God teaches us in the Bible that the traditional family is the God-ordained unit of our society and is the basis of a nation’s strength. Women are our strength in our nation and deserve to be recognised in their choice to stay at home to care for their young children when they choose to do so. Families should be protected and strengthened.

CDP recognises that family unit with one father (male) and one mother (female) as a God given blueprint and the model upon which Australia, as an essentially Christian nation, has been established.

CDP upholds the definition of marriage as the union intended for life between a man and a woman only to the exclusion of all others. Consequently, CDP will oppose any move to change the Marriage Act to accommodate other forms of union such as gay marriage and polygamy.

CDP will also introduce legislation to prevent the recognition of polygamous unions legally sanctioned overseas.

CDP will introduce legislation to repeal the rights of homosexual and lesbian couples to foster or adopt children.

CDP will uphold the overseas children adoption ban irrespective of any state laws applicable to the adoption of Australian children by homosexual couples.

CDP believes that the social utility of traditional marriage confers benefits on society that cannot be matched by other forms of union. Consequently, CDP believes that traditional marriage must continue to be the recipient of exclusive social benefits not reserved to other forms of unions.

CDP will oppose civil unions and all legislation conferring on same-sex couples the same exclusive entitlements as heterosexual married couples.

CDP will introduce laws that discriminate positively in favour of heterosexual married couples.

CDP will introduce school education programs preparing for marriage as well as free pre-marriage counselling covering practical issues such as budgeting and financial management.

CDP supports strategies to restore the importance of fatherhood and turn the tide of fatherlessness in Australia. CDP will develop strategies to create mentoring programs for men and boys, encourage individuals and organisations to promote a positive image of fatherhood in the media and the community, review all curriculum approaches/materials used in schools and teaching/training institutions to ensure that they present positive fathering images.

CDP will develop strategies to improve mediation outcomes between separated or divorced parents. CDP will introduce a system of mandatory mediation as the method of achieving agreement among parents and children regarding how the family relationship will be restructured following divorce.

CDP recognises a child’s right to equal access and opportunity with both parents, the right to be guided and nurtured by both parents, the right to have major decisions made by the application of both parents’ wisdom, judgement and experience. CDP believes that a child does not forfeit these rights when his parents divorce.

CDP will introduce legislation to establish joint residence as the normally expected and preferred parenting arrangement upon a divorce. This would be accomplished through a presumption of joint residence in all cases where both parents are fit and willing to accept residence of the child, unless the court finds, based upon substantial evidence, that such an award would be detrimental to the children involved, or the parents agree to sole residence.

CDP will introduce a review of the financial family maintenance paid by a divorced father to his estranged spouse to ensure that payments agreed to are made punctually but also that family maintenance payments better reflect the capacity to pay of the father and the needs of the former spouse, taking into account any changes of financial status, particularly in the case of re-marriage.