Fred Nile
Encyclopedia
Frederick John "Fred" Nile (born 15 September 1934) is an Australia
n politician and clergyman. Nile has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
since 1981, except for a period in 2004 when he resigned to contest (unsuccessfully) the Australian Senate
at the 2004 federal election. Nile was re-elected for another term at the March 2007 state election and is currently Assistant President of the Legislative Council. As the longest-serving member of the New South Wales parliament, he holds the unofficial position of Father of the House
and has announced his decision to retire in 2015.
and was educated at Mascot Public and Cleveland Street High School (1940–1949). In 1952, during the Korean War
, he (then only 17) volunteered to join the Australian Army
where he served until 1953. He then transferred to the CMF
/ reserves and reached the rank of Major. OC., D Coy, 4 RNSW Regt, Merrylands before retiring in 1972. Nile attended the Congregational Theological College; the Melbourne College of Divinity; the United Faculty of Theology; the University of Sydney
(Adult Matriculation) and the University of New England
. He also attended lectures (MA Politics) at Macquarie University
but did not complete his degree except for the Theological Tertiary Course (L.Th).
minister.
From 1964 to 1967, Nile was National Director of the Australian Christian Endeavour Movement, a Protestant youth leadership training organisation. In 1967-68 he was Assistant Director of the Billy Graham
Crusade in Sydney before being employed as Director of the Congregational Board of Evangelism in New South Wales. In 1970-71, he was involved in social work as Director of the Methodist Mission to the People of New South Wales and, from 1971 to 1973, was Director of Outreach and Evangelism, Sydney City Wesley Central Methodist Mission.
In 1974, Nile was elected national co-ordinator and the New South Wales director of the Australian Federation of Festival of Light
- Community Standards Organisation (FOL-CSO), an organisation which campaigned "for purity, love and family life".
In 1958 Nile married Elaine Nile
, who was a member of the Legislative Council for 14 years. They had three sons and a daughter, and she died in 2011.
to the newly created position of Assistant President of the NSW Legislative Council. In 2009, Nile announced that he will not recontest when his seat in the Legislative Council is next up for election in 2015.
Nile is National President of the Christian Democratic Party
, a conservative party which focuses primarily on what it regards as important moral and social issues. Nile is noted for his controversial comments. He is known for his vocal opposition to drug use, violence against women and children and the "mistreatment of the Aboriginal community" by state and federal governments. He is most often quoted by the media on issues relating to pornography
, abortion
and homosexuality
.
In 2003 Nile resigned from the Uniting Church in Australia
when that church "officially decided to part with a literal interpretation of the Judeo-Christian Bible". He is the president of the Fellowship of Congregational Churches
, a group of Australian Congregationalists who declined to join the Uniting Church in 1977. In 2007 Nile retired as the New South Wales director of the Australian Federation of Festival of Light.
Nile is patron of the Australian Christian Nation Association and Vice President of the Australian Christian Endeavour Union, an evangelical youth movement.
. Whilst Nile has stated that he did not have a problem with homosexual people only their practices, he contends that homosexuality was a “lifestyle choice” that was “immoral, unnatural and abnormal” to the natural order of life. Nile has also stated that he was “totally opposed to the bashing of homosexuals...totally opposed to any violence or attacks directed against homosexual men or lesbians ... opposed to strong (malicious) verbal attacks.”
Nile has opposed the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
, which he described as a "public parade of immorality and blasphemy". Nile objected to the supposed "indecency and obscenity in various parts of the Mardi Gras" and stated that it reinforced "the worst stereotypes".
In 2005, Nile called for the repealing of New South Wales
anti-vilification law, claiming that the law is discriminatory and should either cover all citizens or be abolished. Nile claimed that the Homosexual Vilification Act was being abused to gag free speech and prevent open non-malicious public discussion.".
Following a 2011 announcement by Penny Wong
, a Labor Party federal government minister, that her same-sex partner was pregnant, Nile publicly denounced Wong's actions, saying "I'm totally against a baby being brought up by two mothers," and "She needn't have made it public. It just promotes their lesbian lifestyle and trying to make it natural where it's unnatural."
