In this newsletter, we will once again reminisce about the wonderful experience that is the Democratic Conference.

On a warm and sunny weekend in Sydney, from February 2 to 3 in the beautiful facilities and grounds of Campion College, the National Civic Council – along with co-sponsors News Weekly, the Thomas More Centre, Campion College, Mother Effect, Influence for Good Consulting and the Christopher Dawson Centre for Cultural Studies – hosted the Democratic Conference 2024.

The event, which was attended by nearly 100 people, shone a light on key issues that affect the common good and our efforts in the lay Catholic action scene to build a strong Australia, as well as a culture renewed by faith, truth and justice.

This conference was marked by new faces and new strategies.

Making it a family-friendly event with child-minding services available was a new approach – albeit a bit of a challenge with small children running around while their parents discussed economics and national security – yet it reflected what the NCC continually emphasises as the importance of life, family, and a family-centred society.

In addition to keynote speeches and panels on national security, womanhood, education and family policy, group discussions were also integrated into each of the sessions, where guests were able to explore the themes of the talk in small groups and formulate questions for the panellists. This format gave way for further deliberation and conversation during meal breaks.

By incorporating families, children and guest contributions, the Conference deviated from the typically serious, one-way character of its historical counterparts and offered an interactive and immersive experience.

The event kicked off on the Friday night with guest speaker Kevin Bailey AM, chairman of Po Valley Energy and director of Parousia Media. Kevin shared his experience as one of a few hundred Australians invited to the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship forum held last October in London.

The first session on Saturday, entitled “Australia’s Place in the Global Scene”, was led by foreign editor of The Australian Greg Sheridan. Greg could not attend the event in person, but nonetheless gave a comprehensive and engaging assessment via a pre-recorded video of how Australia is responding to its dynamic geopolitical situation.

Greg warned that authoritarian and aggressive states – particularly Russia, China and Iran – are banding together in opposition to the West, creating a global scene as dire as it was during the Cold War (click here for the first part of the interview with Greg).

What is perhaps more concerning, according to Greg, is the apparent unwillingness of the West to do anything about it – to increase defence expenditure and industrial production of weapons, for example – despite its economic capabilities. In this area, Australia is doing “absolutely nothing”, and the West as a whole is too caught up in ideological divisions and welfare spending.

The second keynote, “Reclaiming Womanhood”, was delivered by Monica Doumit, director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. Monica noted that reclaiming womanhood does not begin with tackling gender ideology, because the root issue goes far deeper.

She outlined three ways to reclaim womanhood and femininity. The first step relates to physical appearance – women are told by modern society and social media standards to hate the way they look, when they should instead be reaffirmed of their beauty as God’s unique handiwork.

The next two ways are to view motherhood and fertility as good and liberating – rather than as a prison or hindrance – and to view the relationship between men and women as complementary and not as a sort of class struggle, with both sexes being equal in value.

In the third session, on “Reclaiming Education”, Dr Stephen McInerney, Dean of Studies at Campion College, noted that education must ultimately nurture the “head, heart and hands” – intellectual study, creativity, and service to others – and inspire students towards greatness, despite the known problems of the education system. The panel then explored themes of classroom discipline, classical education and homeschooling.

NCC national president Luke McCormack was keynote speaker of the final session, “Fair Family Funding”, in which he delineated the importance of pro-family policy in securing the labour force and raising birthrates. With childlessness on the rise, Luke posits that researching the obstacles to young people getting married and having their first child – and using it to fine-tune policy – is a stepping stone to ensuring the future of Australia.

The conference concluded with a formal dinner on the Saturday night, with guest speaker Jude Hennessy – director of Renewal and Evangelisation at the Diocese of Wollongong – spelling out reasons for hope despite the severity of today’s challenges.

Whether it’s the success of Catholic media initiatives like the Bible in a Year podcast or the Hallow app, or the mission work of organisations like Divine Renovation and Alpha Australia, or the power of the Gospel and the universal call to repentance, we must ultimately – as Saint Padre Pio said – “pray, hope, and don’t worry”.

Guests were invited the next day, Sunday, February 4, to a fully sung Eastern Liturgy at St Andrew’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish celebrated by Fr Simon Ckuj, which was followed by a presentation on the relaunch of the Thomas More Centre by TMC executive director Anna Krohn.

The Democratic Conference 2024 was a celebration of truth, goodness and beauty, a manifestation of God’s blessings, and a taste of what is to come at the National Civic Council.

Watch this space for more events!

Nicole Yap
Communications Officer
Thomas More Centre