Labor MP and Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick is set to appear alongside controversial religious figures at an event promoting the influence of conservative Christianity throughout Australia and the world.

The ROAR24 Leaders Summit, running in Brisbane across multiple days in early September, will aim to help attendees effect “immediate change and transformation in your family, church, business and society”, with Dick listed as a keynote speaker.

Dick’s appearance at the event comes shortly after former Labor senator Fatima Payman underwent intense scrutiny for the role her Muslim faith may have played in her decision to go against her former party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Partner with like-minded leaders in your nation for nation building and transformation according to divine architectural design,” the event’s listing said.

“Elevate your sight to see God as the builder of nations and your significance in His nation-building plan.”

Critics of the event, The Rationalist Society of Australia, called the summit “an event promoting the Seven Mountains Mandate ideology that calls for Christians to conquer the key spheres of influence in society”.

The Seven Mountains Mandate ideology started in America in 1975 when its founding members announced they had received a message from God that ordered them to influence and control seven different aspects of society: Family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business and government.

A promotional poster for the event. Photo: Facebook

Adherents believe that Jesus will only return to Earth when these seven ‘mountains’ are controlled by Christians.

Pastor David Vaka, the event’s organiser, has said that his is “one of the only churches in Brisbane” to teach the mandate during sermons.

The New Daily is not implying that Dick believes or is promoting this philosophy, or any of the views held by other speakers at the event, only that he is speaking alongside these figures.

Dick also appeared at the 2023 ROAR Leadership Summit, the first year the event had been held. He has been contacted for comment.

Joined on stage

Dick will be joined on stage as a speaker by Brian Heath, the congregational leader of the Pentecostal City Builders Church who was accused of branch stacking on behalf of his daughter and current Victorian Upper House MP Renee Heath.

The church has used prayer to ‘rid’ its members of homosexuality and performed a violent exorcism on a 12-year-old boy for wearing a T-shirt with a skull on it, according to The Age.

The church’s global leader, Jonathan David, has previously said that abortion and homosexuality are demonic.

Another speaker, Queensland-based businessman David Hodgson, is facing legal proceedings launched by ASIC because of his role of sole director of two businesses within Paladin Group.

Hodgson has denied any wrongdoing.

Paladin Group was embroiled in scandal when it received more than $500 million to run offshore detention facilities on Manus Island during Peter Dutton’s time as home affairs minister, despite the company’s office being registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island.

The company has allegedly been involved with corruption in Papua New Guinea.

Question of faith

Dick’s involvement in the conference comes following intense scrutiny over the role of Fatima Payman’s religion in her ability to serve her constituents in office.

Although Anthony Albanese took aim at the concept of “faith-based political parties”, Pentecostal and evangelical Christianity has had an oversized influence on Australian politics in recent years.

Scott Morrison at his Pentecostal church in Sydney in 2019. Photo: AAP

Scott Morrison’s faith was a reoccurring theme – one often raised by the former prime minister – during his government’s tenure, while several of his senior ministers were Pentecostal Christians.

That included Stewart Robert, who alongside Morrison, had a major hand in the creation and implementation of Robodebt.

Terry Young, the Liberal-Nationals member for Longman, credited Dick for ensuring that the practice of saying the Lord’s Prayer daily before Parliament continued.

Dick, at a national prayer breakfast at Parliament House in 2022, highlighted his belief in the importance of prayer.

“God is the great unifier: You only need to look in this room, where you’ve seen people from around the country who have travelled far to join us in prayer today,” he said.

“Those prayers that will be in this room and outside this room, and across Australia, God will listen and God will provide.”