, claiming that they have exploited genuine concern for the environment to garner political influence to "push their agenda of social engineering". Nile has criticised the Greens party for what he calls "duplicite political expediency", citing their push to legalise and fund "illicit drug habits for addicts" such as heroin and cannabis in what he claims is contravention of publicised Green Party policy. Nile has also labelled the Greens as being "anti-family", "anti-Christian" and "pagan
", citing what he believes to be pro-pornography and pro-sex industry policies and their opposition to the current practice of opening parliament with daily prayers.
Nile once described the Green Party as the "watermelon party - green on the outside but red on the inside, with a bit of a pink tinge.".
terrorists, from parliament and places of public gathering to prevent the carriage of weapons or explosive devices. On 23 June 2010 Nile introduced a bill into the Legislative Council to criminalise the public wearing of any face covering which prevents the identification of the wearer, including the burqa
and niqab
.
On 10 March 2007 Nile raised concern that Australian embassy officials posted in Islamic nations were favouring the immigration of Muslim over Christian refugees. Nile called for a moratorium on Muslim immigration to Australia: "Australians deserve a breathing space so the situation can be carefully assessed," he told an audience in North Ryde.
Nile asked for the removal of the then Australian Muslim leader Sheik Taj El-Din Hilaly after the sheik placed the blame for sexual assault on the female victims.
In December 2007 Nile raised concerns about the construction of a Muslim school in the Sydney suburb of Camden
and was invited to attend many events opposing the school.
As a consequence of Nile's public position on Muslim immigration, he has received widespread condemnation and alleged death threats from individuals within the Islamic community.
classes were introduced by the Keneally
Labor government as an alternative for children who did not want to attend traditional scripture classes. Prior to the 2011 state election
, Barry O'Farrell
made a pre-election pledge of not scrapping the ethics classes. Following the election, Nile, who was vehmently opposed to the ethics classes, introduced a private members bill proposing the abolition of the classes at the end of the 2011 calendar year. Debate on the bill was ajourned until 16 September; and eventually Nile was successful in pushing the government to establish a parliamentary inquiry to examine whether ethics classes in NSW schools should be abolished. Meanwhile, in introducing his bill into the Legislative Council, Nile gained headlines by arguing that the ethics course is based on a philosophy linked to Nazism and communism.
Nile has also served on the New South Wales' Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, the New South Wales' Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform, the Parliamentary Select Committee into Firearms, the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee into the Management of Parliament, as Chairman of the Cross City Tunnel Inquiry and Chairman of the Joint Select Committee on the Royal North Shore Hospital.
Nile currently serves as:
reported that Nile had personally accessed pornography hundreds of thousands of times over a six month period. Nile denied the allegations but admitted that sites with adult content had been accessed by staff as part of his work.
Clennell cited an unnamed source in claiming that Nile had over 200,000 hits to pornographic websites on his personal computer login. A subsequent parliamentary investigation found that there was no evidence of pornographic material being accessed through Nile's login. Nile restated his position in a press release on 2 September 2010, claiming that he had not accessed adult material but that, "unsurprisingly", his staff had as part of his work, including:
Amanda Fazio
, then President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
, issued a statement that raw IT data had been accessed by an unauthorised "rogue employee" who had then spoken directly to media. Fazio stated that the data was inherently flawed as 98% of web hits flagged as "adult material" were due to pop-ups and news sites such as that of The Sydney Morning Herald. Unauthorised access and use of parliamentary data is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and clergyman. Nile has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
since 1981, except for a period in 2004 when he resigned to contest (unsuccessfully) the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
at the 2004 federal election. Nile was re-elected for another term at the March 2007 state election and is currently Assistant President of the Legislative Council. As the longest-serving member of the New South Wales parliament, he holds the unofficial position of Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
and has announced his decision to retire in 2015.
