Family First gets party status

Family First NSW will be an official party at the next state election after signing up 853 members in under three months and paying a $2000 registration fee to the Australian Electoral Commission.

The party gained its first representative in NSW last November when former Christian Democrat-turned-independent Dr Gordon Moyes MLC agreed to be its leader.

In an exclusive interview with Sydney Star Observer this week, Moyes allayed fears t his party would seek to roll back gay and lesbian rights.

“We have no intention to seek repeals of any sort,” Moyes said.

Moyes said his party would consider future reforms benefiting gay and lesbian people. “We … would consider supporting changes to unjust laws as I have done to support rights to superannuation, travel benefits for partners, etc.”

However, Moyes said he was unaware of any remaining areas gay and lesbian people were treated unjustly under state laws and would oppose a Victorian-style relationship registration scheme in NSW.

“Such registrations are not compulsory and they do not confer legal rights as does a marriage. Same-sex partners may make a written declaration that they are sharing their lives together,” he said.

“Because so many same-sex couples break up with so many being left without adequate compensation for what they put into the relationship, I feel registration achieves little unless it has a legal right to recompense.”

Family First, through its federal representative, Victorian senator Steve Fielding, has opposed both same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Moyes has issued a press release declaring the NSW Government’s inaction on same-sex adoption reform to be a “victory for families”.

“No matter how he dresses and how competent in the kitchen he may be or what he calls himself, Mrs Doubtfire can never be the same as the children’s own mother,” he wrote.

Moyes was thrown out of the CDP last year after questioning the integrity of the Reverend Fred Nile and complaining the language Nile used to describe gay and lesbian people and Muslims amounted to vilification.
Moyes does not oppose gays and lesbians being foster carers.