The Archbishop of Sydney has urged the Diocese of Bathurst to “stand and withstand”, and not lose heart in the face of A$25 million in potential liabilities.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Glenn Davies, has urged the Diocese of Bathurst to “stand and withstand”, and not lose heart in the face of A$25 million in potential liabilities that could lead to the liquidation of the diocese. In his address to the 47^th Synod of the diocese on 19 Sept 2014, Dr. Davies said the diocese needed “reliable people with brains and backbone. If you have brains but no backbone you will just waffle on, and we don’t want people who have backbone but no brains because they will stand firm, but won’t know what they are standing firm on.” In July the receivers of the Anglican Development Fund-Bathurst Diocese (ADF)filed suit against the current and former bishops of Bathurst to recoup funds lost in the ADF’s collapse. In July a spokesman for the receivers said ADF had “acted as a financial intermediary which borrowed funds from certain financiers such as the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and on-lent those funds to schools, parishes, and other institutions within the Bathurst Diocese which are subject to the control of the General Synod.” The suit alleges the bishops are personally liable for the losses by virtue of their office as trustees of ADF.