The Lyons Forum was a ginger group or informal

political faction A political faction is a group of individuals that share a common political purpose but differs in some respect to the rest of the entity. A faction within a group or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, "parties within a party," ...

comprising some federal members of

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Australian parliamentary parties. It was formed in the early 1990s and was active both in

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

parliamentary leadership conflict and on family policy issues. The faction was sometimes disparagingly called "The God Squad". In 2004, it was described as "defunct" by

Michelle Grattan Michelle Grattan (born 30 June 1944) is an Australian journalist who was the first woman to become editor of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper. Specialising in political journalism, she has written for and edited many significant Austr ...

Formation

The Lyons Forum was formed in 1992 by a group of Coalition members of parliament, including Senator John Herron, Senator Eric Abetz, Senator John Tierney,

Alan Cadman Alan Glyndwr Cadman (born 26 July 1937) is an Australian politician who served as a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 18 May 1974 to 17 October 2007, representing the Division of Mitchell, New South Wales. Biograp ...

John Bradford John Bradford (1510–1555) was an English Reformer, prebendary of St. Paul's, and martyr. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged crimes against Queen Mary I. He was burned at the stake on 1 July 1555. Life Bradford was born ...

, Chris Miles, Kevin Andrews and John Forrest. The group's name was a reference to a slogan used by former member of parliament Dame

Enid Lyons Dame Enid Muriel Lyons (née Burnell; 9 July 1897 – 2 September 1981) was an Australian politician who was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in federal cabinet. Prior to her own political ca ...

: "The foundation of a nation's greatness is in the homes of its people". The organisation had many active Christian members, and had been described as the "Coalition's fundamentalist Christian faction". However, while its observers have noted close relationships between its members and conservative Christian groups and theology, no formal relationship existed.

Role

The Lyons Forum was reported to have played a role in supporting the rise of

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

to the Liberal leadership in the mid-1990s. It was also prominent in debates about tax policy in relation to families, as well as other policy issues in relation to families, marriage, and sexuality.

References

{{Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia