Religious Right Groups
Family Councils
(of Victoria, Queensland, WA and SA).
We will focus here on the longest-established and most significant of these groups, viz. the Family Council of Victoria (FCV). There is some talk of setting up a “National Federation” of these Councils but the current status of this proposal is unclear.
| Leadership: | Chairman/President is Dr Joseph Santamaria. Secretary is Bill Muehlenberg who is also National Vice-President of the Australian Family Association (AFA). |
| Date formed: | Launched on 18 May 1994 at Parliament House, Melbourne. |
| Area of operation: | Victoria (other Councils in other states, as above) |
| Estimated membership: | FCV is an umbrella organisation with 27 affiliates, principal among them being the AFA, Salt Shakers and Endeavour Forum. However, not all of its affiliates are Religious Right groups and a few, e.g. the Islamic Council of Victoria, are not even nominally Christian. |
| Finances: | FCV appears to have a small annual budget, with such finance as it requires being raised through conference fees, donations and probably some subsidisation via affiliation fees and/or institutional gifts. |
| Main objectives: | The FCV has seven stated aims based around a very conservative definition of ‘family’, essentially consisting of a married husband and wife and ‘biological children’; adoptees might sneak in, but single parents and their kids form ‘incomplete’ families, while gays need not apply. The goal on which FCV focuses most strongly is: ‘To promote government policy in support of traditional family life’. (AFA Family Update, Jul.-Aug. 1994, 7) |
| Main activities: | Family Councils hold regular private meetings and occasional public conferences and forums attended mainly by the faithful. They have made submissions to some Parliamentary inquiries, but leave most of the running to their more active affiliates. |
| Links with other groups: | FCV and the Family Council of WA were formed ‘at the initiative of the AFA’ in their respective states and it is thought that the same applies to the other two Councils. As the AFA is part of the National Civic Council, this means that the Family Councils are essentially front organisations aiming to extend NCC influence among like-minded Protestant and other groups. |
| The FCV has a particular friendship with Liberal frontbencher Kevin Andrews. (See, for example, Jane Cafarella ‘Traditional family best, says council’, Melbourne Age, 19 May 1994) Unlike most other Religious Right bodies, the FCV is happy to number Mormons, Moonies and Muslims among its affiliates. Ironically, several of the Council’s evangelical Protestant members spend a good deal of time attacking ‘heretical’ Mormons and Moonies and ‘infidel’ Muslims, and some of them don’t have too much regard for Catholics either. | |
| Publications: | Occasional leaflets, ‘lobby guides’ etc. See website for articles, often written by Bill Muehlenberg. |
| Sample quotes: | Governments … should be strongly encouraged to provide incentives aimed at increasing the number of people choosing to co-habitat [sic] within this ideal ['traditional family'] structure. They should introduce strong disincentives aimed at reducing numbers choosing other co-habitating [sic] structures [i.e. governments should actively make life more difficult for single parents, homosexuals etc.] |
| It appears that [today] promiscuity is seen as fine but commitment is seen as unimportant … Patriarchal male-dominated society … is natural order - but requires love and responsibility … Society must discriminate (make wise choices) against unwise behaviour such as prostitution and homosexuality just as we do against the rapist, child abuser or the paedophile … Human embryo experimentation [can be regarded as] baby butchering [or] human vivisection … This victim mentality [of single mothers, career women etc.] stems from a feeling of guilt where women want to be at home with their children but, as breadwinner, cannot always be so … (FCV Communication ‘THINK TANK’ Forum 2003, 1-4 - http://www.fcv.org.au/issues/thinktankrep.htm) | |
| The Victorian government is drafting legislation to outlaw vilification of homosexuals … The likely effects are - … Homosexual characteristics (promiscuity, sex with minors, multiple partners, casual sex, group sex, orgies, violent sex, sex in public places etc.) will be normalised and will increase. Vilification (using mythical homophobia) will be used against those who are opposed to the normalisation and increase of homosexual practices … As homosexual practices are only legal in 85 of the 210 nations of the world, Victoria will be out of touch with the world. (’Homosexual Vilification Legislation: “The Bill” is Wrong’, FCV Current Issues and Affairs, 2001, 2-3) | |
| We hold that pornography is not a victimless practice. Many divorces result from men making unreasonable sexual demands on their wives. (John Barich, Convenor, Family Council of WA [also State President, Australian Family Association, 2004], Family World News, August 2000, 2) | |
| Assessment: | Family Councils are a Religious Right (specifically NCC/AFA) version of the old ‘united front’ strategy employed by Communists. However, the main personalities involved here are too busy with other projects to spare the Councils much time. These bodies achieve little more than to provide their affiliates with a forum in which to share ideas and experiences and to this extent the Councils resemble the National Alliance of Christian Leaders. From a strict fundamentalist viewpoint, the FCV’s links with Mormons and other ’sub-’ and non-Christians renders it ‘theologically impure’ and inherently suspect. |
| Contact details: | P O Box 599, Frankston, Vic. 3199 www.fcv.org.au Refer to website for other State addresses |
