Oceania

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• 3 min read

  

  Oceania Church & Missions

  'Your Story' research project in Australia & New Zealand reveals five key findings what young people need on their spiritual journey

  By Chris Eyte

  The wider Church has been good at talking to young people but arguably not so good at listening to them – an underlying focus for three Converge/Your Story conferences attended by 200 people and 86 organizations in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane in Australia early last month, November 2024. 

• 3 min read

  

  Oceania Society & Culture

  Australia to enact world’s toughest social media ban for children under 16

  By CDI Staff

  Australia has passed legislation to ban children under 16 from using social media, a move that will enforce the world’s strictest regulations on platform usage by minors. The ban, which will not come into effect for at least 12 months, allows for penalties of up to A$50 million ($32.5 million; £25.7 million) for tech companies that fail to comply. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the new law as essential for protecting young people from the "harms" of social media, a concern echoed

• 3 min read

  

  Oceania Society & Culture

  Australian government withdraws controversial misinformation bill, 'no pathway to legislate this proposal'

  By Chris Eyte

  A proposed law to give Australia’s media authority more powers and posing a danger of silencing critics of abortion and trans ideology, of great concern to rights group Australian Christian Lobby, has been withdrawn in a dramatic turnaround.  Australian lawmakers initially approved the “Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024” in the House of Representatives by 78 votes to 57 on November 7, as reported by Christian Daily International.

• 5 min read

  

  Oceania Society & Culture

  Proposed Australian online misinformation law risks limiting free speech, Christian group warns

  By Chris Eyte

  Critics of abortion and trans ideology could be silenced in Australia after parliamentarians backed a proposed law to give the country’s media authority more powers, vexing the Australian Christian Lobby. Australian lawmakers approved the “Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024” in the House of Representatives by 78 votes to 57 on November 7. 

• 1 min read

  

  Global Church & Missions Society & Culture

  First Global Day of Prayer for Media: 'a remarkable success'

  By Christian Today

  The first-ever Global Day of Prayer for Media is being hailed as "a remarkable success" and "a powerful 24-hour live prayer experience" after thousands of Christians around the world engaged in the event on Sunday. More than 2,000 people joined in the live-streamed prayer marathon, logging on from over 25 countries – with the Philippines registering the highest viewership.

• 3 min read

  

  Oceania Society & Culture

  Pastor lauds students fighting cross necklace ban as Christian symbol deemed ‘offensive’

  At Methodist Ladies’ College, a prestigious girls’ school in Melbourne, students have been asked to remove cross necklaces because they might offend others, the Herald Sun reported. “My friend was wearing a cross and there was another girl in our class who said she found the cross really offensive and so the teacher told her to take it off,” an anonymous student was quoted as saying. “My friend’s parents, who are very religious, tried to get answers from the school and were told ‘it’s not a goo