(Birds tweet)
- [Voiceover] We've gotta aspire to give our children
what I believe to be the very best circumstances.
That's to have a mother and a father.
(Calm piano music)
- [Voiceover] Marriage is between a man and a woman
because of children.
Because motherhood and fatherhood are important.
- [Voiceover] What a load of rubbish.
- [Voiceover] Legalising same sex marriage will institute
the motherless family, or the fatherless family.
It will inflict that depravation on those children.
- [Voiceover] Same-sex couples can't simultaneously provide
both mothering and fathering skills.
(Voices overlapping)
- [Voiceover] I and the Labour Party have a clear policy.
- [Voiceover] Who takes the boy to football?
Who tells him what's right from wrong?
- [Voiceover] If this bill is passed it'll seriously deter
mothers putting their babies up for adoption.
- [Voiceover] Paedophiles will one day marry children.
- [Voiceover] It's just natural order to do this
with a biological, married mother and father.
- [Gus] I didn't have a dad as you know,
I had this thing called a donor.
A donor when they, a man delivers sperm
into the hospital, into a little container
and then they freeze it so it's all fresh
and then they give it to the womans.
Two women that can have, that want to have a baby
and then they have a baby.
And we did that
and now I'm here.
- [Jamie] Should we just put all the stockings together Jen?
Okay, you go-
One Santa and reindeer, coming up.
Look at that, that is definitely reindeer's got in that.
I know reindeers.
I know how they eat.
Like savages.
And you gotta write the note.
Didn't you have a note when you were a kid.
That's what's wrong with you,
didn't have a note, Watch out, to say thanks
for all the stuff.
You don't have to even, just spit it out.
(Laughs)
(Sighs)
(Clock ticks)
- It's Christmas everybody.
- [Rory] Look, it's Santa's footprint!
- [Jamie] Oh it is too, must have come down the side.
- His reindeer's hoof print!
- Check it out!
I dunno if Santa's got horseshoes has he, reindeer shoes?
- [Gus] It must be the reindeer.
- No Mum, there was Santa's reindeers
and this is Santa's foot.
- You see Rory, they must have gone from here,
did a big jump, landed here
and then they must have started to fly.
That's why there isn't any more footprints,
am I right Amanda?
(Sportscasters on TV)
I love wrestling more than every teensy little grain of sand
in the world.
Then, fly in a spaceship across space
and scatter them on every single star,
and that's how much I like wrestling.
â™ª Doo doo doo doo doo â™ª
I was wondering...
You know when the WWE comes to Australia?
- Yeah.
- Can I go?
- Do you want this paper?
- Do not try and change the subject.
- Can you go to wrestling?
- Yeah, when it comes to Australia please.
- I don't know, we'll have to discuss it with Jamie.
- Come on.
- I'll discuss it.
- How do you feel about it?
- Oh I worry that it's just the worst.
- I've heard this before.
- Boofhead, male thing that exists.
- Or the best boofhead male thing that exists.
- Oh dear, the wrestling the wrestling.
What are we gonna do about the wrestling, hm?
(Baby talk)
- [Recording] Let's do a breathing exercise.
Make sure you keep good posture throughout
and breathe deeply into your abdominal area.
Your shoulders and your chest shouldn't move.
If you become a little dizzy, just take a short break.
This one's four sips in and four hisses out.
(Rhythmic music)
In, and out.
(Hisses)
- [Ebony] When you're singing,
you just forget everything else.
Especially when you're stressed,
you just start singing and you forget
that you're angry about something
and you just listen to the song and pretend you're there.
â™ª Too late for second guessing
â™ª Too late to go back to sleep â™ª
I really want to get into Newtown.
It's a really good school.
If I went there it'd probably be the place
where I'd most be accepted.
- Having two mums you're probably gonna have
a better time of it at Newtown then you would
in a school out west where they may not be so tolerant
of the fact that you have two mums.
In Newtown no one's even going to blink
at the fact that you have two mums,
so it's probably the school that's best for you.
- What high school am I going to
if I don't get into Newtown?
- No you're getting into Newtown.
- How do you know?
- (Laughs) Because you'll get into Newtown,
I have faith in you, you're gonna get into Newtown.
- Don't you need a back up plan?
- Even if it takes us moving back to Newtown,
you'll get in Newtown as local.
(Rhythmic music)
- [Recording] Now this is the last one.
Make it really steady.
Keep going.
(People chatter)
- Mum?
Um, about AFL.
I've been keeping up quite a lot on my homework
and they're enrolling pretty soon.
And I would like to join
and I've only got one homework strike,
that was 'cause it was over the weekend.
But I've learned my lesson
so now I'm doing every single bit of homework tonight.
All be good.
- So when will you be doing AFL?
When are the times for AFL?
- Sunday.
- No way mate.
That's Saturday sports, Sunday sports.
We have a right to have a weekend too.
So this is not just about you,
and as a mature young man,
in year seven,
your consideration shouldn't just be for what you want.
That's my time to visit God, that's my time to talk to God.
So for me, that is very important to me.
So if your game ends up being on a Sunday morning
that means that I'm missing church.
- [Matt] When I went to Bible study last Sunday,
we just read out a passage
and tried to think of the meaning of that passage.
There's a nonbelievers tunnel
which is very wide and easy to go through.
But then there's a believer's tunnel
which is very thin and not so easy to go through.
