Australian Christian Lobby
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The Australian Christian Lobby, formerly known as the Australian Christian Coalition, was formed in 1995. Gaining popularity through the Northern Territory's decision to legalize euthanasia in certain circumstances, the Lobby now has its head office in Canberra with branches in several states. Its current slogan is "To see the Christian Vote and Opinion Count". The vision statement reveals that the movements is not an extremist right Christian movement in that they are not seeking to turn Australia into some kind of theocracy. Rather, that "Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business and related to each other as a community".
This organization is one of two that were founded in 1995 in Australia, the other being Salt Shakers in Melbourne, Victoria.
[edit] Origin
Four men from different denominational affiliations and backgrounds founded the Australian Christian Coalition (ACC) in 1995. At the time of the founding, three of them resided in Canberra and one in Brisbane. Essentially, the lobby group was the brainchild of John Gagliardi, a lay leader of a large Pentecostal church in Brisbane, who stated that the vision was to create an organization that would have influence in the political arena, on behalf of all Christians, no matter what denomination. Promotion material stated that the purpose of the groups was to make a stand against ‘humanistic legislation’ and ‘minority groups’. Gagliardi’s background was in journalism, and he held positions as Editor of the Townsville Bulletin and as anchorman for the Channel 10 news. Having a double Masters in business and politics, he owned and operated a business in Brisbane. John McNicoll was a retired Baptist Minister turned lobbyist in Canberra before becoming involved in the Australian Christian Coalition. John Miller was also a Baptist from Canberra who has held lay leader positions within his church. The fourth co-founder, John Murphy, was from the Church of Christ. He had previously been a politician on the Gold Coast, once a member of the Liberal Party. He then stood for elections as an Independent before joining Fred Nile’s team, the Australian Christian Democrats. Although the board was cross denominational, according to research carried out by the Christian Research Association the Coalition was, at least initially, heavily supported by Pentecostals.
