Count them: at least four conservative Christian groups are standing against each other in the NSW Upper House. Obadiah thinks that whether you are a fan of conservative Christian parties or not, this is quite striking,
The four were all part of the Christian Democratic Party, which the NSW Court of Appeal dissolved after the factions got involved in court action. So in effect, four factions of the CDP, counting Lyle Shelton as a faction which he would say is unfair because he tried to avoid the wrangling between Fred Nile and other groups in the party.
In column A (on the prime position of the left-hand side of the ballot paper), there’s Lyle Shelton, national director of the Family First party. However, the party won’t have its name on the ballot, presumably because it’s not registered as a party in the state.
Group G has Silvana Nile as the lead candidate, with her husband Fred Nile as the second candidate, making it clear she has his endorsement.
Group T has Milton Caine, a long-time CDP activist and party board member whom insiders tell Obadiah would have liked to succeed Fred Nile, along with many others in The CDP.
Group U has Ricardo Bosi, an anti-vax activist and former Special Services Officer who has been for the Conservatives, an Independent and the CDP.
But the real competition for minority party conservative Christian votes comes from One Nation’s MarkLatham, who devotes a good slab of the part platform to religious freedom issues.
The Japanese half of Obadiah has not gotten over the racist origins of the party. But, more importantly, neither has Pauline Hansen.
The New South Wales Legislative Council is the most effortless House to get elected to. It has 42 members, but at each NSW State election, 21 Members are elected to serve two terms of Parliament or eight years.
This means it has a very low quota. To get a seat, you need 4.55 per cent of the total number of valid (unspoilt) first preference votes cast.
Obadiah suspects the optional preferential system – you don’t have to give preferences – will make it hard for the Christian groups to elect anyone. They might simply get One Nation over the line. Obadiah won’t be happy about that.
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Good news from the Oscars. Its Irish Times reports, “When James Martin was born, his parents were told he would probably never speak. He has now made Oscars history.
“Martin is the first actor with Down Syndrome to star in an Academy Award-winning film, An Irish Goodbye, which won best live-action short film.”
What Obadiah loves about the story is that Martin goes to a disability drama group, works as a barista at Starbucks and works as a chef at an Italian restaurant,
He has the same life as many of Obadiah;’s friends.
Watch as the Irish team give up their speech making time to sing him a happy birthday.
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Quote of the week. “Christianity is Christ. Without him it has nothing to offer the world. He sits foundation and its touchstone. He is its gospel. There can be no more important question, therefore, than to ask what we think of him. The question, as it confronted the first disciples, is not just ‘Who do people say that I am?’, but rather, Who do you say that I am?’ (Mark 8:27-29)”
The Life of Faith: An introduction to Christian Doctrine Peter Jensen, Matthias Media, 2023. Page 165.