Right-wing senator Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives party is amalgamating with Family First.

The outspoken senator left the Liberal Party in February after nine years with the party in federal parliament.

However, only two weeks after formally becoming an Australian Conservatives senator he has announced his party is merging with Family First.

Senator Bernardi has refuted a suggestion from senior Turnbull government minister Christopher Pyne that the Australian Conservatives party was struggling to attract support.

Mr Pyne comes from the Liberal Party in South Australia, which Senator Bernardi was a member of for 30 years.

'If there was no threat to Christopher Pyne, he wouldn't be making any comments whatsoever,' Senator Bernardi told ABC 7.30 host Leigh Sales on Wednesday.

'Within these sort of troublemakers or power brokers, as they like to style themselves within the Liberal Party, they're responsible for the dysfunction that's there for the disillusionment by the public because people like Christopher Pyne don't stand for anything.'

In the same interview, Senator Bernardi had to awkwardly explain why new a Family First lawmaker born in Kenya didn't join his party.

His party merger plans were thrown into disarray in federal parliament after new South Australian senator Lucy Gichuhi announced she would sit as an independent rather than as a member of the merged conservative parties.

Senator Bernardi said Senator Gichuhi, a 54-year-old lawyer who migrated to Australia in 1999, was new to parliament.

'Lucy was chosen or sworn in as a senator only recently and I know what it’s like to be a new senator even with the support of a party,' he said.

'It’s a very challenging environment. You got to get your head around a lot and Lucy's made a lot of decisions this week and she wasn't prepared or able to make a decision in respect to this merger at this time but I noticed she left the door open today.'

Senator Gichuhi was this month appointed as a senator after the High Court ruled that former Family First senator Bob Day's election to parliament in 2016 was invalid because he rented office space which he owned.

Australia's most senior judges ruled that he had breached Section 44 (5) of the constitution, which bans federal members of parliament from having a financial contract with the Commonwealth.

Mr Day quit as a senator in October after his Home Australia building company, based in Adelaide, collapsed.

This, in itself, would have made him ineligible to sit in parliament as a bankrupt.

On Wednesday, Senator Gichuhi left Family First to become an independent legislator.

She was the second name on the Family First Senate ticket in South Australia at last year's federal double dissolution election. </s> Cory Bernardi quits the Liberal Party to establish Australian Conservatives

Updated

South Australian senator Cory Bernardi has officially quit the Liberal Party to establish his own party, using a scathing speech to criticise colleagues for "failing the people of Australia".

Key points: Senator Bernardi says he was reluctant and relieved to the leave the party

He says it's time for a "better way, for a conservative way"

Coalition ministers turn on Senator Bernardi, describing his actions as "a betrayal"

The senator informed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of his decision to defect shortly before a church service on Tuesday morning, which marked the start of the parliamentary year.

In a speech to colleagues, Senator Bernardi said he was reluctant and relieved to leave the party, saying the decision had "weighed heavily on his heart".

"The level of public disenchantment with the major parties, the lack of confidence in our political process, and the concern about the direction of our nation is very, very strong," he said.

"This is a direct product of … the political class being out of touch with the hopes and aspirations of the Australian people."

Senator Bernardi said his calls to restore faith in the political system had been ignored by some of his Liberal Party colleagues.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Cory Bernardi confirms he is leaving the Liberal Party to establish his own party (ABC News)

"It really is time for a better way — for a conservative way," he said.

Senator Bernardi said his new party, the Australian Conservatives, would focus on limiting the size of government and provide hope to "those who despair at the current state of Australian politics".

The 47-year-old senator has been a controversial figure in the Liberal Party and is known for his inflammatory remarks on gay rights, Islam and climate change.

He said the Government's position on energy and climate change was one reason behind his decision to leave the party.

'It's not your ticket to really hand over'

Coalition ministers have turned on Senator Bernardi, describing his actions as "a betrayal", with some calling on him to resign from politics.

Education Minster Simon Birmingham said the defection was "a dog act" and thousands of South Australians may be rethinking their vote.

The ABC understands Mr Turnbull told the partyroom he asked Senator Bernardi why he was leaving so soon after the election, describing his response as "not satisfactory".

Attorney-General George Brandis said Senator Bernardi had not acted like a conservative and had broken a promise to his electorate by leaving the party.

