View Family First Responses

1. Equal Opportunity – inherent requirements test

Of the inherent requirements test in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, chief executive of the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Helen Szoke said, "Religious schools or religious charities ... will have to show how belonging to a particular religion is relevant to the job they are trying to fill". Will your Party support the removal of the inherent requirements test from the EO Act, which creates uncertainty for faith-based schools and service-providers?

• Family First would actively support the removal of the inherent requirements test which currently places an undue burden upon religious institutions.

2. Equal Opportunity – VHREOC own-motion powers

The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 grants the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission unprecedented and wide-ranging powers to initiate an investigation into any matter relating to the operation of the Act without receiving a prior complaint. Does your Party support the removal of this extraordinary prerogative from the VHREOC?

• Family First believes these powers are excessive and unwarranted, and should be removed.

3. Religious vilification

The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 had as its stated objective the promotion of racial and religious tolerance. However the Acts' civil provisions remain contentious, as evidenced by the notorious 'two Dannies case'. Will you commit to a review of the RRTA to re-examine the need for the civil provisions which encourage individuals to take legal action against people of other faiths?

• Family First notes that the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act has to date served as providing an undesirable chilling effect on free speech, and has further created heightened tensions between religious groups.
• Family First is committed to repealing the civil provisions of the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act.

4. Role for the Church

Christian charities and churches play an important public role in Victoria in the provision of services in the areas of education, welfare and health. What has your Party done to foster good relationships with religious communities, and how does it plan to work with them during the life of the next parliament?

• Family First believes churches play a vital role within the community, not only in the area of education, welfare, and health, but also in providing vital spiritual services and developing a vital sense of community and belonging for individuals within our society.
• Family First will welcome the continued role of churches in the community, and foster areas where church charitable programs can be further assisted with government help.

5. Hate crimes

The discussion paper, 'With respect: a strategy for reducing homophobic harassment in Victoria' recommends making it unlawful to harass another person on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As churches in the UK have found, this has been used to effectively gag comment on teaching from a religious worldview, clearly contrary to freedom of expression and religion. Does your Party rule out the introduction of homosexual-specific hate crimes law?

• Yes.

6. Prostitution – trafficking

The recent Inquiry into People Trafficking For Sex Work found that women are trafficked to Australia, and indeed Victoria, for sexual purposes. Given that legalised prostitution increases demand for sexual services and the trafficking of women for forced prostitution, what will your Party do to reduce the demand for the purchase of sexual services? Will your Party examine the successful Swedish model of prostitution, which criminalises the purchaser of sexual services?

• Family First has consistently opposed legalized prostitution not only in Victoria but around Australia.
• It has been estimated by Project Respect that over 1,000 individuals are currently under debt bondage in Australia; Family First will investigate all avenues of available in the battle to reduce this heinous crime.
• Family First believes it should be a crime to both purchase and provide sexual services.

7. Violent video games

The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General is currently conducting a national consultation on whether to include an R18+ rating in the National Classification Scheme for video games. If agreed, this would open the door to more graphically violent and sexually explicit games finding their way into homes, and no doubt into the hands of children. If your Party were in a position to influence the SCAG decision, would it oppose the introduction of the R18+ game rating into the NCS?

• Family First would stridently oppose the introduction of an R18+ game rating.

8. Illicit drugs

The use and abuse of illicit drugs is linked to a whole range of social problems such as incarceration, crime, domestic violence and family breakdown. What is your Party's policy on illicit drugs? Does it support a harm minimisation approach to drug use, including heroin injecting rooms?

• Family First wants a public education campaign, featuring high-profile celebrities such as sports people and singers, aimed at young Australians about the dangers of drug use, particularly about so-called 'recreational drugs'. This would include the dangers of marijuana, including its links to depression and other mental health problems.
• Family First wants courts to have the power to require people to undergo treatment.
• Family First wants more funding for residential rehabilitation programs.

Family First understands that illegal drugs are a huge worry for parents. Drugs are dangerous, they destroy lives, destroy families and destroy communities.

Family First opposes policies such as giving free heroin to addicts, opening injecting rooms across the country and abolishing penalties for possessing drugs, as these all send the wrong message.

Family First believes we have to send the strongest message that drugs are dangerous, that drug use will never be tolerated and that drug use will be punished.

Family First believes the focus must be on prevention through community education and rehabilitation services as well as strong law and order initiatives.
 

9. Poker machines – betting limits

The Productivity Commission's inquiry report into gambling recommended that by 2016 Governments should require all electronic gaming machines to be limited to a $1 bet. How does your Party respond to this recommendation? What else would your Party do to tackle problem gambling?

• Family First has long called for $1 betting limits, which is now also being called for by the Productivity Commission.
• Family First wants pokies out of our suburbs and limited to Crown Casino.
• Family First would also allow some pokies at country racetracks so people in regional Victoria would not have to travel to Melbourne.

