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My first political party conference ever! On Saturday, 2 September, about 150 people gathered in the Zenith Theatre, Chatswood, New South Wales, to hear ten brilliant presentations.

I did not know what to expect. But I came away most impressed! I only knew three people when I arrived, so I spent the time saying hello to perfect strangers, whom I found to be so welcoming and friendly. Nobody told them to be friendly, as often happens in churches! I had no sense that anyone was more important than anyone else. It was a coming together of ordinary Australians, passionate about changing the political landscape for the better.

Family First Party was originally founded in 2002 and ran till 2017. It was based in South Australia but also elected to the Australian Senate, notably, Steve Fielding (2005-2011). Lyle Shelton is the leader of the rebirthed national Family First Party from 2021.

Family First exists to restore Australia by restoring the primacy of the family in public policy. This will be achieved through a grassroots political party which raises courageous voices in our nation’s parliaments. We will fight against the radical anti-family attitudes and policies of modern politics.

Taking a Stand for the Family

Families are the glue that binds us together. Destroy the family and destroy the nation. Family First is based on the Judeo-Christian ethic, but is a party for people of all faiths and none. It is not specifically a Christian party, as the message putting family first rings true for Muslims and Hindus alike.

Kirralie Smith, of Binary Australia, called out every level of government for sidelining the family:

She is a passionate wife and mother who challenges our political leaders to protect our children, parents’ rights, women’s spaces and services, sport, the military and education from radical gender ideology. Kirralie held a leadership position for the Australian Conservatives, and since 2019, Kirralie has focussed on the regressive left’s campaign to de-gender society.

“I want to be able to look my children in the eye and say I did everything I could to protect them. Truth matters and it is worth fighting for.”

Wendy Francis, of the Australian Christian Lobby, focused on child protection. The children left to die from ‘failed’ abortions; toddlers being sold ‘deddy bears’ from Big W; 30% of children failing national tests in literacy and numeracy; and the initiative to protect children from gambling and pornography online.

Dr Elizabeth Taylor unpacked the dangerous Queer Theory with their unfounded idea that the nuclear family is a mere tool of capitalism and must be dismantled. She also unpacked SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) and the gender-affirming philosophy sweeping Australia.

History Matters

John Anderson, our former Deputy Prime Minister, exhorted us to beware of three dangers in ascending order: terrorism, miscalculation on the part of superpowers, and the day we despise our history. He also described two revolutions:

1. The Sinai or Exodus Revolution that started when the children of Israel escaped slavery in Egypt and progressed through Magna Carta and the American War of Independence.
2. Carl Marx, Lenin, the French Revolution, then the Russian and Chinese Revolutions, leading to Neo-Marxism today.

Let’s wake up to which revolution is shaping our world today.

The Culture Wars

Responding to neo-Marxism, Bob McCoskrie from Family First New Zealand unpacked the culture wars with a grave warning that ‘The Voice Referendum’, if passed, would entrench a bitter racial divide in our nation. Lyle Shelton called for us to be watchmen and women to see when the next attack on family, life and the Christian gospel is coming. He called for us to take a stand, lead support groups, build the party’s resources, be active in the referendum, be active on social media, and become non-violent activists.

Jack Snelling, one of the founders of the rebirthed party, talked of how the state has been advancing its control over society, diminishing personal responsibility. He called for a pushback from the people to build new associations and institutions, free from the control of multinational corporations and big government.

David Robertson (theweeflea) called us to engage in politics. He saw that corporations simply control, top down. But the people can build from the grassroots up. He concluded with the proclamation that he believes that the Family First Party is a prophetic ministry to the nation.

There is No Climate Crisis

Daniel Wild of the IPA (The Institute of Public Affairs) concentrated most of his presentation on the criminally cripplingly Net Zero policy that has given us huge hikes in energy costs. He demonstrated that in 2000, Australia had one of the cheapest supplies of energy in the world; today, we have one of the costliest.

The Liberal/National Coalition has abandoned us

The conference finished with the testimony of two Liberals who have abandoned their roots for a future with the Family First Party. Deepa Matthew, from South Australia, told why she left the Liberals:

If we don’t step up and speak up, we are risking our future generations. We need to stand in the gap.

Finally, Bernie Finn, from Victoria, told us why he was thrown out of the Liberals, for saying that ‘every day he prays for the end of abortion’. He said that the Family First Party was the party of hope, and he called on us to provide leadership for this nation.

Inspiration, encouragement, motivation and the knowledge that we are not standing alone. We started the day with prayer and concluded with prayer. It was nothing short of a Christian conference without the name!

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Photo by Luis Quintero.