Civil and sincere debate is certainly the strength of liberal democracy. It’s ironic that at the centre of this particular fracas is the freedom of speech in Australia, so serially threatened by the major parties. I appreciate my good friend Peter’s pushback against my article excoriating Andrew Hastie MP, republished in The Daily Delcaration, with his own critical review of my performance in my occupation. I put myself out there and as such expect all kinds of agreement and disagreement. I am sad some of my friends and colleagues are disappointed with my article, and have some further reflections on parts where their shared criticisms of my article fall short.

I feel it worth noting that Peter’s themes are also published by other former Liberal MPs, and can’t help but feel, with due respect, that they particularly empathise a little too closely to be objective. I have often said before that pastors and politicians are the two professions most likely to collect proverbial knives in the back. I’m sure the shell-shock of frequently unfair criticism over their former careers is ringing in their ears when they witness the condemnation of Hastie’s behaviour: renegging on his promise to vote against “Hate Speech” legislation, and subsequent tantrums and condemnation of the Church.

It is my deepest wish that the Liberal Party would flourish and succeed. While the highest echelon of party elitists who control it wish so only to satisfy their lust for unchecked power, I wish them well for the benefit of the nation. A soft touch in reviews of Liberal, National, One Nation or other friendly MPs does neither the nation nor the parties any favours, any more than “gentle parenting” produces children fit for society.

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

– Proverbs 27:6

I note, also, that there truly is no one I like better for leader of the federal Liberal Party than Mr Hastie, but that is not high praise considering the lack of viable alternatives in the House of Representatives. There are at least three better options in the Coaltion Senate team right now. An Australia lead by the indomitable Alex Antic for 9 years would be a much safer place for women, children and families, Christians and conservatives; and much more like the Australia we long for and knew before Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Turnbull, Morrison and Albanese marched us off a cliff of globalist moral relativism into therapeutic authoritarianism.

Hastie’s recent courage is admirable, and I acknowledged it (as Peter kindly quoted), but it is rare and very recent in a decade of opportunities wasted. A light that shines brightly once during a storm is helpful, but can’t be called a lighthouse. A lighthouse burns steadily, dependably, night after night, in every storm. Leadership is not a brief flare; it’s a beacon which can be trusted.

The Hastie who was courageous late last year on Net Zero madness and suicidal immigration ideas promised Australians to oppose leftist “Hate Speech” legilsation, then didn’t, and was very upset his excuses weren’t accepted. The flare of conviction briefly illuminated the dark night of Susssan Ley’s Liberal Party, but it faded too fast.

The left have mastered the art of unapologetically ratcheting their vision of the world into reality: incrementally, “progressively”, unrelentingly over decades; whilst the limp-wristed right let them, and do nothing to gain ground lost when in power. This is not an original observation. It’s a truism ignored to devastating effect whilst surrending ground.

How does Captain Hastie not see how badly our side is fighting this decades-old war of attrition? Conservatives do, and Liberal polling reflects it. We want political fighters, and if you don’t listen to “influencers” and “keyboard warriors” either, you will have to continue putting your collective heads in the sand after state and federal election losses, blaming everyone else but the man in the mirror. How bizarre to think Liberals aren’t to blame for Liberal losses.

Australians have had enough of Liberals simply waiting for their turn in government and making excuses for losing the battle of ideas and culture. Christians and conservatives alike are entirely exhausted of the trite spin offered by Liberals in particular.

• “If we don’t pass this terrible law for Australia, the alternative will be much worse.”
• “It’s complicated. You have no idea what it’s like to do this job.”
• “We’ll fix this when we win government again, but right now it’s too hard.”
• “At least we’re not Labor.”

Sorry my dear, brave, Liberal friends – we’re well and truly sick of it, and the excuses sold to a previous generation simply don’t cut it any more. It’s time to fight on some hills worth dying on, such as:
• the sanctity of marriage (“woops”),
• religious freedom (“too hard”),
• Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act (“fail”),
• subsidised, industrialised child sacrifice (“we have to win government”),
• incessant weaponisation of para-judicial “humans rights” and “anti-discrimination” kangaroo courts against Christianity and common sense (“but the media sets the agenda”)

No.

We didn’t support you, vote for you, volunteer for you or donate to you just so you could have a long career.

We want champions of traditional, Australian, Christian values whose bite matches their bark. We want you to give it all, and sacrifice it all in one term of parliament if that’s all you get because of your fierceness. It is infinitely better to lose fighting for the good instead of winning for the wrong reason: just to keep a seat warm while doing nothing memorable to actually reverse the cancer of regressive, destructive Labor/Green laws.

Don’t imagine you’re hard to replace. Seat wamers are a dime a dozen. People who covet the prestige and power of putting “MP” after their name are not hard to find in the average party branch meeting.

It’s people who will actually hold their position lightly as a gift from God, as long as He wills it, who are willing – like Queen Esther, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – to risk absolutely everything to do the righteous thing every time while they have the influence to do something great. They dare to walk on water with eyes fixed not on the storms, but the Saviour Who can also preserve them in the fire.

