Media release
Claims by the Australian Greens on the weekend that their policies are very much aligned with Christian values are completely at odds with their refusal to respond to 18 out of 24 questions on issues of concern to Christians, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) said today.
ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said that out of all the major and minor parties to respond to the questionnaire, the Australian Greens were the only party to selectively respond answering just six of the questions.
“The Greens had an opportunity to demonstrate their alignment with Christian values by answering ACL’s questionnaire.
“If Greens’ policies were truly aligned with Christian values they would not have sought to avoid scrutiny in this way,” Mr Wallace said.
“If they think that issues such as youth unemployment, the sexualisation of children, freedom of religion and life issues – all areas where they declined to answer questions – aren’t of importance to Christians then they are clearly out-of-touch with the great bulk of the Christian constituency.
“Christians tend to care about a broad cross-section of issues ranging from social justice issues to moral and life issues. In some areas, such as the environment and refugees, the Greens’ policies have attractions. However on issues like the sanctity of life, marriage, school chaplaincy and ending the exploitation of women through prostitution and pornography, Greens’ policies run totally against most Christian views.
“You can see how ridiculous their claims are when Greens’ leader Bob Brown says his party is closer to Christian thinking than the highest ranking Catholic in Australia – namely the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
“Any attempt by the Greens to describe ACL’s concerns as narrow doesn’t hold up when the reality is that the narrowness of the Greens’ agenda was demonstrated by them only answering six of the 24 questions which were part of the ACL’s broader agenda.”
Media Contact: Glynis Quinlan on 0408 875 979.
A political party refusing to answer questions from a political lobby group is hardly that surprising is it?
I am at a loss to see what possible alignment the Greens could have with the Christian voters according to Archbishop Peter Jensen. Their underhanded tactics to even suggest that they have similar alignment is offensive.
Their policies show a complete breakdown of the family network & values which is the essential building block of society! Have a look at their policies listing, talk about complete moral decline.
The Greens actually are the only party that is able to say it offers a compassionate policy on the way we treat and view asylum seekers. We should build on the positives and applaud this. This is important and is how Jesus would respond to people in distress and in great need. Jesus would also accept sinners and provide compassionate responses, not make life hard for people who are different. He would speak the truth and offer them hope but not exclude and discriminate. It was not his way. It is not up to us to judge, but ultimately God. The Greens are doing a good job at offering compassionate alternatives in all spheres – bar the pro-choice issue, which of course is a crucial issue for Christians, but this is a common problem in all the parties. Greens appear to me to be the best of what will always be a less than perfect, and less than Godly bunch. The Liberals were the most inhumane bunch, and most of the leadership team of the Howard years would have professed Christian beliefs. They demonstrated their ‘beliefs’ in an inexcusably despicable way towards asylum seekers. We should not ignore this. Julia is not a Christian but seems to be offering something more humane. But Greens are best if this is an important issue for you.
I think its a little dangerous for a political lobby group to be bashing the party that will be (by all reports) holding the balance of power in the senate. I have looked at the Greens policies on their website. There are some I agree with, some I don’t. The same is true when I look at the policies of the Labor and Coalition parties. Trying to invoke a war of words with the Greens seems counter-productive to the ACL’s cause in my opinion.