Is Faith a "No Go Area" in Modern Politics? A Case Study of Newly Elected Mps in Western Australia's State Parliament (Members of Parliament‪)‬

Introduction It has been recently suggested that Parliamentarians are invoking Christian beliefs with increasing frequency within Australian public life. In particular, it has been suggested that these beliefs have been used to justify their policies and decisions. At the most recent election in Western Australia in September 2008, a number of new Members of Parliament were regarded as having strong links to Christian churches. Indeed, one newspaper article labeled these MPs as "a god squad of devout Liberals". Given the above discussion, it is worth considering, 18 months after their election, what sort of rhetoric these members use in public life, particularly in parliament, when explaining their values and decisions. The evidence suggests that while these Parliamentarians hold strong religious views, they are careful to use more secular language when justifying their political stances.