UPDATE
It took four years for an outbreak of common sense in ??. Let’s hope it’s not that long for Folau. Time for the corporate virtue signallers who have been duped by ?️? activists to take a chill pill ? & allow diversity of speech & religious views to exist. A must read from John Steenhof.
This is a Recent interview with Alan Jones and Peta Credlin on Sky news.
Israel Folau will join us in just a moment people have written to me in droves and in response to the many thousands of comments that have been made each Friday when I’ve written in the Australian newspaper about what is now known as the Israel Folau affair .I further column on this matter it will appear in tomorrow’s Australian newspaper .
But over and above your comments many people are saying to me I support his Israel Folau even though I don’t agree with him at the center of all of this are two very simple principles freedom of speech and freedom of religion .
I know this young man he’s a gentle Polynesian Christian soul if you want to help him by the way just go to his website is IsraelFolau.com you follow the links and you can support him in his critical battle but it’s a battle for all of us it’s not for money this is for principled and as so many across Australia now understand you or I could be next as Senator Cory Bernardi said this week of Israel Folau from his perspective he’s trying to actually help people by reminding them that much of what is considered acceptable today is still considered sinful under Christian teachings.
Tens of thousands of preachers pastors and priests say the same thing to their congregations every single day. I might add at the time of the same-sex marriage debate the much-maligned Israel for our said simply , “I love and respect all people for who they are and their opinions but personally I would not support gay marriage .”
As I’ve written many times I did support the yes vote. I believe that love is very elusive and if people can find genuine love they shouldn’t have to apologize for it. or explain themselves in relation to it .
but as general Brixton wrote this week the sporting sensors are stifling basic freedoms beautiful are expressing his religious beliefs about homosexuals adulterers and thieves or the right of a bloke watching an AFL match to direct a few choice words at an umpire.
As the former senator from New South Wales weka Williams said three times I’ve been sworn into the Senate on my great-great-grandfather’s Bible if you go to court you swear on the Bible to tell the truth but don’t quote from the Bible or you’ll be sacked .
That’s quite a CEO Alan Joyce is described as outrageous claims that Qantas was responsible for the second of Israel that wink wink nod nod he did support the governing bodies cause of action .Alan Joyce said that the company didn’t spend millions in sponsorships to be placed in controversial situations well only controversial to mr. joyce.
Joyce I think he should understand it’s a stretch for him to believe that he speaks for all Qantas employees and supporters any more than Riley in castle and Cameron Klein and the board speak for all rugby supporters .
Of course mr. Joyce is entitled to speak I’m not sure he’s entitle honest employee thousands of them don’t agree with him. but they’re frightened to speak out I know they’ve written to me.
No freedom of speech there mr Joyce argued this week that Israel had been warned in the past through social media posts .
What does that mean that people are not free to proclaim their religion outside the workplace we’re in a very serious and dark place if that is the case .
You see before any rugby appointed tribunal could meet on this issue the Australian coach said Israel could not continue playing for the Wallabies.
Just what Rugby CEO Castle wanted to hear ,what did she do well she ran Quantas he gave evidence to the tribunal to that effect quote that evening I telephoned miss Vanessa Hudson chief customer officer at Qantas knowing that the post that is Israel quoting the Bible on social media the most widely read book in the world .
Rylan Castle said she rang this Vanessa Hudson chief customer officer at Qantas knowing that the post would be very concerning for Qantas the post could not have covered a more sensitive time she said for rugby Australia’s commercial team ,remember the so called post on social media is not even a day old when she’s saying this I told miss Hudson that Rugby Australia was taking Mr Folau
post very seriously. I sent her a draft of the statement that Rugby Australia planned to release the next day .Miss Hudson impressed on me that Qantas wish to see the matter resolved swiftly.
So there we are Rugby Australia doing the bidding of Qantas don’t worry about the player the long-term interest of the game certainly don’t worry about the players rights .
Just assure your sponsor the jogo to sack you best player for expressing his religious views outside the workplace don’t worry about reading before you do anything about the Fair Work Act or the Australian Human Rights Commission act .
Don’t worry about that and of the Fair Work Act it’s expressly unlawful to discriminate against an employee on the basis of their religion. none of us worried Raylene Castle her mind was firmly fixed on the sponsors, an intelligent leader would have accepted the challenge of explaining rationally to a sponsor how the matter should be handled to accommodate sponsor player and employer.
but raylene Castle the CEO of rugby in a subsequent appearance before the tribunal made it clear who was calling the shots and I quote her .I updated her this is Vanessa Hansen from Qantas this is less than 24 hours after the post I told her that confidentially Rugby Australia would be working towards a process to terminate Mr Floau
Fallows contract and that Miss Hudson can share that position with Qantas chief executive mr. Alan Joyce miss Hudson said raylene Castle text me later that day saying she’d only shared the update with mr. Joyce and he was appreciative of the transparency and he said a speedy resolution by Rugby Australia was paramount .
that’s described by me as Qantas calling the shots .
we are in dangerous territory and thousands and thousands of Australians understand that they also understand that they could be next in their workplace. expressing a view that the boss might not agree with .that’s why people are giving money to fight the case .
