As the audience arrives it is time for a little church leader spotting: Commissioner James Condon from the Salvoes, Keith Garner from Wesley, Bishop Robert and Margaret Forsyth from the Sydney Anglicans, Stephen O’Doherty from Christian Schools, Donna Crouch from Hillsong, Michael Caruso of Vinnies, Greg Clarke of the Bible Society and many others.

ACL’s Lyle Shelton opens the meeting “in the name of Jesus Christ” and acknowledges the traditional owners of the land. “We want to see a more compassionate and just society.”

Mike Baird is up first. My faith is part of what I am doing he says. “It’s a risk to come here and talk about my faith”

“The Herald had described my faith as a dangerous devotion. It was a headline.”

“For me wanting to live a life that serves others is anything but dangerous.”

He described going to fellowship for the girls. “But in time the word began to have its effect.”

He became a banker but  decided to become a church minister in order to make a difference. He headed to Regent College in Vancouver where J.I. Packer and Eugene Petersen was teacher. In his early days at college he had to write a paper on his journey. But his teacher wrote on it  “…or in the Australian politics”.

“I thought i had it worked out. For that year wrestled with my wife and good friends (on whether he should return to business).” He never became a minister.

“Ten years after that decision, It was a long journey into politics.”

“My sense of faith in what I do is quite simple. You have to ensure you have a strong economy so you can provide infrastructure but also more importantly look after the vulnerable.”

“In the left side of politics there is a great sense of social justice. But it is also found on the conservative side.’

“There are challenges. for example the size of the public service. i wrestle with that.

He gave an example of difficult decisions.

the victims compensation scheme. What happens when it is millions of dollars in the red… you provide an opportunity for those who need it most.

I don’t pretend that I have got every decision right. But i have wrestled with them.”

As a christian Baird says that some opportunities to help have come up. Bear Cottage- a service for sick children… “you might call it a Christian response- or any one with a skerrick of compassion would want to help.”

“Making a difference on a daily basis fills me with pride at having the opportunity.”

Baird turned to the issue of political ethics. “Integrity is spoken about too much. It belittles the word to talk about it. I believe people want to see actions, they want to see you walking what you believe.”

Baird finished on the need to take risks. “You have to have the sense. what ever you do in life, that you believe in it.

“I hope that people see that what I do is based on what I believe.

“Politics can get ugly, but if you hold onto that principle which carries a risk…it holds you in good stead.”

 Questions

Keith Garner, Wesley: The NSW takes more than a billion dollars from gambling taxes. What will your party to do to reduce its dependence on such income:

Baird: The State government relying on that income is a challenge. You raise a good point – in the longer term should the State Government to reduce funding. In the short term we can do more to support problem gamblers.

James Condon, Salvation Army: We see the damage the ice epidemic is doing. Will your party increase the financial partnership with treatment providers?

Baird: Yes, we must. We will come alongside you. This has to be at the top of the list.

Bishop Robert Forsyth: How will your party protect freedom of speech, assembly, religion, conscience?

Baird: I strongly believe we need to protect them. Given world events, one of our challenges is how do we keep the peace.

Grant Millard, Anglicare: Low income households really struggle to find affordable housing. There is a shortfall of 100,000 affordable houses, 20,000 a year. What will your government do to assist to provide low income houses?

Baird: It has been a problem for 20 years. The best thing we can do to make sure there is more supply. We have to do it together. there is an innovative proposal to transform housing in this state (in partnership with providers).

Linda Smith, pregnancy support centre: Will your party adopt legislation for accurate date collection about abortion?

Baird: I don’t see it is my role to legislate to support my personal beliefs but if another member moves a motion I will respond. I will back a conscience vote.

Stephen O’ Doherty, Christian Schools Australia: Two students with a disability, one at a government school, one at a non government school don’t get the same funding. Will you commit to the principle that the level of need, not the choice of school, should determine the level of funding?

Baird: We have committed to that in sounding up to the national principles. I will be advocating for that.

Bishop Terry Brady: A lot of expertise has been lost from DOCS (Dept of Community Services) through cuts by both sides of politics.The voluntary sector does not have the resources to have that expertise. Some of that expertise needs to be left to DOCS. How do we regain that in NSW?

Baird: Governments need to be the protector of last resort. Governments need to value what some of these workers do. I had the privilege of going out for a day with some of our caseworkers. I was filled with awe to be honest. In the last budget we tried to increase the allocation to support caseworkers.

Baird leaves and Labor’s Luke Foley arrives after a short break.

