Fred Nile, the religiously motivated former Reverend who has spent decades rallying against the gay, lesbian, and transgender communities, has announced his retirement from politics.
Nile first entered the parliament in 1981 and is the longest serving member of the New South Wales parliament. He previously announced his retirement in 2021 indicating that he would be anointing Lyle Shelton as his successor.
Shelton is the former Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby and has previously run for federal parliament for the now defunct Australian Conservatives. After a falling out Nile withdrew his support for Shelton, who subsequently moved to the Family First Party.
Nile has now asked his followers to show support for his wife Silvana Nile, who will stand in his place at the next NSW election. Nile is now leading a new party known as Revive Australia Party (The Fred Nile Alliance).
His previous party The Christian Democrats disintegrated last year after years of in-party fighting. For a short period afterwards, Nile was the representative for the Seniors United Party.
During his time in parliament Nile has voiced his opposition to same-sex relationships and families, he is against gay people being allowed to adopt children and opposes Islamic face coverings and Muslim immigration.
The politician has also campaigned to raise the drinking age to 21 years of age and suggested that women seeking an abortion should be forced to look at an ultrasound of their unborn child first.
Nile, who is now 88 years old, began his career as a minister in 1964 and was involved in social work for several years. In 1974 he became the National Coordinator for the Festival of Light, an organisation that later rebranded to become Family Voice Australia.
He has a short break from being a member of the NSW parliament in 2004 when he resigned to run for a spot in the federal senate. He was not successful, and rejoined the NSW parliament a few months later, filling to casual vacancy created by his own resignation.
Nile has campaigned against LGBTIQA+ people for decades, describing homosexuality as a “mental disorder”, and has also described being gay as a “lifestyle choice” that is “immoral, unnatural and abnormal”.
Each year he heads a prayer event in opposition to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and he was a vocal opponent of marriage equality.
His first wife Elaine passed away in 2011. Two years later he married School Teacher Silvana Nero. She’s stood for parliament on several occasions but so far has failed to be election.
OIP Staff
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