Family First MLC Sarah Game has reaffirmed her commitment to pursuing her landmark Parental Primacy Bill, declaring that South Australia must put children first by restoring parents to their rightful place as the primary decision-makers in their children's lives.
In a Facebook post this week, Ms Game renewed her call for a child-first approach to gender distress, arguing that ideology has no place in the care of vulnerable children.
"Children deserve care that puts their long-term wellbeing first," she said.
Ms Game called for South Australia's current gender clinic model to be replaced with "an independent, evidence-based service that prioritises thorough assessment, mental health support and the best interests of children."
She also highlighted why her Parental Primacy Bill remains central to Family First's vision for protecting children.
"Too many parents feel excluded from decisions affecting their own children. That's why my Parental Primacy Bill is so important. Parents should be recognised as the primary decision-makers in their children's lives, except where there is clear evidence of abuse or neglect."
The bill, first introduced in 2024, seeks to restore parental rights and ensure schools respect families when dealing with moral and ethical issues, particularly those relating to gender and sexuality.
Speaking in the South Australian Legislative Council on 5 March 2025, Mrs Game explained the principle behind the legislation:
"Parental primacy means that parents, not schools, are the prime educators of their children when it comes to moral and ethical issues, especially concerning gender and sexuality. The prime authority that parents have to guide their kids in moral and ethical issues is being threatened now like never before."
She said the legislation had two clear objectives:
"The bill seeks to do two things: ban gender fluidity teaching in the South Australian education system, and reaffirm the role of parents to educate their children when it comes to moral and ethical issues."
Mrs Game argued that schools should return their focus to academic excellence rather than ideological activism.
"Education has been increasingly ideologically driven rather than facts driven. It has been used as an agent for social and political change rather than a chance to give every student the best start in life. This is serious overreach, and it has to stop."
The bill would also require greater transparency by ensuring parents are informed in advance about classroom content dealing with moral and ethical issues so they can make informed decisions about their children's education.
Importantly, Ms Game said the legislation is consistent with Australia's existing international obligations. It would enshrine in South Australian law Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which recognises the liberty of parents to ensure the moral and religious education of their children in accordance with their own convictions.
As Mrs Game told Parliament:
"This is not a radical proposal. This is bringing South Australian law in line with an international covenant, which Australia signed in 1980, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."
Family First believes children experiencing gender distress deserve compassion, careful assessment and genuine support—not ideological activism. Parents should never be sidelined from decisions affecting their children, and schools should work with families, not around them.
By recommitting to her Parental Primacy Bill, Sarah Game has made clear that Family First will continue fighting to protect children, strengthen families and restore parents to their rightful place at the centre of their children's upbringing.