Christianity holds that Humans, above every other creatures, enjoy God-given rights that no other authority can legitimately remove. Hence the care for the sick, infirm and weak and the respect for all Humans from conception to natural death is one of the central attributes of Christianity.

Christian tradition also holds those who practice medicine with special regard and responsibility because of their close relationship with human life and death.

CDP affirms that all Australians, irrespective of their income or location, should have access to essential health services. However the ever increasing cost of health services to the public purse requires that individuals do what they reasonably can to care for and maintain their own health. The CDP supports the introduction of government/industry education campaigns to promote healthy diets and lifestyles.

CDP believes that the current illicit drug epidemic contributes significantly to increased health outlays and that until a zero tolerance approach is adopted with regard to drug abuse, no major improvement in our health budgets can be expected.

CDP supports mandatory illicit drug testing of professional sportspeople because these men and women are role models to our Australian youth. Similarly, CDP supports random drug illicit drug testing of all Federal and State parliamentarians.

The CDP applauds sports associations and sportsmen who have assumed a leadership role in promoting zero tolerance of illicit drugs.

CDP supports initiatives between government and industry that incorporate socially responsible messages and the application of a nation-wide Alcohol Advertising Code.

CDP supports a full smoking ban in hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars and vehicles to protect patrons, employees and children.

CDP supports government assistance to community organisations who promote chaste lifestyles before marriage and fidelity in marriage as the best preventative for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

In Australia almost all new diagnoses of HIV infection are largely attributable to homosexual intercourse. Other evidence shows that even after disregarding deaths from HIV/AIDS, men who engage in homosexual behaviour have a significantly reduced life expectancy. Consequently, all school programs that present homosexual behaviour as a valid lifestyle choice should be changed to reflect the dangers of this behaviour.

No Medicare rebate should be available for abortion. Medical staff, students and institutions who have a religious or conscientious objection to abortion must never be forced to participate in them or penalised for refusing to participate in abortion or training to perform abortions.

The abortion inducing drug RU 486 should not be imported or manufactured in Australia.

Palliative care services should be more adequately resourced and euthanasia should continue to be illegal.

Disabled citizens should be encouraged to participate and contribute to society at their level of capacity.

Special recognition should be given to mental health services which have been under-resourced in all States for many years. In particular, drug abuse, as major cause of mental illness, should be denounced with greater emphasis placed on prevention, prohibition and rehabilitation.

CDP supports government assistance to cover essential dental expenses for means tested patients and a large scale public campaign to promote oral hygiene.

CDP believes that the under-resourcing of our hospitals must be urgently addressed through the following measures:

• provision for additional student places at medical and nursing schools including full fee paying student places;
• attractive scholarships available to medical and nursing students;
• immigration policies that favour well qualified medical practitioners and nurses from other English-speaking countries;
• the construction of new government metropolitan and regional hospitals;
• incentives and support to Christian denominations with a demonstrated capacity in the provision of health services to renovate and build new not-for-profit metropolitan and regional hospitals.