The Community Action Party believes that families are the building blocks of community and need more support.
Canberra's status as a 'family-friendly' city has been diminished by the hard-hearted attitude and narrow-minded policies of the current ACT Government. The Party will work with families, communities and employers to help realise the potential of families from all socio-economic backgrounds.
Families and government
The Party will insist that the ACT Government and its agencies treat all families with respect and dignity.
The Party believes that any interaction between families and the ACT Government should involve the entire family where appropriate.
Families and children
Raising children is the main focus of many families. The Party will work with existing community organisations and government to improve support services for families, such as community parenting programs, including assistance for fathers to develop their parenting skills.
The Party will insist that families with young babies are better supported by improving the availability of community health nurses, including the re-instatement of home-visits for new mothers through a maternal and child health services program.
The Party will provide increased funding to community organisations to enable them to better support mothers with postnatal depression.
The Party supports greater resources for childcare and playgroups, and universal access to free, part-time, non-compulsory preschool.
The Party will work with school communities to give families greater opportunity to participate in their children's education.
The Party recognises the valuable role of grandparents and other members of the extended family in raising children, sometimes as primary carers.
Families in need
The Party will work with existing community organisations and governments to identify and support families in need to keep families together wherever possible.
The Party believes that the interests of the children should be paramount in responding to dysfunctional families. The Party supports the greatly increased provision of resources to the overstretched ACT child protection services.
The Party, in consultation with the social welfare and legal communities, will develop strategies to address domestic violence, including the greater provision of investigatory counselling services.
The Party will ensure that families of addicts are offered the support and respite they need.
Families and work
The Party believes that parenthood must be recognised as a productive contribution to the ACT economy and the Party will seek to improve the family-work balance so that children are given the best possible start in life.
The Party will encourage ACT workplaces to adopt family-friendly policies, including greater availability of flexible working hours, permanent part-time positions, paid maternity leave and childcare facilities.