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Scott Morrison

On election night, one side started with belief which soon became disbelief. The other side started with unbelief which became incredulous belief.

The Prime Minister then gave us the words that will echo through time: “I have always believed in miracles!”

Antony Green is predicting Bass and Chisholm will join the Coalition bringing the number of seats to 77. There is still the possibility that Macquarie will be won by the Liberal party as well.  The news about the Senate may not be quite so miraculous but there are signs of life as it stirs from its prolonged coma.

So many Christians and social conservatives will be thankful that the social agenda of the Labor Party and Greens has been checked. However the Labor states may not believe that their social agenda was part of the reason why federal Labor is still the Opposition.  We must watch and pray.

The untold story of this election may be how Christians were driven to prayer, protest and to push back against the erosion of Christian values in schools and society generally.  

For us at FamilyVoice, it is both gratifying and humbling to have played a small role alongside our supporters and with so many others in this chapter in the national story. It is a historical moment and efforts of all who have worked and prayed will be remembered.

I am so thankful to all who gave to FamilyVoice during the pre-election period so we could play our part in giving Christian voice for family, faith and freedom. 

Now more than ever it’s time to work and pray for a society in which all children in the womb will be born into loving families, where children in our schools will be safe from dangers social, sexual and ideological, where couples love each other and honour their marriage vows, where the aged and infirm will end their days surrounded by family and friends, where Christians give others reason to believe and where all people treasure the great freedoms that have made our nation the place we love and cherish.  It’s not just about winning elections – it’s about changing the culture.

Now more than ever it’s time to work and pray so that miracles might happen more frequently, where more people say “I have always believed in miracles” and when someone does something miraculous someone else will say ‘He just did a ScoMo’. 

voting

FamilyVoice Australia has worked hard ahead of the federal election to raise concerns about the ALP’s highly problematic republic ambitions.

While FamilyVoice is neutral on the republican question, we are keen to ensure any change is done fairly, with both sides of the case presented at a referendum.
 
In our view the ALP plan for a plebiscite or postal survey would undermine public confidence while offering no executable alternative. We are also concerned about the plan to appoint a minister for the republic without government firstly obtaining permission to action constitutional change by referendum.
 
To raise concern with candidates standing for the House of Representatives election we have sent out a briefing paper, that we encourage you to read on our website.   
 
70 candidates in 58 lower house seats have indicated support for our recommendation that Parliament legislate to prevent executive government spending public money to ask the people questions about modifying the Commonwealth Constitution, except via referendum.
 
We are thrilled to report to you that as a result of our communications the Democratic Labour Party has adopted our strategy as policy.
 
Additionally, here are some of the positive comments we’ve received from several candidates:

  • You can rest assured that I will defend the Australian Constitution with my life, the only way it can be changed is via referendum.
  • Thank you for your email that has educated me.
  • I agree. We don't want to mess around with the Constitution by having non compulsory postal voting.
  • I would vote to not allow the government wasting our money modifying our Australian Constitution without a referendum. Even if I am not elected I would be kicking up a stink.
  • Thank you, not many people start with “congratulations” so I appreciate the detail. ... What you are saying is that people should be left clear to make their choice without fear or influence. In this way it’s the ultimate respect for people; space for them to decide or choose what they want.
  • I totally agree. I’m very disappointed with the current blatant use of taxpayer funds by members of Parliament to push their own barrow and policies just before an election.  The system is currently broken. If I am lucky enough to be elected to the House of Representatives in May, I will strongly object, standing in Parliament, to the current obscene pork-barrelling and use of public funds to gain partisan support for any particular political party's policies.
  • My answer to your question is "Yes". ... We have seen the softening up and back door approach at work already with the same sex union postal survey, which to this day people call a 'vote'. It was a stitch up job, from the get go, with the wording designed with one end in mind.

 
Let’s now pray especially for lower house candidates who are willing to take action we’ve encouraged, so that if they are elected they would stand strong in defence of the people and the Constitution.
 
Here is a list of those House of Representatives candidates. And please don’t forget to pray for the pro-life Senate candidates.
 
