One of the aims of the Australian Christian Values Institute is to resource the Christian community in order for individuals to make educated decisions when exercising their democratic right to vote. In the 2006 Census 64% of Australians identified themselves as Christians.

To help the Christian community and those who are sympathetic to Christian values make a more informed choice when it comes to voting, the Australian Christian Values Institute, through its parent body Australian Heart Ministries, has produced Christian values checklists for many elections at both a federal and state level since 1999.

Our goal has been to do a careful bipartisan evaluation of the major parties positions on matters relating to Christian values and present it in a readable, impartial and accurate form to help Australian voters make an informed choice when voting. It might be noted that the political world is inhabited by spin doctors and clever PR gurus. Many times the true goals and voting patterns of the political parties are deliberately obfuscated to avoid polarising the electorate. Generally speaking, it is the goal of the major parties to reveal as little as possible of their specific policy so that votes are not lost before the party in question is elected. That is why much political rhetoric is very general and avoids particular issues, including moral, ethical, social and sexual integrity matters that are of deep concern to bible-believing Christians.

Christianity is based on the bible. Jesus Christ referred to the Old Testament frequently. His mission was to fulfil the law and the prophets.

The teachings of Jesus Christ are held in high regard by Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist writers. The Sermon on the Mount is still used today as the blue-print for successful human relations in the 21st century. For this reason we believe that the Australian Christian Values Checklist is a valuable resource for people of faith and even those who are not Christians because Christian values are the bedrock of Australian society.

Having said that we believe that, it is important for you to do your own research on what you believe the major political parties are really saying on these important matters. One group you can refer to on these issues for your research is the very comprehensive Salt Shakers website www.saltshakers.org.au. Another great resource is the Family Voice Australia Candidate Evaluation Form at www.fava.org.au. Australian Christian Lobby also has an excellent website www.acl.org.au. We encourage you to attend the Meet the Candidates Forums that are conducted by the Christian Lobby in each individual electorate. It is important to understand the faith/values position of the Candidates in your own electorate.

There are wonderful Christian people in all the political parties and we encourage you to support them whenever you can.

How you vote is up to you. Our job is to do our best to give you accurate information on the various party’s positions on Christian Values.

It is then up to you to make your decision after completing your own research taking all this into account then voting according to your own conscience

We hope you find the checklist helpful. Please feel free to pass it on to others as a printed or electronic document. Happy voting!