The faith of our fathers and my hope for Australia

Andrew Hastie, Federal Member for Canning in Western Australia, shares this thoughts for Australia Day.

Regardless of one’s political persuasion, this is worth reading. It’s also worth contemplating how we might gently point people to true hope in Christ, in whatever realm of life we find ourselves.

And it’s also a reminder to pray for members of Parliament.

“Let me share a memory that gives me hope for my country, from the Sydney suburb of Ashfield, where I saw my father weave together a people from vastly different ethnic groups. And I will offer my thoughts on the kind of politics that will let us repair a fraying nation.

This hope is a gift from my father. At Bondi Beach in 2025, we saw how one man’s hatred was passed to his son. Decades earlier, in Ashfield, my father passed to me his love for others as he faithfully served his church community. His example is why I do not despair for our country and our future. …”

– Read it at his Substack.

Photo: The front doors of Ashfield Presbyterian Church.

Recognition on Australia Day 2026

Spotted in today’s Australia Day Honours List:

Appointed as Officers of the Order of Australia (AO) –

“Mrs Jocelyn Kathleen Edna ELLIOTT
WA
For distinguished service to international relations through humanitarian medical care in remote regions of Burkina Faso.

Dr Kenneth Arthur ELLIOTT
WA
For distinguished service to international relations through humanitarian medical care in remote regions of Burkina Faso.”

You will remember that ten years ago, after serving in Burkina Faso since 1972, Christian medical missionaries Dr. Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, were kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists. (Previous posts here.)

Related:

How Ken Elliott survived seven years in the desert as a prisoner of Al Qaeda – ABC News, 29 August 2024.

Meeting Dr Ken and Jocelyn Elliott – Government House, Western Australia, 18 November 2024.

And, appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in today’s honours list –

“Emeritus Professor Christopher Raymond BELLENGER
NSW
For significant service to veterinary science, to tertiary education, and to the Anglican Church of Australia.”

In addition to Professor Bellenger’s much-valued service in the Diocese of Sydney, he has had a long association with university student Christian ministry in Australia and internationally.

– Full list (PDF file).

Richard Johnson’s Address to the Inhabitants of New South Wales

 

This Australia Day, give thanks once more for the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet and first Chaplain to the Colony of New South Wales.

In 1792, Johnson wrote a tract designed to be distributed widely in the Colony. He gives his reasons for doing so:

“My Beloved,

I do not think it necessary to make an apology for putting this Address into your hands; or to enter into a long detail of the reasons which induced me to write it.

One reason may suffice. I find I cannot express my regard for you, so often, or so fully, as I wish, in any other way.

On our first arrival in this distant part of the world, and for some time afterwards, our numbers were comparatively small; and while they resided nearly upon one spot, I could not only preach to them on the Lord’s day, but also converse with them, and admonish them, more privately.

But since that period, we have gradually increased in number every year (notwithstanding the great mortality we have sometimes known) by the multitudes that have been sent hither after us. The colony already begins to spread, and will probably spread more and more every year, both by new settlements formed in different places under the crown, and by a number of individuals continually becoming settlers. Thus the extent of what I call my parish, and consequently of my parochial duty, is enlarging daily. On the other hand, my health is not so good, nor my constitution so strong, as formerly. And therefore I feel it impracticable, and impossible for me, either to preach, or to converse with you so freely, as my inclination and affection would prompt me to do.

I have therefore thought it might be proper for me, and I hope it may prove useful to you, to write such an address as I now present you with…”

Johnson’s warm pastoral tone, and his urgent call to trust Christ and to turn from sin, are clearly evident in this Address.

Download An Address to The Inhabitants of The Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island as a PDF file here.

(Photo: Richard Johnson’s Address – copy held by Moore College.)

Football and “transgender vilification” — the Kirralie Smith cases

“I have written previously about litigation involving Kirralie Smith stemming from her comments about a biological male playing in a womens’ football team.

In that post I noted the decision in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (‘NCAT’) in Blanch v Smith [2024] NSWCATAD 20 (22 January 2024). …”

– at Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster shares updates and his opinion on four recent legal decisions.

Inside Australia’s Hate Speech Backflip and what it means for Faith Communities

A special edition of The Pastor’s Heart –

“A roller-coaster week for religious freedom in Australia.

In just days, sweeping Australian national legislation moved from deeply alarming to not great, but not terrible — after intense pressure from faith leaders across the country.