And the reason why the believer's tunnel is so thin
is because one, not many people choose it
and two, it's hard to stay on that track
once you've chosen it
because not all good things in life come easy.
At our age we have the decision now
whether or not we believe or don't believe in God.
(Church bell rings)
(TV news plays)
- Your call man.
If you can read what the school lunch is to us,
then you can have it.
- The Wednesday special is...
(Struggles with word)
- ls what?
- Is rav...
- Rav, and what's the next letter.
- Ravin...
- No, rav-ee.
O...
Li...
- (Gasp) Say it again?
- Ravioli?
Return to the canteen by Sunday.
- Okay is it really Sunday?
- Saturday.
- Is that really Saturday?
- Oh, Thursday.
- Is that really Thursday, 'cause I think you.
- I mean Tuesday.
- You guessed four other days.
- Turn it over and spell Tuesday.
- Yeah turn it over and spell Tuesday for me.
The days of the week thing has let you down.
- Yeah the days of the week thing is pretty upsetting,
I'd say.
- [Graham] If you don't read, you'll end up on the street.
And if you do read you might become the greatest author
in the world or the richest man in the world!
Or you could just be a normal person like everyone else.
Everyone reads.
(Calming music)
Tomorrow we're leaving
to go to Fiji.
- Maybe you should wear this on the plane.
Can you imagine if you walked up to Fiji in this,
I think you'd be a bit hot.
- I'll wait a bit.
We moved to Fiji for dad's work.
We're gonna have different uniforms,
different food, different house.
(Wrestling plays on TV)
- Three, four, five.
I am on the long road to puberty
which is when you become a man.
Most people say
that to be manly,
you have to like work alone and walk different
and have these really big muscles and biceps.
But I don't really know when you're manly.
(Growls)
- Skin a rabbit.
- Ready, one two three, geez come on.
One two three skin a rabbit!
Here one two three.
Miss sunshine, little ray of sunshine.
Arms up.
Careful.
Okay, I'm gonna say the first few names
and you have to say the last name.
John.
- Michael.
- No that's Sean Michael,
so what about John C, C.
- Cena.
- Cena!
And Cody.
- Cody Rhodes!
And Triple.
- H.
- Good girl.
Um, the Un.
- Dertaker.
- Undertaker.
- Please don't indoctrinate your sister
too much with wrestling.
- Okay.
Um, I'm thinking of someone else.
- [Jamie] I mean it though, Justin.
- Yeah sure Jamie sure.
- [Jamie] Alright.
In five minutes Rory, you need to quickly wash your face.
- What about the one with the girl?
- Don't forget the girl wrestlers, Gus.
- Who's gonna be the girl?
- The girls?
- This one!
- I love that you're shopping with me
for your mother's underwear, it's great.
It's a bit unsexy the whole lot of it isn't it?
- Stylish.
Make it look like you're the Joker.
- Um, can you not do that please?
- Sure.
- That is really not fair.
Do you want a tissue?
- Oh okay then.
- Thank you.
- If it's a tester you can wear it.
You don't have to wipe it off just 'cause it freaked her out
because of her gender crisis,
but if it's not a tester you can't use that though.
- They are testers though.
- Well just tell her it's fine you like wearing lipstick.
Just apologise for upsetting her
but tell her it's fine to wear lipstick.
Okay, come and help me clean that off now.
I'm thinking.
It's okay, doll.
Max, you alright?
I'm thinking this?
What do you think about that
for your mother?
- Uh...
- Is that sexy 'jamas?
I said people don't understand
that boys might want to wear lipstick as well.
It's not that weird really.
- No.
- Just tell her you're practising for Mardi Gras.
- Hm.
- I'll tell her.
- No I don't wanna go near her again.
(Car honks)
- Beat the car, beat the car!
- We caught the bus.
- I know, but the car broke down again.
Again?
- Again.
- I know, we didn't see you so we started walking.
- In Parramatta I don't know anyone
who has a family like mine.
- Gotta get the baby out the car
and Ang has to drive the car around for half an hour.
- I gave him my number.
- Did you?
Then you gave him my number.
(Calming music)
- Most of the time when I meet someone new
I go, oh yeah my parents are gay
and they go, what?
Kind of looking forward to going to high school finally,
getting out of Parramatta.
- You will be starting your tutoring on the ninth.
She wants you to learn your song
before you even go there
so you have to have finally picked a song
that you have to know your song off by heart
before you even get there so she can do
as much work with you.
- Off by heart?
- Off by heart.
- Okay.
- The lady says you have to know it
before she can work with you.
So she'll teach you some techniques and stuff like that.
She'll probably teach you more breathing techniques
because that's what you had a little bit of trouble with,
breathing stuff.
So if you don't want to end up going to Northmead,
you're gonna have to pull your finger out
and make the effort for Newtown.
- Okay.
We don't really have that much money
'cause neither of them can work
mainly because they have to look after Ashaan,
who hasn't slept through the night once in his life,
who has epilepsy and it's just been hard.
- How's his meds going?
- Oh he was having seizure after seizure after seizure.
So we've had to get in touch with a neurologist
and they've upped the dosage.
- You're smashing my head.
- He needs more.
He had, oh you haven't been on Facebook lately,
he had two seizures while I was carrying him
in my hiking pack on my back.
- Was he asleep?
- Yeah, asleep.
He's always asleep.
- Have your medicine.
Good boy.
Very good.
(Laughs)
- [Woman] No, he's gonna wanna touch it.
