Costello makes pilgrimage to Hillsong conference

More than 20 politicians will take to the stage at the Hillsong Church's annual conference in Sydney this week.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello was among 30,000 people who gathered in Sydney's Olympic Superdome last night for the opening of the conference.

Mr Costello received a thunderous reception when he addressed the crowd.

"Well, the theme of this year's conference is strength and we at the Australian Government level think about that a lot," he said.

"How do we make our industry strong, our economy strong? How do we make our schools strong, and how do we make our public strong, and where does the strength of a nation come from?"