Merle Graham is running as a Family First candidate for the Brindabella, Australian Capital Territory in the upcoming 2024 Australian Capital Territory General Election.
Competing against 7 other candidate(s), Merle Graham aims to bring their extensive experience to the role as a candidate for Assembly Member in the Act Legislative Assembly.
Family-Oriented Policies: Family First emphasizes policies that protect children, promote parental authority, and strengthen traditional family structures. They oppose LGBTIQA+ inclusion in education and advocate for banning puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries for minors.
The party supports policies that restore parents' rights to be informed of their children’s gender-related decisions and seeks to abolish compulsory diversity programs in workplaces. In terms of women’s issues, Family First backs the Nordic model to criminalize the purchase of sex, and it opposes the participation of transgender women in female sports and spaces.
The party also promotes stricter anti-drug measures by closing drug injection sites and redirecting offenders to rehabilitation programs.
Family First promotes policies that incentivize marriage and child-rearing through tax breaks and removing financial penalties against stay-at-home parents. They advocate for housing affordability, family-oriented public policies, and a ban on events that undermine family values, such as the Sydney World Pride Festival.
The party emphasizes fiscal responsibility by reducing government size and expenditure. It promotes housing affordability through land release and gas exploration to address energy reliability and reduce costs.
Family First supports nuclear energy and keeping coal power operational until viable alternatives are in place. Tax relief for families and small businesses is a priority, with inspiration drawn from Hungary’s tax breaks for mothers of three or more children.
The party also advocates for reduced government regulation to boost private enterprise.
Family First champions traditional education values, focusing on core subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic, and opposes the inclusion of critical race theory and gender theories in curricula. They aim to phase out poker machines, proposing cashless gaming cards as an alternative if a full ban cannot be achieved.
Additionally, the party supports solutions for homelessness by providing shelter and long-term housing opportunities.
Family First advocates for the autonomy of religious schools, hospitals, and charities, ensuring they operate according to their beliefs. They defend freedom of religion and speech by pushing for legislation to allow faith-based organizations to hire in accordance with their ethos and prohibit discrimination based on religious beliefs.
The party is firmly opposed to abortion, advocating for bans on late-term and sex-selective abortions and criminalizing coercion in abortion decisions. They emphasize supporting women to ensure abortion is not their only option and oppose euthanasia by promoting palliative care.
Family First seeks to reduce the role of government and empower communities to address local challenges. The party calls for reform of anti-discrimination laws to protect freedom of speech and religion.
They support a Royal Commission to review government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of parliamentary oversight. The party values the Australian alliance with the U.S.
for national security, promotes continuous review of legislation to ensure it respects freedoms, and encourages civic engagement through community initiatives.
Family First is committed to reviving traditional family values as the cornerstone of Australian society. They believe in the importance of marriage between a man and a woman, defining family through biological realities.
Upholding Judeo-Christian ethics, the party argues that strong families create healthy communities and a prosperous nation. The party opposes radical ideologies from both the left and right, which they believe undermine the family structure.
Family First aims to protect these values by fostering open discussions about family and marriage and defending religious freedoms without fear of censorship.