- Oh no!
Don't.
(Whistles)
It must be a really really good school
for Mum to go to such extreme measures
to try and get me in.
Seth hasn't even been able to go to karate lessons
because you've been spending so much money on me.
Makes me very grateful.
(Melancholy music)
- [Sandy] Thank you lord, for the wonderful family we have
and the blessings we have.
For what we are about to receive,
may the lord make us truly thankful.
Amen.
Alright, bon appetite everybody!
(Phone rings)
- Well I'm starting.
- Hello Sandy speaking.
So I'll take Matt on a Thursday,
you take Dylan on a Wednesday.
- [Matt] My mum and dad were very happy
while they were married.
- Probably looking at a Thursday night
I've got sprinting, long distance throws and high jumps.
- [Matt] I think it's when my brother and I came along
then I guess they just thought it's better
if they got divorced because they didn't want.
Dylan and I to hear them shouting at each other.
My mum met Lou.
Lou's cooked for me,
loved me, done so many things for me
that I never thought someone who wasn't my parent
or related to me could do.
- I'm getting on with the job
with the strong support of my caucus.
- [Voiceover] And three same-sex couples heading
to dinner at the lodge with Julia Gillard.
They're hoping to challenge the PM's mind
about gay marriage.
- Sandy and Louise are one of those lucky couples
as Karen mentioned, and they're looking forward
to their date with the PM.
- We just want to go to dinner and make her aware
of what our situation is, what our family is.
- You know that Julia Gillard said she's against it.
Would you vote for any politician to be PM
on this one issue.
It that important enough for you
that it would override everything else?
- Of course it is.
This issue is very important to us, it's our lives.
And when we go to vote,
we'll vote for the party that aligns
with out interests and our policies
and the way we feel about things and what's important to us.
Doesn't sound like me.
- Your accent is a bit stronger on TV
but it's not that much stronger.
- Yeah 'cause when I get under stress
my accent comes out more.
- Oh ya.
- Oh ya. (Laughs)
Is it our weekend with you guys, it is isn't it?
- Yeah.
So we can go on Sunday.
- I've got the church thing on Sunday.
- Oh yeah.
Are you sure that's what you want,
because I've got a phone call from Bec
she wants to chat with you.
Are you happy to go to Bible study with her?
- I don't mind.
- Well I think honey if you're going to make up your mind
about something you need to know the facts
before you make a decision, yeah?
And at the moment,
you're only focusing on one thing, aren't you?
- What do you mean one thing?
- Well you know we were talking about it the other night.
And the conclusion we came to.
- I'm gonna wash up.
- For me, I was brought up with the Bible.
I listened to stories every single day.
And for me it was my favourite storybook.
I loved it.
And it wasn't just a storybook,
it took me a while to realise the book was actually based on
people's stories of things that they actually experienced.
- Like, how did we find out how babies are born?
- How did we?
From people experiencing it.
But how did it first come about?
You know, who made the world?
Who made it, how did it come into existence?
- Space.
- And how did space come about?
How did it first get there?
- There, I dunno.
- It just was there.
You're entitled to your own beliefs
and to not believe in God, if that is what you want.
But, I want you to learn more about the Bible
so that you have the facts.
- My mum has told me a few stories
about the priests at church telling us
that mum is a sin against God.
And they're saying that God created a man and a woman
so they could be together
and make new generations and everything.
Personally I think that God made everyone
to be who they are.
Moses Moses Moses.
- This is my third time moving to my third house.
- [Recording] Please take the time
to familiarise yourself with your nearest exit,
remembering that it might be behind you.
- [Graham] My second one was just a carer one
the third one is Matt and Pete,
and this is the fourth move to Fiji.
(Adventurous music)
When I was five I couldn't speak
because my first family didn't teach me.
(People chatter)
- So the boys are gonna be here on your visa.
So you're the father.
So how are we explaining me to this world?
- You could be a babysitter. (Laughs)
- I think that Matt's right.
Guys I think in this culture we have to be careful
about how we introduce the fact that you have two dads.
So the idea is Matt's and my relationship,
that's private.
So no one needs to know that relationship.
- Like if people say oh that's your dad,
who's that other guy?
You say oh, - He's a friend.
- He lives with us too and he helps look after us.
- He's a friend.
- Whoa, that's a big tooth Graham.
Is that a baby tooth?
It is a baby tooth.
Pretty cool.
Can you go put it in a glass of water.
- Love you honey, we'll see you in the morning.
(Heavy rainfall)
- Did you hear the rain this morning?
- [Graham] Yes.
- Lots of rain this morning.
- Boys, we have two things to plan for today.
- Generous friend and such.
- Oh what's this?
- What is it?
Oh she much have dropped it on my bedside table.
- (Laughs) Liar.
- So hold on, the tooth fairy not only brought you
one dollar Australian instead of one dollar Fijian,
she dropped the tooth on my bedside table. (Laughs)
- You're the tooth fairy!
He's the tooth fairy.
- Okay, Michael, Graham,
you don't believe, you don't receive, okay?
I can't believe the tooth fairy dropped the tooth
on my bedside table in the middle of the night.
(Laughs)
- [Graham] Lying is sometimes good and sometimes bad.
If someone says, oh have you ate your lunch today
and you say yes but you actually didn't,
that's a bad lie.
And a good lie is, oh I have ate that,
and he's looking after me and the other one's just a carer.
And that's a good lie.
