Elections > Federal Election 2004 > Candidates

John Flanagan

Non-Custodial Parents Party candidate for Cunningham

Deputy Registered Officer of the Non-Custodial Parents Party

Why I am standing

I am John Flanagan. I am 53 years old. My main occupation is as a civil engineer, although I am currently unemployed.

The main reason that I am standing for the position of federal member for Cunningham is to highlight the unjust Family Law and Child Support legislation that exists in this country.

By standing I also hope to highlight the fact that The major parties are doing nothing about these problems. This is why I have placed the candidates for the major parties at or near the bottom of my "how-to'vote" card.

I had been in a de-facto relationship. I am a proud father of twin daughters. The problems started when the relationship ended. I thought that the Family Law and Child Support system would be fair and equitable to everyone. What a shock I received!

I had five (5) years of Family Court battles with no result between 1997 and 2001. For the first eighteen (18) months I had used solicitors to represent me.

The cost of the solicitors almost exhausted my funds. I then represented myself for the remaining period. As a non-custodial parent I found that I had no rights. It was an eye-opener.

I also belong to the Fairness in Child Support (F.I.C.S.) group. This is a local group of people based here in Wollongong. The web-site for F.I.C.S. is http://www.fics.xisle.info

There are over one million children who live in single parent families in Australia. Each parent should have the right to see their children equally without strict rules being applied. That is unless there are proven mitigating circumstances for doing so.

However this does not happen. Less than 2 per cent of court orders are made for joint custody.

The normal court orders made by the Family Court is for one parent to have the majority of the contact with the children. This parent becomes what is termed "the custodial parent".

The other parent is then allowed to have contact every second weekend and part of each school holidays. This parent becomes what is called "the non-custodial parent".

Since the inception of the Child Support Scheme in 1989, the children of separated parents are 37 per cent worse off in monetary terms. This is because 40 per cent of the liable parents (260,000) are forced into unemployment or low-income earning jobs.

Australia's Child Support Agency needs to be abolished. The Child Support Agency simply promotes conflict between the separated parents.

Without the agreement of the two (2) parents, Australia's child support scheme does not work. The forced method of child support adopted by the Child Support Scheme does not work. This is simply because it is not the Australian way.

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Important issues in my electorate

The Family Law System issues are of national significance and are valid for any local area. Our issues are identical both locally and throughout the Nation.

For more details refer to the NCPP web page:-

http://www.ncpp.xisle.info

In 2004 Elections, the Non-Custodial Parents Party have put two (2) Senate candidates in each of the following states: NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

In NSW, there are also two (2) Non-Custodial Parents Party candidates in the lower house seats of Cunningham (Wollongong) and Parramatta.

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Important policy documents

Non-Custodial Parents Party was formed in Parramatta in 1998. This was in response to a continuous stream of complaints of injustice from "non resident" parents of both genders, grandparents and second partners.

The Party is dedicated to long overdue changes to Family Law and Child Support legisaltion. The parents are the best judge of what is best for their children - not the Government.

The starting point should be a 50-50 equal parenting concept built into Family Law Act. That is unless there are proven mitigating circumferences for not doing so (the emphasis being placed on the word "proven").

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Contact Details

Other Candidates

BIRD, Sharon - ALP
DAKERS, Jeff - CDP
EVANS, Tony - DEM
KEENE, James - PLP
LARTER, John - LP
MOULDS, David - IND
* ORGAN, Michael - GRN
SCROGIE, Christopher - LFF
WILCOCK, Paul - IND
WILLIAMS, Chris - SAL

* incumbent