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| : ''This article is about the Australian political party. For the New Hampshire health charity, please see ]'' | |||
| {{Infobox Australian Political Party | | |||
| party_name = Family First Party| | |||
| party_logo = ] | | |||
| party_wikicolourid = Family First | | |||
| leader = ] | | |||
| foundation = ] | | |||
| ideology = ],<br>] | | |||
| headquarters = PO Box 1042<br />] ] 5074| | |||
| holds_government = Nowhere| | |||
| website = | | |||
| international = No affiliation | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''Family First Party''' is a ] in ]. Its policies emphasise ] ]. | |||
| The party was founded in ] in time to contest the ], when former ] pastor ] became its first ], winning a seat in the ]. A second MLC, pharmaceutical executive ], was elected at the ]. | |||
| In the ] it contested seats all over Australia, generally exchanging ] with ] candidates (but in some seats exchanging preferences with the ]). At that election the party was successful in electing their first and at present only federal politician ], ] for ]. | |||
| Although officially ] and eschewing religious labels, many of its candidates and members are from ] backgrounds. | |||
| ==Election Results== | |||
| ===2002 South Australian Election=== | |||
| The first election Family First contested was the ]. ] received a primary vote of 4.02% which, with preferences from other parties, was sufficient to get him elected to one of the 11 seats available in the ]. | |||
| ===2004 Federal Election === | |||
| The party agreed to share House of Representatives preferences with the ]-] ] at the ] (with some exceptions discussed below). | |||
| Family First did better than expected at the election{{Fact|date=February 2007}}, picking up 1.76 percent of the vote nationally, and outpolling the ] by more than 40,000 votes. This resulted in an unexpected victory in ], where candidate ] was elected on preferences to the Federal Senate, despite receiving significantly fewer primary votes (56,376 or 1.88% Group Totals) than ]' ] (263,551 or 8.80% Group Totals). | |||
| The party also came close to picking up other Senate seats in ] (largely due to surplus Liberal votes, because Liberal polled over three quotas but only stood three candidates) and in ] where the then party leader ] narrowly missed out (polling 3.98% and receiving Liberal preferences). Their preferences also assisted the performance of the governing Liberal Party in several House of Representatives seats,{{Fact|date=October 2007}} such as in the highly marginal South Australian seat of ]. | |||
| ===State Elections since 2004=== | |||
| In the 2005 Western Australian Election, Family First polled just over 2% in the Legislative Council (although only contesting 5 of 6 seats). Interestingly, in 2005, the Liberal member for Ningaloo, Rod Sweetman, and ] (who was defeated in Liberal preselection for a further term) offered to serve out their parliamentary terms as a Family First members - an offer which was rejected by Family First due to their both supporting a bill for decriminalisation of abortion in 1998. | |||
| In the ], Family First's vote increased to 4.98% in the Legislative Council, and a second Member of the Legislative Council was elected - former pharmaceutical executive ]. In several rural and outer metropolitan seats, Family First's vote approached 10% - and in the seat of Kavel, ] achieved a vote of 15.7%. In the Legislative Council, Family First shares the ] with the other minor parties and independents. | |||
| The 2006 Queensland State Election saw Family First receive a primary vote of 7% in contested seats (many seats were not contested), with a high of 14.5% and several other seats posting results of 10% . Queensland does not have an Upper House, and these results were insufficient for any candidates to be elected. | |||
| The 2006 Victorian State Election saw Family First's vote increase from 1.9% to 4.27% of first preferences , however no candidates were elected. | |||
| ==Internal structure == | |||
| Family First is registered as a limited liability company with day to day party decisions being made by the board of directors rather than the party as a whole. 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, which are open to all members. | |||
| == Policies == | |||
| A complete list of Family First's declared policies may be found on their website. | |||
| === 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 ] 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 ] as a primary strategy for combating drug abuse, instead favouring prevention, zero tolerance, ], 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 ], Family First advocated several positions that that the ] 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 ], holding the view that "the duty of health carers is to promote health, relieve suffering and safeguard life". Instead, they favour ]. | |||
| === Sexuality === | |||