- So these are a little tricky to get open and closed
so you need to make sure you push all different areas of it.
- [Graham] I think it's okay to lie about having two dads.
Because Fiji is not really keen on gay people.
- [Dad] I don't think you'll need your hat
in the classroom, Graham.
(Children recite letters)
- [Graham] if you can't read, the letters will be
like A A B B all over the page,
like what's that, what's that.
Sometimes it don't make sense for me.
- The OMG oh my god moment was not what you saw.
It was a short time after that,
it was when the epic match between the undertaker and myself.
- [Gus] Before I liked wrestling I was all like
fluffy and flowery and stuff.
(Grunts)
And then I liked wrestling and I became more rough and tough
and mean?
(Grunts)
(Dramatic music)
Jesse J was then carried out by the paramedics!
- Just buy the cheap seats
and he can sit there and have the whole experience
and just be up in the stalls with every other kid
that can't afford to bloody.
You know?
Really go.
(Grunts)
- The smack down!
- What I worry about is that the wrestling men
are such jerky men.
. HEY-
- That they're, that they're a bit, basically hate women.
- What?
- That they're anti-gay.
- No.
- I worry that you start thinking that
that's the way you be an interesting man
or that's the way you be a sexy man
or that's the way you be a popular man
or something like that.
I quite like rough and tumble.
I think it's fun.
But I have a problem with the men doing
that awful kind of thing and the way they talk
about women as if they're...
- Mum, they never talk about women.
They never do it.
They never talk about women.
- But you told me there was something where
some guy insulted some woman,
and some man was going out with her and her twin
and he came straight away and he flattened the guy.
Like he didn't, as if that is some kind of solution
to someone being.
- No he talked to the guy
and um, the guy wouldn't stop and the guy just slapped him
and then he flattened the guy.
- Well, doesn't sound great, does it?
He just slapped him and then he flattened him.
- That was one thing that happened.
That is not, nothing like that has ever happened before.
- But baby there's nothing that ever happens on it
that's about peace or about friendship
or about caring for people.
- There's heaps of friendship and there's heaps of caring!
- Or about democracy.
- I don't know what 'mocracy is, but.
- Democracy, it's where people sit down
and they talk about what everybody wants
and they work problems out by talking.
- What?
- Democracy.
- No, there's no democracy.
- No there's no democracy, it's all about flattening people
and just smashing their heads in.
- No.
What about tag-team matches?
They're friends.
What about contract signing?
They sit down and talk.
(Sighs)
- [Sandy] It is your job to argue and reuse questions,
it's his job to listen.
- My mum basically wants me to have a meeting
with the pastor to have a little chat about God.
I just think that the meetings gonna be a bit strange.
I'm talking to people that have believed in God
since they were like five years old.
It's almost like telling a child that Santa's not real.
- So you don't really believe in God.
- No.
- Yeah.
What are the things that make you disbelieve God.
- They've just made this book Where everything is perfect
and this is how they think everyone should live
and if you follow this, you have to live like this.
You can't marry someone that's not,
you can't marry the same-sex.
- Mm.
- And all that kind of stuff.
- Mm.
The issue under that, in your life for you,
is that, is the question about, who's to say that
who should marry who and things like that.
That's the big question?
- Yeah.
That's really great with your mum and Lou
that we can say, look, we really think the Bible says this
but we love you, and love you to be here,
which you know is true.
So it's not always easy, because we really do disagree
on something that's very important to both of us.
Were you worried I'd be embarrassed
if you asked that question?
- No.
- Really?
You know, it's a gutsy question.
Any question I like, all questions are good questions.
Yeah.
- Um, why do you go to a church
Where everyone thinks you're a sin against God?
When you could just go to a church
Where everyone thinks that you're normal.
- For me, it's not about what people think.
It's what I believe my God believes
and what he thinks about us.
You think that we should go to a different church.
- No, it's just.
- Where we're accepted.
- No, I'm just curious Why you chose this church
instead of another one.
- Is your disbelief in God got anything to do with the fact
that Lou and Mummy are in a relationship?
And that that is a sin against God,
as the Bible says.
- That's a bit of it.
- Okay.
- Alright, I'm just gonna be another ten minutes
because I'm still with my other students.
Sorry I don't really have any referees here (Laughs)
so just give me a sec.
- Okay.
When I first found out my mums were gay
and they were going on like together together and stuff,
I was kind of, I don't know,
I wasn't that accepting at first.
- Your legs look so short in those pants.
(Chatter)
- I was the kind of person who'd go,
haha you're gay, you suck, you're gay-
Who'd make jokes about it.
- Leave her alone, I'm doing her socks up.
- [Ebony] People would slowly find out
and I'd just kind of be like, yeah and kind of run off.
(Giggling)
It's not normal, you're not normal and stuff,
the kind of things that would go around my head at the time.
(Laughs)
- Hello again.
- Hi.
- It's gonna be a very crowded room tonight.
- I just want to see her a little bit
then we'll give you the space.
- Do you want to have a sing through?
Are you warmed up and ready to go?
Have you done any singing this afternoon?
- Not today.
- Not today, alright,
let's do a little bit of singing today.
Might need to get rid of the chewing gum.
There's tissue up the top of the shelf there.
Alright, so are you guys both staying
or are you gonna...
- Don't you wanna listen to her singing?
- Oh you wanna hear her sing first.
Alright no worries.
- I'll have a little listen and then I'll go.