"Breaking faith with the electorate, breaking faith with the people who voted for you, breaking faith with the people who have supported you through thick and thin for years, is not a conservative thing to do," he said.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne called on Senator Bernardi to resign and recontest as an independent.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said volunteers who worked for Senator Bernardi during the election campaign should be upset with his decision to leave the party.

"All the people who are in the Liberal Party who handed out his how-to-vote cards will ring him up and say, 'I handed out for the Liberal Party, I didn't hand out for the Cory Bernardi party,'" he said.

"It's not your ticket to really hand over, it's sort of ours."

When asked what advice he had for Senator Bernardi, Mr Joyce said he should "pray, pray hard".

Treasurer: We won't be distracted

Treasurer Scott Morrison insisted the Government would not be distracted by Senator Bernardi's defection, suggesting it would do little to ease concerns in the electorate.

He acknowledged concerns that mainstream politicians were not addressing issues such as housing affordability, jobs, electricity prices and childcare.

"People are worried that the mainstream parties are not addressing those concerns," he told ABC's 7.30.

"No change of personalities and [the] politics of Cory Bernardi, or anything else, is going to address those concerns — the Government can address those concerns and that's what we are doing."

Mr Morrison said he believed the Government could rely on support from Senator Bernardi in the Upper House.

"Before the last election, Senator Bernardi Gave his commitment to preselectors to be a Liberal in the Parliament, he gave his commitment to Liberal voters at the election…" he said.

"He also signed up to the platform we took to the last election when he was elected for a six-year term.

"There has been no change to that platform."

Party members, voters 'rightly disappointed'

In a statement, former prime minister Tony Abbott said he was disappointed at Senator Bernardi's decision and said more should have been done to keep him in the Liberal Party.

"While Cory and I have sometimes disagreed, I'm disappointed that more effort has not been made to keep our party united," he said in a statement.

"Cory Bernardi has made an important contribution to our public life and I deeply regret his decision to leave the Liberal Party."

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said he considered Senator Bernardi "a good friend" but was disappointed he did not attend the party conference on Tuesday morning.

"I wish that he had attended the Liberal partyroom meeting this morning, looked us all in the eye and explained his reasons," he said.

"He was elected as a Liberal Party senator and owes his colleagues an explanation. Party members and voters will be rightly disappointed."

Topics: liberals, political-parties, government-and-politics, federal-government, community-and-society, australia

First posted </s> Canberra, Feb 6 (IANS) Australian Senator Cory Bernardi is set to resign from the government and form a breakaway far-right political party, a media report said on Monday.

Bernardi, who has long been critical of the centre-right policies pursued by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, was expected to resign by Tuesday ahead of Parliament’s session, Xinhua news agency reported.

The conservative and often outspoken senator indicated his desire to breakaway from the coalition in July 2016 when he founded the Australian Conservatives website that was created to “unite the Liberal Party”.

“Every comment I’ve ever seen Cory make,… has been about the importance of Liberals, Nationals, conservatives – all those in the right of centre – working together…,” Education Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC.

“I’m confident that Cory will stand by his words.”

Although, Bernardi refused to comment on the report, but it was revealed that he set up a second website called Australian Majority, with a political logo resembling US Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s logo.

The move could be disastrous for the government, which holds just a one seat majority in the House of Representatives. An extra crossbench senator could take even more power away from the government.

Crisis for the Turnbull-led coalition government further compounded on Monday when a latest poll revealed support for it had fallen to its lowest point since predecessor Tony Abbott left office. </s> ROGUE senator Cory Bernardi this morning rang PM Malcolm Turnbull to confirm he is defecting from the Liberals to form his own conservative party.

Sources within the Liberals confirmed Bernardi informed the PM of his decision despite sitting and former government MPs making an 11th hour appeal to the senator to stay.

Rogue Senator Cory Bernardi has been accused of being disloyal over plans to break away from the Liberals.

 Senior government figures accused Bernardi last night of disloyalty as the right-wing senator prepared to defect.



Assistant Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar, a senior member of the party's Right faction and a friend of Mr Bernardi, said any defection would be "unscrupulous and disloyal".

"Cory was elected six months ago on the Liberal party ticket for the six-year term in Parliament," he said.

