Article by Cameron Spink

Tony Abbott has given us a lesson in politics when on Monday he revealed "sometimes in the heat of discussion you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark”. In essence, when the pressure is on it is okay to be deceitful or at worst unreliable to cover up a mistake. Tony Abbott's revelation on the 7:30 Report occurred after he was pressed to explain how he would increase taxes when he promised not to. Abbott was not attempting to be particularly deceptive. He is, in general, a trustworthy man. But intention plays no part in determining the truthfulness of a statement. A person may honestly believe a statement but that doesn't make it true. In this situation Abbott made a promise and then he backtracked and broke it.

In Abbott's defence his explanation is probably quite accurate and his concession that sometimes he breaks his promises very truthful. And from a secular perspective there is not too much wrong with this statement. So Abbott conceded that he lies, well, come to think of it don't all politicians? Julia Gillard can jump up and down all day with her “Phoney Tony! Phoney Tony!” comments but it doesn't change the fact that the government is in a crisis right now because the Australian people are sick of Kevin Rudd not delivering on what he had previously promised.

So maybe Tony Abbott was merely expressing something that we all knew deep down. Specifically politics is about being deceptive. It is about limiting the amount of broken promises, that's what gets you enough plush seats to stay in office. In this sense Tony was only naively pronouncing his opinion that he was merely following the crowd.

However, the coalition now has the issue that the average voter is going to have a hard time believing their leader. Abbott's integrity has been undermined, his ability to deliver on his promises queried. Tony Abbott was an unconvincing leader at the start of his tenure as head of the Opposition and this incident has done nothing to encourage the average person that he has the right qualities to run Australia.

A fundamental Christian lesson can be learnt from this situation. Jesus' wise words told us to “let our yes be yes and our no be no” (Matt 5:37). As we grow one of the ways Christians develop is through obedience to Christ's teachings. Honesty is what Christianity and our faith is based upon. So if you don't know, then don't promise. Furthermore, build all your relationships on honesty because it is the only to impact the wider community and “”make disciples”(Matt 28:19). It is, therefore, our responsibility to take great care with what we convey to others.

What can we draw from this incident then? Firstly, politics is rife with inaccuracies and promises that are unlikely to be fulfilled. Do not believe the government's ministers who seem to imply that Tony Abbott is the only one to do this. Secondly, let your actions be determined by your obedience to God. Because even if you are a politician you answer first and foremost to Him and then to the people who elected you. This is the truth according to the Gospel.