Editing Family First Party (section)

==History==
The party was founded 2002 in [[South Australia]], in time to contest the [[2002 South Australian state election|2002 state election]], when former [[Assemblies of God]] pastor [[Andrew Evans (pastor)|Andrew Evans]] became its first elected member, winning a seat in the [[South Australian Legislative Council]]. A second party member, pharmaceutical executive [[Dennis Hood]], was elected to the Legislative Council at the [[2006 South Australian state election|2006 state election]]. [[Robert Brokenshire]] replaced Evans following the latter's retirement in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24070079-2682,00.html |title= New MLC Robert Brokenshire puts major parties on notice |work= [[AdelaideNow]] |date= 24 July 2008 |access-date= 24 July 2008 }}</ref>

At the [[2004 Australian federal election|2004 federal election]], Family First contested seats all over Australia, generally exchanging [[Ranked voting systems|preferences]] with [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] candidates, although in some seats it exchanged preferences with the [[Australian Labor Party]]. In Queensland, the party refused to direct preferences to Liberal candidate Ingrid Tall on the grounds she was openly gay, also refusing to preference Liberal candidate [[Warren Entsch]] for his support for same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/family-first-refuses-preference-swap-with-lesbians-20041005-gdyqvf.html|title=Family First refuses preference swap with lesbians|date=5 October 2004|access-date=10 June 2024|newspaper=The Age}}</ref> At that election, [[Steve Fielding]] was elected as a senator for [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] for the party. Fielding, along with independent [[Nick Xenophon]] and the five [[Australian Greens]], shared the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]] in the Senate from July 2008 to July 2011. He lost his seat at the [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 federal election]].

In June 2008, sitting MP and former [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] member, [[Dan Sullivan (Australian politician)|Dan Sullivan]], joined the [[Western Australia]]n state branch of Family First as an executive member. When three former [[One Nation (Australia)|One Nation]] [[Member of Parliament|MP]]s attended the public launch of the branch, it fuelled media speculation that they might try to influence the West Australian branch.<ref name="ABC_Fisher2">{{cite news |title=Fischer throws weight behind Family First in WA |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/22/2281987.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121231064717/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/22/2281987.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 December 2012 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=2008-06-22 |access-date=2008-06-23 }}</ref><ref name="Y7_Sullivan">{{cite news |title=Sullivan to lead Family First |url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/080620/21/17db8.html |publisher=[[Yahoo!7]] |date=2008-06-20 |access-date=2008-06-25 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

During the 2009/10 financial year, party chairman [[Bob Day]] made two loans totalling $405,000 to Family First. After gaining 4% of the vote in several [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] seats in the [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 federal election]], the party also received around $400,000 in Commonwealth election funding.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/family-first-gets-405000-lifeline-from-its-chairman-20110212-1are4.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | first1=Ruth | last1=Williams | first2=Mark | last2=Hawthorne | title=Family First gets $405,000 lifeline from its chairman | date=2011-02-13}}</ref>

Family First returned to the Australian Senate at the [[2013 Australian federal election|2013 federal election]], when Day was elected as a senator for South Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://results.aec.gov.au/17496/Website/SenateSenatorsElected-17496-NAT.htm|title=Senators Elected|publisher=Australian ElectoralCommission}}</ref> He was re-elected at the [[2016 Australian federal election|2016 double dissolution federal election]]. A few months later, his family-owned building company, Home Australia Group, ran into financial difficulties and was wound up. Day announced immediately that he would resign from the senate as a consequence, however he did not resign immediately, allowing time for the party to develop a process for selecting a replacement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2016/10/25/simple-family-first-transition-wildly-optimistic/ |title=Simple Family First transition "wildly optimistic" |first=Tom |last=Richardson |newspaper=[[InDaily]] |date=25 October 2016 |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> He resigned on 1 November 2016 creating a vacancy in the senate. In April 2017 the high court ruled that he was invalidly elected in July 2016 and had been ineligible to sit in the senate since February 2016.<ref name="DayIneligibleRuling"/> 

The vacancy created by Day's resignation was filled by another Family First senate candidate, [[Lucy Gichuhi]]. Gichuhi was declared by the court of disputed returns on 13 April 2017 to be elected instead of Day, after a special recount of South Australian senate votes.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-13/family-first-lucy-gichuhi-replaces-bob-day-in-senate/8442564 |title=Family First's Lucy Gichuhi set to replace Bob Day in South Australian Senate seat |date=13 April 2017 |work=ABC News |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |first1=Chris |last1=Uhlmann |first2=Matthew |last2=Doran}}</ref><ref name="Day resigned">{{cite news |url=http://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2016/11/01/finally-bob-calls-it-a-day/ |title=Finally, Bob calls it a Day |date=1 November 2016 |first=Tom |last=Richardson |newspaper=[[InDaily]] |access-date=1 November 2016}}</ref> She became Australia's first African Senator.

===Merger with the Australian Conservatives===
On 26 April 2017, a merger between the [[Australian Conservatives]] and the Family First Party was announced, with Family First to be absorbed into the Conservatives.<ref name="merger-aus">{{cite news|last1=Owen|first1=Michael|title=Bernardi and Family First join forces for conservative vote|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bernardi-and-family-first-join-forces-for-conservative-vote/news-story/c2604388c3b1c7b1b320d7e9678f8b3d|access-date=25 April 2017|work=The Australian|date=25 April 2017}}</ref> Newly appointed Family First senator [[Lucy Gichuhi]] did not join the Conservatives, and became an independent senator when the Family First Party was disbanded.<ref name="gichuhi-ind">{{cite news|last1=Belot|first1=Henry|title=Bernardi unwilling to wait for Gichuhi to 'get her head around' party merger|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-26/cory-bernardi-unwilling-to-wait-for-gicuchi-for-amalgamation/8472754|access-date=26 April 2017|work=ABC News|date=26 April 2017|language=en-AU}}</ref> The party formally relinquished its registration with the [[Australian Electoral Commission]] on 30 August 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Deregistered_parties/files/2017-6292.pdf |title=Family First Party Voluntary Deregistration |quote=Notice under s 135(1) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 The Family First Party was registered on 5 March 2004 and deregistered on 30 August 2017. Reason: s 135(1) – voluntary deregistration |date=30 August 2017 |access-date=1 September 2017 |publisher=[[Australian Electoral Commission]]}}</ref>

Psephologist [[Antony Green]] suggested the merger could in part be attributed to the abolition of [[group voting ticket]]s, which makes it more difficult for like-minded parties to swap [[Instant-runoff voting|preferences]] without a certain amount of "leakage" to other parties.<ref name=antonyabc/>

According to John Macaulay, an executive of the Australian Conservatives Board, and the dissolution document of Family First, the Party did not merge with the Australian Conservatives. The Family First executive voted to dissolve the party, and in accordance with Australian law, they donated all their assets to the Australian Conservative Party.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-04-25 |title=Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to amalgamate with Family First | first=Louise | last=Yaxley |language=en-AU |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-25/cory-bernardi-australian-conservatives-family-first-to-merge/8471244 |access-date=2022-06-18}}</ref>