Israel Folau calm today you it affects all of us when Professor Peter Reid from James Cook University expressed his views on research into the Great Barrier Reef he was sacked .
Israel Folau quotes the Bible he sacked .
a Catholic archbishop in Tasmania quotes biblical teachings against gay marriage he’s threatened with being banned .
someone wins de bout money being raised for his Ralph flowers defense through GoFundMe and they banned Israel from using the site.
this further angered Australians and so far through the Australian Christian Lobby he’s raised two million dollars and the love the the Australian Christian group have put an end to it .
I mean this will be a costly battle for all Australians Rugby Australia is using money it doesn’t have which would be better spent on grassroots to hire the most expensive lawyers in the country to humiliate alienate and destroy their best player.
last November the Federal Minister for Education announced an independent view into freedom of speech within universities. it was undertaken by the Honorable Robert French AC a former distinguished Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia ,amongst the conclusions delivered by mr.
Justice French was the assertion that freedom of lawful speech is a paramount value and that students and staff don’t need to be protected from being offended or insulted. The rugby family understands this you understand this for whatever reason the rugby administration don’t as have said rugby are employing an army of legal advisors to bury this man. We should be pitching in and helping him as Australians are Israel Folau comm dot .
Israel has joined Peta Credlin and me (Alan Jones0here tonight thank you for your time .
how you feeling
yeah it’s been a very very tough time for myself Maria and our families .The last couple of weeks but you know we’re holding out really strong and there’s the support from the general public and those that are close losses has been amazing
how important to you is your faith and your faith as you understand it from the Bible
oh look it’s the most important thing to me you know my identity is found in what’s written in that in that book and it’s Who I am and how I conduct myself each and every day
I should point out that so many people have said and they write and they say look you you must hurt the feelings of people by mentioning them mentioning various categories of people like homosexuals and that you would have added to their eggs I’m just reading from one letter their existing feelings of unworthiness how do you feel about that
yeah look you know I look I said you know the Bible and what I believe comes out of out of that is is very important to me and as a Christian I feel like it’s it’s my duty to to be able to share that and and and that’s part of who I am and what my purposes which is you know it comes from I guess a passage from the Bible stated in mark 16 verses 15 and 16 and come certainly comes from a place of love in and it’s nothing personal you know and just wanted to say that message of love that God is really trying to extend that to all people
and if someone said to you Israel what you’ve said has hurt me what would you say to them
oh look I can certainly you know see it from both sides you know and like I said you know look if I if I had a child that was a drug addict you know I would certainly still love my child you know with that with without any anything attached to that you know it’s it’s something that you know I’m trying to share in love and at hat’s the way I look at it with in terms of sharing the Baldwin and the passages with you know my fellow men each day
did you ever agree with Rugby Australia to not send the tweet in question
no no I didn’t um
did they ask you to remove it
yes did they offer you money if you removed it
yes and you said
I said no you know I couldn’t do that as a as a person that’s convicted bond or faith I can live I can live with that
I would play a so sorry Ruth Peterson please asking you to remove it and pain you to remove it is that because they wanted the problem to go away and they wanted to then say what there was an admission that you did the wrong thing was that how they’d sell it
yes I that’s how they looked at it and you know I felt like I was backed into a corner into a boundary where you know I was put into one side that I you know had to compromise in order to you know to agree to what they were asking but you know in the end I lager said I couldn’t do it because you know my faith to me is what’s most important
why would players say they feel they can’t trust you anymore
oh I like Alan that’s that’s something that I’m you know I’m really trying to understand I’m in you know to be honest I don’t know the answer to that
what what do you think is your relationship with your teammates
oh god I’d like to think it’s it’s very good you know I’ll play with a lot of these guys for a number of years now and you know I’ve had some really really good times with them both on and off the field you know and I’ve really enjoyed my time playing with them but you know again it’s you know everyone’s entitled to the if their opinions and how they feel about it
your Pacific island team mates support you don’t they
yeah they do you know a lot of them you know share the same beliefs and in the faith and you know I just say they can totally understand where I’m coming from and why I’m sharing what I’m sharing so you know they’ve been really good
you’ve been vilified and humiliated and punished for speaking out do you think some of your other Polynesian team mates are frightened to speak out and frightened to say I support Israel
look uh you know they they may be thinking that you know I can’t you know speak on their behalf but you know again to me like I say you know they’ve been very supportive over the last couple of months and you know you know to me like I said my faith is is the most important thing to me
Peter you and I were talking before we came in here about Israel’s wife
