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Where is the funding for the Atheist Convention Melbourne 2010?
Posted on October 14th, 2009 11 comments
Appears we are not the only ones that see vast discrepancies in the rights of Australians between those of belief and those that don’t. It appears the government is lagging with responding to atheist requests in regard being treated the same as religious people when it comes to support. Atheists are tax payers (not like religion) and deserve to be at least responded to in their request over fundingHats off folks for pointing this out to us, we also call on the government to respond to this blatant distinction between Australians promptly, it’s time religion did not have rights above and beyond anyone else doing the same thing.
Atheists, non-believers, unite!
The Global Atheist Convention 2010 in Melbourne, Australia is expected to be the largest gathering of atheists, rationalists, humanists, sceptics, free thinkers and other like-minded people in Australian history.
The Atheist Foundation of Australia is running the Convention and applied for government funding months ago – but has not yet received a response. This delay seems excessive and the government appears to be trying to dodge the issue of supporting non-believers, perhaps worried about upsetting the religious organisations they have a mutually beneficial relationship with. In Australia exemptions or concessions apply to religious organisations in relation to income tax, fringe benefits tax, GST, payroll tax, land tax, stamp duties, car registration fees and municipal rates. And let’s not forget the recent Victorian government decision to exempt religious organisations from a range of anti-discrimination laws…another example of one rule for the religious, another for everyone else. This is blatant discrimination.
To run an event the size of the Global Atheist Convention must cost a lot of money, even though all the speakers have generously donated their time, and the Convention is relying on ticket sales for funding. Consider the millions of government dollars that will help fund the Parliament of World Religions and the $120m the World Youth Day cost Australian tax payers (and let’s not even start on the civil liberty restrictions associated with World Youth Day…) – it’s time the atheists received some of the same support.
It’s time our “representatives” actually represented us and supported the Global Atheist Convention.
We are Australian atheists and it’s time the government heard us.
Please help us by spreading the word – raise this issue on blogs, in conversation and anywhere else the politicians might hear you.
Campaign, Convention, Exploitation, bigotry, church, politics AFA, atheist, Australia, community, Convention, equality, event, funding, government, Melbourne, Religion, Tax, Victoria, world11 responses to to “Where is the funding for the Atheist Convention Melbourne 2010?”
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In Australia, Atheism is considered by the government as a religion.
Past High Court rulings in Australia have deemed the government must not discriminate in funding religious organisations.
So it is all or nothing. The AFA should lobby on the behalf of Australian Atheists for the right to funding.
Or we do not accept or request funding to direct the attention to the fact Atheism is not a religion…
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Gee Suss October 14th, 2009 at 18:04
Where did you get that information? Atheism is not classed as a religion.
Funding from the Victorian Government is not dependent on whether the AFA are a religion or not. The criteria is whether they have over 1,000 people, with some from overseas and interstate who will be staying hotels and buying food for a number of days from what I know.
The issue is however, that religious groups get funding, but there has been total avoidance of confronting those with non-belief.
In other words, there is open slather with those of belief of a god, but total avoidance of those with no belief in a god.
Both are philosophical positions.
To distinguish a religion from a non-religion, a religious from a non-religious purpose, and in determining what constitutes a religion for worldly purposes such as relief from taxation, the indicators for government recognition may include:
* belief in a supernatural being, thing or principle;
* acceptance of conduct in order to give effect to that belief;
* ideas that relate to humanity’s nature and place in the universe, and its relation to things supernatural;
* acceptance that adherents constitute an identifiable group or groups, and
* participation by adherents in practices believed to have supernatural significance -
“In 1983, the High Court of Australia defined religion as a complex of beliefs and practices which point to a set of values and an understanding of the meaning of existence. The ABS 2001 Census Dictionary defines “No Religion” as a category of religion which has sub categories such as agnosticism, atheism, Humanism and rationalism.”
The state government precedents could be different.
Can the ‘avoidance of confronting those with non-belief’ be a case for discrimination? Does Victoria have legislation for this issue?
They provide funding straight away to religious events and not to non-religious events.
The treatment of “Parliament of the World’s Religions” versus “Global Atheist Convention”.
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Gee Suss October 15th, 2009 at 12:12
Yes the ABS tho has to list statistics of those not professing a faith, so puts that in the category of religion.
The government however does not.
I think personally the issue is the government does not want to be seen ’supporting atheism’ and it has people internally just avoiding touching it because of that.
I will have to contact a mate in the AFA to see if he can find out more.
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RT @AllAboutLies Where is the funding for the Atheist Convention Melbourne 2010? http://bt.io/IXA
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
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Gee Suss October 15th, 2009 at 17:26
Not quite sure, but from what I have been told, the AFA are waiting patiently, but their members are getting toey not hearing from their reps.
The event will bring a lot of tourism to victoria, will be an outstanding event bring thousands of people to Melbourne.
Come over and enjoy Victoria
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I'm heading down to the convention from Qld, and looking forward to it. I'll be heading down with about 10 others from our atheist group.
This isn't about supporting atheism it's about supporting an event that will be bringing money into the state. However if support isn't given when it's given to other 'belief' sectors then it would certainly seem that the government has a bias, and an unconstitutional one. That would make for some great publicity. Perhaps a lead up bus campaign even?
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Why is Vic Govt stalling Melb. Atheist Convention’s app for funding when they approved funding for religious convention? http://ow.ly/uGzO
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
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Too bad the proposition for an Australian bus campaign was refused :s
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A SEXUALLY explicit illustrated Book of Genesis by the controversial artist, Robert Crumb, which features biblical characters having intercourse and ''gratuitous'' depictions of violence, has been condemned by religious groups.
read more:
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BeerWill October 21st, 2009 at 02:03
In a 2001 Government report, the committe decided quote: "'the advancement of religion’ should continue as a head of charity. It is clear that a large proportion of the population have a need for spiritual sustenance."
How does that make sense? What is "spiritual sustenance" anyway? A large proportion of the population also have a very large need for actual defineable mental states such as "happiness". Surely then a business that creates amusing cartoons is a charity?
I think atheistic organisations should become official tax deductible charities based on one of the other offiical designations of a charity – "the advancement of education". Then we could use some tax payer money to educate society, including educating them about how their money is spent by the govt. Such an organisation could then compete with the Bible society "charity" by handing out free books promoting the wonder and TRUTH of science and reason wherever they are handing out their medieval books of fiction.
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