Budget 2016: Christian address tumult for Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison is under attack from the Greens for siding with ‘bigots’ and from the churches over ‘charity’ in the budget.

Treasurer Scott Morrison this week.

As a Christian opposed to same-sex marriage and as Treasurer, Scott Morrison is under attack from the Greens for siding with “bigots” ahead of his address to the Australian Christian Lobby and from the churches over “charity” in the budget.

A conservative evangelical Christian from “the Shire” in Sydney’s south, Mr Morrison has long been lambasted by supporters of same-sex marriage who accuse him of being a bigot and an extremist and faces demands he pull out of addressing ACL’s nation­al conference in Sydney today.

Meanwhile, his Christianity and declarations of support for needy people are being used by church groups, including the ACL, to urge him to restore billions in foreign aid cut from previous Coal­ition budgets.

Mr Morrison’s response in Sydney today to the pressure is to ignore calls to abandon the address to the Christian group but not to be distracted from his economic mission by same-sex marriage.

Instead, he will urge church leaders to support the practical measures in next month’s budget for job creation that provide economic and social dividends.

The Treasurer has told The Weekend Australian he will defy calls for him not to speak to the “bigots and extremists” at the Christian lobby conference but that he will not address the issue of same-sex marriage — as Bill Shorten did in 2014.

Rather, he will appeal to the ACL and other church leaders who called on him this week to restore­ foreign aid to help “values that underpin families” through ensuring jobs.

“Preventing relationship break­down and all of the econo­mic and personal cost that comes from unemployment is the social and moral dividend that comes from job creation,” Mr Morrison will say today.

In effect, he will argue that his practical approach to job creation will ensure people “receive their daily bread” through work and preserve relationships and families. The Greens are organising a protest against the ACL conference, saying the ACL is an “extreme­ fringe group” that does not represent Christians.

Church leaders, including World Vision chief executive Tim Costello, have demanded Mr Morrison live up to his Christian beliefs and previous concern for Africans in need to “make a significant difference” in the foreign-aid budget.

Mr Costello, the brother of former treasurer and Mr Morrison’s economic confidant Peter Costello, saidthe demands on the Treas­urer’s Christian beliefs were “tough” but “fair”.

Citing the parable of the Good Samaritan, Tim Costello said Mr Morrison had raised his beliefs in his maiden speech in parliament and now had to increase foreign aid, a course supported by Mr Morrison’s own Shirelive Church.

“There may be no votes in foreign­ aid but bad times are the times for us to help those in need,” Mr Costello said.

He said he was critical of Labor also because it was silent on the cuts to foreign aid program, which “is in tatters”.

Mr Costello said even Euro­pean nations more deeply in debt than Australia were increasing foreign aid in keeping with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. “We are in a handful of countries­ that aren’t increasing aid,” Mr Costello said.