Family First in Queensland will preference anti-marriage equality candidates over all others

Queensland Family First candidate for the Australian Senate Aidan McLindon has said his party will direct preferences away from Queensland candidates who support marriage equality, regardless of which party they belong to.

McLindon issued a statement calling for all Queensland candidates in the federal election to answer either yes, no or “undecided” to the question: “Do you personally support gay marriage?”

He gave candidates until 5pm on Thursday to respond, and said Family First in Queensland would then allocate preferences in each seat depending on responses, leaving open the possibility of issuing a split ticket in some seats.

McLindon said an unclear response or a non-response would be taken for marriage equality support.

“When voters head to the polls on September 7 they can be confident that a vote for Family First is a vote against gay marriage,” McLindon said.

The former national director of Katter’s Australian Party was involved in the party’s controversial advertisement in 2012 attacking Queensland Premier Campbell Newman for apparent hypocrisy around his position in support of marriage equality.