“A stable functioning family provides the best welfare support system yet devised.” – John Howard

Stronger families is rightly one of the pillars of conservativism. Reform is needed so families with a parent who chooses to work in the home is no longer financially disadvantaged through the tax system. Government policy should be strengthening families, not disadvantaging them because of political correctness.

The redefinition of marriage in law now makes it difficult to advocate for mum, dad and the kids as the basic group unit of society. Social science says children do best on every measure when raised by their biological married parents.

While all of us are flawed and marriages do sometimes break down, this does not mean non-traditional family structures do not and can not produce good outcomes.  However, we should not let this stop us from aspiring to high ideals and from encouraging strong marriages. Conservatives certainly do not diminish single parents who are raising children in circumstance that they did not envisage or necessarily wish for.

But we should certainly not give up on the natural family as the basic group unit of society and we should encourage, not discourage it in public policy.