To the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any other groups that have sought to identify where lower house candidates stand on a key constitutional question, and where upper house candidates stand on abortion. We are thankful to God for the opportunity to advise candidates in this critical election, concerned Christians and many others, ahead of the election.
 
Additionally, our Vote Wisely Guide that highlights the policies of the two major parties has reached around 300,000 on Facebook. Also, sponsors have placed it as a full page spread in the West Australian newspaper on 16th May. It is gratifying to be of service.

In any election, every vote counts – but some count more than others. Your preferences are critical! Make sure your vote counts.

The final, critical Upper House seats in the NSW State election were decided by the failure of moderate and conservative voters to preference wisely. Preferences made all the difference.

Antony Green tweeted about the NSW Election: “The flood of preferences to Animal Justice Party and failure of flow from the right cost the Christian Democrats the last seat.”

 


Centre and Centre-right voters usually vote for the party they consider the best managers of the economy. This is always important because if a party can’t manage the economy it can’t manage the country. It can take decades to undo the damage to the economy and pay down the debt burden. 

But there is something more important… It can take generations to undo the damage to children caused by the political influences in the education sector.

Families will never recover from the loss of children because of the abortion ideology that the unborn are not human and have no rights.   

Freedom of speech and religion are the lamps that lights society and if we let them go out it may take generations to light them again.

Seats may be decided upon a handful of votes. Your vote must count and the only way you can be sure is to preference wisely and completely.  

Preference wisely

Remember Antony Green’s comment regarding the NSW Election:  “The flood of preferences to Animal Justice Party and failure of flow from the right cost the Christian Democrats the last seat.”

The number of parties listed above the line has grown considerably – except in NT and ACT. If you know what all the parties stand for then preference below the line – at least 80% but preferably all. 

If this is too complicated, then vote above the line, preference all parties not just 6 – putting the parties with known Christian or family values first and those extreme social policies last. 

Bernard Gaynor observed that the failure of preference flows from the political right in NSW was in part the result of 16,036 Australian Conservative voters failing to preference any other party. Had they preferenced the CDP, the CDP would have won the last seat in place of the Animal Justice Party.

Our Vote Wisely handout lists the vital moral issues at stake. 

Our How to vote in the Senate lists pro-life candidates to pray for.  

Make this federal election vote a conscience vote on the moral issues but don’t ignore sound economic management.   

Protecting constitutional process and public confidence

A briefing prepared by David d’Lima, SA State Director, FamilyVoice Australia – 10 May 2019

The Australian Labor Party’s republican ambition is being largely ignored by commentators ahead of the 2019 federal election. While FamilyVoice Australia acknowledges the right of a political party to have a view on a major constitutional change, it must occur in accord with the Commonwealth Constitution and in a manner that maintains public confidence in the Parliament and the process.

Further a proposal of this magnitude should be well publicized, the public should be well informed and it should be conducted in a fair and even-handed manner. This cannot be about political point-scoring.

The republican policy of the ALP was most recently enunciated in its 2018 National Platform:

67. Modernising our Constitution also entails a transition to an Australian Republic, with an Australian Head of State, who can fully represent our traditions, values and aspirations as a nation. Labor will hold a national vote to give every Australian voter a voice in the process of becoming a republic with an Australian Head of State. If the result is yes, Labor will consult with the Australian people, other political parties and the States and Territories as to the form the Republic should take. A member of the Labor ministry will promote community debate about the advantages and disadvantages of the various republican models. When detailed constitutional changes are prepared Labor will initiate an appropriate secondary referendum under section 128 of the Constitution.

https://www.alp.org.au/media/1539/2018_alp_national_platform_constitution.pdf

According to a report by 9news on the 2015 ALP Conference:The party also agreed to a road map to a republic, including appointing a minister for the republic and holding a constitutional convention followed by a plebiscite to determine the best model before holding a referendum.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/key-points-from-alp-conference-on-friday/1b7a1493-c117-4e5f-bdec-1f96dcd2d7b7

Public confidence

The ALP goes into the election promising a government-sponsored national vote without providing detail on the nature of the change. Whilst the party is entitled to seek constitutional reform, it must be done with due respect for the Constitution.  