In this special bonus episode of The Pastor’s Heart, we speak with Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney and director of Freedom for Faith, who had a front-row seat as the law was debated, amended, and finally passed late at night in Parliament.

What was originally proposed? Why did faith leaders unite in an extraordinary last-minute letter to the Prime Minister?  Which parts of the bill remain concerning — and which dangers were narrowly avoided?

We walk through how the law was actually made — and what it now means for preaching, Bible teaching, protest, and free speech in Australia.”

– Watch or listen here.

The message of the National Day of Mourning for Bondi

“ ‘Today we remember, honour and mourn our fellow Australians who were robbed of their lives on December 14 last year,’ said the Archbishop of Sydney on the National Day of Mourning, ‘and we express our sympathy and solidarity with all who grieve their loss.’…”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell reports on today’s National Day of Mourning for the victims of the terror attack at Bondi.

Here is a statement from Archbishop Kanishka Raffel.

A new era for Australian evangelical university ministry

The Pastor’s Heart this week:

“As a new year begins, Australian evangelical student ministry is marking a significant leadership transition.

After 23 years of stable and influential leadership, Richard Chin has handed over the leadership of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students to Pete Sorrenson. The handover was symbolically marked at the Big National Conference in Canberra last December, where Richard preached the first half of the conference and Pete the second.

We step back to reflect on what the Chin era has meant for Australian evangelicalism. How has campus ministry shaped churches, training colleges and mission agencies over the past four decades? What has changed on university campuses since the turn of the millennium? And what kind of AFES will be needed for the next generation of students?

Long-standing campus leaders Tim Thorburn and Andrew Sennett, offer perspectives from both metropolitan and regional university contexts.

The discussion moves beyond gratitude and legacy to ask harder, forward-looking questions. If many of the theological and ministry convictions once championed by AFES are now mainstream, what is AFES uniquely for today? Are inherited evangelism models still effective on contemporary campuses? How central should international student ministry be? And does Australia’s increasingly fragmented university landscape require more than one model of campus ministry?”

– Watch or listen here.

Faith Leaders “express serious concern regarding the Combatting Antisemitism Hate and Extremism Bill 2026”

A wide range of Faith Leaders, including the leaders of Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Islamic, Buddhist, and Sikh communities, have written to the Prime Minister expressing “serious concern regarding the Combatting Antisemitism Hate and Extremism Bill 2026, both because of its (perhaps unintended) adverse implications for religious freedom and freedom of expression and the inadequate consultation and review”.

They conclude, “We offer these views in a constructive spirit and stand ready to engage further with all parties to develop appropriate amendments to ensure an appropriate legislative response to hatred and extremism.”

Download the PDF file here.

This is an important letter and deserves wide distribution.

It would also be good to share with your Federal Member of Parliament for their information.

Federal “Hate Crimes” Legislation

Freedom for Faith have added more to their web page of concerns about the proposed Federal Hate Crimes legislation, including the above video from Mike Southon, Executive Director of Freedom for Faith.

If you have concerns about the proposed legislation, this would be a very good time to urgently contact your Federal Member of Parliament – and also to share that page with others.

“Coalition condemns hate speech laws as ‘unsalvageable’”

From a Canberra Times article – mainly on political opposition to the Federal Government’s proposed “hate speech” laws –

“Religious leaders have urged the government to halt and rewrite the laws, saying it may open people up to prosecution over past remarks in its current form.

Anglican Bishop Michael Stead said the reform created a ‘minefield of definitions’ about hate and the bill included a retrospective element in relation to banned groups.

Dr Stead told a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday the bill could be expanded to claim Christian teaching caused serious harm, leading to a Christian organisation being listed as a hate group. …”

– Read the full report here.

See also:

“The Federal Government has released its draft Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill.

We need legislation to combat antisemitism and racial hate, but this rushed bill has significant risks to religious freedom.

The legislation was released on the January 12, submissions were due on the 15th, and voting is expected on January 22. In this timeframe it is impossible to get careful analysis of the legislation and its possible impacts. …”

– Freedom for Faith encourages readers to contact their Federal Member of Parliament with some urgency.

Archbishop of Sydney supports calls for a national inquiry into the Bondi Massacre

Here’s a Media Statement from the Archbishop of Sydney:

Media Statement
“This act of evil … deserves the most thorough investigation and response”

 

The terrorist attack on Jewish Australians celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, has produced an outpouring of grief, prayer and support for our fellow Australians in the Jewish community.

