Home > Beliefs Survey > VIC Legislative Assembly Election 2006
List of Candidates for Doncaster (VIC)
= previously sitting member
Ballot PositionCandidatePartyQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5Q6Q7Q8Q9Q10Total
1WOOLDRIDGE, MaryLiberal Party 105710553571067
2GOONAN, IreneIndependent 00000000000
3ARGONDIZZO, LidiaAustralian Labor Party 773223332739
4GYMER, ChrisGreens 00000000000
5PEAK, DotFamily First Party 10101010101010101010100

FamilyVoice survey scoring rewards openness and honesty. Failure to acknowledge the survey scores zero. A response to the survey is scored separately for each question: full agreement (Yes Definitely) scores 10, Probably = 7, Unsure = 5, Unlikely = 3, total opposition (Definitely Not) = 2, and No Comment = 1. The total score for all 10 questions thus ranges from 0 to 100.

Questionnaire

Candidates were asked to indicate how they would vote or did vote on these issues by answering the questions. If they are bound by party policy on a particular question, they were asked to provide an answer in accordance with that policy.

1. Prayers in parliament
The tradition of Christian prayers in parliament is part of our Australian heritage - reminding MPs, like all other people, that they are imperfect and need guidance. This tradition recognises the 68% of Australians who identified themselves as adherents of Christian faith in the 2001 Census. Opening parliamentary proceedings with prayer is an appropriate expression of government responsibility to its electorate.
Do you support the current practice of opening each day of parliament with Christian prayers?

2. Civil unions
Evidence abounds that marriage is more beneficial to society than cohabitation. Marriages are more stable and the children of married parents perform better educationally and socially, have lower involvement in drug-taking and crime and hence develop into more productive adults. The special status of marriage should therefore be protected by rejecting any elevation of other relationships, such as de facto relationships or homosexual relationships, to a similar legal status.
Would you vote against any bill that provides for the creation of civil unions?

3. Preference for marriage
Overwhelming research evidence shows that children develop best with a mother and a father committed to each other and to their children. The rate of child abuse is much higher in single-parent households. The children in same-sex blended families achieve poorer results at school than children of married couples. Thus the interests of children are best served by restricting their care to married couples wherever possible.
Would you support moves to allow married couples to be preferred for child care roles, eg adoption, fostering or assisted reproductive technology?

4. Charter of Rights
Senior Victorian lawyers have condemned the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms Act 2006 because it would lead to costly expansion of the bureaucracy, increased litigation and frivolous court cases, as has occurred in Canada and New Zealand. The Act places interpretation of ?rights? in the hands of libertarian zealots. The Act should be repealed.
Would you vote to repeal the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006?

5. Racial and Religious Tolerance Act
The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 has been used to punish pastors for teaching about the Koran in a Christian church, thus denying their freedom of speech. The pastors stressed the need to love Muslims, but the Act unjustly deems "intention" to be irrelevant. The Act treats religion as if it were an unchangeable trait like race and requires the Equal Opportunity Commission to assist only the complainant. Laws already exist to punish threats or violence - this law is unjust, unnecessary and should be repealed.
Will you vote to repeal the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001?

6. Abortion
Intentionally killing an unborn baby by abortion is a serious offence in Victoria (Crimes Act 1958) but is allowed under the 1969 Menhennit ruling if deemed necessary to protect a pregnant woman from serious danger to her mental or physical health. Recent moves to decriminalise abortion would allow the deliberate killing of unborn children for any or no reason throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
Would you vote against any bill that would decriminalise abortion in Victoria?

7. Poker Machines
Since poker machines were introduced in Victoria in 1991 without public consultation, pubs and the government have grown richer while small businesses have failed and problem gamblers, broken families, embezzlement and suicide have increased. Advertising bans and other measures have failed to stem the increase in problem gambling: Victorians now lose $2.5 billion each year on the pokies - more than ever before.
Would you support legislation to phase out pokwer machines in Victoria over a ten year period?

8. Sex education
Since sexual abstinence is the prime means of preventing sexual exploitation and reducing sexual diseases, abstinence should be promoted at school. Since marriage remains the best environment for raising children and for the ongoing general health of society, the benefit of this life-long commitment should be explained to young people.
Would you support the teaching in schools of sexual abstinence before marriage and faithfulness within marriage as a most desirable lifestyle?

9. Drugs
Australia has the highest per capita use of illegal drugs in the world, triggering a mental health crisis - since those addicted to marijuana and amphetamines risk becoming mentally ill 3-11 times more than those who do not use drugs. Teen cannabis users can damage their brains irreversibly. The "harm minimisation" policies of the past have failed - they sustain drug users in their habit. Victoria should adopt Sweden's successful harm prevention policies which include mandatory treatment for addicts.
Would you support the replacement of the current ?harm minimisation? policy on illegal drugs with rigorous enforcement of a "harm prevention" policy including mandatory treatment for addicts?

10. Internet filters
All Victorians, especially children, are entitled to protection from exposure to harmful material ? yet most Victorian libraries have not installed filter software to block pornographic and violent websites. The federal Labor Opposition supports mandatory Internet filtering ? this should be a bipartisan policy for all parliaments.
Would you support legislation requiring the installation of filter software on all Victorian library computers to block access to violent and pornographic websites?