Latest news with #FamilyFirst
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Increasing Support For Social Media Ban
Press Release – Family First New Zealand Support for a social media ban has grown from 39% support to 56% support in just over 12 months. Opposition has dropped form 45% to 26%. In both polls, 16-18% are uncertain. Family First has long advocated for better regulation of social media … A new poll has found increasing support for a ban on social media for children under 16, and decreasing opposition. In a poll by Curia Market Research and commissioned by Family First NZ, 1,000 respondents were asked: Would you support or oppose a law that bans children from all social media until they reach 16 years of age? 56% of respondents support banning children under 16 from social media, and 26% are opposed. A similar poll with the same wording by the same research company in April 2024 found opposition at 45% and support at just 39%. Support for a social media ban has grown from 39% support to 56% support in just over 12 months. Opposition has dropped form 45% to 26%. In both polls, 16-18% are uncertain. Those with dependent children were more likely to support the ban (62%) than those without dependent children (53%). Interestingly, when comparing the two polls, net support for a ban has risen amongst National, Labour and Green voters. Family First has long advocated for better regulation of social media and support for parents so as to protect young people. 'First and foremost, there needs to be a community response where parents unite to ensure their young children are not exposed to social media, but there is also room for government support to empower parents,' says Mr McCoskrie. Dr Jonathan Haidt – author of ' The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness ' – notes in his acclaimed research that there is a clear correlation between the introduction of smart phones and a significant decline in young people's mental health. (Dr Haidt was a guest at last year's Forum on the Family and he called on New Zealand and other countries to do more to protect young people from the harms online.) 'This is an important discussion which should not be delayed any further.' The nationwide poll was carried out between 19 May and 21 May and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Increasing Support For Social Media Ban
A new poll has found increasing support for a ban on social media for children under 16, and decreasing opposition. In a poll by Curia Market Research and commissioned by Family First NZ, 1,000 respondents were asked: Would you support or oppose a law that bans children from all social media until they reach 16 years of age? 56% of respondents support banning children under 16 from social media, and 26% are opposed. A similar poll with the same wording by the same research company in April 2024 found opposition at 45% and support at just 39%. Support for a social media ban has grown from 39% support to 56% support in just over 12 months. Opposition has dropped form 45% to 26%. In both polls, 16-18% are uncertain. Those with dependent children were more likely to support the ban (62%) than those without dependent children (53%). Interestingly, when comparing the two polls, net support for a ban has risen amongst National, Labour and Green voters. Family First has long advocated for better regulation of social media and support for parents so as to protect young people. 'First and foremost, there needs to be a community response where parents unite to ensure their young children are not exposed to social media, but there is also room for government support to empower parents,' says Mr McCoskrie. Dr Jonathan Haidt - author of ' The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness ' - notes in his acclaimed research that there is a clear correlation between the introduction of smart phones and a significant decline in young people's mental health. (Dr Haidt was a guest at last year's Forum on the Family and he called on New Zealand and other countries to do more to protect young people from the harms online.) 'This is an important discussion which should not be delayed any further.' The nationwide poll was carried out between 19 May and 21 May and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Pro-Life Candidate Speaks About Tense Exchange With Election Volunteer Over Abortion
Rae Rancie, a pro-life Family First candidate at the recent election says she was 'shaken' after a disagreement with a polling worker about her campaigning against abortion. The candidate for Jagajaga in Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs was campaigning on her party's policy for exceptions to late-term abortion laws. In one viral video, a man representing the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said they would call the police on her because her rhetoric about medical staff 'killing babies' could lead to some voters lodging complaints. The second video showed a female AEC supervisor confronting Rancie while asking her to stop mentioning Family First's anti-late-abortion policies due to complaints that had been made. Rancie said she was taken aback by the request from AEC workers to tone down her party's pro-life policy messaging. 'I was shaken up afterwards, but I always fortify myself when I think 'I'm doing this for the babies,' and to let people know of this evil that is actually happening,' she said. Related Stories 3/27/2024 5/14/2025 'I just wanted to make people know that we were pro-life.' Family First candidate Rae Rancie. Courtesy of Family First The AEC had requested one of the videos be taken down for the staff member's privacy. It also explained that when complaints are received, its policy is to give a polite reminder to candidates to 'behave respectfully towards voters.' 'While the AEC recognises that candidates have a right to campaign outside of polling places, we also have a responsibility to voters who may find certain subjects confronting or may simply wish to not engage with candidates or campaigners,' an AEC spokesperson told The Epoch Times. 'Where complaints persist, both affected voters and the AEC have the option to call police.' An 'MCG' Full of Babies Aborted Each Year: Rancie Meanwhile, the New South Wales lower house just passed an amendment widening access to abortion pills, allowing registered nurses and midwives to prescribe the drugs to women up to nine weeks pregnant. Previously, only doctors could do so. The bill was met with strong protests attended by The bill was initially put forward by NSW Greens upper house MP Amanda Cohn, and was significantly scaled back before passing the upper house. Rancie said it was confronting to see the scale of abortion in Australia, and that creating new life was no longer considered sacred. 'There are 88,000 little Australian babies who are killed every year. That's an MCG,' she said, saying countries like South Korea had chronically low birth rates. 