Margot Giblin
Some Hobart City Council Candidates’ Views
Which candidate’s family does this young man belong to and what on earth is he doing?
TT’s interest in candidates and their views on family was sparked by Elise Archer’s comment ‘Family values are important to Elise’ on her website.
Asked what she meant by this Elise talked of the importance of her own family to her and her commitment to its members. Family was one of the reasons she decided to stay in Tasmania, wanting to be in close contact with nieces and nephews. Another reason was the lifestyle opportunities Tasmania offers.
Asked to define family Elise said she was not anti anything in particular and would support all blended and extended families. Further, in relation to same sex parents, Archer’s view was that whether you personally endorse them or not you would have to include them in a definition of family. ‘It is still family. I’m not an ultra conservative. We all co-exist in the same society. I have no issue with people choosing their own lifestyle’.
Rod Force has said that he made a donation to Family First but is not a member of that or any political party. Given that Family First does not support same sex parents it was of interest to find that Rod Force does to this extent. ‘Same sex families have come about, they’ve evolved, so yes, I would include them’.
Peter Donnelly on the other hand is opposed to same sex parenting. To him, on a personal level, family has meant having four children and the sacrifices that were made for them. ‘I have a conventional view. The family has been hijacked. If the parents of people advocating same sex parenting had said that then those people wouldn’t be here.
I accept different views but wouldn’t like to see hard working families pushed over by the selfish values of same sex parenting. Yes, it is selfish, because it doesn’t lead to anything’.
To Timothy J Smith family values means supporting the needs of people who need things done. ‘I was brought up by just my Mum, so I look after her. She’s the world. Family is always being there – it means grand parents and great uncles. I think that traditional values have gone out and need to be brought back. The value of thinking about family needs to be brought back into politics’.
Eva Ruzicka felt that the expression ‘family values’has been politicized and that now, for some, it has a right wing evangelical loading. She felt the words had become meaningless. Ruzicka defines family as any number of compositions of human beings centred around love, caring and nurturing. She preferred not to comment on same sex parenting as ‘it is not an issue for local government’. While she agreed that opinions on such topics could give electors an insight into a candidate’s world view she chose to maintain her silence on this question. Reminded that Council had at one stage been involved in attempting to ban the sale of gay literature at Salamanca Market Ruzicka said the issue then had been free speech.
To Jeff Briscoe family means caring adults who look after each other, or any people who look after each other. The list of people he regards as belonging to his family is long and yes, it includes the young man pictured with the bottles. He is Andrew, now a train driver in Melbourne who was the first of several young people for whom Briscoe cared under a Special Care Contract with the Department of Health and Human Services.
The program responded to the needs of young people with challenging needs between the ages of 15-17. They were placed in a family environment which could support them in attempting to realize their potential. Andrew, with a family of his own now, is part of Briscoe’s extended family and is the only one to whom Jeff’s late mother handed on the famous home-made tomato sauce recipe. Andrew is pictured bottling the results – for which the rest of the family must now rely on him.
Below is Andrew’s son, James, Briscoe’s godson.
It was Briscoe’s involvement in this care program that brought him into politics. When the program was threatened with closure, despite its success and the continued need for it, he fought for its continuation. The end was only delayed but the process made Briscoe determine to become part of the political process to advocate change.
In relation to same sex parenting Briscoe said, ‘I couldn’t care less what age or what gender parents are as long as they are there for the right reasons – that is, as long as they are there and caring for their children’.