"I don't believe Cory could now be so unscrupulous and disloyal as to leave the party that has provided him with his seat in the Senate."

Treasurer Scott Morrison also pointed out that Liberal Party members had worked hard to help Mr Bernardi's election to the Senate.

"When he stood at the election Liberal Party voters voted to have a Liberal party senator in the Senate."

Havoc for Turnbull as Bernardi set to quit Liberal Party

OUTSPOKEN South Australian senator Cory Bernardi will on Tuesday quit the Liberal Party in a move that threatens to further divide the Turnbull Government.

The Advertiser understands that SA's electricity crisis is one of the issues that led to Senator Bernardi's decision to quit, which is expected to be announced in a statement to the Senate this morning.

It is believed he will start a new party, Australian Conservatives, in a move which will boost the crossbench numbers to 12.

Speculation of Senator Bernardi's impending resignation, revealed in The Advertiser by political commentator

Andrew Bolt, has further compounded Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's political woes as he begins the parliamentary year trailing badly in the polls.

Senior Turnbull Government sources said Senator Bernardi, who was re-elected to the Senate last year for a six-year term, had not informed Mr Turnbull or cabinet ministers of his pending decisions, however most of his colleagues believed his departure was certain.

At last year's federal election, Senator Bernardi was second on the Liberal ticket behind Senator Birmingham. The Liberal ticket attracted 329,516 first-preference votes, Senator Bernardi received 2043 votes.

It is understood Senator Bernardi's new party will focus on resisting a push towards from expensive renewable energy options and take a tougher stances on immigration - especially from predominantly Muslim nations.

Energy is set to be one of the hot topics of the year in the wake of SA's statewide blackout last year and ongoing and fierce debate about the role of coal and renewables.

It is understood that Senator Bernardi's close friend Gina Rinehart, who recently expanded her business empire to include the South Australia's S Kidman & Co cattle company, will offer financial backing.

But fellow conservatives and critics of the Prime Minister Eric Abetz, George Christensen and Tony Abbott have ruled out following their colleague.

While Senator Bernardi has mostly hit headlines for controversial topics - such as wanting to ban Islamic face coverings and comparing the move to legalise same-sex marriage to legalising bestiality - he is also outspoken about other core conservative issues.

He is likely to continue to emphasise family values, a free market, limited government intervention and focus on social issues including gay marriage.

On Monday the Senator's office window contained only the Australian Conservatives logo and a "manifesto" for

"Our Australia" as "a nation bound by virtues and sustained by faith". It talks about the importance of freedom and a moral foundation.

Education Minister and SA Senator Simon Birmingham earlier said he was "confident" Senator Bernardi would stand by earlier statements of solidarity.

Another famous SA Liberal defector, Martin Hamilton-Smith - whom Senator Bernardi blasted after he left to take up a Labor ministry - said the Liberals were "looking increasingly like the Greens".

Recently, Senator Bernardi called on the Government to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement, and called consideration of an emissions intensity scheme "one of the dumbest things" he has heard.

In December, he wrote about the "disconnect that is fuelling the crisis of confidence in the major political parties".

At the core of that was the "alarmism" of climate change, he wrote:

"In fact, if I were a struggling state or federal political leader, here's an election-winning platform: I want to make (South) Australian electricity prices the most competitive in the nation/world. To do that, we are going to remove bureaucratic impediments to the construction and operation of new power stations and remove subsidies for uneconomic schemes."

Treasurer Scott Morrison said SA voters had elected Senator Bernardi to support the Liberal Party in Parliament but it was ultimately up to him to decide whether he left the government benches.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said the Turnbull Government was hopelessly divided and had lost focus on the issues that matter.

"Whether or not Cory Bernardi stays or goes, whether or not Malcolm goes ... that isn't going to help people pay for their first house," Mr Shorten. It doesn't help people find a job or keep a job."

His web was already spun

OFFICIALLY, it was supposed to be a conservative version of the left-wing political activist group GetUp!

But observers suspected Cory Bernardi was unofficially using the Australian Conservatives group to lay the foundations for his own political party by creating a network of potential supporters and donors.

The Australian Conservatives burst on to the political scene after the federal election with a basic website. Tens of thousands of people reportedly signed up to receive the group's regular emails.

