Moves by Labor, the Greens and Senate crossbenchers to allow asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus Island to be transferred to Australia on the say-so of two doctors have today been met with concern from the Australian Christian Lobby.

 The Australian Christian Lobby welcomes confirmation from Australian Government sources that Asia Bibi and her family will be offered asylum. 

“This is momentous news for all who have lobbied so hard and so long for Asia Bibi,” said ACL managing director Martyn Iles.

Amongst Christians, a debate about Nauru rarely gets far before someone invokes Jesus.

His parable of the Good Samaritan, His command to love our neighbour, even the notion that He was a refugee (sort of).

The Australian Christian Lobby calls on the federal government to offer Asia Bibi and her family asylum in Australia. 

The Australian Christian Lobby today backed calls by Australia’s Coptic Leader, Bishop Suriel, for the Australian Government to offer protection to more than 20 Christian families in the wake of this week’s massacre in Egypt.

The Australian Christian Lobby has welcomed news the Federal Government would consider expanding Australia’s refugee intake of survivors from the war zones in Iraq and Syria.

Is it ok to preference high risk refugees?

Foreign Editor of the Australian, Greg Sheridan, states that Christians in the Middle East are one of the highest risk groups, yet preferencing them is seen as discrimination.

The Australian Christian Lobby has renewed its longstanding call for the federal government to double the humanitarian intake.

Some of the $500 million budget savings from closing immigration detention centres should be reallocated to increasing the refugee intake, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.

Managing Director Lyle Shelton said this was a big saving off the budget’s bottom line and the government should use it to help persecuted religious minorities fleeing Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Last week’s massacre in Kenya and the ongoing brutality of Islamic State highlight just how dangerous life is for many Christians and other religious minorities, including Shia Muslims.

As IS burst out of Syria into Iraq forcing Christians and other minorities to convert, flee or die there was a surge of solidarity by Australian Christians.