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This article is about the Australian political party. For the New Hampshire health charity, please see Families First

The Family First Party is a political party in Australia. Its policies emphasise socially conservative family values.

The party was founded in South Australia in time to contest the 2002 state elections, when former Assemblies of God pastor Dr Andrew Evans became its first MLC, winning a seat in the South Australian Legislative Council. A second MLC, pharmaceutical executive Dennis Hood, was elected at the 2006 South Australian election.

In the October 2004 federal election it contested seats all over Australia, generally exchanging preferences with Liberal candidates (but in some seats exchanging preferences with the Australian Labor Party). At that election the party was successful in electing their first and at present only federal politician Steve Fielding, Senator for Victoria.

Although officially secular and eschewing religious labels, many of its candidates and members are from conservative Christian backgrounds.

Structure

Family First is incorporated as a limited liability company overseen by a Board of Directors. A National Conference occurs at least once every two years for policy formulation and to endorse candidates. Federal and State branches have Annual General Meetings that are open to all members.

Political relations

Family First and the Australian Greens are often at odds, with Family First often referring to the Greens as "extreme" in their media statements. The two parties are in competition for Senate preferences, particularly from the Labor Party, and ideologically opposed on many issues. In the 2006 Victorian election, Family First's limited television advertising campaign specifically singled out the Greens for criticism .

Religious affiliation

Family First co-founder Pastor Andrew Evans was the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Australia for twenty years. In the 2002 South Australian election and the 2004 Federal Election, a number of Family First candidates were church members. In New South Wales, 11 of their 23 candidates for the 2004 federal election were from an Assemblies of God church, the Hawkesbury Church in Windsor

South Australian Family First Member of the Legislative Council Dennis Hood, the party's state parliamentary leader, is a member of the Rostrevor Baptist Church. When Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers stated that Hood was an anti-evolution Creationist, Hood did not deny this in his response, while he did attempt to set the record straight on issues of policy.

Family First's preferencing agreement with the Coalition (Australia) in the 2004 federal election led Barnaby Joyce, the National senate candidate for Queensland, to publicly slam the party the day before the election, calling them "the lunatic Right", and stating that "these are not the sort of people you do preference deals with". Joyce's comments came in response to a pamphlet published by one of the party's Victorian Senate candidates, Danny Nalliah who in his capacity as a church pastor had criticised other religions and homosexuality.

In September 2004, party leader Andrea Mason said that Family First is not a Christian party and Family First Federal Secretary Dr Matt Burnet issued a press release stating:

"The party is not a church party or an Assembly of God party, nor is it funded by AOG churches. It does see itself as socially conservative, with Family Values based on Christian ethics. Like any main-stream party we do not have on record the religious affiliations of any of our members. The Board of Reference in South Australia includes business-people, members of the medical profession, as well as ministers and people from Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Uniting and other church groups. The rapid national growth of the party leading into this election and the late decision to contest in all seats possible, has meant that in some states there are candidates, with strong family values, who have been introduced to the party through the personal relationships they have from their involvement in community/church networks".

However, news reportage continued to associate the party with Assemblies of God, as did concerned church member Nathan Zamprogno, who commented publicly about the intersection of politics and the church.

Policies

Abortion

According to their web site, Family First say that they will "seek to promote recognition and valuing of the inherent dignity of each human being from conception. In this context, Family First is opposed to the medical treatment procedure of abortion."

Asylum seekers

Family First contends that it has a 'compassionate' stance towards asylum seekers, supporting fast on-shore processing. In what would have been a deciding vote, Federal leader Steve Fielding opposed the Liberal Government to ensure that asylum seekers to Australia are not processed in overseas detention facilities. This resulted in the government not proceeding with the proposed legislation

Drugs

Family First oppose harm reduction as a primary strategy for combating drug abuse, instead favouring prevention, zero tolerance, rehabilitation, and avoidance.

