Canberra, Australia - Eleven representatives of the Universal Peace Federation attended the National Marriage Day event at Parliament House in Canberra Aug. 27, 2014. UPF, which recently helped organize a conference, to preserve the sanctity of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, was a silver sponsor for the day.
This event marked the tenth anniversary of the Marriage Amendment Act 2004, which defines marriage as “the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.” The briefing sessions in the main committee room of the Parliament House covered four key topics: the social and economic benefits of marriage, support for families in economic policy, issues with marriage breakdown and divorce, and marriage education for young people. Significantly, all the papers presented that day were also sent to the parliamentarians.
UPF has an established relationship with the Australian Family Association, who was the main sponsor of this event; the organization’s vice president, Mary-Louise Fowler, was a guest speaker at the aforementioned UPF conference.
The UPF representatives, many of whom drove from Sydney for the day, included Rev. Soon Teck Lim, Rev. Gregory Stone, Catrine and John Von Dinklage, Michael Treacy, Mark Rauch, George Lemon, Jynene Helland, Emma Bell, Daniel Meadows and Natascha Schellen.
All who participated in the parliament sessions were also invited to attend the tenth anniversary dinner that followed at the National Press Club, where renowned former tennis champion and current pastor Rev. Dr. Margaret Court spoke out in defense of traditional marriage.