If anyone wants to brighten up their morning I can recommend reading the Amazon reviews of Cory Bernardi's Conservative Revolution. Some of them are very, very funny.

Maybe lets use adoption rather than abortion. Bill Clinton, John Lennon, Nelson Mandela and Steve Jobs we're adopted.

Here is the nub of your article, and summarises Bernardi's point of view:

"from a public policy point of view, we should seek to so arrange things so as to have as many children as possible raised in intact two-parent homes, and discourage these alternative lifestyle homes which so often can disadvantage if not damage children in so many ways."

While it is probably true that kids do best with married parents, nobody should attempt to "arrange things". It is none of the government's business. The government should keep its "public policy" away from personal matters entirely.

Bill, Bernardi's and your views may be facts but that does not mean that the analysis is correct.

I'll happily agree that all other things being equal a couple with a long term commitment to each other and their children have a better chance of succeeding at raising well balanced children than either of those parents trying to do it on their own.

I'm not so convinced that a dysfunctional pairing staying together and not managing to resolve their issues has the same advantage when it comes to raising children. A significant percentage of single parents are single parents because they were unable to work effectively with the other parent in creating a sane and healthy home. Living apart in that instance may well reduce the harm done to children by ongoing parental conflict.

If you and Cory Bernardi want a focus that results in better outcomes for children your focus might be better spent on initiatives that accept that some couples won't be able to make it work and that government policy can impact on post separation conflict.

It's very clear that parental conflict is a significant factor in outcomes for children.

For instance the ongoing financial ties that the existing property settlement, Centerlink and Child Support legislation which create a source of ongoing parental conflict. There are a variety of issues which hit both resident and non-resident parents either to provide an unfair advantage or hardship depending on the circumstances.

Neither conservatives nor progressives appear to have any interest in reducing those sources of conflict with both sides generally focussed on their particular agenda.

I'll do a follow up post with some suggestions for ways I think that government inspired financial conflict between separated parents might be reduced.

For context I've mostly been the sole carer of our son since separation with a period of shared care and a period as the non-resident parent.

R0bert

Thanks for pointing out what old farts have been observing for decades - that the de-stigmatizing of pregnancy and child rearing outside of marriage (or committed stable couple) and welfare support for this lifestyle has led to a disturbing increase in the number of troubled and troublesome youngsters. Not to mention child neglect, abuse, deprivation, risk of predation and so on ....

If the trendy new age ideologues reading this article and my post want evidence - spend some time researching juvenile crime and childrens services for the irrefutable evidence.

Of course you will invariably point out that children/youth from traditional 2 parent families are also affected. Most definitely! Just nowhere near as often or at as seriously.

Somehow we must stop the rot, or at least seek to slow and contain it. I support assisted fertility medicare payments to married couples only for a start and ditto a "baby bonus" payment. Next - unsupported (that is not under the support of parents or a partner of adult age)girls under 18 (legally children) having babies should not have exclusive right to decide whether they retain their child nor exclusive custody. It is the immature children having children that seems to be root cause of the biggest problems.

Part 2

Some thoughts on reducing government created financial tension in separated families
- Break the ties between child residency at the time of property settlement and long term ownership of family assets. Find another way to deal with the needs of the children than the current winner takes it all approach. Property held in trust if the children's needs impact on the division of assets for example.
- Accept that children will be materially impacted by family separation as they are by other family events - loss of employment, parental need to change pace etc. The current approach seems to deny that.
- Make both parents responsible for the upkeep of their children regardless of their employment choices. Too many inconsistencies in the existing system where parents can either avoid contributing or sometimes profit from their children.
- Establish a means to break the direct ties between parents - eg a pool that CSA payments could be paid into or taken from if the direct tie is a source of conflict.
- Find a means to account for moneys paid in child support above a share of basic costs - eg a debit card or similar. Too many payers have found themselves paying far more than is being spent on their children.

R0bert