Founder Senator Bernardi said conservative-minded members of all political parties were welcome to join. The group would pursue issues such as free speech and reforming section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act.

He believed the group was a counter to GetUp!, which backs progressive causes and uses its army of volunteers to campaign against the Liberals at election time.

The Australian Conservatives is an offshoot of the Bernardi-founded Conservative Leadership Foundation, which operates from offices in Kent Town.

Late last year, "The Australian Majority" became the newest addition to Senator Bernardi's organisations.

Like GetUp!, the Bernardi groups are not obliged to publicly reveal their sources of income or donors. Senator

Bernardi can turn to Australian Conservatives and Conservative Leadership Foundation supporters for financial support for his new venture. </s> Cory Bernardi has called Malcolm Turnbull to confirm he will defect from the Liberal Party to form a breakaway conservative party.

The controversial South Australian Senator has called the prime minister on Tuesday morning to state his intention to resign from the party.

Mr Bernardi will sit on the crossbench as a conservative independent.

Political commentator Laurie Oakes told the Today Show Mr Bernardi will form a new splinter party called Australian Conservatives.

Mr Bernardi appears to be getting bankrolled by mining magnate Gina Rinehart.

Mr Oakes said the senator had timed his resignation 'to inflict maximum damage' on the prime minister, on the first day of the parliamentary year.

Federal MPs have gathered at the traditional ecumenical church service to mark the start of parliament ahead of Cory Bernardi's expected defection.

Mr Turnbull was tight lipped about the future of renegade Liberal senator Cory Bernardi as he arrived with wife Lucy for an ecumenical service in a neighbouring suburb to Parliament House.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and wife Chloe also attended the Tuesday gathering, which traditionally marks the start of the parliamentary year.

Mr Turnbull refused to answer questions as he arrived for the service in suburban Canberra.

But Peter Dutton - regarded as the leading conservative inside Mr Turnbull's cabinet - didn't hold back.

'I think people will be angry about any defection, angry about the betrayal of the Liberal Party values,' the immigration minister told ABC radio.

Mr Dutton said he didn't believe other coalition MPs would follow Senator Bernardi who is tipped to announce the formation of the Australian Conservatives party when he publicly reveals his future to the Senate later on Tuesday.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly wants Senator Bernardi to think again.

'You can do a lot more inside the Liberal party, working for, arguing those things that you believe in, than actually outside the tent,' he told the ABC.

Senator Bernardi's decision is set to dominate the first day of federal parliament for the year.

But cabinet minister Arthur Sinodinos denies it will be a distraction.

'Not if we and the press focus on what's important to our fellow Australians,' he said.

Conservative Queensland government backbencher George Christensen said Senator Bernardi had never asked him to leave the Liberal National Party.

'At this point in time I'm very loyal to Barnaby Joyce - I sit within the National Party - it's a party I've been a member of for more than two decades,' he told ABC radio.

'I'm going to continue here for as long as the party - and I believe the National Party always will be - in tune with conservative values and in tune with regional electorates.'

Sean Edwards has more reason than most to be angry with his fellow South Australian.

'It would be a gross departure as to - certainly six months into a six-year term - what people would have expected,' said the former senator who lost his seat at the 2016 election.

Mr Edwards, who was number five on the SA Senate ticket behind Senator Bernardi running as number two, said he would be disappointed if he left.

'I would prefer to see Senator Bernardi stay within the Liberal party and do the work that all the members that preselected him in preference to members like myself (expect),' he said.

Changes to way senators are elected would make it harder for Liberal renegade Cory Bernardi to retain his Senate seat, one crossbencher warned.

Cory Bernardi has been told by one his of soon-to-be fellow crossbenchers he risks losing his Senate seat if he quits the Liberal Party to sit as an independent conservative.

Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjlem told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday he had a simple message for the renegade government senator: 'Don't do it.'

Changes to way senators are elected would make his South Australian seat much harder to retain, he warned.

But Senator Bernardi would make a good replacement on small-L liberal economic issues after Family First senator Bob Day quit parliament.

Government senator James Paterson said his thoughts were with Liberal voters in South Australia who would be feeling disappointed.

'I hope if Cory does go to the cross bench that ... he bears in mind he was elected on a Liberal Party platform,' he told reporters. </s> Cory Bernardi: Where does the Senator stand on key issues?

