The new face of Family First (FF) in 2014 is Christopher Williams, 24, unmarried and resident outside the electorate at Mt Gravatt East.
A committed christian, he is interested in music and is currently studying for a Bachelor of Ministry.
Mr Williams said that Family First is not a one-issue party.
It is concerned about issues such as schools, jobs, and securing local funding for community groups.
He is one of only two candidates of the eleven standing in this by-election who is opposed to same-sex marriage, and underlined that the LNP and the ALP are in agreement on what he sees as the “controversial issues” of same-sex marriage and abortion.
I asked Mr Williams why he would characterise these issues as controversial when the majority of Australians are in support. He responded that, “they are controversial because of the level of feeling involved. People feel quite strongly one way or the other,” he said.
He said that FF looks through the lens of putting families first, and when it comes to same-sex marriage, he is interested in “protecting the rights and interests of children”.
“Children are harmed when they are not raised by a mother and a father.”
While he understands that for various reasons there are single-parent families, and that “single parents do their best for their children”, they are, “not ideal.”
As to his personal credentials as a candidate, Mr Williams said the he has proven himself in his studies and in his church service, “To be loyal, to be dependable, to be driven … if I told people I will do something, I will do it,” he said, “I will achieve what I set out to do for the people of Griffith.”
On the Medicare co-payment, he said it initially sounded reasonable, but he agreed with concerns about shutting-off access for people who need to go to the GP more often than others: “They could be negatively affected by it,” he said.
On education, he said he would like to see more power handed to schools and to parents and less central control. He thinks that would be more productive than the current ‘culture wars’ around a national curriculum.
Mr Williams said that a lot of focus in this election seems to be on “minor issues” concerning Mr Abbott or Mr Newman, and not on substantive issues about which candidates could have some impact: “Protecting the institution of marriage and protecting unborn rights.”
On preferences, Mr Williams said he is very disappointed that Dr Glasson preferenced Labor candidate Terri Butler ahead of Family First.
“I don’t know why they (the LNP) expect the conservative parties to stick with them when they show that level of disrespect,” he said.
Mr Williams does not expect party leader Bob Day to make it to the electorate during the campaign.
Mr Williams has a Facebook site, and tweets using the handle @FFP4Griffith
Reprinted with permission from No Fibs