National elections in Australia must be held by November 30 2013. All sections of Australian society, including the church, were in full swing gearing up for the election of Australia’s 44th Parliament when everything was thrown into disarray by momentous political events in late June.
In an internal party vote, incumbent Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was replaced as the head of the Labor Party — and therefore as Prime Minister — by Kevin Rudd, who had been the victim of a similar process some three years before.
The stark contrast between Gillard and Rudd expresses itself in many ways, not least in terms of their views on religion. A useful frame of reference is provided by the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbour.
Rudd
Kevin Rudd is arguably the most religiously devout of Australia’s 27 prime ministers since Federation in 1901. He was raised Catholic but switched to the Anglican Church in the 1980s. He attends weekly worship both in his Queensland electorate and in Canberra when Parliament is sitting. His public acknowledgement of the place of God in his life is further reinforced by his active role in promoting the Parliamentary Prayer Group in Canberra.
Gillard
On the question of love of God, outgoing Prime Minister Julia Gillard is on a very different page from Mr. Rudd. Though brought up as a Baptist, she has worn her atheist position on her sleeve in several media interviews. In 2010 she was asked whether she believed in God, to which she replied: ‘No, I don’t ... I’m not a religious person ... I’m ... a great respecter of religious beliefs but they’re not my beliefs’.
There was some enthusiasm among Australian Christians when Kevin Rudd came to power in 2007, and some dismay when he was replaced by Julia Gillard in 2010.
Ambiguity
On the question of love of neighbour, Mr. Rudd has an ambiguous reputation. On the one hand, he promoted a more humane approach to the asylum seeker debate during his first term as Prime Minister, in harmony with dominant views in the Australian churches. Moreover, he speaks out on the question of the place of faith in the public square, writing as follows in The Monthly in 2006: ‘A Christian perspective, informed by a social gospel or Christian socialist tradition, should not be rejected contemptuously by secular politicians ... If the churches are barred from participating in the great debates about the values that ultimately underpin our society, our economy and our polity, then we have reached a very strange place indeed’.
However, his views have caused some consternation in other ways for many Australian Christians. In recent times he has publicly endorsed proposals for the legalisation of gay marriage. Moreover, his style of interaction with fellow politicians, journalists, his staff and civil servants has earned him a reputation for being authoritarian and, at times, belligerent and insulting. An infamous clip of him engaging in a foul-mouthed tirade appeared on YouTube and went viral.
In contrast, the openly disbelieving Julia Gillard gained wide admiration from those who came in contact with her, acquiring a reputation for being consultative in her dealings with her fellow parliamentarians and respectful in her dealings with her staff, the media and civil servants. While allowing a conscience vote among her party colleagues in Parliament on the gay marriage question, she herself was opposed to the proposed legalisation of gay marriage, which was more in tune with the views of large segments of the Australian churches.
Divided
Australian Christians are divided over the return of Mr. Rudd. His opponent, Tony Abbott, is an observant Catholic and so Australian Christians will be faced with a choice between two regular churchgoers, a situation not experienced in this country for many years.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has sought to provide direction in the midst of confusion, calling on Christian voters to ‘vote for the common good’ according to ten key issues: the poor and vulnerable, marriage and family, child protection, life, indigenous Australians, refugees and migration, education, health, peace and development and ecology and sustainability.
However, the confusion reigning in political circles at present means that Australian Christians have their work cut out in finalising their vote on election day — the date of which had still not been announced at the time of writing.
