Australian Family Movement
Encyclopedia
The Australian Family Movement was a minor Australia
n political party formed in 1974 and active throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It originally came out of a group created to oppose the stage show Hair
in Adelaide
(this group was successful in convincing the Liberal
state government to ban the show).
The party generally stood for conservative Christian
principles, and was particularly opposed to homosexuality
, transvestism
and androgyny
, believing them "contrary to the natural order"; and to abortion
and euthanasia
, placing emphasis on the "dignity and sanctity of all human life, especially at its beginning and at its end".
The party's ACT
division, the Family Team, won a seat in the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly
in 1979, with party leader Bev Cains
entering the House. She was joined by Betty Hocking in 1982, who served one term. Cains held her seat until the abolition of the House of Assembly, when she was defeated in an attempt to transfer to the new Legislative Assembly
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n political party formed in 1974 and active throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It originally came out of a group created to oppose the stage show Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
(this group was successful in convincing the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
state government to ban the show).
The party generally stood for conservative Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
principles, and was particularly opposed to homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, transvestism
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
and androgyny
Androgyny
Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ, stem ανδρ- and γυνή , referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics...
, believing them "contrary to the natural order"; and to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, placing emphasis on the "dignity and sanctity of all human life, especially at its beginning and at its end".
The party's ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
division, the Family Team, won a seat in the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly
Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly was the main elected representative body of the Australian Capital Territory between 1975 and 1986, when preparations began to be made for the granting of self-government to the Territory...
in 1979, with party leader Bev Cains
Bev Cains
Beverley Mary Evelyn "Bev" Cains is a former Australian politician.Cains was elected to the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly in 1979 as a member of the Family Team; she was the party's sole representative until 1982, when she was joined by Betty Hocking. The House of Assembly ceased...
entering the House. She was joined by Betty Hocking in 1982, who served one term. Cains held her seat until the abolition of the House of Assembly, when she was defeated in an attempt to transfer to the new Legislative Assembly
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
.