Early life
Nile was born in Kings Cross, New South WalesKings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
and was educated at Mascot Public and Cleveland Street High School (1940–1949). In 1952, during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he (then only 17) volunteered to join the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
where he served until 1953. He then transferred to the CMF
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
/ reserves and reached the rank of Major. OC., D Coy, 4 RNSW Regt, Merrylands before retiring in 1972. Nile attended the Congregational Theological College; the Melbourne College of Divinity; the United Faculty of Theology; the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
(Adult Matriculation) and the University of New England
University of New England, Australia
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
. He also attended lectures (MA Politics) at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
but did not complete his degree except for the Theological Tertiary Course (L.Th).
Pre-political career
In 1964 he was ordained as a CongregationalCongregational Union of Australia
The Congregational Union of Australia was a Congregational denomination in Australia.Two hundred and sixty of its congregations joined the Uniting Church in Australia, which was formed in 1977 by the union of congregations of the Congregational Union, Methodist Church of Australasia, and...
minister.
From 1964 to 1967, Nile was National Director of the Australian Christian Endeavour Movement, a Protestant youth leadership training organisation. In 1967-68 he was Assistant Director of the Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
Crusade in Sydney before being employed as Director of the Congregational Board of Evangelism in New South Wales. In 1970-71, he was involved in social work as Director of the Methodist Mission to the People of New South Wales and, from 1971 to 1973, was Director of Outreach and Evangelism, Sydney City Wesley Central Methodist Mission.
In 1974, Nile was elected national co-ordinator and the New South Wales director of the Australian Federation of Festival of Light
Festival of Light Australia
Festival of Light Australia was an Australian ministry promoting Christian family values from 1973 to 2008, when its name was changed to FamilyVoice Australia....
- Community Standards Organisation (FOL-CSO), an organisation which campaigned "for purity, love and family life".
In 1958 Nile married Elaine Nile
Elaine Nile
Elaine Blanche Nile was an Australian politician who represented the Christian Democratic Party in the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1998 and 2002...
, who was a member of the Legislative Council for 14 years. They had three sons and a daughter, and she died in 2011.
Career
Nile was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council on 19 September 1981 with 9.1% of the vote as the founder of the Call to Australia (Fred Nile) Group, established in 1977. Following the election to the Legislative Council of Jim Cameron (in 1984) and Nile's wife, Elaine (1988), the Call to Australia Group was officially recognised as a political party. Fred Nile was re-elected to the Council at the 1991 and 1999 state elections before resigning from the Council on 30 August 2004 in order to contest the 2004 Federal election, seeking a position in the Australian Senate on a platform of opposition of the recognition of gay marriages. Nile was the last candidate excluded after the distrubtion of votes on the 77th count, and was not elected to the Senate. A few months later, he was reappointed to the Legislative Council to fill the vacancy created by his resignation. At the 2007 NSW general election, Nile was re-elected for a further eight year term and was appointed by LaborAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
to the newly created position of Assistant President of the NSW Legislative Council. In 2009, Nile announced that he will not recontest when his seat in the Legislative Council is next up for election in 2015.
Nile is National President of the Christian Democratic Party
Christian Democratic Party (Australia)
The Christian Democratic Party is a right-wing political party in Australia. Its leader is Fred Nile, a Congregational Church minister and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.-Formation:...
, a conservative party which focuses primarily on what it regards as important moral and social issues. Nile is noted for his controversial comments. He is known for his vocal opposition to drug use, violence against women and children and the "mistreatment of the Aboriginal community" by state and federal governments. He is most often quoted by the media on issues relating to pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
.
In 2003 Nile resigned from the Uniting Church in Australia
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
when that church "officially decided to part with a literal interpretation of the Judeo-Christian Bible". He is the president of the Fellowship of Congregational Churches
Fellowship of Congregational Churches
The Fellowship of Congregational Churches is a conservative Congregational denomination in Australia. It was formed by the forty congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia who chose not to join the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977....
, a group of Australian Congregationalists who declined to join the Uniting Church in 1977. In 2007 Nile retired as the New South Wales director of the Australian Federation of Festival of Light.
Nile is patron of the Australian Christian Nation Association and Vice President of the Australian Christian Endeavour Union, an evangelical youth movement.
