Religious Right Groups
Salt Shakers
| Leadership: | Peter and Jennifer Stokes |
| Date formed: | October 1994 |
| Area of operation: | Victorian-based but their monthly publication is distributed throughout Australia. |
| Estimated membership: | Not a membership organisation; has a mailing list of about 2,500-3,000. |
| Finances: (2001/2 revenue) |
$125,000, mainly from donations; expenses: $135,000. 2002/3 budget: $154,000. |
| Main objectives: | ‘A Christian ethics action group’ which aims to ‘educate, alert, equip and activate the Christian community through our newsletter, special presentations and resource papers.’ The group’s major targets are gay rights, abortion, drugs and ‘pornography’, although they cast a very broad net. |
| Main activities: | Lobbying, writing letters to the media, making submissions to government inquiries, public speaking, ‘networking’ with like-minded groups and individuals. |
| Links with other groups: | Close ties with other such groups, especially Australian Festival of Light, Endeavour Forum and Focus on the Family Australia. |
| Publications: | Salt Shakers - monthly newsletter (except January); miscellaneous resource papers. |
| Sample quotes: | “… Today a man can hardly turn a corner, open a paper or watch a movie without the exposed female body hitting him in the eye. Let us also not forget that some women are partly responsible because of the provocative clothing they wear (or nearly don’t wear). Micro skirts, skin-tight tops etc. are common not only when socialising at night but also in the workplace. Women pose for lewd pictures and advertisements. They also appear naked in movies and table top dancing to attract men.” (Peter Stokes Recovery from the influence of Pornography, Salt Shakers Newsletter, March 1996, 7) |
| [Describing a Salt Shakers "Prayer Bus" tour through the City of Melbourne]: “Moving slowly through Melbourne’s entertainment area with its cinemas and theatres we spoke against the immoral infections distributed from an “unholy Hollywood” and making captive the hearts and minds of a new generation. We paused briefly to cry before an inconspicuous house where innocent lives are aborted daily … The many X-rated video and book stores caught many by surprise but the sordid New Age centres, blatant homosexual dives and seemingly unsavoury cafes and coffee shops in Smith and Brunswick Streets shocked our sensitive religious senses.” (Neil Ryan Mobile Prayer Warriors, Salt Shakers Newsletter, February 1997, 13-14) |
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| Assessment: | Small but militant. Its aggressive style is off-putting to many potential supporters and Peter Stokes’ outpourings are becoming ever more extreme. In terms of development, it has marked time for the past few years. However, its networking activities, especially in Canberra, may pay dividends in the future. |
| Contact details: | Office: 4/675 Boronia Rd Wantirna Vic 3152 Postal address: PO Box 6049 Wantirna Vic 3152 www.saltshakers.org.au |
