LABOR’S candidate for the federal seat of Gellibrand, Tim Watts, told Muslims gathered at Thursday’s pre-Ramadan conference in Newport he would ponder what the holy month meant for a prospective politician.
“I will go away from today and meditate on the meaning of Ramadan for a politician coming up to an election,” he said.
“A period of reflecting on piety and not lying and cheating and backstabbing is a good reminder for a budding politician.”
Mr Watts said his side of the family had Anglican roots and had been in Australia for six generations or “what you might think of as old Australians”.
His wife, Joyce, migrated to Australia from China. “She came to Australia when she was 10, so my children are both seventh-generation and second- generation Australians,’’ Mr Watts said.
“So for me it’s very personally important that we live in a society of mutual respect and understanding for religious and cultural diversity.”
