Fred Nile

The Reverend
Fred Nile
Leader of the Christian Democratic Party[a]
In office
7 April 1998 – 29 March 2022
Preceded byParty established
Succeeded byParty dissolved
Leader of the Call to Australia Party[a]
In office
22 June 1977 – 7 April 1998
Preceded byParty established
Succeeded byParty abolished
Assistant President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office
28 November 2007 – 25 February 2019
PresidentPeter Primrose
Amanda Fazio
Don Harwin
John Ajaka
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byShaoquett Moselmane
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
21 October 2004 – 25 March 2023
Preceded byHimself
In office
19 September 1981 – 30 August 2004
Preceded byRoger de Bryon-Faes
Succeeded byHimself
Personal details
Born
Frederick John Nile

(1934-09-15) 15 September 1934 (age 90)
Kings Cross, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyRevive Australia (2022–present)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Call to Australia (1977–1998)
Christian Democratic (1988–2022)
Christ in Government (2021)
Seniors United (2022)
Independent (2022)
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1958; wid. 2011)​
Silvana Nero
​
​
(m. 2013)​
Children4 (3 sons; 1 daughter)
EducationCleveland Street High School
Alma materUniversity of New England
University of Divinity
Occupation
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceAustralian Army (1952–1954)
Australian Army Reserve (1954–1972)
Years of service1952–1972
RankMajor
Unit4th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment

Frederick John Nile (born 15 September 1934) is an Australian former politician and ordained Christian minister. Nile was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981-2023, except for a period in 2004. Nile was re-elected at the 1991, 1999, 2007, and 2015 state elections and served as the Assistant President of the Legislative Council between 2007 and 2019. Nile lost his seat at the 2023 New South Wales state election, after four decades of being in parliament.[2]

Nile was National President of the Christian Democratic Party, a conservative party which focused primarily on what it regarded as important moral and social issues. Nile is noted for his controversial comments.[3][4] He is mainly known for his vocal opposition to drug use, abortion, pornography and homosexuality.[5][6] He is patron of the Australian Christian Nation Association and Vice President of the Australian Christian Endeavour Union, an evangelical youth movement.[7] Until his recent electoral defeat, Nile was the longest-serving member of the New South Wales Parliament.[8]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Fred Nile to run for re-election in NSW despite announcing retirement". 6 News Australia. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  2. ^ Australia, 6 News (30 March 2023). "Fred Nile loses his seat after more than 4 decades in NSW's upper house | 6NewsAU". 6 News Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference smh-no-award was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Godfrey, Miles (4 February 2015). "Controversial MP Fred Nile apologises after comparing childcare centres to 'day orphanages'". The Daily Telegraph (Australia). News Corp. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  5. ^ Ainsley Symons (2014), "Anti-Abortion Campaigning and the Political Process," in Recorder (Melbourne Branch, Australian Society for the Study of Labour History), No. 279, March, p.2
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABC-Green-2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ 'About the Rev Hon Fred Nile MLC'. Parliament of New South Wales. Hansard.
  8. ^ McGowan, Michael (15 November 2022). "After 41 years, controversial Christian crusader Fred Nile prepares to leave NSW parliament". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2022.