbench in the Upper House – made possible by a united Christian vote – this monopoly of power risks weakening the checks and balances that are vital to a healthy democracy. There are many reasons for this apparent concentration of support among South Australians: two leadership changes in a single term for the SA Liberals, recent destabilisation of the Coalition at the federal level, and the “Mali factor” — Malinauskas’ magnetic likeability, offering an easy point of confidence in contrast to the Liberals’ recent disarray. However, as this election draws to a close, one concern has become increasingly clear: South Australian Labor appears to be taking the Christian vote for granted — their confidence giving way to complacency. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/18/sa-…

Proving Pauline – What Does She Know? by John Vucko Pauline Hanson is the leader of Australia’s One Nation political party. She’s often dismissed as ignorant or bigoted. The fish-and-chip shop owner from Ipswich left school at 15, raised four kids as a single mum, and built a life from hard work. Elites call her unqualified, politically irrelevant. They mocked her famous “Please explain!”—now she wears it like a medal. For years, she’s warned about immigration done wrong; unchecked enclaves that don’t assimilate. They called her racist. Then came Bondi. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/18/pro…

Iranian-Born MMA Fighter Doubles Down On Gospel-Fuelled Call For a Free Iran by @Rod_Lampard 2022 comments from mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Beneil Dariush are resurfacing thanks to fresh support for a free Iran. After defeating Pole Mateusz Gamrot in Abu Dhabi, Dariush spoke to victims caught up in Iran’s Islamic slaughter of dissidents. Dariush gave full credit to God for freedom, telling Iranians that no one could rob them of their liberty, because God has secured our freedoms in Christ. Keep reading: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/18/ira…

Woke Films Keep Flopping — and Hollywood Is Finally Listening by S.A. McCarthy Family-friendly films may be making a comeback in Hollywood as younger parents get involved in the filmmaking process and as woke films fail at the box office. One example is the latest film from Pixar, "Hoppers", which grossed $87 million at the worldwide box office as of 8 March, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year so far. Last year’s Pixar offering, "Elio", was a box office failure, suffering the lowest opening weekend earnings of any Pixar in the famed animation studio’s 40-year history. Originally, "Elio" was slated to include a prominent LGBT storyline, despite growing concerns that Pixar and its parent company, Disney, have increasingly injected LGBT ideology into children’s media. Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter explained this year that the studio’s decision to axe the same-sex-relationship storyline had to do with concerns raised by parents. “We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy,” Docter said, noting that most parents don’t want to have to explain same-sex relationships to their children after a family trip to the cinema. “As time’s gone on, I realised my job is to make sure the films appeal to everybody.” Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/18/wok…

Standing Strong for Liberty: Christian Leaders Launch the Australian Christian Freedom Index Last week, the Canberra Declaration was privileged to host the webinar launch of the Australian Christian Freedom Index (ACFI). Several special guests joined us, with expertise in politics, law, and the importance of family, faith and Christian freedom to Australia. Each guest spoke about the declining ability of Christians to freely live out their faith. As Michelle Pearse (CEO, Australian Christian Lobby) reminded us: “Any time we are discussing religious freedom, it’s really not about self-interest. It’s not just about protecting ourselves.” “It’s making the claim that we, as Christians, have something very good and very necessary to contribute.” If we truly believe that Australia’s Judaeo-Christian values are for the good of all, then the ability of Christians to make that contribution to our country by freely practising our faith is an absolute necessity. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/17/chr…

Living Differently for the Sake of Our Grandchildren in Time and Eternity: Christian Family Dynasties Over the Generations by Dr Stuart Piggin Because I am a historian, I will focus chiefly on the startling contribution to family and national wellbeing of Christian family dynasties over the generations, with special reference to Australia... Christian family dynasties: - are very tenacious over generations - have shaped Australian communities and influenced Australian history - help their members to make the best of both worlds – this and the next commend the work of the Lord The challenge to every Christian is to reinforce the solidarity of the Christian family dynasties to which they belong, or to be a pioneer or initiator of new Christian family dynasties. Read more: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/17/our…

The Legitimacy of Israel: History, Law, and the Challenge of Modern Antisemitism by Dr Andrew Lothian In recent years, debates surrounding the legitimacy of the State of Israel have intensified across Western societies, including Australia. These debates often appear in discussions about antisemitism, Middle Eastern politics, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. At the heart of many of these controversies lies a deeper issue: the attempt to delegitimise Israel itself. Dr Andrew Lothian has written a detailed submission to the Australian Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion which explores these themes, arguing that many modern criticisms of Israel go beyond policy disagreements and instead challenge the very right of the Jewish state to exist. Understanding this debate requires examining historical claims, international legal developments, and the narratives that shape modern political discourse. This article summarises Andrew’s excellent submission to the Australian Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion: dailydeclaration.org.au/2026/03/17/the…