I have a message for our Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and everyone who wants to condemn him in this month that we celebrated Homelessness Prevention Week in NSW. That is: guard against the constant drip of the media that would cheat you out of your humanity.
Sometimes I've been involved with something that has included a politician and I've been astonished by the venom which is poured upon them by social media in the aftermath. You may hold them in contempt sometimes, but politicians are often, I believe wrongly, on the receiving end of undue criticism.
![Malcolm Turnbull gives $5 to a homeless man in Melbourne.](/web/20160825213439im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/x/2/5/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gr0ya0.png/1472119373766.jpg)
Once Labor Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek made a wonderful gift to me by speaking at an event for which she had to sacrifice her time with next to nothing to gain for herself. After the event, social media was deluged with comments assuming the worst and lowest of motives.
It was wrong and a judgment not against Tanya but against our culture that is losing the possibility of seeing anything positive.
![Graham Long, chief executive and pastor of The Wayside Chapel.](/web/20160825213439im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/w/6/z/x/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gr0ya0.png/1472119373766.jpg)
This week the Prime Minister spoke with a homeless guy in Melbourne and put $5 in his begging cup. Our mainstream media followed accusations that the PM was "stingy". This story – and picture of the Malcolm and the man with his cup – was reported around the country and was even reported in the New York Times. Now I never tell anyone to vote for any political party and I don't mind when people criticise government policy or lack thereof, but to call Malcolm Turnbull "stingy" is an outrage.
When I came to The Wayside Chapel in 2004, we had next-to-no staff, taking more risks than Evel Knievel by running seven days a week in the hands of uncoordinated, mostly unsupervised, good-hearted volunteers.
Our building was 40 per cent condemned and deteriorating by the month.
I conducted weddings standing in an inch of water in our old chapel.
We seriously considered whether Wayside had met its end.
Yet we rebuilt the place, beginning with literally not one dollar and yet we finished the project debt free.
We got some help from the then Premier Nathan Rees and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, greatly assisted by Anthony "Albo" Albanese, who will always be held in high regard around here.
But half the project was funded by private citizens and the first two to jump in with us were Lucy and Malcolm Turnbull.
Malcolm has been here many times, sometimes with cameras and many times without. As the Bible says, good deeds should be in secret.
He's put on an apron or sometimes just sat and spoken with homeless people in our community. Many times since those days when we were on the brink, the Turnbulls have helped us with breathtaking generosity.
I happen to know that the help we've received is just the tip of their charitable iceberg. "Stingy" is not a word I'd ever use to describe our PM.
Imagine the story in the media if the PM had put $100 in the cup? Our culture will be crippled and miserable when we become incapable of seeing an act of compassion.
Graham Long is chief executive and pastor of The Wayside Chapel.
0 comments
New User? Sign up