'It's on the trajectory towards extinction because no one is having babies,' she said. Concerns Welfare Scheme Supports Abortion Rancie, 71, is a former financial planning small business owner, mother of 10 and grandmother of 28. She said state and federal lawmakers needed to go back to providing incentives for young Australians to start a family, as former Treasurer Peter Costello did. In 2004, the federal Howard government introduced a baby bonus—$3,000 per child at birth, later increased to $4,000, and then to $5,000—as a way to encourage population growth and prosperity. Today, a government payment of $4,225 is available following late-term abortions under the The stillborn must be certified by a medical professional before the one-off payment can be made. 'What is this government doing? According to [pro-life activist Joanna Howe], every late-term abortion, you can apply for a stillbirth payment because the baby is stillborn, and you'll get $4,230,' Rancie said. Howe is a prominent pro-life activist and law lecturer at the University of Adelaide. Late last year, she warned the program could be exploited, and claimed a hospital administrator had contacted her saying it 'an increasing problem.' 'Since then, several midwives and nurses have contacted me to tell me of their distress in delivering stillborn babies, who were killed in-utero through an injection of potassium chloride, and then being forced to sign off on paperwork that allows the mother to receive the payment,' Howe wrote Public Hospitals Should Not Be Allowed to Opt Out of Abortion: Greens NSW Greens MP Amanda Cohn introduced the Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Health Care Access) Bill 2025, which the Greens believe can expand abortion services 'to every corner' of the state. Abortion was made legal in NSW in 2019, but the Greens believe services are not widespread enough. 'Abortion services are not something public hospitals with the capability to provide them should be able to opt out of,' Cohn said.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Health Ministry Losing Count Of Euthanasia Deaths
Family First is appalled to see that the Ministry of Health has once again erroneously reported euthanasia numbers in New Zealand including one quarter where the number of deaths nearly doubled. 'This raises significant concerns about the upcoming review of the law and whether it will be based on actual quantifiable and credible evidence,' says Bob McCoskrie, CEO of Family First. Reviewing recent quarterly reports from 2024, there are so far two instances where numbers have changed substantially – in one case, nearly doubling the numbers of those euthanised. In the third quarter of 2024 (01/07/2024 to 30/09/2024) the number of deaths leapt up from 73 to 129; an increase of 77%! In the quarter prior (01/04/2024 to 30/06/2024) the number of deaths was revised down from 126 deaths to 108 deaths. 'The Ministry appears to have no idea what is going on. Whether the number of deaths each quarter are being revised up or down, the system is failing to account for what is happening and consequently it is impossible for anyone to argue the system is operating safely.' Family First has previously raised safety concerns around how the euthanasia system is working in New Zealand, including reported numbers not aligning. There were also concerns from whistleblowers within the End of Life Choice Review committee pointing out that they were being denied access to information and that doctors' written accounts of deaths varied from what they described in voice. 'If the Ministry can't even count the numbers correctly, how on earth can New Zealander have any confidence that the euthanasia system is working safely. Are they getting the criteria correct that patients must meet. What else are they missing?' asks Mr McCoskrie. That the Ministry is also updating its reports quietly and with no public notification or acknowledgement of what has changed is also a red flag. 'The Ministry's willingness to try and sweep such changes under the carpet indicates a system that is neither safe, transparent, or accountable,' said Mr McCoskrie. Family First is calling on government to intervene immediately in the interest of public safety. In particular, the recent review of the End of Life Choice law clearly needs to be independently reviewed and revised. Not only is this review based on wrong numbers and trends, but also written by the same Ministry who continue to publish false data. 'Dead or alive, the Ministry seems to have no idea.' Family First is also deeply concerned by comments by Associate Minister of Health David Seymour who is overseeing the review of the law. He stated in a media interview last year: 'The statutory review is being the Ministry of Health right now. I believe, without pre-empting what it will say, that it will give a lot of weight to making change."
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
See the photo proves that while Sam Kerr's baby boy was born in England, he'll be raised 100 per cent Aussie
Sam Kerr 's son Jagger may have been born in England - but he will definitely be raised as an Aussie. The Matildas captain, 31, has posted an image to Instagram story from outside Australia House in London, the country's high commission for the UK, where matters like citizenship and passports are dealt with. The photo - featuring Jagger and Kerr's partner Kristie Mewis - was captioned 'Oi Oi Oi', which is a well known patriotic chant every Aussie knows. Jagger is likely to become a dual citizen - and given his mothers were born in Australia and the US respectively, it is safe to assume he will be a regular traveller abroad. It comes as Kerr continues her worrying long recovery from an ACL rupture in her knee sustained at a training camp with Chelsea in January of 2024 and made a surprise trip down under. Meanwhile, Family First national director Lyle Shelton was slammed after recently publicly questioning Kerr's same-sex relationship, blaming the couple for 'depriving' their son of a father. His vile post followed the soccer power couple - Mewis plays for the USWNT - proudly posting images of Jagger on social media. 'A baby is born - but where's dad?' Shelton wrote alongside a photo of the couple and their baby. 'Family First congratulates Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis on the birth of their son - but we must speak a truth too many are afraid to say. 'No child should be deliberately deprived of their father. Children aren't lifestyle accessories - they're human beings with rights.' Shelton went on to ask: 'When cultural elites cheer on choices that sideline dads, who's left standing for the child?' 'Love is not enough. Every child deserves - and needs - a mum and a dad, wherever possible. It's time to put children's rights before adult desires.' Shelton was one of the leaders of the 'No' campaign against same-sex marriage in Australia. His post received support from United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet, who commented, 'children need both a mother and a father.'
