Polling prior to the March 13 Election in WA suggests that the incumbent Labor government will retain government, largely due to the single-beat media drumming for months on COVID-19 and overlooking other fundamental freedom issues.
Christians and conservatives who are deeply concerned about family and pro-life values need to consider carefully how their vote will impact the laws and policies of the major parties in 2021.
FamilyVoice supporters are encouraged to support parties that uphold pro-life and pro-family values, which are fundamental to all human rights.
This year, we have produced two WA Vote Wisely guides. One compares the major parties, and another compares a strong pro-life party, the Australian Christians, with the major parties.
FamilyVoice has learned from a reliable source that pro-life Labor MPs were pressured by the WA Premier and the Health Minister into voting on party lines on euthanasia, to legalise deadly poisons for vulnerable dying patients, and we, therefore, expect that they will inevitably be pressured on expected future bills that expand regulations around surrogacy or abortion.
This should not come as a surprise, as the WA Premier and Labor leader Mark McGowan has a long record of taking positions that are deeply concerning to Christian voters.
Mark McGowan voted in 1998 to legalise abortion up to 20 weeks and beyond in certain circumstances. Since the 1998 Act passed, over 180,000 kids have been killed, and around 1 in 5 preborn children are killed in the womb every year in WA.
Mark McGowan voted in 2007 to legalise the creation and destruction of human preborn embryos for unproven stem cell experimentation. The most horrifying portion in the Bill legalised “hybrid embryos”, combining human eggs and animal sperm.
Mark McGowan carried through on his 2016 promise to legalise euthanasia of vulnerable dying patients. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill (2020) is far more dangerous than the Victorian legislation. Patients may self-administer poison without supervision. Doctors are compelled to falsify the death certificate. Medical staff who conscientiously object are forced to provide information on the scheme. There is no requirement for secure poison storage. Doctors are not prohibited from steering patients towards suicide. Doctors, at any stage, can initiate a discussion on treatment, palliative care, and euthanasia options, in one visit with a patient.
Mark McGowan has broken his assurances that supporting same-sex “marriage” would not impact upon churches or faith-based schools and organisations. His Government now supports removing the freedom of faith-based schools to employ or exclude staff that upholds the parent’s wishes for the school’s values. His government has requested that the WA Law Reform Commission review the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) which is currently in the pre-consultation phase. The Labor government funding of ‘Safe Schools’ and ‘Inclusive Education’ programs led to extreme gender ideology becoming embedded in the curriculums of most state schools and some private schools.
Mark McGowan’s key ministers have expressed support for bans on “change practises” on gender and sexuality issues. Health Minister Roger Cook said, “I am strongly opposed to and do not support the use of sexual orientation change efforts of any kind. … practices that attempt to change sexual orientation are abhorrent …” Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health, Ms Alanna Clohesy MLC said in September 2020 that if the government were to implement such ‘conversion therapy’ legislation, then a Bill “similar to Victoria’s could be considered in the future.”
Laws banning counselling for homosexual or gender-confused people have passed in ACT, Queensland and Victoria. The worst law, in Victoria, prescribes up to 10 years jail and fines up to $200,000, even if the person consented and someone else issues the complaint. Even interstate and online support or prayer by a therapist, counsellor, or pastor is prohibited, and churches may be fined up to $500,000 for prayer or personal counselling to seek sexual purity.
Pro-life voters must remember that the Liberal party is a “broad church” party, as many of its MPs voted to legalise euthanasia, including the party’s leader Zak Kirkup. There are many conservative Christian Liberal candidates, along with the enduring pro-life lawyer Hon Nick Goiran MLC, but this will be a minority group in the party if some of them are elected.
The Liberal Party has told FamilyVoice that they have “no plans for a ‘parental rights’ Bill” similar to the one backed by Mark Latham. Their party also have “no plans for amending the equal opportunity laws in Western Australia to remove the current exceptions applying to religious institutions”. The Liberal Party did not commit to fortifying protections for religious schools or institutions regarding the hiring of venues and staff.
The Nationals and Liberals say that their MPs will have a conscience vote on Victorian-like “change and suppression” legislation, if it was introduced by Labor. The Australian Christians, Liberal Democrats and One Nation parties have committed to vote against such legislation.
Please consider carefully how your vote for parties who uphold pro-family values will send a message to major parties.
Early voting centres open on 24th February, and are listed in the document that you can download below. Up to 70 per cent of votes will be cast via these centres or via post. Please share our Vote Wisely guides as widely as possible. Please pray with us that Christians who stand for core-Christian values in Parliament will be elected, and that the Christian vote will be strongly demonstrated on election night.
