Australian Labor Party senior official believes equal marriage goes against ‘Christ’s message’

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A senior official in the Australian Labor Party (ALP) described same-sex marriage as “not normal” and urged conservative Christian voters to join the ALP to undermine support for the measure in a newly published video.

Footage has emerged of ALP official Damian Power speaking at a 2012 Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) conference in Queensland where he stated: “We have allowed the culture of the party to become dominated by a progressive, inner-urban, Left perspective. Most Australians value normal things. ‘Normal things’ is not same-sex marriage”.

Mr Power helped Australia’s current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd win election in 2007 as a local campaign manager.

Mr Rudd’s sister Loree Rudd, who has urged her brother to enact anti-gay legislation similar to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, also appeared at the conference.

Star Observer reports how Mr Power boasted of having helped defeat an amendment at the 2011 ALP National Conference that would have compelled Labor MPs to vote in favour of same-sex marriage.

“There were senior members of the party who I spoke to that morning who said, ‘we’ve got to stand for something’,” Mr Power said.

“Don’t think that the ALP has walked away from accepting a Christian view of the world, of life – Christ’s message…There are people in the ALP – parts, branches, MPs, elected officials – who are worth supporting… not everyone in the party is corrupted.”

The person who Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ousted as Labor leader and Australia’s PM in June, Julia Gillard, strongly opposed equal marriage.

She ruled out introducing equal marriage in May following neighbouring New Zealand’s decision to legalise marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Latest opinion polls show Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott is heading for victory in Australia’s general election on 7 September.

Mr Abbott continues to oppose equal marriage and refuses to allow his Liberal MPs a conscience vote.

He is also against the idea of Australia holding a referendum on the issue.

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