Christian Democratic Party founder Fred Nile, 86, to retire from NSW parliament

Christian Democratic Party founder Fred Nile will retire from the NSW parliament after 40 years – and has nominated Queenslander and conservative lobbyist Lyle Shelton to replace him.

Mr Nile, 86, the longest-serving current member of the state parliament, will retire in November.

“It has been the privilege of my life to represent Christ’s values in the NSW parliament on behalf of the citizens of this great state,” he said.

He recommended Mr Shelton to succeed him and said he would fill a need for “unashamedly Christian voices in public life”.

Mr Shelton said he was honoured by the nod and he would seek the support of the party’s state council.

Formerly the managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby for a decade, Mr Shelton was a leader in the campaign against legalising same-sex marriage in Australia.

The Brisbane-based former Toowoomba city councillor previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for a Queensland senate seat with Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives.

Mr Nile, a reverend, is the only Christian Democratic Party member left in NSW parliament after the party’s other seat was lost at the last election.

He has held his own upper house seat since 1981 and has frequently been at the centre of controversies.

In 2015, Mr Nile copped heavy criticism for saying male hostages who ran from the Lindt Cafe siege didn’t deserve bravery awards and that the “only man really there was the man with the gun”.

He later said he meant to call the gunman a “coward”, not to praise him.

His anti-gay marriage stance and calls to ban Muslim head coverings has lead to accusations of homophobia and Islamophobia, imputations Mr Nile has pushed back against.

He has described himself as “the most non-controversial person” with mainstream beliefs, and has even suggested Mr Shelton is more controversial than him.

After being denied a visa waiver to visit the United States for former president Donald Trump’s inauguration, Mr Nile told the Guardian:

“I don’t know anybody else who’s had their visa declined. But I know some other people who got invitations and attended. Lyle Shelton, I know he was there and he’s probably more controversial than I am.”