On homosexuality
Nile is opposed to homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. Whilst Nile has stated that he did not have a problem with homosexual people only their practices, he contends that homosexuality was a “lifestyle choice” that was “immoral, unnatural and abnormal” to the natural order of life. Nile has also stated that he was “totally opposed to the bashing of homosexuals...totally opposed to any violence or attacks directed against homosexual men or lesbians ... opposed to strong (malicious) verbal attacks.”
Nile has opposed the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual LGBTQI pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, and draws in thousands of visitors from around Australia and overseas...
, which he described as a "public parade of immorality and blasphemy". Nile objected to the supposed "indecency and obscenity in various parts of the Mardi Gras" and stated that it reinforced "the worst stereotypes".
In 2005, Nile called for the repealing of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
anti-vilification law, claiming that the law is discriminatory and should either cover all citizens or be abolished. Nile claimed that the Homosexual Vilification Act was being abused to gag free speech and prevent open non-malicious public discussion.".
Following a 2011 announcement by Penny Wong
Penny Wong
Penelope "Penny" Ying-yen Wong , is an Australian Labor Party senator for South Australia and the Federal Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Wong was the first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment was amended on 26 February 2010, by the Prime Minister, to the...
, a Labor Party federal government minister, that her same-sex partner was pregnant, Nile publicly denounced Wong's actions, saying "I'm totally against a baby being brought up by two mothers," and "She needn't have made it public. It just promotes their lesbian lifestyle and trying to make it natural where it's unnatural."
On the Australian Greens political party
Nile is a frequent critic of the Australian GreensAustralian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, claiming that they have exploited genuine concern for the environment to garner political influence to "push their agenda of social engineering". Nile has criticised the Greens party for what he calls "duplicite political expediency", citing their push to legalise and fund "illicit drug habits for addicts" such as heroin and cannabis in what he claims is contravention of publicised Green Party policy. Nile has also labelled the Greens as being "anti-family", "anti-Christian" and "pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
", citing what he believes to be pro-pornography and pro-sex industry policies and their opposition to the current practice of opening parliament with daily prayers.
Nile once described the Green Party as the "watermelon party - green on the outside but red on the inside, with a bit of a pink tinge.".
On the Muslim community
Following the Moscow theatre hostage crisis in 2002 Nile asked whether the then state minister of police would consider banning full body coverings like those worn by the ChechenChechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
terrorists, from parliament and places of public gathering to prevent the carriage of weapons or explosive devices. On 23 June 2010 Nile introduced a bill into the Legislative Council to criminalise the public wearing of any face covering which prevents the identification of the wearer, including the burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
and niqab
Niqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
.
On 10 March 2007 Nile raised concern that Australian embassy officials posted in Islamic nations were favouring the immigration of Muslim over Christian refugees. Nile called for a moratorium on Muslim immigration to Australia: "Australians deserve a breathing space so the situation can be carefully assessed," he told an audience in North Ryde.
Nile asked for the removal of the then Australian Muslim leader Sheik Taj El-Din Hilaly after the sheik placed the blame for sexual assault on the female victims.
In December 2007 Nile raised concerns about the construction of a Muslim school in the Sydney suburb of Camden
Camden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
and was invited to attend many events opposing the school.
As a consequence of Nile's public position on Muslim immigration, he has received widespread condemnation and alleged death threats from individuals within the Islamic community.
On neo-pagans
Nile is openly opposed to Australian neopagans, having said that the Christian Democrats would "do what it can to stop pagan weddings and witchcraft or Wicca activities."On ethics classes in government schools
EthicsEthics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
classes were introduced by the Keneally
Kristina Keneally
Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP, is an Australian politician and was the 42nd Premier of New South Wales. She was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and thus Premier in 2009, but went on to lose government to the Liberal/National Coalition at the March 2011 state election...
