For the first time in any Federal election, the two main players " Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd " will speak directly to Australian Christians and field questions from church leaders.
"This is the first time there's been an address like this in terms of leaders allocating that time to one constituency of any sort," says Glynis Quinlan from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL).
The prime minister and the opposition leader will participate in the ‘Federal Election 2007 - Make it Count’ event hosted by the ACL at the National Press Club in Canberra on August 9.
The sudden interest in the Christian vote could be put down to the heightened desire of Christians to "make their votes count', as well as the boldness of Christian leaders around the country, Ms Quinlan says.
"It reflects the quality of Christian leaders in different denominations and their willingness to speak out on different issues," she says.
About 200 church leaders - including Anglicare Sydney CEO Peter Kell - will travel to Canberra to ask questions of Mr Howard and Mr Rudd at the "Make it Count' event.
The event will be webcast to churches Australia-wide through the ACL website.
ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace says the event provides the ideal opportunity for Christians to bring issues important to them to the fore.
"This is a unique chance for Christians to hear first-hand from the prime minister and the opposition leader about why they think they should be endorsed to lead our nation, and to hear their responses to questions from church leaders," he says.
"We need to be influencing all political parties to develop well-considered policy initiatives and a vision for Australia that engenders an increasingly moral and caring society."
Sydney "makes it count'
Figtree Anglican Church is one of 18 Sydney Anglican parishes currently planning to take advantage of the live webcast.
Figtree will screen the event live and then have a discussion time afterwards.
Executive minister the Rev Bruce Clarke says he believes the event presents a two-fold opportunity.
"It will help our own people to be informed and have an intelligent understanding of what the two parties stand for, and we can bring people and use the event to connect with the community."
In another first, a survey of Christians carried out by On Line Opinion, indicates that moral issues are most influential for the Christian vote.
The results also suggest that Christians are more likely to be swinging voters than the general electorate.