Family First believes poker machines have inflicted a devastating toll on thousands of Victorian families, particularly children, and the problem is only getting worse.

The Victorian community is demanding action. A recent report revealed three in four Victorians believe pokies do more harm than good and gambling was too widely accessible.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation reports that there are over 55,000 problem gamblers in Victoria.  Each problem gambler has a negative impact on up to 7 other people. Poker machines are listed by 84.2% of problem gamblers as being their preferred form of gambling.

Family First recognizes that many Victorians gamble responsibly and enjoy it which is why we will keep machines at the casino, which is the place for them.

Family First believes poker machines plaguing our suburbs have caused family breakdown and financial devastation and the Government has turned a blind eye to the devastation. The Government's failure to cull the number of poker machines proves it is drunk on pokies tax. It is a tragedy that the Government sends “problem gambling kits” to schools instead of tackling the problem itself and culling the number of machines.

It is also a joke that the Government has ordered a report into how gambling affects kids. If the government really cared it would get rid of the machines.

10. Homelessness and housing affordability

The increasing costs of living, especially housing, is perpetuating the problem of homelessness. Reports now suggest that an increasing number of single women over the age of 45 are under housing stress, particularly due to rising rents. What will your Party do to tackle the related issues of homelessness and housing affordability, particularly where they relate to vulnerable women, children and families?

• Family First wants increased Government funding for more public housing to take pressure off long waiting lists.
• Family First is calling for stamp duty to be abolished for all first homebuyers. This will apply for new homes to the value of $400,000. Victorians buying a $300,000 home would save almost $14,000 while those purchasing a $400,000 home would save almost $20,000. Family First estimates its policy could cost the Government up to $500 million in lost revenue.
• Family First wants the Government to release more land for housing and restore growth areas in the west, south-east and north.

Family First wants Victorians to be able to afford their own home. Home ownership is the Great Australian Dream as it gives people stability and gives families security.

Increasing numbers of Victorian families are caught in the rental trap and are close to giving up on their dreams of ever being able to own their own homes. The average house price is beyond the reach of most couples, who are working harder than ever and dream of starting a family.

Exorbitant stamp duty is crippling families and the Brumby government has become addicted to stamp duty revenue. Stamp duty in Victoria is also much higher than other states adding further pressure to families trying to get into the housing market.

11. Abortion – freedom of conscience

Section 8 of the Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 compels doctors with a conscientious objection to abortion to refer a woman seeking to terminate a pregnancy to another health practitioner who is willing to perform the procedure. Will your Party honour the State's obligation to freedom of conscience by removing this provision from the statute books, instead inserting a clause that provides that Health professionals and those in training for a health profession who conscientiously object to being involved in a procedure or referring for a procedure should not be compelled to participate, nor should they be put at a disadvantage because of their objection?

• Family First will urgently lobby for conscientious objection rights for medical workers and healthcare provider organisations who do not wish to perform abortions or have any direct or indirect involvement with the abortion process.

12. Abortion – neo-natal deaths post-abortion

The 2007 annual report of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity showed that 52 out of 181 late term babies who were aborted for "abnormalities" survived late term abortions but died neo-natally. Would your Party support a parliamentary inquiry into neo-natal deaths of aborted babies?

• Yes. Family First supports the full legal protection of human life from conception through to natural death. Family First is therefore opposed to abortion.

13. Euthanasia

The last attempt at legalising euthanasia in the state was soundly rejected when the Legislative Council voted 25 to 13 against the Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008 on 10 September 2008. Will your Party rule out any attempt to bring on another conscience vote on euthanasia in the life of the new parliament?

• Yes. Family First supports the full legal protection of human life from conception through to natural death. Family First is therefore opposed to euthanasia.

14. Child protection

There have been several highly-publicised failures of Victoria's child protection services to prevent deaths and injuries to children during the life of the current parliament. What will your Party do to improve the effectiveness of child protection services, including preventative measures to support families before risk factors develop?

• Family First will call for a full report into the work of the Department of Human Services to ensure it is functioning appropriately.
• Family First believes that children are best adjusted when they grow up in a family with both a mother and a father, and therefore all of our policies are designed to have a positive supporting affect on the traditional family.

15. Same-sex adoption

Permitting same sex couples to adopt children on the same basis as heterosexual couples would see the State fail in its most fundamental responsibility to provide wards of the state, orphaned or relinquished, with a mother and father through adoption. Will your Party act in the best interests of the child by ruling out any move to legalise stranger adoption by same sex couples?

• Yes. Family First believes that the best environment to raise children is for them to have both a mother and a father.

