Australians are off to the polls on August 21 and already the first shots have been fired in what will be a short – but no doubt hectic – election campaign.
Some of the issues to gain most attention on the secular media radar during the first days of the election campaign have been population size, Work Choices, asylum seekers and education.
In the countdown to the election ACL will be aiming to assist Christians to cast a vote for the candidate/party of their choice who best reflects Christian values and concerns. It is vital that, as a constituency, we engage in the election campaign and take a close interest in who will represent us in the next Federal Parliament.
There will no doubt be a wide range of issues of interest or concern for Christians ranging from moral and life issues through to social justice issues.
The ACL has put 24 questions on these issues to all the political parties contesting the election and hope to have responses back shortly. We will publish the responses on our www.australiavotes.org website within the next couple of weeks, along with a host of other election resources.
A number of issues are already shaping up as key ones for Christians to seek commitments on in this particular election, including:
- The school chaplaincy program and whether Labor will commit to funding it beyond 2011. (Please click here for more details).
- ISP filtering – and whether the Coalition will commit to support this important initiative to help safeguard children online. The Greens oppose it.
- Gay marriage – the Prime Minister has stated that marriage is between a man and a woman but we want to ensure this commitment lasts beyond the next ALP National Conference in two years. The Coalition is firm on this but the Greens support gay marriage.
- The classification system – it is in urgent need of an overhaul, with far better standards being enforced. While there is sympathy for this in the major parties we need more commitments.
- Refugees – and the need to effectively balance border control initiatives with the humane treatment of asylum seekers.
We encourage you to be active in ensuring you make an informed vote at the upcoming election and in highlighting with local candidates the issues of most concern to you. We will inform you as the campaign progresses of the policies of parties and your opportunities to participate in the election.
I would want to hear what the political parties have to say about the wholesale slaughter of children, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and the Islamisation of Australia. Some of these issues are more important to Christians than some of those listed in the article.
I think that politicans are all playing it safe these days, trying to appeal to all the people on all the policies all the time. We can only continue praying that God will raise up a Christian leader who is delighted to stand up and proclaim his/her faith and have the courage to instigate policies that will protect Australias Christian heritage. Combined prayer is underestimated and undervalued these days but it still works and is the most effective means of protecting our nation and obtaining a Christian leader for the future. First thing in the morning and last thing at night pray your heart out that an outstanding Christian is our next Prime Minister with the support of a Christian cabinet. Please hear our prayer Lord.
How many young Christians are currently planning to vote for the Greens this election with absolutly no idea about their party platform besides there keen on trees?
It boggles the mind, the radical social policy they have in place & prepared, that is far from merely environmental!
I remember the Hon John Anderson & Fred Nile who in Parliament used to call them watermelons; Green on the outside but red (communist) in the middle.
Dont throw your VOTE in 2010.
On the last dot point, you fail to mention that the Greens support the humane treatment of asylum seekers, unlike the Labor and Liberal party’s. You are quick to mention what the Greens don’t support, but are slow to acknowledge their support for the majority of social justice issues that Christians are concerned about. So much for a non-partisan position.
Christians need a chsistian leader who opposes the murder of unborn children(abortion),belives christ is the only way to heaven and respects marriage and family life.
We belive Tony is the man to lead Australia.
Joolia on the other hand is atheist,oppsoed payed parental leave and help for pensioners-
There is noting in the New Testament that supports having a Christian leader. In fact in the early church being a Christian meant being unable to participate in the army and being unable to be a politician (for the few rich people who were able to anyway.
The state was seen as a necessity that God had ordained but ultimately it was participation in a church not the state that counted.
Christians need to give up trying to tell other people how to live (trying to be a ‘player’ in politics) and to actually live the example of Christ themselves.
GREENS ARE THE BIGGESTE WORRY IN THIS COMING ELECTION
Greens candidate Penny Wright present the Greens as an alternative party and she puts forward some of their election platform however in reality they represent the far Left of politics with many hidden agendas which can also be discovered on their web site. They would like to stop coal and uranium mining and are vehemently against nuclear power and coal driven power stations without offering any sustainable energy replacement. The agenda for most of their candidates is directed to more liberal gay rights and legalisation of drug use injecting rooms and trials for prescribed heroin rather than the environment. They also wish to take human rights and equal opportunity away from current parliamentary legislation and our laws and hand them over to the determination of a commission. These policies should cause great concern to most Australians and our way of life.
Jen, I think that Australia would also like a leader who can use a spell-checker: “chsistian”; “belive(s)”; “Joolia”; “oppsoed”; “payed”.
And, “no”, we Christians do not necessarily believe that “Tony is the man”. Some believe that Julia is the woman. Some that Tony is the man. And some of us are simply trying to choose the lesser of two evils, (or the lesser of three if we include the Greens).
And Lynn, it may be nice to think about “praying your heart out that an outstanding Christian is our next Prime Minister with the support of a Christian cabinet”, but what good will it do if Christians refuse to get actively involved in the political system? Forming our own parties (Family First or the Christian Democrats) will never get people into those places.
It will only be as Christians join the major parties, get involved in the parties, influence the parties, stand for pre-selection and finally get voted in will we have what you desire. Praying for this will be of no value if Christians are not willing to get their hands dirty and do the work. Have you joined a party yet?