Environment

Family First's environment and resources policy states that "Family First is committed to the environment as essential to ensuring the health and happiness of future generations of families".

In the South Australian parliament, Family First MPs have taken outspoken positions on environmental topics such as desalination schemes and the Murray-Darling Basin. Family First MPs also successfully lobbied the government to include an interim 2020 greenhouse reduction target in Climate Change legislation.

In the 2006 Victorian election, Family First advocated several positions that that the Australian Conservation Foundation viewed as non-environmental. These positions included the construction of new dams to increase water supplies , arguing for a reduction in fuel taxes , arguing against cuts to existing logging agreements, and specifically supporting continued access to public lands for "recreational fishing, shooting and hunting" .

Euthanasia

Family First is opposed to euthanasia, holding the view that "the duty of health carers is to promote health, relieve suffering and safeguard life". Instead, they favour palliative care.

Sexuality

Family First opposes LGBT adoption, IVF treatment for lesbians, and opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions, stating their declaration of marriage as "a union of a man and a woman". Family First's only official LGBT rights-related policy is that "all co-dependents should not be discriminated against – whether Homosexual or not".

In the 2004 federal election the party directed preferences to the Coalition ahead of Labor except in the seats of Brisbane and Leichhardt. The party's lead senate candidate in Queensland, John Lewis indicated that the reason was the public advocacy on gay issues of the Liberal candidates for those seats.

Indigenous Australians

Family First was the first party in Australia to nominate an Aboriginal woman, lawyer Andrea Mason, as party President. The party did hope to attract a large Aboriginal vote in South Australia where Andrea Mason was touted as possibly the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to parliament.

Although Family First's policy on indigenous Australians does not specifically address the Stolen Generation, Mason has said: "I think there is a cobweb, there is a veil over our country... in terms of this unresolved issue... I think that there will be a significant change in the way we perceive ourselves and our relationships with each other when there is an apology made to the stolen generations".

Industrial Relations

Family First is opposed to some aspects of the Howard government's Australian Workplace Agreement measures, campaigning against the measures in the Federal Senate . In his Maiden Speech, Senator Steve Fielding argued for a fairer work / rest / and 'family time' or leisure balance in opposing the measures.

Pornography

Family First's internet pornography policy calls for a "Mandatory Filtering Scheme at the ISP Server Level" as a matter of child protection.

"It is a national travesty that is so easily fixed if the Government and the opposition would exercise their moral will and pass legislation that requires Internet Service Providers (ISP's) to provide a compulsory filtering of pornography on the Internet... Adults can elect to opt out, but we are putting ISP's on notice that greater diligence is required", said Andrea Mason in a media release on Wednesday, 25 August 2004.

War in Iraq

Family First believes that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was wrong because diplomatic avenues had not been exhausted, but that having participated in that invasion Australia is now obliged to protect Iraqis and Australians in Iraq through a military presence.

Notes

1. Toni Hassan (2004-09-29). "The Religion Report". Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
2. Mike Seccombe (2004-09-24). "Behind Family First is a clan of true believers". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax.
3. "This Hood's hardly one of the boyz". Sunday Mail (Adelaide). 2006-08-13.
4. "Family First far from extremists". Sunday Mail (Adelaide). 2006-08-27.
5. Karen Barlow & Nance Haxton (2004-09-20). "Family First Party campaigns on family values". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation Local Radio.
6. Jana Wendt (2005-07-03). "Hillsong: Songs of praise — and politics (Transcript)". Sunday. Nine.
7. Dasey, Daniel (10 October 2004). "Deal with Family First delivers for Coalition". The Sun-Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. "Family First refuses preference swap with lesbians". The Age. 5 October 2004. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Family First Party official site
• Senator Steve Fielding official site
• Family First Media blog - "Dedicated to keeping a record of media articles, press releases and speeches by or about the Family First Party"

• Political parties established in 2002
• Political parties in Australia
• Conservative parties