Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives to merge with Family First

Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives to merge with Family First
Image: Picture: ABC

THE Australian Conservatives party, founded by South Australian senator Cory Bernardi, is set to merge with the long-running Family First party.

The move represents a consolidation of the far-right of Australian politics that will likely allow anti-marriage equality advocates to present a more united, and no doubt very loud, political front.

Both Senator Bernardi and Family First share a storied opposition to the advancement of LGBTI rights in Australia.

Bernardi is notorious for comparing same-sex marriage to bestiality, as well as being one of the most vocal opponents of the Safe Schools program in Australian politics.

Australian Conservatives’ absorption of Family First is expected to consolidate its base of power in South Australia with state upper house members Dennis Hood and Robert Brokenshire switching allegiances from Family First to Australian Conservatives.

The merger follows the High Court ruling that Family First senator Bob Day’s election to the Senate in 2016 was invalid, which was said to damage the Family First brand.

Day’s replacement, Lucy Gichuhi, will not go on to represent the Australian Conservatives and is expected to now represent South Australia as an Independent.

In 2016, Family First candidate for the senate in Tasmania Peter Madden came under fire for linking the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre to “the real & present dangers of the gay marriage agenda to [Australian] children”.

Madden also campaigned with a trailer that stated “homosexual marriage = gay sex-ed for children”.

Family First states unequivocally on its website that the party believes “that marriage at its essence and by definition is between a man and a woman to the exclusion of others for life.”

Family First founder, Pentecostal paster Andrew Evans, told the ABC, “It’s just crazy to divide all the time, so we felt let’s [get] the conservatives [to] unite and make an impact and let them know our values and see if we can have some impact across the nation.”

Pauline Hanson, the other major far-right voice in Australian politics, has declined Bernardi’s suggestion that One Nation could also amalgamate with Australian Conservatives through a spokesperson.

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3 responses to “Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives to merge with Family First”

  1. They’re hardly what you would call strange bedfellows. Just two groups full of arrogant, self-righteous hypocrites – who think that gay people don’t have families too.

  2. As a centrist gay libertarian, I welcome this move. This is long overdue – we just need to see the Labor, Sex, Liberal Democrats and Greens parties merge and the Liberal, Shooters, National and One Nation parties merge too! Politics is also changing within Australia as well. A lot of people think this is a scary time, but I see an upside to this too – at least we know were they stand on the political spectrum’s! I and ten other people are setting up the Australian Libertarian Party (based on the US Libertarian Party Model). 2019 is going to be a year of real change! Watch this space!

  3. At last! Family First were never about actual Australian family values, now they’re doing the right thing and simply rebranding themselves as Conservatives which they always were. Family First means promoting gay families and they never could, well done to them for dropping this name which was always a lie. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with the fact that the only Family First senator was for once not a white man but a black woman, I’m sure it’s nothing to do with racism or sexism!!!