(Piano music)
- What about if we look at, let's get that out for a second.
Let's time this.
When you sing it at home, how much louder is it?
- Quite a bit louder.
- Quite a bit louder, is it? (Laughs)
So do you think maybe we should have a crack at
trying to get it a quite a bit louder in here as well?
- Maybe.
- We'll have a go at it eh?
- I sing better in my room, in the shower,
not in front of a crowd of people.
(Singing)
- How are you, come on through.
- [Ebony] I'm very nervous about the audition.
I'm scared that I don't get in.
- Ebony come here, Ebony.
Have a practise song.
Please?
- No.
- You need the practise, go on.
You need to get over your nerves.
Practise what you're gonna do for your audition.
- Actually they're afraid of everybody laughing.
- No one's gonna laugh.
Just your little brother.
And that's okay, I'll put a hand over his mouth
and you'll be fine.
- Don't wanna do it.
- Why?
That's ridiculous.
Come on, please?
Just go brush your teeth and go pop on to bed.
Off you go.
Night, chicken!
- Night.
- She needs to build up some more confidence
and do things that make her feel uncomfortable.
She chucked tantrums at her teachers
and stood there at Riverside Theatre,
where she's performing in a combined choir,
with her arms crossed looking pissed off
because she didn't want to sing a song.
Not because she didn't want to sing,
because she didn't like the song.
She needs to be pushed to do things
that make her feel a little bit uncomfortable.
â™ª To those who ground me
â™ª Take a message back from me
â™ª And nobody in all of Oz
â™ª No wizard that there is or was
â™ª is ever gonna bring me down â™ª
(Child cries)
What's wrong with him?
(Child cries)
What's happened?
- He's just had a seizure.
- It's okay.
Your sissie's got you.
(Loud cries)
- It's alright, go do your practise.
- Go do your practise, it's alright.
- Guh guh ood.
- Okay Graham, honey,
what are our three rules.
- Slow down, don't guess, read until the end of the word.
- Right.
What's the last letter there at the end of the word there?
Is it a D?
- N.
- Okay Graham, the word is diet.
- Diet, his diet.
- It's not his at all, it's this.
- This diet gave him.
- Slow, stop.
Start at the beginning, slow down
and don't guess.
- His.
- It's not his honey, it's this.
- This diet gave him a
tuh, tummy ache
and a breath tempoor...
- So his diet gave him a beastly temper.
Alright?
Okay, let's keep going.
Just, okay my thoughts are
to start inquiring about the resources we might need.
And if that's a teacher that's retired
or a young teacher at the university, or.
- Yeah.
- Someone.
Someone who's studying teaching,
someone who's studying speech therapy,
someone who's studying learning, whatever.
- And we just need to let them know
that he just couldn't speak when he came to live with us.
That all he had were vowel sounds, you know,
and like hand signals.
But it's important that they know that it was
that extreme and that he's done so well
but that he really was at this real disadvantage
without being about to speak at age five or whatever.
- They proudly sang their song, proudly.
(Melancholy music)
- Yeah.
Who's the taxi?
- How's school?
- Eh.
When I saw my test score I was a bit sad
because it was a bit low.
I got like, five, no four wrong.
That's all.
- You got four wrong out of six.
- Yeah.
- That's a lot.
- I know that is, but.
- What subject was it.
- It was, like you read it then you answer questions.
It's like there's book.
- Reading comprehension.
- Yeah.
- And do you just have to fill in a word
or do you write sentences?
- Sentences.
- Okay, it sounds like.
- I only got like, two correct.
- It sounds like that's really a hard thing to do,
is that right?
- Mhm.
It doesn't care Dad.
It's not that much.
- Okay.
And what about the other kids in your class?
Is it a hard thing for them, do you reckon?
- No, I don't know.
'Cause we had to do it separately.
- You don't know how the other kids scored?
- No one got the top marks, no.
- Do you know how the other kids scored?
- Miss said put your hand up if you know,
if I say your score.
- So were you the lowest score in the class?
- Yeah kind of.
- More than kind of, like yes.
- Yeah.
- Really, I like that.
Graham likes that as well.
- The first time time we found out
about our mum having dinner with Julia Gillard,
she'd only have it if I'm okay with it,
because I'm going to a Catholic high school next year.
And the first thing I said was, Mum,
there's nearly 5,000 kids in Waverley
and not all 5,000 can bully me.
It'll only be about, hopefully none.
Kids sometimes can come up with better ideas than adults.
They discriminate against my family, myself
and all other gay families in Australia.
Does that make sense?
I think that one of mine or Dyl's ideas
are gonna really move the prime minister.
And maybe even make gay marriage legal.
- [Sandy] Dear Lord, please keep us safe through the night
and please watch over us as we fly to Canberra tomorrow.
Make sure that all the conditions are good,
that we don't get hurt.
And that Matthew finds the answers that he's looking for.
(Camera click)
- Thank you.
- Hi, my name is Matthew and I am 12 years old.
I have two mums and I am proud.
My school teaches me that you should never judge someone
just 'cause they don't look like you.
I say this because they call my mums a sin against God.
- Yes, my darling.
- [Matthew] We have two loving mums and a loving dad.
- Should I do up my top button?
- I bought this cross when Pop died.
- I know.
- So Pop's coming to the prime minister's office with me.
- He'd like that.
Are you ready?
- Mhm.
- Sure?
- I've got my phone in my pocket.
- Don't you know I love you.
