Christians preparing for ACT election
Christians in the ACT are beginning their campaign for the upcoming ACT election. The election is an important one for Christians as it is likely to be the only election to be held in Australia this year, and there are many important issues in the ACT that could swing Christian votes.
Recently a group of Christians of different professions and denominations met together at the Parkway church in order to prepare strategies for the election, which they could then communicate to their churches.
ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said that a recent demographic analysis of the 2007 Federal election results by Australian Development Strategies showed that the Christian vote significantly impacted the outcome.
“This assessment provided valuable confirmation of the importance of the Christian vote and the fact that it is not held captive by one particular party, but can be won or lost by either side,” Mr Wallace said.
“We anticipate that the Christian vote will also be important in the ACT election.”
ACL ACT State Director Richard Thackway also spoke at the breakfast, and laid out several key events that the ACL will be holding as the election draws closer:
“We are planning to hold several meetings for all the church leaders around Canberra, as well as having experts talk at forums, inviting candidates to talk to the Christian constituency, and maybe even holding a large event for the major parties just before the election,” Mr Thackway said.
“Our focus in the election will be particularly on the issues of open and transparent government, the negative impact of the sexualisation of society, and the importance of strong families.”
Mr Wallace said that because decisions made in the ACT can flow on and affect the rest of Australia, this election will be a particularly crucial one, and Christians need to be aware and involved in the issues.