Luke Foley

“I saw Mike on the way out. We were together last night and the night before. Our wives are getting worried.

“The battle between us is about ideas and policy. It is not personal. I know Mike fairly well and it will not get personal.

“I will talk to you about the role of region in the public square. I have always felt that religion should swell up in the body politic.

“I have always believed that the intervention of Christians in public life is a concern for the common good.

“The golden rule is at the heart of the Christian tradition and the other Abrahamic faiths and some Eastern religions as well.

“My middle name is often held against me in profiles. My name is Luke Aquinas Foley”

“St Aquinas wrote about the natural law and the human dignity that upholds life. Every human being is born with inherent dignity.

“Aquinas distinguished between a political order based on reason and a the
ological oder based on grace and revelation. But I believe there is no contradiction between the two.

Foley said the natural law, the universal ethic of the golden rule, provides basis for ciil society. He traced social justice stems from “explicit religious values.”

“I grew up in household that was Catholic and Labor… I did not know it then but it was Catholic social teaching that was instilled in me.”

Rerum Novarum, the Catholic encyclical about capital and labour “is a formative document for how I believe society should be organised.”

Foley said relentless materialism was a concern for him; “the rapaciousness of an unchecked market that imposes itself on family and community.”

“I was asked at a press conference yesterday why I would not support further deregulation of retail hours… Can’t we have a limit somewhere?”

“Labor at its best seeks to regulate capitalism.”

Foley on parental responsibility: “I lost my dad at eight. I never saw him again. I want dads to hang around.”

“My political values come from the values Mum instilled in me. The values that the Catholic Church gave me.”

“Twenty five days to go, and most people have to make up their minds about me.”

Questions

Keith Garner: The NSW Government takes more than a billion dollars from gambling taxes. What will your party to do to reduce its dependence on such income?

Foley: If we did not tax them the gaming companies would make larger profits. Labor introduced reforms to reduce number of machines, reduce hours. Should we do more? I think so. I share the widespread community concern about problem gambling. I have to be honest with you, sources of revenue are limited for State Governments.

James Condon, Salvation Army: We see the damage the ice epidemic is doing. Will your party increase the financial partnership with treatment providers?

Foley: I hosted a meeting for workers dealing with the ice epidemic at parliament house yesterday. It can’t be only a law and order response. There has to be more resources for those of you working on the front line. My commitment is to convene a drugs summit to develop a state response.

Bishop Robert Forsyth: How will your party protect freedom of speech, assembly, religion, conscience?

Foley: “I understand that through all our years in government, NSW Labor supported the exemptions and protections for freedom of conscience. That continues to be our policy.” Foley went on to make it clear that Labor supports retention of section 18c in the Federal Anti-Discrimination Act.

Grant Millard, Anglicare: Low income households really struggle to find affordable housing. There is a shortfall of 100,000 affordable houses, 20,000 a year. What will your government do to assist to provide low income houses?

Foley: I will be making a policy announcement about affordable housing. The blowout in the waiting list for public housing is of great concern. When Labor Premier Bill McKell established public housing in WWII it was for returned servicemen. We are a long way from that. Public housing has become welfare housing. Low income workers can not get in.

Linda Smith, pregnancy support centre: Will your party adopt legislation for accurate date collection about abortion?

Foley: I tried to look into this today. I will have to take this on notice.

Stephen O’ Doherty, Christian Schools Australia: Two students with a disability, one at a government school, one at a non government school don’t get the same funding. Will you commit to the principle that the level of need, not the choice of school should determine the level of funding.

Foley: I was at a wonderful Catholic girls school yesterday… a girl came up to me who is in a wheelchair. She can’t access all the school’s facilities.

We don’t favour one school sector over another. Funding should be needs based. Gonski’s principles should be followed.

Bishop Terry Brady: A lot of expertise has been lost from DOCS (Dept of Community Services) through cuts by both sides of politics.The voluntary sector does not have the resources to have that expertise. Some of that expertise needs to be left to DOCS. How do we regain that in NSW?

Foley: I have been with the Australian Services Union for many years. I dealt with a lot of workers for non-government organisations. But there were times I stood with the employers in asking for more resources so they could retain staff. the problem is that many of the services you are involved in find it hard to retain skilled social workers because they do not pay them enough. Part of the answer has to be government funding. I want to lead a government that supports you in the task. There are immensely wonderful people among your staff. I want to support faith-based organisations and NGOs but I want the state to bear it share of the load.

And that is a wrap from Village Church.