Your single career doesn’t matter more than the Australian lives slaughtered on the altar of abortion, or the lives destroyed by government funded “gender” destructive butchery. Your next term in office is less important than destroying the protection racket for the sexual perversion agenda or the idolisation of feelings. Have some real faith that Almighty God can multiply the offering of one term in office like He did five loaves and two fishes, and hold nothing back thinking you have a better strategy to provide.

Give everything you have to give, or get out of the road and let someone who will fight and vote against the worst of laws in this land, not for more of the same “Hate Speech” legislation.

To the little substance offered by my critics, the most solid rebuttal of all their partisan rationalisations of Hastie supporting “Hate Speech” legislation is his own loyal Liberal colleagues who righteously opposed Labor’s tyranny dependably. He is naked and exposed in his facile attempts at excuses. Their exercise in defending the support of “Hate Speech” legislation fails by comparison with people who walk precisely in Hastie’s shoes.

There’s just no validity to the false dilemma that it was “this or a Green version forever”, as if Albo couldn’t possibly have refused to be that radical or that the Liberals couldn’t possibly repeal it immediately on ascension to power.

All critical replies to my article (by more than one former Liberal MP) only attempt to defend Hastie’s vote, but are strangely silent on the rest of my condemnation of his broken promise and subsequent tantrum and vitriol toward his critics for that – in our opinion – unjustifiable support for “hate speech” legislation.

They grant Hastie licence to condemn Christians, but resent Christians condemning him “because Christian”, even themselves condescending with references to critics as “keyboard warriors” – the kind of imperviousness to grassroots sentiment which increasingly relegates Liberals to irrelevance.

Do politicians not invite, accept or welcome robust debate and the risk of harsh or probably unfair criticism by putting themselves forward? Are Christian politicians above criticism when they behave badly? We thank them for their service and sacrifice and must nonetheless be soberly critical and judgemental of their performance.

I don’t hire a plumber because he’s Christian unless he’s also good at his job, and if he bitterly disappoints, he’s replaced with someone better. When the justice, liberty and welfare of the nation is at stake, not for my sake but others’, how much more so? The voting record is the best measure of good or bad job performace in a political career, but it is not the only one.

It was mostly his reaction to criticism of a bad vote which drew my ire, not merely the bad vote. Reframing my accusatory title as merely related to his bad vote is a dishonest strawman to facilitate the “its complicated” spin.

Because it’s not complicated.

Hastie’s specific condemnation of the Church is universal and all encompassing. It yearns for a false reality in which being “nice” and “seeker sensitive” is actually effective at making disciples of all nations and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded.

Yet it’s decades of such hippie dreaming which has atrophied the retreating Church in the West and allowed governments to become the dominant moral authority for the nation.

Continuing tin-eared ignorance of the critical commentary, poor polling and devastating election losses will spell doom for the party of Menzies. Brutally honest self-reflection and reformation is the path to saving the Liberal Party, not empathy and commiseration with how tough the job is or how mean the critics are.

Adapt, or die.

For those who haven’t read Peter’s considered response to me, he concludes with his bother how “quickly” “not well-informed” Christians publish scathing negative judgements about a fellow believer:

“I love the answer that the Heidelberg Catechism gives to the question: What is God’s will for us in the 9th commandment, ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour?’ Part of the answer is:

‘God’s will is that I… twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without just cause. … I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it,
And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbour’s good name.’ “

I was certainly neither uninformed nor quick in my response. Until Hastie proudly republished his diatribe attacking the Church, I was silent. For us Christians, “fellow-believer” should be a cause for pause, not coverup.

When a Christian politician’s bad vote is on public record, and his own published, bitter words evidence the abundance/overflow of his heart, there is no case of “false witness” in observing and identifying them. It is not “gossip or slander” or condemnation “without a hearing” or “just cause”. The Truth has indeed been spoken “candidly, and openly acknowledged”, and some are uncomfortable with it.

The Christian duty to “do what I can to guard and advance my neighbour’s good name” is but sparingly applicable in national politics, where the free exchange of ideas and arguments and blunt reviews of past performance is absolutely essential to rise above partisan tribalism and promote the very best of wisdom and righteousness in national governance. Concern with tone is a distant second.

Those who are uncomfortable with the political heat drawn by their colleagues offer motherhood statements like having some “respect” and “cutting them some slack”, which no one disagrees with. Of course, they wouldn’t reject my assertion that Christian politicians aren’t entitled to a blank cheque for a bad performance, but that is what’s implied when they wrongly suggest I have rushed eagerly to condemn with glee instead of mourning.

The bad vote, as well as the very bad reaction to its criticism, are together a line well and truly crossed, and well and truly deserving of the severe rebuke Andrew Hastie has received from many quarters.

God bless Australia.

Dave Pellowe is the founder of 'Church And State', a nationwide ministry equipping Christians to be public salt and light: redeeming the culture and advocating for righteousness in government. Dave teaches Christians how God’s unchanging Word answers all the controversial questions. Specialising in what God says about complex ethical and social issues, Dave Pellowe is a guest speaker at churches, youth groups and Christian schools, TV, radio and podcast interviews and other secular and Christian forums where love of Truth and honest thinking are valued. [more]

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