Family First gay scare campaign

Family First NSW has been accused of scaremongering after leader Dr Gordon Moyes sent a newsletter to constituents that claimed a secret alliance between Labor and the Greens would see same-sex adoption and “marriage registration” for same-sex couples legalised within months.

“There has been a series of meetings between the members of the Labor Party and the Greens Party to form an alliance that will seek to push through Parliament some unacceptable legislation in the next few months before both state and federal elections,” Moyes wrote.

“The Premier’s Department, it is said, has ordered the Department of Community Services Minister Linda Burney to meet with Greens Lee Rhiannon to get up legislation allowing for same-sex child adoption and same-sex marriage registration.”

NSW Greens leader Lee Rhiannon said no such meeting had occurred.

“The Greens would welcome the opportunity to meet with Labor or any political party to advance the cause of same-sex adoption,” Rhiannon told Southern Star.

“Unfortunately Labor in NSW is not talking about this issue … It is off the agenda for the ALP in the lead-up to the state election and Reverend Moyes knows that.

“His writings about the Greens, same-sex adoption and marriage equality are designed to dog-whistle conservative voters in the hope he can outdo the Christian Democrats at the state election.

“This is another ugly example of the conservative religious-based parties chasing the homophobic vote.”

The claims come as Family First NSW announced the appointment of former Commonwealth Bank executive Neville Cox as party chairman. Cox is the Australasian regional director for Focus on the Family, a Christian group with a history of promoting the notion that homosexuality is a treatable condition.

Moyes was unavailable for comment or to confirm Cox’s personal views.