Fred Nile

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Rev Hon Fred Nile MLC

Frederick John Nile (Born September 15, 1934), Australian politician, clergyman and social activist, has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1981, except for a period in 2004 when he resigned to contest (unsuccessfully) the Australian Senate at the 2004 federal election. Nile will stand for another term at the March 2007 state election.

1 Early life
2 Political career
3 Bibliography
4 See also

[edit] Early life

Nile was born in Kings Cross, New South Wales and was educated at Mascot Public and Cleveland Street High School (1940-1949). In 1952, during the Korean war, he (then only 17) volunteered to joined the Australian Army where he served until 1953. He then transferred to the CMF / reserves and reached the rank of Infantry Major. OC., D Coy, 4 RNSW Regt, Merrylands before retiring in 1972. Nile attended the NSW Congregational Theological College; the Melbourne College of Divinity; the NSW United Faculty of Theology; the University of Sydney (Adult Matriculation) and the University of New England. In 1964 he was ordained as a Congregational Minister.

From 1964 to 1967, Nile was National Director of the Australian Christian Endeavour Movement, a Protestant youth leadership training organisation. In 1967-68 he was Assistant Director of the Billy Graham Crusade in Sydney before being employed as Director of the NSW Congregational Board of Evangelism. In 1970-71, he was involved in social work as Director of the Methodist Mission to the People of NSW, and from 1971 to 1973 he was Director of Outreach and Evangelism, Sydney City Wesley Central Methodist Mission.

In 1974, Nile was elected National Co-ordinator and NSW Director of the Australian Federation of Festival of Light - Community Standards Organisation (FOL-CSO), an organisation which campaigned on moral and sexual issues from a conservative Christian point of view. This body was modelled on a similar organisation in Britain founded by Mary Whitehouse, Cliff Richard and Lord Longford.

Fred Nile is married to Elaine Nile, a former member of the Legislative Council, and they have three sons and a daughter.

[edit] Political career

Campaign Poster from the 1991 Election

Nile is National President of the Christian Democratic Party, a conservative party which appeals to Christians on moral and social issues. He is known for his vocal opposition to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, drug abuse, violence against women and children and the "mistreatment of the Aboriginal Community" by State and Federal Governments. He is most often quoted by the media on issues relating to pornography, abortion and homosexuality.

Nile is also noted for his controversial comments. After the Moscow theatre hostage crisis in 2002, he asked whether the then Minister of Police thought it necessary to ban full body coverings, like the chador worn by the Chechen terrorists, from Parliament and places of public gathering to prevent the carriage of weapons or explosive devices.

In 2005 he called for the repealing of New South Wales anti-vilification laws, partly in response to a ruling by the Equal Opportunity Division of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal which found that two radio hosts had vilified a gay couple. Nile said: "It is ridiculous. A handful of individuals are using the Act to gag free speech, even humour ..albeit poor, in New South Wales. What’s the big deal? If people feel entitled to make a joke about Baptists, Catholics, the Pope, Irish people, Jesus and God... why can't they make a joke about homosexuals?".

In 2003 Nile resigned from the Uniting Church in Australia when that church was alleged to have "officially decided to part with a literal interpretation of the Judeo-Christian Bible”. He was recently elected President-elect of the Fellowship of Congregational Churches, a group of Australian Congregationalists who declined to join the Uniting Church in 1977.

Nile is the National Co-ordinator and NSW Director of the Australian Federation of Festival of Light, and National Director of the Australian Christian Nation Association, both of which are conservative political lobby groups. He is also Vice President of the Australian Christian Endeavour Union, an evangelical mission group.

Nile is a frequent critic of the The Greens. He has described them as the "a watermelon party - Green on the outside but red on the inside, with a bit of a pink tinge." This phrase has been subsequently repeated by other conservative Australian politicians, such as Family First.

Nile served on the NSW Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Issues (1988-1995), and with fellow members managed to facilitate legislative reforms following the Committee’s reports on NSW Adoption Laws, Drug Abuse amongst Youth, Rape Rates and Pornography, Domestic Violence, Youth Violence, Youth Rural Suicides, Compensation for Medically Acquired AIDS/HIV Victims, Juvenile Justice, Births, Deaths and Marriage Records.

Nile also served as a member of NSW Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice (1995-1999) investigating issues such as mandatory life sentences, motor accident insurance, occupational health and safety, and of the NSW Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform, the Parliamentary Select Committee into Firearms and the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee into the Management of Parliament.

Fred Nile is currently serving in the Legislative Council of NSW as Deputy Acting President, Chairman of the General Purpose Standing Committee No. 1, Chairman of the Cross City Tunnel Inquiry, Temporary Chair of Committees, Member of the Joint Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Member of the Standing Committee on Parliamentary Privilege and Ethics, Member of the Procedure Committee.