View Christian Democratic Party 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?

• We strongly oppose the inherent requirements test.
• Any employee in, for example, a Christian school sets the tone in that institution, not merely by what he or she believes but, just as importantly, by his or her lifestyle.
• As a matter of religious freedom, it should be the prerogative of the Christian institution which hires an employee to determine who is suitable, not an outside government body.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party (CDP) clearly supports the total removal of this prerogative.
• “Human rights and equal opportunity” being such a minefield anyhow, such a “no complaint” prerogative would create further confusion.
• Every organisation, institution or body has its own ethos and principles under which, within reason, it should be entitled to operate, without governmental intrusion or hindrance.

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?

• Our party would, as a matter of urgency, review the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001, having followed the “two Dannies” saga with great interest and concern.
• It is ironic that the final outcome and mutual agreement of the “two Dannies” case should have prevented the whole years’ long saga from even starting.
• It is patently plain that in a free society like Australia it is a nonsense to hinder or  charge persons who challenge or criticise the beliefs or actions of another belief system - Christian, Muslim, or other.

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?

• Being a Christian party we are, de facto, a (political) branch of the Church.
• Our members are already involved in other Church activities e.g. teaching and counselling of children in government schools under the Christian Religious Education/Chaplaincy programs.
• All our candidates and supporters are members of a local church.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party rules out the introduction of  homosexual-specific hate crimes law.
• There is more than sufficient provision in the common law against harassing or persecuting a person for any reason.
• While a homosexual person should not be harassed, nor should he or she encouraged in a lifestyle that is unnatural, risky and unhealthy.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party, together with many other people of goodwill, regards trafficking women for sexual purposes with abhorrence.
• We would certainly sympathetically examine any successful precedent seeking to allay this problem, like the Swedish model.
• Not only the purchaser, but, even more, the provider (“pimp”), of sexual services should be criminalised.

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?

• On the basis that our community desperately needs less, not more, graphically violent and sexually explicit material, the Christian Democratic Party would strongly oppose the introduction of the R18+ game rating into the National Classification Scheme.
• The violent and sexual material described above is devastatingly destructive psychologically and emotionally to all viewers, especially the younger ones.
• For the mental, psychological, spiritual and emotional well being of viewers our party would encourage wholesome, instructive and uplifting videos.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party does not support “harm minimisation” but a zero tolerance policy of drug use; therefore we do not approve of heroin injecting rooms.
• We are strongly attracted, again, to the successful Swedish model of “harm eradication” in which addicts are forced into treatment and rehabilitation.
• “Minimising harm,” rather than fighting and eradicating it, is a negative, defeatist and finally unhelpful attitude. Strong positivism is needed here.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party would (gradually) remove all gaming machines from Victoria and close down the casino.
• As a makeshift measure, a limit of $1 bets is better than $2 or $5.
• Our community would be a far better place without organised gambling, which has become a veritable curse: it has been estimated that for every $1 gained by the Government from the gaming industry, $5 is needed to treat its victims.

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?

• “Vulnerable women”, especially abandoned mothers raising children, should clearly have, or continue to have, precedence in the provision of cheap public housing.
• “No fault divorce” has created big problems; for example, where a husband and father has forsaken his family, at the very least, he should be made legally responsible for his family’s support and housing.
• Homelessness is invariably a result of deeper issues, which should be studied and treated – e.g. a rebellious youth who forsakes the reasonable discipline of loving parents in order to seek independence and “freedom”.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party would unhesitatingly remove from the statute books the outrageous obligation of a health professional to act against their conscience on this issue.
• The Victorian Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 must be the worst legislation on this subject in the Western world – it adds insult to injury.
• Killing an infant (after birth) is a heinous murder; killing that same person a few days’ earlier, in the womb, can be a legal abortion! Therefore the CDP would restore the law which criminalises abortion.

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?

• Not only would the Christian Democratic Party support a parliamentary inquiry into the reported neo-natal deaths after abortion, but we would press criminal charges against those professionals allowing such deaths to occur.
• If this argument was ever needed, this again stresses the humanity and personality of the infant in the womb.
• Our party would delete, as a matter of priority, the Abortion Law Reform Act 2008, from the legislation.

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?

• The Christian  Democratic Party would not bring on any euthanasia legislation – with or without a conscience vote.
• Palliative care for terminally ill patients is of such a standard that euthanasia ought not to be an option.
• Taking a person’s life before natural death is a dangerous precedent easily leading, for example, to the slippery slope of  immaturely terminating a relative’s life because of an inheritance benefit.

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?

• Improve the training given to full-time child carers.
• Upgrade the Victoria Police “working with children check” e.g. by conducting a face to face interview with the applicant.
• Encourage and finance selected families to temporarily foster children needing protection.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party would most definitely rule out any idea of homosexual couples adopting children.
• We are convinced that the best interests of children are served when they are raised by their biological parents – mother and father.
• Failing that, foster/adoptive parents – wife and husband – are preferable by far.

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?

• The Christian Democratic Party highly respects and supports the right of Christian schools to teach Christianly – that is the purpose for their existence.
• Part of the education of a student in a Christian school, of course, is to be made aware of how the non-Christian world thinks and why.
• More importantly, the Christian perspective on all subjects, as an antidote to godless concepts, is the rationale of Christian education.

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?

• Not only does the Christian Democratic Party strongly support CRE but a number of its members participate in its delivery.
• We are very thankful for the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and its precursor legislation, for giving a multitude of primary school children a splendid opportunity to be taught the Christian Gospel.
• No child is forced to receive this instruction in that any parent may withdraw their child from a CRE class.

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?

• In association with other Christian organisations e.g. Prison Fellowship, CDP will seek to bolster Christian instruction to the youth in our state’s prisons. Yet we must not forget that the purpose of a justice system ought to be punishment first, then rehabilitation.
• CRE (see above) can be readily seen to be a prophylactic, instructing the youngest children in our government schools in upright, godly living.
• Incorporation of released youth offenders into follow-up Christian programs e.g. Youth for Christ is highly desirable.

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?

• More funds need to be provided specifically for better mental health treatment facilities.
• Yet we ought to consider what causes or abets mental illness: illicit drug use, violent movies, pornography, alcohol misuse, as well as genetic and other factors. The Christian Gospel “renews the mind” of those who espouse it.
• Christians will be encouraged to engage in the more difficult ministry of befriending and evangelising mentally ill people.

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?

• Disabled young people need their own treatment facilities.
• More financial help should be provided to train younger carers for the disabled elderly.
• Carers who visit disabled/elderly people in their own homes perform a valuable function. This service can be consolidated and improved.

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?

• The CDP will not compromise its ideals for the sake of governing.
• As the only up-front Christian party we are committed to being a witness to godliness in the public sphere.
• This explains the fact that we are a minor party.