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NSW will holding its state level election on 23 March 2019 with one of the largest fields of candidates the state has seen in some time. FamilyVoice has completed an overview of this election and are providing the following resources to help concerned voters make an informed decision on polling day.
Policies that matter
Religious freedom
Freedom to practice one's religious belief and express those convictions in accordance with one's conscience are fundamental human rights. It is through practicing one's faith that people gain their identity and their social, civic and moral bearings
Every Australian has the right to religious freedom and this is deserving of protection in New South Wales. Ministers, churches and faith-based organisations (such as schools and charities) must be able to continue living out their faith and belief in the public square unhindered.
SRE (Special Religious Education) in Schools
We all agree that the formative years of a child have a critical bearing on their direction in life as they mature and progress into adulthood. Scripture classes provide our children with an important opportunity to ask life’s big questions and to learn about their faith.
Special Religious Education (SRE) plays a vital role in the overall education of children, helping them form correct personal, moral and ethical frameworks whilst at school.
For many children, it is the only opportunity they’ll have as a child to explore the scriptures and have their spiritual questions answered biblically.
Freedom of speech
The right to freedom of expression is fundamental to civil society and cannot be subject to any unwarranted exception or restriction. We want to ensure that the right to freedom of expression extends to any medium including written and oral communications, the media, public protest, broadcasting, artistic works and commercial advertising. The right is not absolute. It carries with it special responsibilities and may be restricted on limited grounds but must be preserved as a basic freedom.
Home schooling
The NSW Education Act 1990 currently allows parents to choose to educate their school-aged children at home. The right of parents to choose the type of schooling and the curriculum that their child learns from is a fundamental parental right that must be supported. The core idea behind homeschooling is that kids have opportunity to learn at the speed and teaching style most appropriate for them. This is often known as personalised learning and it's extremely beneficial for children who struggle with learning and comprehension. An added benefit is that it enables students to learn more about and explore the topics they really care about.
Homeschoolers don't deal with all the downsides of being around kids in a toxic school environment. There are a lot of critics that argue these downsides are actually good for toughening kids up, but kids who get bullied more often face serious mental health issues, do worse in class, and are more frequently absent at school.
Euthanasia
We need to continue to affirm an uncompromising pro-life stance that supports each person’s inalienable right to life from the moment of conception all the way to natural death. This appreciation stems from the acknowledgement that all human beings have intrinsic dignity and a deep worth that can never be diminished. This is not dependent on a certain state of health or manner of death.
Euthanasia strips an individual of that right and robs them of their dignity. Respecting people’s dignity does not mean killing them off when they are most vulnerable but rather supporting them through high quality palliative care until their natural death.
For doctors to assist a vulnerable patient to suicide essentially inverts their trusted and respected role.
It is often the case that pressure for a cost-efficient health system may warp into a preference for cheap lethal injection over expensive care. Euthanasia laws implicitly tell terminally ill people that they are a burden. Fear of being a burden is cited in 40-59% of assisted suicide requests in Oregon and Washington, USA.
In a loving society which seeks to provide support to the depressed and suicidal, it is hypocritical to create an easy "exit option" for vulnerable individuals.
Data from Oregon, where euthanasia has been legal since 1997, shows the suicide rate has climbed steadily since euthanasia was legalised in 1997 and in 2016 was 5% higher than the national average
The focus of doctors should remain on treatment to aid human lives, not end them.
We support continued efforts to make readily available better long-term palliative care solutions so that human life is preserved until natural passing.
Abortion
In NSW, approximately 25,000 – 30,000 abortions are conducted every year.
All life regardless whether born or unborn holds intrinsic value and worth. Unborn babies should not be treated as any less human just because they have not yet passed through the birth canal.
Scientific evidence proves that babies feel the excruciating pain of abortion and mothers frequently report physical harm and mental anguish following the procedure.
In any abortion not just the child dies in its mother's womb. Especially in late term abortions, something else dies in the mother's heart.
Parliament must recognise the medical advancements that have reduced the age of surviving premature birth to about 23 weeks which is a clear indication of the child's full humanity.
Our pro-life stance defends the right to life of all human beings from conception until natural death. We work to protect the most vulnerable in society – the unborn child.
The Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms) Bill
The Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms) Bill has been introduced in the Legislative Council and is awaiting debate.
As Parliament will not be sitting until after the March election, this bill will lapse when the current Parliament expires. It will then be up to an individual member to reintroduce the bill in the next session of Parliament.
You can find out more about the bill here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/bills/Pages/bill-details.aspx?pk=3515
Marriage, family and gender
Marriage provides a stable foundation for raising the next generation and it has been shown that children do best when raised by a mother and a father.
