Lyle Shelton has joined Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives and will act as their National Communications Director before running for parliament at the next federal election.

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Yesterday Shelton announced he was quitting his role as Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, citing that the recent postal survey debate over marriage equality had made him want to move into partisan politics.

Today Senator Bernardi, who defected from the Liberals to set up his own party after the last election, welcomed Shelton to the Australian Conservatives. The announcement was made in the Queensland town of Toowoomba, where Shelton was previously a local councilor.

Bernardi said Shelton was a man who “lives his principles every single day, not only in public sphere but in his private as well.”

Channeling US President Donald Trump Shelton said his experience of working in Canberra for the last decade had shown him that “Canberra is broken.”

Shelton said the major parties had abandoned the values that made Australia to country that is is today, and only worked for “power brokers in the inner-circle”.

Shelton said the marriage debate had sown him that there was a lack of common sense among to countries elected representatives.

“The consequences that flow from changing the marriage act illustrate the lack of common sense and principal in Canberra.”

“This is not the Australia I grew up in, this is not common sense” Shelton said of the Liberal party’s stance on the issue of marriage equality. Shelton went on to say that all parties had handed social policy over to the “green rainbow left”.

Shelton’s decision to run for a spot in Canberra has been welcomed by News Corp columnist Miranda Devine who has published a column describing the recruitment as a coup for the Australian Conservatives.

“Shelton is the most persuasive advocate of social conservatism in Australia, and the most potent foe of the new authoritarianism of identity politics. Without his conviction and forceful eloquence, the No campaign could not have achieved a 40 per cent vote.” Devine wrote in her column praising Shelton.

Youth focused website Junkee took a different view, describing Shelton as having overseen the failure of the No campaign in the marriage postal survey.

Labor’s Senator Penny Wong suggested that raising his own profile might have been Shelton’s goal during the marriage debate.

“Could never understand why the No campaign kept using Lyle Shelton as spokesperson. Not the right choice to maximise their vote. Now it all makes sense. Burnishing his profile was the priority.” Senator Wong posted on Twitter.

Liberal Senator Eric Abetz welcomed the lobbyist’s move into politics saying he found the former ACL staffer to be an inspiration.

“Lyle Shelton has been a strong and effective advocate for Judeo-Christian values during a period where it’s been unfashionable to be so. His steadfast defence of some of our most important institutions has been both inspiring and refreshing. All the best.” Senator Abetz posted to social media.

OIP Staff