you know I said this week Israel um you know we are long past the days where women are a chattel of their husband right but but I was really perturbed to see how hard some in the media and indeed some sponsors of a try to attack Maria these are your views not necessarily her fears she has posted support for you as her husband should she be sacked do you think because of this I mean this is where it’s headed how they’d been fit for her in particular
look it’s been extremely hard for it you know you know she’s being dragged into this situation unexpectedly and it’s been very frustrating for it you know so but you know I’m very lucky that she’s a strong woman she’s you know same as me convicted by her faith and you know she’s just continuing to to march on in and stay strong
how do you what I often ask you this question is rather than I talk regularly how do you feel how do you have you maintained your strength calm in all of this you haven’t dignified a lot of this stuff by responding to it ,what what is the most important thing to keep you able to enjoy what’s being thrown at you
it just goes back to my faith like I said it’s the most important thing to me together with you know then the amount of support that I’ve been receiving from the general public but to me it you know all the backlash that I’ve received it’s been no surprise you know it says that it states that in in the Bible you know as a Christian and in following after God’s Word that you will encounter those things so it’s it’s it’s keeping me strong
people like Bernard Fowler you’ve paid a lot with burnout Farley says you’ve hurt the game Nick Phipps was made captain of New South Wales before their final match he was blaming you for their season coming to nothing Michael who participated captain seems to be saying he wouldn’t play with you is that that surely must upset you does that cut at you or do you just let that wash over you
oh look I simply lit that was over you know I’ve got no hard feelings towards those guys like I said earlier you know I’ve had some really good good you know moments with those guys both on and off the field and again like I say that you know they’re entitled to opinions and just as much as I am
drew mitchell sure if we played with you dream it you said Ciotti you you’re in a fight that you chose to be in after you broke the terms of your contract I’m not sure that drew mature would have seen your contract but he posted a picture of an ill child on social media and he said the kids below are in a fight they never wanted to be in and yet you think you deserve donations more than they do it’s no longer about religion Israel it’s about you and you greed now it’s a pretty bitter messages he ever spoken to you or run you’ll pick up the phone and talk to you
NO
have you ever said you deserve money more than sick kids do
NO
you’ve maintained your silence but have you ever said that we shouldn’t contribute to ill and injured children
no
how do you feel about that
yeah look you know it’s it’s hard to understand you know but I guess it’s it’s something that doesn’t surprise me but you know I’ve got no no animosity towards guys like Drew is a former teammate
you’re hitting the Fair Work Commission tomorrow
yes
he last time you went to that tribunal I remember you telling me that you’re just overwhelmed by all this legal talk it’s pretty intimidating stuff isn’t it i
t is in our years as you know I’m no expert in the in law but you know I’ve got a great legal team behind me and they’re doing a great job
you understand I mean Peter and I’ve talked about this this is a big issue beyond this real flowers that this is a freedom of speech issue a freedom of religious worship that’s why the nation is watching this isn’t it
I also have to make a point about your employment contract Israel and I listen carefully to what you said to Alan there as well a lot of Australians don’t like the idea that employers could put in a contract that you sign for work that they then own your political views or your religious views outside your work I mean even if some might say there were causes in your contract about being bringing the game into disrepute there are plenty of footballers to do the wrong thing you quoted the same book that we all hold up in our hand if we swear in court swear to tell the truth so this is a matter of an employment contract this is also a lot of people around Australia who who vehemently disagree with what you posted but are absolutely behind you 200 percent and put their money there as well
but is that in your contract is there anything like that in your contract
no no
I mean I just noted today there are people there are people playing the game whose builted women have taken drugs they’ve trafficked in drugs they’ve danced naked on balconies they’ve built a people up they’ve driven wild drunk they continuing to play the game you’re quoting from the world’s most read book and you’re banned for life
Alan if they’re hard to understand you know it’s uh you know I’m trying to tell you worse things it certainly hurts here for sure so
what’s the most important thing for you now going forward l
ook you know it starts tomorrow with it with a commission hitting there you know I’m hopeful for an apology from them an admission that they were wrong you know that there will be something that I would like to get a
nd then to keep you going your wife your family in your faith
absolutely you know what driven by my faith I’ve been being number one in my wife by my side and in family and friends but they rugby again look
you know it’s you know I’m extremely prepared to have represented my country it’s it’s truly honor but again you know tomorrow’s that the first step in in in terms of legal stuff you know I’m looking for that apology and any get that yeah that’ll be awesome
good on you lovely to talk to you and good luck
it’s nice that people can see what kind of person were talking about all the things that have been said about this young man I think don’t add up when you actually listen to him speak and watch the way he expresses his faith
As found on Youtube