Cory Bernardi's inflammatory remarks on gay rights, Islam and climate change have made him one of the most recognisable faces on the Government's backbench.

The 47-year-old says he is on a mission to "restore common sense ... and traditional values", but that has put him at odds with his colleagues in the Liberal Party and at outright war with the left.

Senator Bernardi was elected to the Senate in 2006 on the South Australian ticket, backed by right-wing power broker Nick Minchin.

In his maiden speech, he pledged to be guided by God, spoke about "the sanctity of human life" and marriage, and thanked his mother for staying at home to raise him.

Eight years earlier, Mr Minchin had manoeuvred him into the presidency of the Liberal Party in South Australia.

Senator Bernardi never won over his more moderate colleagues and his public feud with fellow South Australian Liberal Christopher Pyne has been public and toxic.

Senator Bernardi's three months in the US during Donald Trump's run for the Presidency buoyed his confidence in Australia's conservative movement.

Donning a "Make Australia Great Again" hat, the senator warned his party not to ignore the lessons of Mr Trump's victory.

"Unfortunately there are too few in our body politic willing to take the path less travelled — a trustworthy track that has fallen out of use," he wrote in a newsletter earlier this month.

Last year, he set up the Australian Conservatives, modelled on the grassroots tactics of the US Tea Party, and he says his supporters now number more than 60,000.

Australian Conservatives is not a registered political party and a related fundraising group set up by the senator in 2009, the Conservative Leadership Foundation, does not purport to directly fund Australian politics.

It has never made any declarations to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) about the source of its money or its expenditure, meaning it operates in a grey area of the political donations system.

He has previously threatened to quit the Liberal Party and in his most recent newsletter foreshadowed his move.

When Senator Bernardi questioned whether gay marriage would lead to bestiality in 2012, the backlash was fierce and swift.

"There are even some creepy people out there ... (who) say it is OK to have consensual sexual relations between humans and animals," he said during a debate on same-sex marriage.

Then opposition leader Tony Abbott said he did not share Senator Bernardi's view and accepted his resignation as parliamentary secretary.

At the time, Malcolm Turnbull described the views as "extreme."

"They are hysterical, they're not the views of the mainstream Australian society — let alone of the Liberal Party," Mr Turnbull said.

Senator Bernardi has described Islam as a "totalitarian, political and religious ideology," but says he's not racist because his issue is with the religion, not Muslims.

He has been rebuked by the Liberal leadership for meeting with Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, and has attended rallies and events with Reclaim Australia and Q Society.

Both groups oppose Islam, and describe the Halal certification of food as a tax that benefits terrorism.

Senator Bernardi has been a strong backer of a ban on the burka, describing it as a "flag of fundamentalism" and a "shroud of oppression."

He was born to an Italian immigrant, but has strong views on others who cross the sea to make Australia home.

He has described asylum seekers as "welfare squatters" and during the outpouring of emotion over the drowning death of toddler Aylan Kurdi, he said the boy's father was to blame.

The comments earned him a sharp rebuke from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

He was also told off over his criticism of the Government's decision to fly survivors of the Christmas Island refugee boat disaster to Sydney for their families' funerals.

In his maiden speech, Senator Bernardi set his agenda as one of the Liberal Party's key defenders of conservative values.

He spoke about the "sanctity of human life" and marriage, and the role of his mother in the family home.

In a book titled The Conservative Revolution, Senator Bernardi described abortion as an "abhorrent form of birth control" and anyone who supports it as "pro-death".

"Given the increasing number of non-traditional families, there is a temptation to equate all family structures as being equal or relative," he writes. </s> Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to amalgamate with Family First

The Australian Conservatives party, represented in the Senate by Cory Bernardi, will amalgamate with the Family First Party, the ABC understands.

Family First has two representatives in the South Australian Parliament who will become Australian Conservatives instead.

But the ABC understands newly elected Family First senator Lucy Gichuhi will not be part of the merged party.

Earlier this year, Senator Bernardi quit the Liberal Party to set up the Australian Conservatives party.

The decision to amalgamate the two parties means a significant consolidation of the conservative movement nationally.

It is understood to have been ratified by executives from Family First who have resolved not to keep the party going at state or federal level and to instead join with Senator Bernardi's new party.

