NSW politician the Reverend Fred Nile has delivered his final speech in the state’s parliament yesterday, vowing that his successors would continue his quest to “restore public decency, build our values and repair our broken society.”
Reverend Nile said he hoped his supporters would install his wife Silvana as his successor at the next state election.
Having been elected in 1981 as the Call to Australia Party, his political group changed their name in 1984, becoming the Christian Democratic Party. When his party imploded last year, he joined the Seniors United Party, and recently launched a new party Revive Australia. He will leave the parliament having served for over 42 years.
Nile lamented that during his time in parliament laws had been introduced that allowed both abortion and euthanasia.
“These were long battles that I fought almost daily in this Chamber. They were debated in the other place for many years. I do not believe that any good will come from their enactment.” he said.
The retiring MP said he considered his work on fighting modern slavery, curbing smoking, and support for Indigenous Australians as the major achievements of his long political career. During his valedictory speech he made no mention of the decades he has spent opposing the rights of LGBTIQA+ people, or his campaigning against Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
OIP Staff
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