Sue Baynes, hired last month as Gold Coast city pastoral adviser told a breakfast at a Gold Coast Church in March that she worked as Tom Tate’s ‘discerner’.
“I’ve been given opportunities to sit in meetings as a discerner for the mayor.
“So, I sit in high-level meetings and he says to me I want you to be my eyes and ears. I want you to hear in your spirit and tell me what you think we need to do in the city.”
According to the ABC, Tom Tate described the pastor’s council role somewhat differently.
“The councillor adviser position is to assist to improve the interface between community groups working in areas such as homelessness and addiction with my office.
“It is on a casual basis, backfilling a current vacancy and is engaged at a mid-tier administration level.”
Yesterday, QNews reported how Baynes described the Gold Coast’s HOTA as a ‘demonic stronghold’.
The signs of the times
Baynes said she first heard about her new job during a private bible study session at Tom Tate’s home.
“He said to me, ‘I want to study the Book of Revelation… Because I want to know where we are in God’s calendar. I want to know signs of the times. I want to understand the seasons and the times we’re in.”
As Sue Baines and her husband arrived for bible study one night, Baynes said the mayor asked if she’d received a call about a job.
He said, “Expect a call because I’ve made a space for you in the mayoral office and I want you to be my pastoral advisor.”
The pastor described her role as custom made for her.
“He created a role for me. that wasn’t anything previously there but he brought me in and he said I need you to come and be the pastoral advisor in the council.”
Tom Tate’s ‘discerner’
Sue Baynes told the church breakfast she gave up the church she previously ran, after becoming Tom Tate’s personal spiritual advisor. In 2015, she stood as a Family First candidate for the state seat of Burleigh. She achieved just 3.95% of the vote. Her platform included opposition to same-sex marriage and the Safe Schools anti-bullying program.
Now, she’s Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate’s ‘discerner’.
PS: Sue Baynes told the breakfast one of her first actions in her new role was to decorate a Prayer Room. 
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