Notes of an address by Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, The Hon. John Anderson MP at the 17th Annual Melbourne Prayer Breakfast, August 25, 2000.

Note from Rowland Croucher: This (I am a little ashamed to say) was the first of these prayer breakfasts I have attended. Six hundred-plus enjoyed an excellent breakfast at the Hotel Sofitel in Melbourne. I was asked to lead in one of rhe two prayers. (P.S. I think there should have been more prayer - perhaps at the tables...). Here are some jottings from the speech by our Deputy Prime Minister, a committed Christian, farmer, and member for the rural seat of Gwyder, which covers approximately 115,000 square kilometers in North Western N.S.W.

Australia's 19million people enjoy being the 11th wealthiest nation in the world. But we live in a disconnected world. Our institutions have good checks and balances... yet we feel disconnected. There is a pervasive cynicism about government. Whenever I ask kids who visit Parliament House how many have heard that politicians are 'liars, hopeless etc.' all their hands go up! But when I ask 'How many think this is the greatest country to live in?' all the hands go up again!

Australia is in reality a secular nation, and we are drifting further and further from our Judeo-Christian roots. Ask a _group_ how many believe in God and the response is 45%. Ask individuals, and it's 90%. Technology is increasingly tending to treat humans as commodities. (Have you heard the story 'Nobody's Twins'? When a wealthy couple paid a surrogate mother to have twins, they were adopted out when it was discovered they were girls). There are fewer (and mainly older) people involved in community activities or as volunteers. An increasing number live alone (in June 2000, 1.7 million of our 19 million lived alone).

God's desire is for us to 'reconnect'. Particularly is this God's will for families. Paul's command: husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church. Parents must work hard to give their kids the gift of time: the more you have the more you want. Let us respect children more: when Jesus wanted to describe someone in his Kingdom, he used a little child as object-lesson.

Unfortunately, we are drifting towards a utilitarian view of the person - as witnessed in the current IVF debate. In the next few generations we will increasingly understand the importance of fathering. One of the biggest modern-day problems is the declining self-esteem of boys.

Finally, I like the injunction in the New Testament about doing everything without arguing or complaining.

Our nation is the sum-total of the individuals in it. One by one let us be committed to integrity. And let us renew our connectedness with our Creator so that we can be more connected with each other.