| Family First opposes ], IVF treatment for ], and opposes ] and ], stating their declaration of marriage as "a union of a man and a woman". Family First's only official ]-related policy is that "all co-dependents should not be discriminated against – whether Homosexual or not". | |||
| In the ] the party directed preferences to the Coalition ahead of Labor except in the seats of ] and ]<ref>{{cite news | last=Dasey | first=Daniel | title=Deal with Family First delivers for Coalition | publisher=] | date=] ] | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/Election-2004/Deal-with-Family-First-delivers-for-Coalition/2004/10/10/1097261869418.html}}</ref>. 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<ref>{{cite news | title=Family First refuses preference swap with lesbians | publisher=] | date=] ] | url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/05/1096871859778.html}}</ref>. | |||
| === Indigenous Australians === | |||
| Family First was the first party in Australia to nominate an Aboriginal woman, lawyer ], 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 does not specifically address the ], 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 ] measures, campaigning against the measures in the Federal Senate . In his ], Senator ] argued for a fairer work / rest / and 'family time' or leisure balance in opposing the measures. | |||
| === Pornography === | |||
| Family First's ] policy calls for a "Mandatory ] 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 ] 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. | |||
| == Christian connections == | |||
| There have been regular claims that Family First is an ']' party, or ] political party.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} That issue is the subject of dispute. Australia's political climate is predominantly ] and there is general disapproval of overt public manifestations of faith{{Fact|date=August 2007}}. In 2004, then party leader ] said that "we are not a Christian party" - a sentiment echoed by others in the party at that time. | |||
| Co-founder ] was the General Superintendent of the ] for twenty years. In the first South Australian election and the 2004 Federal Election, Family First fielded a number of candidates from churches, including a number of Assemblies of God churches. | |||
| In the first South Australian election and the 2004 Federal Election, Family First fielded a number of candidates from churches, including a number of Assemblies of God churches. In ], 11 of their 23 candidates for the ] were from a single Assemblies of God church, the Hawkesbury Church in ]<ref>Seccombe, Mike: , ] September 24, ]</ref>. | |||
| South Australian Family First Member of the Legislative Council ], the party's state parliamentary leader, is a member of the ]. When ] columnist ] stated that Hood was an anti-evolution ]<ref>This Hood's hardly one of the boyz; Sunday Mail (Adelaide). August 13, 2006</ref>, Hood did not deny this in his response, while he did attempt to set the record straight on issues of policy.<ref>Family First far from extremists; Sunday Mail (Adelaide). August 27, 2006</ref> | |||
| In the 2004 election, the Family First-Coalition preference arrangement caused some controversy when, the day before the election, Queensland ] senate candidate ] publicly slammed the party, 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, ] who in his capacity as a church pastor had criticised other religions and homosexuality. | |||
| In 2004, Family First Federal Secretary Dr Matt Burnet issued a press release entitled 'Setting the Record Straight' contending: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| "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". | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| ==Relations with other parties== | |||
| Family First and the ] 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 ], 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 . | |||
| ==Controversy== | |||
| Family First candidate, Andrew Quah, was expelled from the party during the 2007 election campaign after nude photos of himself appeared on ] ] around Australia. Quah claimed the photos were composites digitally altered in ]. He later admitted to viewing ] himself, despite his party's anti-porn policy.<ref name="SMH_Meet">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/federalelection2007news/family-firsts-member-for-nowhere/2007/10/28/1193555533377.html | title=Meet Family First's member for nowhere | publisher='']'' | date=2004-10-29 | accessdate=2007-10-29}}</ref> | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| <references /> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * - includes official policies | |||
| * | |||
| * - unofficial; maintained by a party member | |||
| * - ''"Dedicated to keeping a record of media articles, press releases and speeches by or about the Family First Party"'' | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| *, ], 16 October 2004 | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{Politics of Australia}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||