Man/woman marriage is supported by non-religious groups, atheists, and throughout all faiths.
In 2017, marriage was redefined, removing the gender requirement. With gender having been removed form marriage, there is increasing pressure to remove it from society altogether. It is important that government recognise the biological reality of gender and its implications for daily life.
Women suffer, in particular, through forced sharing of bathrooms with males and having to compete unfairly in sport.
Children who suffer gender crises need counselling and loving support, not irreversible and harmful puberty blockers and mutilating surgery.
What the parties told us*
* The Christian Democratic Party responded positively to all the below issues.
Freedom of religion
Liberals and Nationals Coalition
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals Government is committed to protecting freedom of religion.”
Last year the NSW Government introduced a new offence of publicly threatening or inciting violence against targeted people or groups, including on the grounds that a person has a specific religious belief or affiliation. For the first time in NSW, the new offence protects people from violence because of their religion. The NSW Government looks forward to considering the Commonwealth Government’s proposed legislative reforms rendering it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a person’s religious belief or activity.
One Nation
“We strongly support legislative protection of religious freedom as per our published policy: see www.nsw.onenation.org.au.
Party Policy Number 8: “Introduce new laws to protect freedom of speech, religious freedom and traditional Australian values and lifestyle (such as recreational fishing).”
Party Policy Number 9: “Outlaw the new Left-wing discrimination against men, boys, Christians and white people, including a ban on discriminatory ‘employment quotas’ and segregationist ‘safe spaces’.”
SRE (Special Religious Education) in Schools
Liberals and Nationals Coalition
State they “are strongly supportive of and committed to Special Religious Education (SRE) in NSW public schools. Under the NSW Liberals and Nationals, SRE will always be a feature of our public education system.”
One Nation
“We strongly support SRE. More than ever, the moral teachings of Christ are needed in our schools.”
Freedom of speech
Liberals and Nationals Coalition
Freedom of speech is a fundamental tenet of liberal democracy. The New South Wales Government will preserve such freedom to the extent that it does not impinge on the rights of others or the safety of our communities.
One Nation
We strongly support legislative protection as per our released policy: see www.nsw.onenation.org.au
Homeschooling
Liberals and Nationals Coalition
Under the NSW Education Act 1990 the education of a child is primarily the responsibility of the child’s parents and in NSW students must attend a government school or registered non-government or be home schooled by a registered parent or carer.
The authority for registration is NESA – the NSW Education Standards Authority.
Home schooling means that the parent takes responsibility for the education of the child or children, primarily in the child’s home. As long as the requirements for home schooling registration are met, the NSW Liberals and Nationals support the right of parents to decide when and how they provide the educational program to their child or children.
The requirements include teaching the NSW curriculum.
One Nation
We strongly support this option for parents
Euthanasia
Liberals and Nationals Coalition
“Has no plans to introduce reforms relating to euthanasia or assisted dying. Should a private member’s bill be introduced to the NSW Parliament regarding these matters, Liberal Members would be given a conscience vote.”
One Nation
“This is a conscience vote in our party, so it’s up to each individual MP.”
Abortion
Liberals and Nationals Coalition
“Does not intend to introduce legislation to reform sections 82 and 83 of the Crimes Act 1900. Should a private member’s bill be introduced to the NSW Parliament to repeal these offences, Liberal Members would be given a conscience vote.”
One Nation
“We see no need for changing the current laws. It’s a divisive and unnecessary debate proposed by Labor and the Greens.”
Religious Discrimination Act
Liberal and National Coalition
“The Commonwealth Government has accepted the recommendation of the Expert Panel report into religious freedom chaired by the Honourable Philip Ruddock to introduce legislation rendering it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a person’s ‘religious belief or activity’.
Subsequently, the Commonwealth Government announced that the Australian Law Reform Commission will conduct an inquiry into religious exemptions in anti-discrimination law, including those relating to educational institutions.
The NSW Liberals and Nationals Government will carefully consider any ALRC recommendations once they become available. Consistency between state and Commonwealth legislation is desirable.
One Nation
We have released a policy to outlaw religious discrimination in NSW, consistent with the values of Western civilisation, of which Christianity is an essential pillar.
Marriage, Family and Gender
One Nation
“We strongly support the integral value of the nuclear family in our society and oppose the gender fluidity concept. We have released a policy to limit transgender identification in NSW to where there is supporting expert medical evidence and advice. Self-identification should not be possible, especially in schools.”
Liberal and National Coalition
No relevant response.
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