Christian lobby welcomes Labor and Family First responses to Qld questionnaire

The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) today welcomed belated moves from Queensland Labor and Family First to provide answers to 12 questions on issues of concern to Christians.

ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said that Labor and Family First’s answers have now been posted on the organisation’s special Queensland election website at www.qldvotes.org and will assist the Christian constituency in knowing where the parties stand on a number of important matters before deciding how to cast their vote on March 21.

The LNP was originally the only party to provide answers for the website which was launched on the weekend, after repeated requests to all Queensland parties. Labor and Family First have now responded to the questionnaire, although the Greens and One Nation have still failed to do so.

 “The questionnaire responses will assist Christians in making an informed vote at the upcoming election after accurately weighing up the different party policies on issues of concern to them,” Mr Wallace said.

“ACL is notifying our supporters and a large number of Queensland churches about the www.qldvotes.org website, meaning there is likely to be a significant number of people paying close attention to the different party answers.”

Mr Wallace said that in its responses Queensland Labor has committed to providing a further $3 million to continue Queensland’s chaplaincy program for another three years, as well as detailing their commitment to address the State’s homelessness problem.

“We strongly welcome both these commitments, particularly given the invaluable work school chaplains are doing in supporting students and also our concern for the estimated 25,000 homeless people, including children, in the State,” he said.

However Mr Wallace said he was concerned that Queensland Labor had been quite equivocal in its answers to questions on whether it would permit same-sex surrogacy, what it would do to reduce abortion rates, and whether it would reject moves for an R18+ classification for computer games.

“Labor’s unsatisfactory responses to concerns about issues such as a lack of local democracy in making decisions about brothels and the need to change religious vilification laws to restore freedom of speech will also be of concern to many Christians.”

In regard to the LNP’s questionnaire responses, Mr Wallace said many Christians would greatly appreciate the LNP’s commitment to ‘the right of children wherever possible to have the love of a mother and a father’ and their intention to keep to this principle in the context of surrogacy laws.

“We also welcome the LNP’s commitment to freedom of speech for Christians, returning ‘more of a say’ to local councils on issues such as deciding on brothel developments, keeping the current funding for school chaplains, and retaining the current classification system rather than allowing R18+ computer games.

“However some of their responses have been light on detail and we would like to know more about their plans to address homelessness and provide greater support for families.”

Mr Wallace said that ACL also welcomed Family First’s responses, and particularly their decisive rejection of proposals to permit same-sex surrogacy in Queensland and their willingness to change Queensland’s religious vilification laws to restore the freedom of people to criticise religions without fear of legal action.

He said ACL also appreciated Family First’s readiness to seriously investigate the ‘Swedish model’ as an alternative to Queensland’s failed brothel laws.

“With both major parties today publicly reported to have no plans to decriminalise abortion – although there is the inevitable danger of a private member’s bill on the issue – one of the biggest unknowns for Christians in this election is now whether Labor would permit same-sex surrogacy. This is of particularly concern given the precedent set recently in Victoria.

“The removal this week of the ban on aid money being used for abortion by Federal Labor must make us wary of any responses couched in equivocal language,” Mr Wallace said. “Christians must look for definitive statements when weighing up the merit of different parties.” 

Media Contact: Glynis Quinlan on 0408 875 979