Australian Family Association
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The Australian Family Association (AFA) is an ultra-conservative national lobby group in Australia. It was founded by the National Civil Council's (NCC) president, B. A. Santamaria.
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[edit] Beliefs
It advocates the importance of the traditional family and heterosexual marriage. Item 1 on its stated list of objectives is: "to cultivate within society an appreciation that the integrity and well being of the family is essential to the stability, morale, security and prosperity of the Australian nation". It also lobbies on issues which it believes are related to its central purpose, such as homosexuality, censorship, abortion, cloning, pornography and drugs.
[edit] Criticism
Some commentators have criticised the association for its condemnation of family types which do not fit the nuclear model, and for opposing moves to give equal access to government services for families headed by same-sex couples.
Online news service, Crikey, revealed that the association's literature compares homosexuals to animals and equates homosexuality with alcoholism and violent tendencies.
An AFA article by Roslyn and David Philips claims that "studies repeatedly show that violence is disproportionately associated with the homosexual lifestyle," before using the murder of designer Gianni Versace as evidence that "homosexuals and bisexuals are disproportionately involved in murder." And according to the Philips, homosexuals are also more likely than heterosexuals to engage in sado-masochism and sexual abuse, as well as being more "accident prone."
The AFA has promoted work by American researcher, Dr Richard Wilkins, which suggests that victimless crimes such as homosexuality should be recriminalised in Australia. He claims that "monkeys in zoos and overpopulated rats exhibit homosexual behaviour." But, he argues, "other animals eat their young and kill their mates. We still have laws against homicide."
Such statements have lead many to suggest that the AFA is a highly prejudiced organisation, attempting to enforce a fundamentalist Judeo-Christian perspective on the mostly secular nation. Others have claimed that the association's literature is based on research which is not peer-reviewed.
Despite such criticism, the association wields considerable influence among politicians and the mainstream media.
The AFA claims that their influence on politicians and the media is strong because their objectives reflect the views of many Australians. However, others have argued that the Association's success in gaining attention can largely be attributed to the media's need for a "contrarian view". [1]
[edit] Objectives
The objectives for which the Australian Family Association is established are:
(i) to cultivate within society an appreciation that the integrity and well being of the family is essential to the stability, morale, security and prosperity of the Australian nation
(ii) to analyze laws and policies for their effect on the family and to formulate and promote corrective measures as necessary
(iii) to support initiatives taken by other individuals and organisations in support of the traditional family
(iv) by means of conferences, seminars and the active involvement of individuals and groups, to create public awareness of the fundamental importance of the family unit
(v) to facilitate research and act as a resource centre for the effective pursuit of the Association's objectives; (vi) to facilitate programs in family education
(vii) to promote and encourage the development of services to assist families in difficulties
(viii) to do all such things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objectives.
[edit] Founder, Patrons, Links
The Association was founded by B.A. Santamaria, a prominent Melbourne Catholic activist of Italian descent. Patrons of the organisation include former Labor Federal Education Minister Kim Beazley Snr, former Reader in Education at the University of Queensland Professor Rupert Goodman, former Professor of Sociology at Australian National University Prof. Jerzy Zubrzycki, former President, Committee of Management, Royal Children's Hospital Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and renowned Australian war veteran Major General W.B 'Digger' James.
A little-reported fact is the strong association the AFA has with the National Civic Council (NCC)[2]. The NCC, a Catholic-oriented organisation, still heavily funds the AFA. Its websites include News Weekly[3] and AD2000[4].
[edit] References
- ^ "The family business", The Age, 7 July 2004.
- ^ "About the National Civic Council", from News Weekly website.
- ^ "News Weekly", Concerned with family values, social, political, economic and international issues.
- ^ "AD2000", A journal of religious opinion.
