Media Release

Saturday 15 September 2007

Churches Join to Host Election Forum

Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission is collaborating with other church organisations to organize a Federal election forum next month.

The forum will seek to engage Christians in the political process and to give them an opportunity to hear the response of various political parties to the issues being raised by churches.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that Senate candidates from the Liberals, Nationals, Labor, Democrats, Greens and Family First have been invited to respond to statements on the Federal election which have already been issued by various churches.

“Australia’s Catholic Bishops have issued a statement which emphasizes the need to think about what is in the interest of the common good,” Mr Arndt said.

“They have highlighted many important issues including family and life issues, immigration, Indigenous issues, health, education and the environment,” he said.

“Our friends in the Uniting Church have also produced a lot of material on a wide range of important issues and we want to provide Christians with a chance to hear some of the candidates talk about these issues,” he added.

The forum will be held on Tuesday 16 October, at 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. at the Broadwater Road Uniting Church, Broadwater Road, Mansfield.

The Commission is also encouraging parishes to consider hosting a candidates forum for their own House of Representatives electorate and has sent all parish pastoral councils copies of the Bishops’ election statement, the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council’s election brochure, the Social Action Office’s Refresh Australia kit, and materials prepared by the Commission to help parishes organize such forums.

“As the Bishops have stressed, the Church will not tell Catholics to vote for one party or another, but it encourages all Catholics to take an active interest in the election and to examine the issues with the help of the values of our Christian faith,” he said.

For further information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476.

NB This release is issued with the approval of the Commission or its Executive under the provision of its Charter which enables it to speak in its own right. The views expressed in it do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.