August 10, 2013
I emailed John Wieske, candidate for the Australian Christians party in Tangney, some weeks ago to arrange an interview. The reply came from the media relations manager of the Australian Christians asking for written questions. I have not been able to meet or speak with John, so I can only present the questions and answers here.
Q. What is your background?
A. I am a devoted family man, married to my wife Patricia, and together we are parents to 11 children, aged between the ages of 23 and 8. A builder by trade, I recently ran as a candidate for Australian Christians at the 2013 WA State Election for the electorate of Rockingham.
Q. How long have you been involved in politics?
A. Over six years.
Q. What drove you to enter politics?
A. One of my main goals and aspirations in politics is to see Christian values in Australia’s leadership and see the name of God revered, honoured and praised. My objective is to see God’s ways lived out in our society.
Q. Why the Australian Christians?
A. The Australian Christians party was formed in 2011 and is a new national Christian party shaped by Christian values including honesty and integrity, hope, respect, moral law, freedom, justice and sacrifice. I believe I can uphold these values and play an important role in the future growth and development of Western Australia and in particular the seat of Tangney. As a new party, Australian Christians has developed positive, refreshing, gold standard policies that are based on biblical principles that give every Australian, no matter how old or young, strong or frail, the very best protection and support
Q. What do you see as being the issues that matter to the electors of Tangney?
A. Families, in seeing them encouraged, supported and strengthened.
Q. What issues matter to you?
A. As a builder myself, I can identify with electors in the areas of building and construction as well as small business development. In addition, I have a strong focus on family and would strongly support policies with biblical principles.
Q. Why run in a safe Liberal seat? What is the point?
A. While the seat can be tagged as a ‘safe Liberal seat’, I think it’s important that the elected member for Tangney realises that there are many people in this electorate with conservative views on a number of issues. I believe that if the Australian Christian party can replace the Greens as the third largest party in the seat, the elected member will notice and, as a result, make policy decisions that represent the whole community, including those with conservative views.
Q. Any other issue you wish to comment upon?
A. We strongly believe that our parliament should do all it can to promote a strong economy and a vibrant society based on healthy families and thriving communities, and our policies reflect that belief with a strong emphasis on social justice with responsibility. The Bible is our benchmark and gold standard giving us positive solutions to the problems that confront us in our homes and workplaces.
More reports from Tangney
What a pack of nasty bastards this lot is.
Feel free to comment on what this candidate actually said. (From a Greens supporter)
Eleven kids? Bloody hell. Well if he is into fairy tales I hope he follows Leviticus to the letter. It’s scarey to think people of his ilk want high office in our mainly secular society. I wish him failure.
Biblical principles? Such as 1 Timothy 2:12 (“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”) or Psalm 137:9 (“Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”)? We don’t need Australia to become a theocracy.
It would be hideous to have Tangney retreat to Biblical solutions. Putting religion into politics is grossly unfair to unbelievers or other-believers.
On the other hand if we have athiests and anti-religionists running the country, that’s hardly fair to the considerable numbers of people who have the religious beliefs and moral values that have made our society strong and cause people from other nations to want to come here. Australia is a democracy, so any sizable portion of the population should be represented in our parliament and have some input into our laws. No party with a bare majority should force all their views on the total populace.
Good on you John. A great man, a great father and an inspiration to many.
Interesting to note the tolerance of diverse views in an “open democratic” society so far shown in above comments just because you nail your colours to the mast and bother to care.
Praying for you brother.
Phil Twiss (obviously conservative nut job and religious fanatic because I have 8 kids, been happily married for more than five minutes and think homosexual “marriage” and shariah law in Australia are not on. AKA hater, denier, bigot, et al)
PS. thought I had better get the insults in first.
I know Christians with proven integrity
I’d be happy to see Australian Christians in parliament
A fair interview that enables us to understand who these candidates are, and this guy is pretty naive. How does he takes into account the fact that very few people are practising, devout Christians. How will he represent them?
I would like to hear Wieske’s detail on crucial issues – for example, what Biblical reference would he apply to the challenges of climate change? Would he be compassionate to refugees? Would he support health funding or prefer praying for cures?
Yeah, religion is really kicking it in Egypt.
Could you unpack that comment a bit more, Lucille?
Are there enough God bothering idiots in Tangney?
It is of concern that John was not willing to meet you, and you could publish only pre-screened questions and answers.