Jesuit-educated parliamentarians recorded increased voter across the country at last weekend's federal election.
The Catholic order prides itself on the rigorous education it provides in its elite schools around the country, says a report in The Australian.
Jesuit-educated alumni in the current parliament include:
- Opposition leader Tony Abbott, who recorded a 4.57 per cent swing to him;
- Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey, 8.57 per cent;
- Education spokesman Christopher Pyne, 2.55 per cent against the trend in South Australia;
- Rural spokesman Barnaby Joyce, who rose from third on the Queensland senate ticket to second and;
- On the Labor side of the chamber, parliamentary secretary for disabilities Bill Shorten, who recorded a 2.44 per cent swing in his favour.
The only exception to the rule was Victorian Senator Julian McGauran, who failed to hold the third senate seat in that state - losing his seat to the Catholic-aligned Democratic Labor Party.
The Catholic order's place in Australian politics should not be overlooked. During the three-way Liberal leadership contest between Malcolm Turnbull, Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott, all three men consulted with Jesuit priests, said the report.
It also has a long history of producing MPs and Senators, including former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and former Victoria deputy premier Pat McNamara.
FULL STORY
Swings to Jesuit-educated MPs across the country (The Australian)
PHOTO CREDIT
A.M.D.G. engraving in choir loft of St. Ignatius Church, Chestnut Hill, MA (in the US) photograph by Dr. John P. Workman, Jr.; uploaded by Workman to Wikimedia Commons
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