Father Rod Bower, the Arch Deacon of the Anglican Diocese of Gosford, has said the Commonwealth Government’s proposed life ban on asylum seekers and refugees is a regressive law that is creating an aparthied situation that must be condemned by every decent Australian.
“The Government’s retrospective legislation on refugees is nothing more than creating a sub-class of human beings that no other respectable nation would be willing to sanction,” Father Bower said. “Australia has a weak and frightened Prime Minister promoting legislation on refugees that portrays us a weak and frightened nation,” he said. “We are better than that and we deserve better than this. “We must not let One Nation set the agenda on refugees, or anything else for that matter. “We must not allow them to drag the political landscape even further to the right. “We must not allow the decent, compassionate soul of the Australian people to be destroyed.”
Fr Bower used facebook to send a message to Federal Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bill Shorten. “You owe no allegiance to Kevin Rudd’s decision not to allow asylum seekers who arrive by boat to settle in Australia,” Fr Rod said in his post to Mr Shorten. “You, above all people, know that this decision was made in an attempt to salvage some of the electoral furniture. “You now have the opportunity and the electoral space to formulate and prosecute a more humane and sustainable refugee policy. “Please do not waste this chance. “Oppose this cruel and evil legislation.
“This retrospective law will cause the deaths of innocent, broken and desperate people.” Fr Bower’s four facebook posts on the proposed legislation garnered over 12,000 likes, almost 4,000 shares and over 500 comments in three days. One comment read: “As an atheist, I feel a tad uncomfortable commenting on your page, but I wish all churches showed your humanity and humour; what a kinder and safer place the world would be.” Another said: “Father Rod, you are a Christian in the way I understood Christ to be, a champion of the desperate, vulnerable and marginalised; if there were more like you, my faith might still be intact”.
Facebook, Nov 2, 2016 Father Rod Bower, Anglican Diocese of Gosford Jackie Pearson, journalist