Consistent - unlike so many who waver and wooseout !

It was 10 years ago, back in 1996, that the Parliament decided that the Health Minister should be responsible for approving RU486, by passing the Therapeutic Goods Amendment Bill 1996 (No.2).

At the time, Labor Senator Belinda Neal said: "These issues need to be addressed by the executive of this government …with absolute and direct accountability."

Then Greens senator Christabel Chamarette said: "We deserve to have parliamentary scrutiny of decisions. We deserve to have a voice on issues and not simply leave them to boards of experts."

Nothing has changed. The onus is on those who seek to repeal that Bill to show there has been sufficient change since 1996 to warrant such action. Not only have they failed to do so, they have not even attempted to do so.

We all know RU486 is not like any other drug. It is designed to cause an abortion and end the life of an unborn child.

Family First believes this is a major policy issue of social, moral and ethical importance.

The community elects, and pays, politicians to do their job, and that includes tackling tough issues like abortion, and considering the community's views. For Australia's elected politicians to wash their hands of this, to pass off their decision-making power on a policy issue like RU486 to unelected bureaucrats, would be a gross dereliction of our duty, and a real insult to the people who put us here in the first place.