16. Education – freedom to teach

The South Australian Non-Government Schools Registration Board recently caused avoidable controversy by drafting guidelines to explicitly prevent the teaching of creationism in school science classes. The guidelines were later withdrawn. Will your Party ensure that the Victorian Regulations and Qualifications Authority respects the independence of faith-based schools to teach from a Christian perspective across all subject areas?

• Family First acknowledges the diverse beliefs, traditions and values of families and defends parents’ rights to choose schools that uphold those values.
• Therefore, Family First supports non-Government schools being able to teach curriculum from the perspective of their own beliefs, traditions, and values.

17. Christian religious education

The provision of Christian religious education in Victorian Government schools is provided for under section 2.2.11 Special religious instruction of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. Does your party support the on-going provision of Christian religious education for students in Victorian public schools?

• Yes, Family First supports the ongoing provision of this program.

18. Law & order – youth rehabilitation

The report, 'Youth Justice in Victoria: The benefits of Victoria's Youth Justice System and the challenges ahead' details that there is a more than 60% chance young offenders will re-offend after release, most within 6 months of their release. What will your Party do to more effectively rehabilitate young offenders back into the community, and reduce the high rate of recidivism?

• Family First believes we must be tough on serious offences but that we should also have alternative punishment for people convicted of minor offences.
• Family First will call for an investigation into a system of restorative justice, where, in appropriate situations, a criminal who has injured or damaged a victim must work to pay back the victim. This system has been successful in New Zealand and makes the offender realise the consequences of their actions. It also ensures some compensation to the victim.
• Family First further wants to see a reduction in alcohol fueled violence on our streets, thereby reducing youth crime and youth imprisonment. Family First would like to see a ban on takeaway bottle shops selling liquor between midnight and 7am, and a removal of the link between alcohol advertising and sport which is encouraging a culture of binge drinking in our youth.

19. Mental health

With mental illness increasingly identified as an issue facing Australians of all ages, what will your Party do to tackle this growing problem?

• Family First has called for further funding for the mental health sector.

20. Disability

Many people with disability lead lonely lives that are a constant struggle for the resources and support they need to live "ordinary" lives that the rest of us take for granted. What will your Party do to prevent new admissions of young people to nursing homes and assist people with disability living with ageing carers?

• Family First wants to establish a Disability Insurance Scheme. This scheme will cover every Victorian who is born with a disability or acquires a disability and will provide funding for essential care, support, therapy, aids, equipment, home modifications, and access to the community, education and training.
• Family First wants the government to increase its contribution to the Home and Community Carers (HACC) Program which provides community care services in people’s own homes, which is where they want to be.
• Family First will call for more funding for respite care - both day and residential – so carers can take much-needed breaks, attend appointments and have holidays.

Family First believes carers do an amazing job. Too often their tireless work goes unrecognized and unrewarded. Many older carers, in particular, who care for spouses and disabled children as well as grandchildren, are struggling financially and worry about the future when they die.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are 690,000 unpaid family carers in Victoria. This includes 116,600 primary carers who provide most of the support and help needed by their parent, partner, child or friend with a disability or chronic illness. Access Economics has estimated the cost of replacing unpaid friends and family with paid services at $8 billion a year.

The Government relies more and more on unpaid carers. Carers end up carrying extra burdens due to shorter hospital stays, more day surgery and less access to residential accommodation for people with disabilities. Family First recognises that many carers are worried about the future of their spouse, or disabled child or grandchild.

Family First will therefore campaign for more resources, services, funding and other practical support for carers.

21. Integrity in politics

In the event that your Party does not gain a majority in both Houses, will you commit to not trading away your election commitments in any negotiations that might be done with minor parties in forming government?

• It is unlikely that Family First would be in the position of attempting to form a minority government. However, were Family First to gain the balance of power in the upper house, we would negotiate reasonably and in good faith with the major parties to pass legislation consistent with our values and policies.

On the issue of integrity in politics more generally, Family First has a number of policy initiatives we wish to see implemented.

Family First believes Australians are fed up with the major parties and are looking for something different. Australians should be able to respect the nation’s political leaders. They certainly want them to lead by example, instead of behaving like school kids in a playground, or even worse. Victorians deserve better.

Family First recognizes that actions speak louder than words.

Family First wants to restore the public’s faith in politics and politicians and raise the standards in Parliament and public life by sticking to our values. Many visitors to Parliament are appalled by the behavior of politicians and think it is a joke. They should be impressed by the behavior of their lawmakers.

Family First will ensure Ministers take responsibility for decisions of their Departments and are accountable to the public. Too often politicians take the public for granted when the public are the ones who elect them and pay their salaries.

Family First will campaign for stronger Freedom of Information legislation so decision-making in the public service and Government is more open and transparent.

Family First will support the Ombudsman in their job of ensuring the Government is accountable to the public.