AUSTRALIAN CATHOLICS are being urged to carefully consider their vote in the federal election due to be held in September.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference recently released their 2013 Election Statement outlining the major issues that Catholic voters need to consider.
These included marriage and family, child protection, the poor, and respect for life, among others.
The statement calls for the legal recognition of marriage between a man and a woman, and requests “vigilance” to ensure euthanasia and assisted suicide are never made legal in Australia. It also appeals for an end to mandatory detention of asylum seekers, particularly for families with children and unaccompanied minors.
“We encourage Catholics to look beyond their own individual needs to apply a different test at the ballot box – the test of what we call the common good,” the document states.
State director of the Australian Christian Lobby Rhys Vallance said voters should guard against automatically associating a politician’s personal views with the overall party policy.
“There have been a few votes in the parliament recently where members have voted against what their party stands for,” he said.
“You cannot just assume that because a politician is a member of a particular party they will vote in line with party policy when they are given a conscience vote.”
President of the Australian Family Association John Barich said it was vital that voters take the time to be fully informed.
“I know it’s not easy, people are busy bringing up families, they haven’t got time, but all the same, you should at least know your own candidates,” he said.
“It’s a bit of a chore but I don’t know if there’s an easy way around it.”
Mr Vallance agreed that some preparation was essential.
“It’s a good idea to find out what the parties really stand for on issues that you care a lot about,” he said.
“It’s also important to get to know candidates. Get as informed as you can about what the candidate really stands for.”
While none of the major political parties in Australia have an official pro-life position, the minor parties of Family First, Australian Christians, and the Democratic Labor Party all do.
Mr Vallance said there was a common misconception that a vote for a minor party would be a wasted one.
“The preferential system of voting means that a vote for a minor party is never wasted,” he explained.
But no matter what the election’s result is, the Bishops of Australia believe Catholics should support the nation’s politicians.
“We must pray for our political leaders as they prepare for the upcoming election, that they will always serve the good of the whole nation,” the statement exhorts.
The federal election was scheduled for September 14, but with Kevin Rudd taking over as Prime Minister, he can choose to hold the election any time between August 3 and November 30.