- Mhm.
I'm gonna send Dad a text saying wish me luck.
They've all taught us manners,
acceptance of all others no matter what,
stand up for what we believe.
- You ready?
- No, not at all.
- Don't be nervous,
remember she's just a person like anybody else.
(Door buzzes)
- [Recording] Let's do a breathing exercise.
Make sure you keep good posture throughout
and breathe deeply into your abdominal area.
Your shoulders and your chest shouldn't move.
(Child cries loudly)
(Rhythmic music)
(Cries)
- It's just his seizures were so violent last night
that he has to be held down.
Well it seems I talked to you last time
and we increased the medicine.
Actually seizures have gotten worse
and last night he had the worst ones that he'd had.
And they were so violent that our 12 year old
was holding him to stop him from throwing himself off
like a little cot.
Yeah.
Okay, thanks.
Bye.
He's gotta get admitted.
And he's gotta stay admitted
'til they can get him into a scan.
They're changing his medication
because it's probably his medication
that's making things worse.
And, yeah.
Um, so I don't know how we're.
- We just have to go in now, he's being admitted.
- He's being admitted
while they change his medication
because they can't take him off Figertol
without him being admitted because he'll have more seizures.
So he's, I'm gonna pack some stuff.
- I'm sorry mum, I should have timed it exactly.
- No no no.
Not your fault.
(Child screams)
- Listen, sit down.
Sit down!
Don't piss me off by not looking at me with respect,
you know you're making that funny eye thing and grinning.
Now listen, both of you.
Listen up, sit up, okay?
This involves you too.
Look at me.
I can't see, it that where the piano was getting you?
- Yes.
- Okay, I'm putting a ban on you wrestling with your sister.
- And Rory, I'm putting a ban. - Fine.
- Listen, no, I'm not finished, okay?
This is not the first time, okay?
She's the one that always ends up crying.
I'm not saying it's always you trying to hurt her,
I'm just saying Gus,
that you wrestle her like you wrestle your friends
and I know she's quite strong, but you're much bigger,
you're much stronger and you're much more skilful at it.
Sit down or go to bed!
- I will go to bed.
- Okay, goodnight, okay?
Jen, Gus is going to bed for the night.
- Enough.
- No I'm saying enough, okay?
Now listen, no more wrestling with your brother,
don't you make him wrestle you.
(Cries)
Do you understand?
Don't make him wrestle you.
I don't want you to be hurt,
I don't want you to hurt him,
you're too rough with it, okay, both of you
and it's not okay anymore.
Okay, do you understand mum?
Do you understand me?
Everyday I have to stop you being hurt
because you wrestle.
(Cries)
Okay?
Okay Gus, I'm just reiterating
that there is a wrestling ban.
(Gus moans)
There is a wrestling ban in this house
on you and your sister.
Don't you silence me son
or you'll bloody be grounded for a week.
Put your head out there
and look at me so I can tell you what's going on.
- Tell me now.
- I'm saying there is a ban on wrestling
between you and your sister.
- You told me that.
- Okay, do you understand it?
Yes!
- Is that clear?
Yes!
- Will you abide by that?
Yes!
- Right, now come and do your piano practise.
(Gus shouts)
Okay then you stay there and go to bed for the night.
- Fine!
I'm reading!
I wanna read!
- Don't speak to me like that Gus.
Do not talk over the top of me, okay?
I'm angry, I get upset every day
I have to adjudicate this rumbling.
Now I know you don't mean it, okay?
But you're too big.
You're too big to wrestle with her
unless you can do it in a playful way
Where you're very careful, it's not gonna happen anymore.
Okay?
So over and out with the bloody wrestling.
Jen do you have an opinion on that or what?
Am I overreacting or what?
I'm sick of it, you know,
someone's gonna break something.
It would be good if you actually contributed your say.
- Okay, I agree with you darling.
It is true, they're too rough.
Rory need to stop because she also talks Gus into.
- No I know she does. - Just saying.
- That's what I was saying to her, enough,
enough from everybody.
(Knocks)
- [GUS] Rory.
- What.
- What do you want?
Yeah?
- [Mum] Stay here and behave yourself.
- Okay.
- Behave self.
Beehive.
(Dramatic music)
(Chatter)
- But if like, if there's an accident
or someone with a bigger emergency
then he'll get bumped to Tuesday.
But they're taking him in until he has his MRI.
- [Ebony] Mum doesn't cry often
but she got me worried.
One or two of the doctors are saying
that it might not be epilepsy because he's too intelligent,
he's right handed instead of left handed.
Only thing that really fits in with the epilepsy
is that he's having seizures.
- [Jamie] Do we have a family agreement
to look after each other differently?
Yeah?
- No wrestling.
- No wrestling?
Okay, shazaam.
- I don't think anyone, I don't think Rory and Gus,
are committed to no wrestling.
Am I right or wrong?
- I think rumbling is really nice
- but Gus gets her in headlocks. - I know!
- Which I constantly worry about.
- Rory is constantly attacking him and wanting to wrestle.
I think it's really hard to have an absolute blanket rule.
I think what we want is smaller rules,
like no arms around the head.
Doing absolutely nothing like picking her up
which can put the weight on her neck.
- No punching!
No punching, just hitting.
- [Gus] No weapons.
- [Jen] No punching's good.
- No punching, just hitting. (Laughs)
That's not a great rule.
You shouldn't punch or hit anyway.
- Like this.
