26th September, 2007
GLYNIS QUINLAN

With a federal election fast approaching, campaigning is now in full swing. Almost every day we are learning of a new policy being announced or a new campaign-tactic being tried. Politicians and media commentators alike appear to have their eyes glued to the opinion polls as they try to deduce what the election outcome will be and if there are any variables which will come into play.

GETTING YOUR VOICE HEARD: Glynis Quinlan says the Australian Christian Lobby are bringing Christian influence to bear on policy platforms in a umber of ways ahead of the upcomong federal election. PICTURE: Steve Woods (www.sxc.hu) "For Christians to truly be an effective influence in the political domain it is vital that we continue to work to reaffirm the importance of the Christian constituency at the upcoming Federal election."

The upcoming election also holds much significance for Christians. How effective will we be in making the Christian voice heard at this election? How much influence will we have in helping to shape a society which is more moral, compassionate and just?

The recent Make it Count 2007 event on 9th August, which saw around 100,000 Christians view live webcast addresses from the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, signalled to all politicians the importance of the Christian constituency.

The big turnout, which is a credit to the large numbers of churches who took part, showed that Christians are actively engaging in the political sphere and that their views should not be ignored.

However, we can’t leave it at that. For Christians to truly be an effective influence in the political domain it is vital that we continue to work to reaffirm the importance of the Christian constituency at the upcoming federal election and that each Christian ensures that they make their vote count.

In coming months, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), will be working to bring a Christian influence to bear on political parties and their policy platforms in three main ways:

• Detailed questionnaire: ACL has distributed a detailed questionnaire to all political parties which asks them 25 questions on issues of interest to Christians - ranging from topics such as abortion, pornography, marriage and advertising to climate change, overseas aid, refugees and homelessness. Parties have been asked to provide answers to each question in no more than 250 words, as well as a bullet point summary. The questions and answers will go up on ACL’s Australia Votes website at www.australiavotes.org in mid-October. Please keep an eye on the site and take the opportunity to compare the different party responses on issues of interest to you. Some of the matters canvassed may not come up during the election campaign and it is important that Christians are aware of where the political parties stand on key issues of concern.

• 'Meet Your Candidate' forums: Planning is under way for a large number of ‘Meet Your Candidate' forums in a wide variety of locations throughout Australia, with a particular emphasis on marginal seats. These forums give Christians the opportunity to meet and question those people seeking their vote. It also gives the candidates a better insight into Christian concerns and shows them that Christians are active and informed. Closer to election day a full list of locations for these forums will be posted on the 'Australia Votes' website.

• Debate magazine: Prior to the election Fineline Design & Publishing, in conjunction with ACL, will be launching a new quarterly public policy magazine called Debate. Debate will be a professional, refereed publication, targeted at policy and decision makers. The aim of the magazine is to inform and influence debate on current and future public policy issues from a Christian perspective. Rather than being confined to defending Christian positions on issues of public policy, ACL would like to see the Christian community taking a greater role in actively shaping and influencing future public policy debate in Australia. That is what this magazine is all about. It will endeavour to intellectually underpin the discussion and debate of Christian perspectives on public policy in a more structured, academic and professionally credible way. Copies of the magazine will be distributed widely to policy makers, the broader public, the media and the academic world to assist them in assessing and critiquing public policy from a Christian perspective. Issues covered in the first edition will include housing affordability, nuclear power, the ‘War on Terror’, industrial relations, and ‘the values debate’. Please go to the magazine’s website www.debate.net.au for a summary of the authors and articles. Subscriptions are also now open via the website.

As we approach the federal election, Christians have both an opportunity and a responsibility to do what we can to bring Christ’s influence to bear. We need to be praying for our leaders and ensuring we make an informed vote in the election. We also should be playing a part in showing politicians and the community that Christians care about the way our nation is governed and have a key role in influencing that process.

Glynis Quinlan is the public relations manager for the Australian Christian Lobby.

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