It would be improper for any government to attempt such reform without respecting the constitutional mechanism (s128) by which voters must receive a proposed law, not an in-principle idea, so they can vote intelligently in a manner which binds the Parliament.

It is therefore not appropriate to hold a national vote upon a question such as ‘Should Australia become a republic with an Australian Head of State? Yes/No’. This fails the constitutional requirement for a specific executable alternative to the current arrangement. The ALP strategy as it stands appears to be an attempt to soften voters up, by firstly asking a generic question about an Australian head of state. The seriousness of the issue requires a mature, even-handed approach that is truly democratic and not driven by spin doctors.

There is also a real risk that Parliament may receive a positive indication of republican sentiment from the voters, but might fail to produce a model for a subsequent referendum, leading to a loss of public confidence.

A Minister for the Republic

A second concern is the proposed Minister for the Republic, following the appointment (in 2017) by the ALP of MP Matt Thistlethwaite as “Shadow Assistant Minister for an Australian Head of State”. Since the Constitution (s64) provides for the Queen’s Ministers of State it would be inappropriate (and arguably illegal) for executive councillors to advise the Crown to appoint a minister for its own demise, without a directive for change obtained in a referendum that gained assent from most of the voters in most of the States (s128). No Minister for the Republic should be appointed under the existing Constitution.

The High Court would inevitably be drawn into such matters. It may be asked to rule whether the Crown may lawfully appoint a minister for its own demise. It could be asked to adjudicate whether all the six states must agree before we may radically rework the “one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown” (as enunciated in the Preamble to the Constitution - which is part of the legislation that enabled Federation).

Protecting the people and the Constitution

While FamilyVoice Australia is not expressing a view on the republican question in this statement, we are respectfully advising the public and the parliamentary candidates about the ALP’s ambition and its ensuing risks.

Therefore ahead of the 2019 federal election we are urging candidates for Parliament to consider if the ALP's republican strategy is promoting this cause in a manner not entirely in keeping with the Constitution.

Further, it would be prudent for Parliament to find a mechanism to prevent governments attempting to secure constitutional changes through publically-funded plebiscites, postal surveys, or a misuse of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Such a mechanism would help to prevent the apparent manipulation of due process which may result in a loss of public confidence in the Parliament.

We therefore are asking candidates the following question of ahead of polling day:

If elected, would you vote to prevent executive government spending public money to ask the people questions about modifying the Commonwealth Constitution, except via referendum?

pastor

Many issues are demanding the attention of voters in the upcoming election, but the protection of defenceless human life is paramount.

The long-term impact on our nation of state sponsored abortion is very dark.

FamilyVoice Australia has been working hard to identify pro-life Senate candidates who greatly need our prayers.

We are appalled that the ALP has adopted a party policy nationally to require public hospitals to conduct abortions. The plan is for abortion to be available into the last three months of pregnancy at all public hospitals. There is no intention to support or counsel women under duress who may be considering abortion primarily as a form of birth control or sex selection.

We recognise challenges arise from an unplanned pregnancy, but the unborn child must always be treasured and protected. This is a great challenge to people of Christian conscience in our nation and a high priority prayer issue.

We are encouraging prayer for candidates we understand to be pro-life so they would vote against widening the availability of abortion, or against euthanasia in the territories, if elected. We encourage you to pray for these pro-life candidates, and any others yet to be identified.

Completing the Senate ballot paper to maximise your vote

Regardless of which party wins government in the House of Representatives, it is imperative to vote wisely in the Senate.

On your large white Senate ballot paper, it is valid to vote 1-6 (or more) above the line, or to vote 1-12 (or more) below the line.

However, when voters take the quick and easy option of numbering 1-6 above the line, their vote is allocated to candidates who are listed by the parties in the order shown below the line on the ballot paper. But you may not like that order.

We recommend you make your own allocation of preferences by numbering 1-12 or more below the line, thereby preferencing candidates of your choice, regardless of the ordering specified by political parties.

No matter which party wins government (in the House of Representatives) the Senate’s composition will be crucial to shaping the future - so please vote wisely.

You can view a more detailed explanation of the Senate Voting procedure on our website.

In closing, if you find this email helpful, please forward it to friends you think would appreciate receiving it. Your active participation as a good citizen is greatly needed.