Editing Family First Party (section)

{{Short description|Political party in Australia (2002–2017)}}
{{For-multi|the Australian political party founded in 2021|Family First Party (2021)|the New Zealand lobby group|Family First New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| name         = Family First Party
| logo         = [[File:Family First 2013.png|150px]]
| colorcode    = #23CDFD
| foundation   = {{start date and age|2002}}
| ideology     = {{plainlist|
* [[Social conservatism]]<ref name=Ghazarian>{{cite web |last1=Ghazarian |first1=Zareh |date= |title=Small Parties, Big Changes: The Evolution of Minor Parties Elected to the Australian Senate |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/~/media/359C0D9F778D4F9D8572BA84276BB1D6.ashx |url-status=live |website=aph.gov.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716134134/https://www.aph.gov.au/~/media/359C0D9F778D4F9D8572BA84276BB1D6.ashx |archive-date=16 July 2019 }}</ref>
* [[Familialism]]
}}
| headquarters = 77 Fullarton Road, [[Kent Town, South Australia|Kent Town]], [[South Australia]]
| country = Australia
| dissolved    = {{end date and age|2017|04|26|df=y}}
| merged       = [[Australian Conservatives|Conservatives]]
| successor    = [[Family First Party (2021)|Family First (2021)]]
| religion     = [[Christianity]] ([[Assemblies of God]])<ref name=Ghazarian/>
| position     = [[Right-wing]]<ref name=Ghazarian/>
| colours      = {{Color box|#1456F1|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|#FF7F00|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]] and [[Orange (colour)|orange]]
}}
{{Conservatism in Australia}}
The '''Family First Party''' was a [[Conservatism in Australia|conservative]] [[political party in Australia]] which existed from 2002 to 2017. It was founded in [[South Australia]] where it enjoyed its greatest electoral support. Since the demise of the [[Australian Conservatives]] into which it merged, it has been refounded in that state as the [[Family First Party (2021)]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa/2022/guide/lc-results|title=South Australia Election 2022 - Legislative Council Results|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]}}</ref>

Family First had three candidates elected to the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] during its existence—[[Steve Fielding]] (2005–2011), [[Bob Day]] (2014–2016), and [[Lucy Gichuhi]] (2017; elected on a [[countback]] following Day being declared ineligible). At state level, the party won a seat in the [[South Australian Legislative Council]] across four consecutive state elections ([[2002 South Australian state election|2002]], [[2006 South Australian state election|2006]], [[2010 South Australian state election|2010]], and [[2014 South Australian state election|2014]]). It also briefly had representatives in the [[New South Wales Legislative Council]] and [[Western Australian Legislative Council]], as a result of defections from other parties.

The party was generally considered to be part of the [[Christian right]]. Though it had no formal affiliation with any particular religious organisation, Family First was strongly linked to the [[Pentecostal church]] in South Australia, and nationally from smaller Christian denominations. Family First in South Australia was viewed as an infusion of ex-[[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberals]] via [[Robert Brokenshire]] and Day. Originally advocating a moral and family values agenda, Day, who would become Family First's major donor, later reoriented Family First to begin to emphasise issues such as industrial relations reform, free speech and smaller government, which brought Family First closer to [[Cory Bernardi]]'s [[Australian Conservatives]].  Family First and its two state parliamentarians [[Dennis Hood]] and Brokenshire joined and merged with Bernardi's Australian Conservatives on 25 April 2017.<ref name=antonyabc>{{cite news|last1=Green|first1=Antony|title=The Urge to merge - Family First and the Australian Conservatives |url=http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2017/04/the-urge-to-merge-family-first-and-the-australian-conservatives.html |access-date=4 May 2017 |work=ABC |date=26 April 2017}}</ref>

Newly appointed Family First senator [[Lucy Gichuhi]] did not join the Conservatives, and became an independent senator when Family First was disbanded.<ref name="merger-abc">{{cite news|title=Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to merge with Family First|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-25/cory-bernardi-australian-conservatices-to-merge-with-family/8471244?smid=abcnews-Twitter_Organic&WT.tsrc=Twitter_Organic&sf73113548=1|access-date=25 April 2017|work=ABC News|date=25 April 2017|language=en-AU}}</ref> Gichuhi was invited to join the Australian Conservatives' voting bloc in the Senate,<ref name="bloc">{{Cite news|title=Bernardi's alliance intends to bloc Xenophon|work=[[The Australian]]|date=27 April 2017|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/cory-bernardis-alliance-intends-to-bloc-nick-xenophon-in-senate/news-story/02c0a616b6c7d66c7a181cee58c5f210}}</ref> but ultimately chose to join the Liberal Party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australian-success-story-pm-welcomes-gichuhi-to-liberals|title='Australian success story': PM welcomes Gichuhi to Liberals|work=SBS}}</ref> Brokenshire was not re-elected at the [[2018 South Australian state election|2018 state election]], and Hood left the Conservatives to join the [[Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division)|Liberal Party]] on 26 March 2018.<ref name="Hood">{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-26/australian-conservatives-mp-dennis-hood-joins-liberals/9586822 |title=Dennis Hood dumps Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to join SA Liberals |first=Nick |last=Harmsen |newspaper=ABC News |date=26 March 2018 |access-date=26 March 2018}}</ref>