When Family First is wound up, the party's resources will go to the Australian Conservatives.

Senator Bernardi is the federal parliamentary leader of the Australian Conservatives.

In South Australia, Dennis Hood and Robert Brokenshire, who are both members of the State Upper House, will switch from Family First to representing the Australian Conservatives.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the amalgamation was a natural fit.

"My sense is that it was inevitable," he told Sky News.

Mr Day's election to the Senate at last year's poll was ruled invalid by the High Court after it was found a property he owned had been leased to the Commonwealth, contrary to law.

Mr Dutton said the merged group would mainly have influence in South Australia, comparing it to One Nation's strength in Queensland.

"You're seeing most of these movements contained within state boundaries," he said.

He said the Government would continue to work with crossbenchers regardless of their party allegiances. </s> CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian senator and outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump says he will start a new political party to appeal to disenfranchised conservatives.

Cory Bernardi said Tuesday he would abandon Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s conservative Liberal Party as the ruling coalition trails further behind the center-left Labor Party in opinion polls seven months after elections.

Bernardi told the Senate he had resigned to start a new party called Australian Conservatives.

Bernardi’s move came on the first day Parliament has met since Trump’s inauguration.

The 47-year-old recently spent three months in New York seconded to the United Nations and met Trump associates. He a red baseball hat with a Trump-like slogan: “Make Australia Great Again.” </s> Cory Bernardi unwilling to wait for Lucy Gichuhi to 'get her head around' things

Conservative senator Cory Bernardi has been planning to merge his political party with Family First for months, but was unwilling to wait for newly elected senator Lucy Gichuhi to decide whether to join him.

The Australian Conservatives party will amalgamate with Family First, acquiring two representatives in the South Australian Parliament.

But Senator Gichuhi will not join the merged party, which means Senator Bernardi will be the Australian Conservatives' only representative in the Upper House in Canberra.

Senator Gichuhi replaced former Family First senator Bob Day in Parliament after a court found she was validly elected earlier this month.

The merger represents a consolidation of the conservative movement and Senator Bernardi said he would welcome potential defectors from other parties.

"We will invite anyone into the tent who wants to come in," Senator Bernardi said.

Family First will now disband with its resources to be transferred to the Australian Conservatives.

Senator Bernardi said he had been friends with South Australian Family First MP Dennis Hood for many years.

He thanked him for support when former Liberal colleagues "found the going too tough".

Gichuhi an independent, for now

Senator Gichuhi has confirmed she will serve as an independent senator "for the time being".

"While I respect the decision of Family First to join with the Australian Conservatives, given the circumstances and the time frame, I have not been able to determine if joining this new entity is the best way for me to serve the people of South Australia," she said in a statement.

"I am aware that this issue was being discussed and considered independently of the electoral and legal process that has seen me elected last week as senator of South Australia."

Senator Bernardi said Senator Gichuhi had "a lot to get her head around" and was unwilling to delay the merger while she considered her future.

"I'm not in the habit of pressuring anybody to make decision, particularly ones that advantage me," he said.

Senator Bernardi wished Senator Gichuhi well and said he would be willing to assist her transition to federal politics.

"Her appointment was a circumstance that none of us, not least of all Lucy herself, ever really anticipated," he said.

Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne said he did not expect the merger would "trouble the scoreboard very dramatically".

"What it indicates is that neither party have had the support that they need to continue on their own," Mr Pyne told Adelaide radio station 5AA.

"The one person they managed to elect to the Australian Senate in South Australia has jumped ship already," he said.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the merger was flawed and had "fallen apart" before it even got off the ground.

Labor MP Anthony Albanese said the merger would not deliver results in the Senate.

"It's a pretty remarkable effort when you have Family First with one senator, Cory Bernardi, pretending he has a party but with one senator, and the two amalgamate and 1 + 1 = 1," Mr Albanese said.

Labor senator Penny Wong said the merger appeared to be a case of right-wing senators flexing their muscles.

South Australian senator Nick Xenophon said it would be tough for Senator Gichuhi to operate without the support of party, but indicated he would help her learn Senate procedures.
Incumbent Australian Senator Cory Bernardi defects from the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia to establish his own minor party, the Australian Conservatives.