Prime Minister Julia Gillard has affirmed existing Labor Party policythat marriage is between a man and a woman.
“We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken steps to equalise treatment for gay couples,” Ms Gillard told Austereo radio.
Asked if this was also her personal belief, she said it was.
Ms Gillard's statement is being seen as strategic in not further distancing the Christian vote after yesterday's admission that she is an atheist.
Marriage and its legal definition is one of the most sensitive issues for Christian and church leaders and both former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition leader Tony Abbott were very clear in their Make it Count webcast on June 21 that they would be preserving the current marriage act.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Heavy media focus on religion and politics
The departure of Kevin Rudd has increased, not lessened, the focus on the influence of religious beliefs and politics.
Since the leadership change last Friday there has been unprecedented focus on whether Prime Minister Julia Gillard would follow her predecessor in affirming religious faith.
When she told ABC radio yesterday that she was not a Christian and would not pretend to have faith, media and internet commentary on the issue soared.
Several major news outlets are conducting their own polls on the topic. The Sydney Morning Herald is asking readers: 'Will Julia Gillard's atheism make her more open-minded on policy?' As of this posting, 2087 readers had voted with 58 per cent saying yes, and 42 per cent no.
At the same time, Radio 2UE is asking visitors to its website: 'Should a politician's religious beliefs matter to voters?' The result is not known.
News.com asked yesterday, 'Will your vote be swayed by Julia Gillard's stance on religion?' 12601 people voted with 26 per cent answering yes, 50 per cent no and 24 per cent saying they didn't care.
Last night the 7pm Project debated the same issues and what is becoming clearer is that political support is polarising more on the issue of faith.
See ACV's poll - right.
Since the leadership change last Friday there has been unprecedented focus on whether Prime Minister Julia Gillard would follow her predecessor in affirming religious faith.
When she told ABC radio yesterday that she was not a Christian and would not pretend to have faith, media and internet commentary on the issue soared.
Several major news outlets are conducting their own polls on the topic. The Sydney Morning Herald is asking readers: 'Will Julia Gillard's atheism make her more open-minded on policy?' As of this posting, 2087 readers had voted with 58 per cent saying yes, and 42 per cent no.
At the same time, Radio 2UE is asking visitors to its website: 'Should a politician's religious beliefs matter to voters?' The result is not known.
News.com asked yesterday, 'Will your vote be swayed by Julia Gillard's stance on religion?' 12601 people voted with 26 per cent answering yes, 50 per cent no and 24 per cent saying they didn't care.
Last night the 7pm Project debated the same issues and what is becoming clearer is that political support is polarising more on the issue of faith.
See ACV's poll - right.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Gillard directly addresses Christians and issues of faith
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been directly questioned about religious faith and the future of the Christian vote in Australia during an interview this morning on ABC Radio.
The Australian newspaper reports that Ms Gillard appeared to 'surprised' when asked whether she believed in God and how she would court the Christian vote.
'I'm not a religious person,' Ms Gillard told ABC radio.
'I was brought up in the Baptist Church but during my adult life I've, you know, found a different path. I'm of course a great respecter of religious beliefs, but they're not my beliefs.'
Gillard moves quickly to end advertising deja vu
On June 11, Australian Christian Voter posted: 'Is the mining tax Labor's version of Work Choices? Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?' It seemed Mr Rudd had created an almost identical political environment to the one brought on by John Howard's Work Choices which helped him lose the 2007 election.
Not surprisingly, the only definite policy statement in Julia Gillard's first speech as Prime Minister on Friday was that she was ending the mining tax advertising campaign and called on the mining industry to do the same, a hurried attempt to defuse a political time bomb.
In our June 11 post we said, 'In politics, history always repeats (no one learns their lesson the first time...) But it remains to be seen if the election outcome - the tossing out of the incumbent - will also follow suit.'
Julia, no doubt a keen reader of ACV, decided not to wait around and find out, but tossed out the incumbent herself... PH
Not surprisingly, the only definite policy statement in Julia Gillard's first speech as Prime Minister on Friday was that she was ending the mining tax advertising campaign and called on the mining industry to do the same, a hurried attempt to defuse a political time bomb.