Labor government as an alternative for children who did not want to attend traditional scripture classes. Prior to the 2011 state election
New South Wales state election, 2011
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
, Barry O'Farrell
Barry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell MP, is an Australian politician and is the 43rd Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Western Sydney, Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ku-ring-gai for the Liberal Party since 1999.Born in...
made a pre-election pledge of not scrapping the ethics classes. Following the election, Nile, who was vehmently opposed to the ethics classes, introduced a private members bill proposing the abolition of the classes at the end of the 2011 calendar year. Debate on the bill was ajourned until 16 September; and eventually Nile was successful in pushing the government to establish a parliamentary inquiry to examine whether ethics classes in NSW schools should be abolished. Meanwhile, in introducing his bill into the Legislative Council, Nile gained headlines by arguing that the ethics course is based on a philosophy linked to Nazism and communism.
Parliament activities
Nile served on the New South Wales' Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Issues (1988–1995), facilitating legislative reforms on adoption laws, drug abuse amongst youth, rape rates and pornography, domestic violence, youth violence, youth rural suicides, compensation for medically acquired AIDS/HIV victims, juvenile justice, births, deaths and marriage records.Nile has also served on the New South Wales' Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, the New South Wales' Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform, the Parliamentary Select Committee into Firearms, the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee into the Management of Parliament, as Chairman of the Cross City Tunnel Inquiry and Chairman of the Joint Select Committee on the Royal North Shore Hospital.
Nile currently serves as:
- Assistant President of the New South Wales' Legislative Council
- Chairman of the General Purpose Standing Committee No. 1
- Chairman of the Select Committee on Electoral and Political Party Funding
- Member of the Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption
- Member of the Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission
- Member of the Legislative Council Procedure Committee
- Member of the Committee on Children and Young People
- Member of the Standing Committee on State Development
- Member of the Privileges Committee
Pornography investigation
On 1 September 2010 Andrew Clennell from The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
reported that Nile had personally accessed pornography hundreds of thousands of times over a six month period. Nile denied the allegations but admitted that sites with adult content had been accessed by staff as part of his work.
Clennell cited an unnamed source in claiming that Nile had over 200,000 hits to pornographic websites on his personal computer login. A subsequent parliamentary investigation found that there was no evidence of pornographic material being accessed through Nile's login. Nile restated his position in a press release on 2 September 2010, claiming that he had not accessed adult material but that, "unsurprisingly", his staff had as part of his work, including:
- monitoring adult material within computer games, print and film media,
- research on the Australian Sex Party, Eros Foundation and affiliates,
- assessing the effectiveness of internet filters,
- the circumvention of Federal and State law by Australian commercial entities that use international shelf companies and hosting IPs to sell prohibited pornographic material,
- research for Nile's private members bill Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Amendment (Banning Possession of Restricted Material) Bill 2010
Amanda Fazio
Amanda Fazio
Amanda Ruth Fazio MLC, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council representing the Australian Labor Party...
, then President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
The President of the New South Wales Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the upper house of the Parliament of New South Wales. The role of President has generally been a partisan office, filled by the governing party of the time. The incumbent President is no exception, currently held...
, issued a statement that raw IT data had been accessed by an unauthorised "rogue employee" who had then spoken directly to media. Fazio stated that the data was inherently flawed as 98% of web hits flagged as "adult material" were due to pop-ups and news sites such as that of The Sydney Morning Herald. Unauthorised access and use of parliamentary data is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
See also
- Christian Democratic Party (Australia)Christian Democratic Party (Australia)The Christian Democratic Party is a right-wing political party in Australia. Its leader is Fred Nile, a Congregational Church minister and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.-Formation:...
- Fellowship of Congregational ChurchesFellowship of Congregational ChurchesThe Fellowship of Congregational Churches is a conservative Congregational denomination in Australia. It was formed by the forty congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia who chose not to join the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977....
- Congregational Federation of AustraliaCongregational Federation of AustraliaThe Congregational Federation of Australia is Congregational denomination comprising fourteen congregations in New South Wales and Queensland. It has sixteen ordained ministers and some two thousand members and adherents, many of them Samoans.-History:...
- Uniting Church in AustraliaUniting Church in AustraliaThe Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....