As Australians prepare to head to the federal polls on May 3, church leaders have issued statements to call on voters and decision makers to reflect on the values that shape our communities. Please note: there is no attempt to tell voters how to vote, but to infom voters of important issues.
Apologies for any statements issued by Member Churches that may have been missed in the list below. (It would be great to collate these statements – please send to vcc@vcc.org.au)
Uniting Church Assembly
Leaders in the Uniting Church Assembly, UnitingCare Australia, UnitingWorld and Frontier Services have joined together to welcome the upcoming Federal Election and announce the launch of Uniting Church justice resource Our Vision for a Just Australia
Download the media release. More information and access to the resource here.
Catholic Church
Australian Catholics are urged to reflect on election issues like the dignity of human life, religious freedom, the common good and stewardship. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference have released their 4 page election guide.
Catholic Social Services Victoria
The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council (Vinnies Australia) has released a suite of policies called ‘Justice and Compassion’. CSSV hopes to see many of these suggestions taken up by the newly elected Government, and supported by all who will sit in the 48th Parliament. Link to the booklet here.
Salvation Army: Social Justice Stocktake 2025
The Social Justice Stocktake is “a comprehensive picture of what social justice issues people are seeing in their communities, experiencing in their own lives and, …what we can do about them.” )Jennifer Kirkaldy, General Manager Policy and Advocacy, The Salvation Army). Visit the Social Justice Stocktake 2025 website to learn more about what your community is saying in every Federal electorate.
Church Leaders – protect Australian Aid
Australian Church leaders have signed a joint letter to protect Australian Aid, signed by a number of National Heads of Churches. Heads of Church letter to protect Australian Aid.
The Baptist Church has issued a statement for the elections.
Rev Jon Humphries reflects: Our allegiance as disciples is to God in the person of Jesus the Christ. Our mission is to join in God’s mission to bring the Kingdom of Heaven closer and nearer into being. And, given that our “purest worship” or “pure and undefiled religion” is defined as caring for orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27) then justice should be at the heart of how we go about considering what people/parties and their policies we should be considering voting for and should inform our engagement and advocacy. At the heart of the principles is the call to vote thoughtfully and prayerfully. Tools such as the ABC Vote Compass 2025 can be a help, is only a starting point for thoughtful engagement in Christianly exercising our public ministry of voting.
ARRCC (Australian Religious Response to Climate Change) Election Material
In the lead-up to this election, your voice can be powerful. Faith communities of all kinds across Australia are doing three things. 1. Putting up a banner, 2. Giving out yard signs at church, and 3. Making short videos to share. Churches are invited to be part of these actions. Click here for more information.
John Dickson’s opinion piece from 2019 about ‘How to Vote Christianly‘.
Common Grace – links to resources
Bishop Huggins reflection (January 2025)
Conversation at the Crossroads (C@C) is preparing to convene an online Citizen Assembly to consider the proposal to build seven nuclear power plants across Australia, one of the election commitments. Read more here.
Contact: Prof Joseph Camilleri, admin@crossroadsconversation.com.au