- What about tickling instead of hitting or punching?
- [Gus] Alright.
- So Gus, what are the rules for you now?
- Um, I'm not allowed to have my hand around her neck.
- Absolutely not, and?
- And I'm not allowed to put her on her head.
- [Rory] I got a great rule!
No pinching.
- Well you wouldn't pinch anyway, would you.
- [Gus] Rory you're the one who pinches.
- [Jen] Rory does pinch so let her add rules to the list.
No pinching, that's a good rule.
Anything else?
- Do you know when you play with your big brother.
- No kicking?
- And when you play with your little sister
it's gotta be fun and fair and kind to each other, okay?
- The biggest person has to take responsibility
for the littlest person getting hurt.
(Giggling)
- Do the kitty, walk,
kick me and then do the kitty.
Oh my god, kick cat!
Do another kick cat roll.
- I'm doing it again.
- One two three.
Winner, kitty!
- Okay, I'm gonna wake Ebony up.
- Yeah!
- Yep.
(Yawns)
Yeah, it's time to wake up.
- I know.
(Rhythmic pop music)
â™ª One and two and three and four and five
â™ª and six and seven and eight and nine
â™ª and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 â™ª
- Come here, I want you to wear this special thing
for good luck.
It's an ankh.
You excited?
You nervous?
- I'm too tired to be anything.
(Melancholy piano music)
- It's already on the application.
So tell them because you've got two mums.
(Engine sputters)
You guys might just have to get out and walk down.
Because I've run out of gas.
- It was doing so well.
- Yeah it's just that I have to change it while I'm driving.
(Dramatic piano)
â™ª There's a fire starting in my heart
â™ª Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark
â™ª Maybe I have no story to be told
â™ª But I've heard one of you
â™ª And it's gonna make your head burn
â™ª The scars of your love remind me of us
â™ª They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
â™ª We could have had it all
â™ª Rolling in the deep
â™ª You had my heart and soul in your hands
â™ª But you played it you played it you played it
â™ª Played it to the beat â™ª
(People chatter)
(Sweet music)
- Okay bye!
- Now your third homework is your writing homework.
Read the first batch.
(Children speak together)
Now you're going to write about you.
You can write about how you were brought up,
your parents, right?
- Yes.
- Because in the morning,
first thing we'll do when we come to school,
we'll sit, we'll be prepared to listen
to each and every one,
to stand up here, read about what you've written.
- [Dad] Don't you wanna do homework?
- Yeah.
(Sad music)
- Dad and I are desperate for you
to be the best kid that you can be.
And the best student that you can be.
We think that you're a clever, smart boy
who when he tries hard, he gets great results.
Alright?
Come on.
- I have a desk in there.
- You do, why don't you go in there.
And if you wanted to really be pedantic,
which means give a lot of detail.
- I know that.
- You can say things like I have hazel eyes.
- I have two dads.
- And I'm this tall and I weigh this much.
- And I have two dads?
- Well you could say that.
Do you want to say that?
- Sometimes, but.
- That's alright.
- Nah.
- You don't need to tell people anything
that they don't need to know, alright?
It's called a need to know basis, Graham.
And this is important for you to understand.
There are things that are appropriate
to tell people at particular times.
And sometimes that's age-appropriate, alright,
like when we were foster carers there were certain things
that we knew about your history that we were not,
that we did not discuss with you, because it wasn't.
- What was it.
- It wasn't age-appropriate.
Well we've discussed everything with you
at the appropriate ages.
And there'll be things that we'll discuss
with you when you're 18
that we haven't discussed with you up to that point.
So do you see what I'm saying?
There's certain things that are important to tell
and there's certain things that are not important to tell.
- Yes, let's start writing.
All about me.
Name.
- Good.
- Funny.
- That's beautiful handwriting.
Oh is O, uh is U.
Listen again, ih.
Her.
- ER.
- Yes.
(Sweet music)
- The word is adjective, you chose that word.
- They're in bed.
You're looking at a screen.
Fore pool or swim pool?
Swim pool.
Let's go. (Laughs)
- Now, did you do your writing homework?
- Yes.
- All about me, okay?
All about me.
You should have enjoyed that time writing about yourself.
Let me give the honour
of the very first person to come up here.
It will be Graham.
(Clapping)
- Hello class and teachers.
- Hello Graham.
- My name is Graham Wilkinson and I'm 12 years old.
I am funny, bouncy, excitable, happy, friendly and
(Children laugh)
My favourite sport is soccer.
The first time I played soccer was six years ago.
My team was in Sydney, the Red Devils.
I told you I was evil.
(Children laugh)
I wish I had a dog because it would protect me
and I would care for it and feed it and wash it
and play with it, it will be called Destroyer.
(Laughs)
The favourite part of my life is playing on computers:
Wii, Xbox and iPad.
My favourite game is Minecraft and Terreria.
Thank you for listening, class and teachers.
I'm happy to live in Fiji.
(Clapping)
(Giggling)
Hold on.
- Thank you, have a nice night.
- How was that?
- It was good.
- Yeah, feeling good?
- Do you think she was nice?
- Yeah, really nice.
- Well when I first saw her I stuttered a bit
so I didn't say what I was actually going to say.
So I just said hi, I'm Matthew and then we gave her
her letter, the flowers and the chocolate
and she said thank you, and yeah.
