CDP Policy on Marriage

Background

The CDP believes that marriage has been ordained by God for the lifelong, loving union of one man and one woman.

The Biblical foundation for marriage is found in Genesis 2: 18 where God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Also Genesis 2: 24 states: “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” In Matthew 19:4 Jesus affirms marriage quoting from this statement, and adding “Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

The New Testament describes marriage as a parallel to the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5: 22-33).

God’s purpose for married couples (male and female, created in the image of God) is to be fruitful and to reproduce (See Genesis 1:27-28). Children are described as a “heritage” and as a“ reward” in Psalm 127:3-6. The man with children is described as being “blessed” in verse 5.

Policies

Because marriage and families are the building blocks of our society, marriage needs to be encouraged, strengthened and supported by government, society and individuals in every possible way. In 1942 there were 12 marriages per 1000 people. In 2005 there were less than 6. This downward trend needs to be reversed.

1. Prevention is better and much cheaper than cure, so significant amounts of Government money needs to be spent on pre-marital, marital and pre-divorce counselling and education.

2. Advertising and education programs should be designed to highlight the economic, educational, physical, emotional ,mental and spiritual benefits of marriage.

3. A Family Impact Commission should be established, to study and report on the moral, social and economic impact on Victorian families of existing laws, proposed laws and Government expenditure.

4. The 1975 Family Law Act needs to be drafted to include a fault clause.

“No-fault” divorce has made a mockery of marriage by creating a situation where any marriage can be dissolved at the whim of one partner. Easy divorce encourages short-term marriages, rather than urging couples to work through their differences. From 1995 to 2005 divorces in Australia have risen 33% - from 41,400 to 55,300. This upward trend needs to be reversed.

5. De facto relationships should no longer be recognised by the State.

Cohabitation devalues the institution of marriage, yet this relationship has been normalised by the granting of virtually all the privileges married couples enjoy. Today young people’s first live-in relationship tends to be de facto rather than married. Historically, the Judeo Christian tradition has considered de facto relationships to be sinful and detrimental to family stability. Less than 43% of cohabiters marry. 38% separate. Only 20% remain together, according to Australian Institute of Family Studies research.

Cohabitation is having a number of other negative effects. It impacts on fertility, increasing problems when the women, who have become older, finally try and have children. De facto relationships are pushing back the average age of marriage, and adding to family breakup and single parenting. In 1975, 3% of children were born to de facto parents. In 2000 this figure increased to 12%. Latrobe University Research shows that cohabiting couples who have children are far more likely to break up than married parents. More children are therefore ending up in single-parent households with all the consequent higher risks to their welfare.

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