In our June 11 post we said, 'In politics, history always repeats (no one learns their lesson the first time...) But it remains to be seen if the election outcome - the tossing out of the incumbent - will also follow suit.'
Julia, no doubt a keen reader of ACV, decided not to wait around and find out, but tossed out the incumbent herself... PH
Skill, not just values, vital for political success
ACV's Monday Comment: One week ago many Christian voters watched Australian Christian Lobby's Make it Count webcast featuring Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott. Today Mr Rudd is on the backbench, Mr Abbott is fighting a rear guard action and new Prime Minister Julia Gillard is enjoying rising popularity.
This change took the proverbial wind out of the sails of many Christians interested in the political process because they had come to enjoy, perhaps a little complacently, having both major parties led by people of Christian conviction.
But in politics, as in any field of endeavour, it is not only your values that count, but your ability. When journalist Chris Uhlmann was asked whether some of Julia Gillard's views, such as being an atheist, would affect her electoral prospects, he replied that what really counted was that she was Australia's most formidable politician.
This change took the proverbial wind out of the sails of many Christians interested in the political process because they had come to enjoy, perhaps a little complacently, having both major parties led by people of Christian conviction.
But in politics, as in any field of endeavour, it is not only your values that count, but your ability. When journalist Chris Uhlmann was asked whether some of Julia Gillard's views, such as being an atheist, would affect her electoral prospects, he replied that what really counted was that she was Australia's most formidable politician.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Christian parties say they offer value for votes
Australian voters with a Christian perspective have been focused on the major parties with the Make it Count webcast last Monday and a new Prime Minister on Friday.
Christian voters will watch closely the performance and direction of Julia Gillard in the coming weeks to see if the engagement with the Christian community, notable under Kevin Rudd, continues.
In the meantime, with an election imminent, parties specifically aligned with Christian values continue to press their claim to receive the votes of believers.
Australian Christian Lobby’s Jim Wallace said a vote for a Christian party candidate, even if they don’t win, was never wasted.
Christian voters will watch closely the performance and direction of Julia Gillard in the coming weeks to see if the engagement with the Christian community, notable under Kevin Rudd, continues.
In the meantime, with an election imminent, parties specifically aligned with Christian values continue to press their claim to receive the votes of believers.
Australian Christian Lobby’s Jim Wallace said a vote for a Christian party candidate, even if they don’t win, was never wasted.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Salt Shakers express concern over Gillard
Christian organisation Salt Shakers has published an extensive comment piece on Julia Gillard, exploring her links with the Socialist Forum and linking to a briefing paper prepared before the 2007 election.
They express concern that 'Miss Gillard is not a social conservative or a Christian. We can expect considerable social engineering towards an even more "tolerant", socially destructive Australia.'
Find the posting about half way down on the home page of their website.
They express concern that 'Miss Gillard is not a social conservative or a Christian. We can expect considerable social engineering towards an even more "tolerant", socially destructive Australia.'
Find the posting about half way down on the home page of their website.
'Non-practising Baptist' brings changing political climate
'Julia Gillard may have been the first Prime Minister in Australia's history to eschew the good book when being sworn in this week. A self-described ''non-practising Baptist'', she took an affirmation rather than a Bible in hand.
'Government House does not keep records of whether any predecessors did the same, and the parliamentary library knows only that all others since [and including] Paul Keating took the oath...
'Faith in politics may not be dead under Gillard but it is certain to take on an altogether different meaning.'
So writes the Sydney Morning Herald's Joel Gibson in an analysis of the changing faith in politics climate under Julia Gillard. Read the full story here.
'Government House does not keep records of whether any predecessors did the same, and the parliamentary library knows only that all others since [and including] Paul Keating took the oath...
'Faith in politics may not be dead under Gillard but it is certain to take on an altogether different meaning.'
So writes the Sydney Morning Herald's Joel Gibson in an analysis of the changing faith in politics climate under Julia Gillard. Read the full story here.
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