What I wanted to say to her at the start after I greeted her
I wanted to say that, to tell you the truth Miss Gillard,
I'm really honoured to be here, but then again
I think it's pretty stupid to be here right now
because this argument, this debate,
shouldn't have even been started out.
It should have just been, it shouldn't have been a law
that two people that are in a same-sex relationship
can't get married.
- Thanks boys.
- [Sandy] He's just growing up too fast at the moment.
These funny little habits, like you give him,
undress and give his dirty clothes to put in the laundry.
I had to leave the room.
- He's 12.
- Going past that stage, I know,
but he's just growing up too fast.
- What's wrong, you don't get naked in front of your mum?
Yeah but I just thought we had a few more years,
15 at least, before we got to that stage.
What's it gotta be like when you're 12?
- Hairy.
(Laughs)
- There are definitely a few things
that we have got in common.
But with religion,
I think we're two different people with that.
- That's really nice, that's great.
Big smiles for me boys!
Yeah that's great.
- [Matt] if I really, really don't wanna do something,
then I will stand up to her and I will say Mum,
I really don't want to do this.
Not going to church every Sunday
it's just one of those things that, I don't know,
we just don't go to anymore.
(Boys shouting)
I definitely think she's strong about her religion.
But I don't think her not going to church is gonna,
she's not losing her faith anymore.
It's just, I don't know, she just wants to put like,
the family first.
- The eight's big, I need it in like a middle size
or a six longer.
- You haven't done these shoelaces up properly.
- I know.
I like thicker shoelaces, they tie easy.
- There, is that better?
- Yeah, not so big on being a singer anymore.
Just seems too out of reach.
Newtown isn't that big a thing anymore, so.
I dunno.
(Laughs)
- Aw, oh it looks good.
Looks very good.
You look so old.
- What, you want me to look six again?
- (Laughs) That'd be good.
- I reckon it's just made me mature up a bit about music.
I reckon I'm a bit more self-aware now
and understand what's going on around me.
Bit more grown up.
- [Seth] Ebony, you look like a actual teenager.
- What are you doing on your head?
- Look at her, she looks so grown up.
- [Ebony] I was a little bit anxious
that they wouldn't accept my gay parents.
- Give me a kiss.
- Bye Ma.
- [Ebony] if they have a problem with it
they're not worth it.
Try and harass me there,
I'll kick their butt.
- [Jen] But whatever school you go to,
part of it is you know that you have to do debating
this year, or join the orchestra.
- I don't want to do either of those
and you cannot make me.
- I can make you.
- You can't make me.
- Of course I can.
- No you can't.
- Of course I can.
That's the whole point of being a parent.
- It doesn't let you force things onto your child.
- It does, actually, that's the whole point.
That's why everyone's cranky with their parents,
'cause their parents force things on them.
It's really what's allowed.
- I'll call the police right now Mum.
- No they can only work on child abuse, baby.
And having to do orchestra or debating is not child abuse.
- That is definitely child abuse.
- It's not! It's sending a child to school.
- Because in debate it's so boring
so I'll get bored and I'll fall off my chair,
then I'll quit and everything around me will be bad
and then I'll commit suicide.
I'm dead, you killed me.
And then in music, you're trying to make me deaf
so I can't hear anything and I can't hear the traffic lights
and then I die because I go into the road.
Killed me.
- Gus that's not a good argument.
Neither of those arguments are very good.
- Great argument.
- Not a great argument, they're terrible arguments.
- See that's why I shouldn't go into debating.
- That's why you should go to debating,
you'd be better at it.
- [Gus] I just love the way Jen is, how she teases me
about not liking wrestling,
I just wouldn't want to change that.
I think it would be boring if everybody had the same opinion
in the world.
I think that it would be totally awesome
if every single person had their own opinion about stuff.
(Cheers)
(Uplifting music)
(Crowd chatter)
(Raucous cheers)
(Fireworks boom)
(Joyful cheers)
- [Ebony] I don't really think it actually makes me
that unique, that I have two mums.
It's just different for every person growing up.
The people who raise you and make you who you are today
are your family.
(Uplifting music)
(Inspiring pop music)
â™ª Lonely light you shine so lyrically
â™ª Please not be my own and light my woes predictably
â™ª Cause I walk with difference
â™ª To sing my song with pride
â™ª There's nothing left in me to find but what I feel inside
â™ª And I don't fight the feeling
â™ª 'Cause feelings they just need to grow
â™ª It's the only expression
â™ª I need to know
â™ª I've got to find the feeling
â™ª I want these feelings to grow
â™ª It's all that I believe in
â™ª Just let my feelings show
â™ª Strike a chord on the rough of my face
â™ª The tears they burn like fire
â™ª But boy I like the way they taste
â™ª Who knows whose meaning really feels my song
â™ª When on this page is all for some and some for anyone
â™ª So I don't fight the feeling
â™ª 'Cause feelings they just need to grow
â™ª It's the only expression
â™ª I need to know
â™ª It's so irresistible
â™ª To place what you find in lonely miracles
â™ª But you don't need approval
â™ª Just take what you do and make it beautiful
â™ª So I don't fight the feeling
â™ª 'Cause I just let my feelings show
â™ª It's the only expression
â™ª I need to know
â™ª I got to find the feeling
â™ª I want these feelings to grow
â™ª It's all that I believe in
â™ª I want these, I want these, I want these, I want these,
â™ª So I don't fight the feeling
â™ª Yeah I just let my feelings show
â™ª Yeah I just let my feelings show â™ª