This act of evil is an extraordinary event in our history, which has ongoing impacts for all Australians, and therefore deserves the most thorough investigation and response.

Since the attack, the solidarity of communities of faith with the Australian Jewish community has demonstrated our unanimity that all Australians, whatever their faith or cultural background, are entitled to live free from the threat of violence. Our own Christian response is informed by the biblical commands to ‘live peaceably with all, as far as it depends on you’ and to ‘overcome evil with good’ (Romans 12:18, 21).

I commend the State and Federal governments for their actions so far, including the announcement of the Richardson Review into the performance of Australia’s federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It will be important to identify any gaps or obstacles to the effective discharge of their duties that may exist.

However, we must go further. I urge our national government to acknowledge the voice of those directly impacted – the families of the victims and the survivors of the attack – and to heed their calls for a national inquiry.

The attack at Bondi represents the culmination of a period of rising antisemitism across the nation, including the firebombing of places of worship, education and commerce, as well graffiti attacks, and destruction of property including in residential areas.

Antisemitism, with its long, tragic and unique history is a threat to all Australians because it suggests that one part of the community is less entitled to the safety and respect that should be enjoyed by all and protected by all.

A national inquiry is an appropriate and essential part of a comprehensive response and recognises the singular and ignominious place that this horrific event now holds in our national life. The lives of 15 innocent Australians demand nothing less.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
7 January 2026.

– Source: SydneyAnglicans.net

Image: Archbishop Raffel at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, 18 December 2025.

“We will not turn away from anti-Semitism in silence”

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel –

“Sydney Anglicans speak with one voice when I say that we abhor anti-Semitism. And we will not turn away from anti-Semitism in silence.”

From Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net –

“Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has made a passionate gesture, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community as they mourn victims of the Bondi massacre.

The Archbishop represented Sydney Anglicans at an outdoor memorial on Wednesday and then spoke at the Great Synagogue to mark Hanukkah and mourning for massacre victims.

Archbishop Raffel’s speech ended with him singing a Hebrew blessing as the congregation joined in. …”

– Read the full report – along with the Archbishop’s full remarks – here.

Updated with video, courtesy of Russell Powell —

Top image: Screenshot from the video posted by SydneyAnglicans.net.

No Longer The Lucky Country for Jews

Published last Friday, just two days before the attack at Bondi, this interview is disturbingly prophetic.

“Julian Leeser joins John Anderson for an assessment of the disturbing return of anti-semitism to the Australian public sphere.

Leeser sets out the historical contours of anti-semitism and why Hamas’s October 7 attacks became a catalyst for hostility on Australian soil.”

While the discussion does critique some of the political responses to anti-semitism, the video is especially useful to help us understand how people in the Jewish community are feeling – and those feelings must have been amplified greatly in the last week. Fuel for your prayers.

– Watch here.

Mourning with those who mourn

“Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has laid flowers at the scene of the Bondi massacre as Sydney Anglicans express sorrow at the death of 15 people and injuries to 25 others in a terrorist attack at a Hanukkah festival. .…

Churches have been urged to hold one minute’s silence on Sunday for the victims of the massacre. …

Archbishop Raffel will join faith leaders at 7:15pm on Wednesday night on the forecourt in front of St Mary’s Cathedral. The Prime Minister and Premier will be speaking at the memorial gathering. The public is invited.”

– Russell Powell has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Image: Seven News via SydneyAnglicans.net.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel on love in the face of terror at Bondi

From the Pastor’s Heart – a very timely edition –

“Sydney’s Anglican Archbishop Kanishka Raffel calls on Sydney to embrace our Jewish neighbours in love, friendship and support and to reject antisemitism, violence and hatred.

Archbishop Raffel says this is the way of Jesus.

Minister of Bondi Anglican Martin Morgan says they sheltered people in the church last night, who were terrified, running for their lives.

In a The Pastor’s Heart special, Archbishop Raffel is joined by minister of Bondi Anglican Church Martin Morgan and Messianic Jew Ben Pakula (also an Anglican Minister) in praying for those family and friends and the Bondi community, impacted by the gunman opening fire – leaving 16 dead including a 10 year old girl.”

– Watch or listen here.

And the page linked also includes the prayers made available by St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.

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