Family First Party (2021)
The Family First Party is an Australian political party based in South Australia, founded on 28 July 2021 by former state Labor ministers Jack Snelling and Tom Kenyon. History. The Family First Party previously existed as a political party in Australia, founded in 2002 by Andrew Evans, who won a seat in the South Australian Legislative Council at the state election that year. In 2017 it merged with the Australian Conservatives which dissolved in 2019. On 28 July 2021, Jack Snelling and Tom Kenyon both left the Labor Party, forming the Family First Party. Upon founding  the party, Snelling has said that "we are very concerned about religious freedom and attempts to restrict that freedom", and that "I think that particularly in the last few years the political environment has shifted significantly in both the major parties where you simply cannot prosecute arguments about religious liberty". Both "The Australian" and "ABC News" noted that the Liberal Marshall government in South Australia was led by moderates who had supported reforms relating to abortion and euthanasia. Snelling has cited "moves to restrict the rights of hospitals and clinicians to refuse to participate in abortions and euthanasia" as  a concern. Snelling claimed that "we have the support of some of the founding members of Family First including Andrew Evans". Evans told "The Advertiser" that "I don't mind them doing it. It puts a brake on the major parties", but added that he would not be involved in the new party as "I've done my bit". "The Australian" reported that Snelling and Kenyon had acquired Family First's "data base of about 6000 supporters". Former Family First senator and current leader of the Australian Family Party, Bob Day, however, said the new party was "not restarting Family  First", noting that Snelling and Kenyon were "longstanding members of the Labor Party with a long tradition in the union movement". Former Senator and leader of the Australian Conservatives, Cory Bernardi, said of Family First that he would "cheer them on", and that he had released intellectual property associated with the former Family First name to the new party. Snelling told a "Sunday Mail" journalist in July 2021 that he was the chairman of an incorporated association called "Family First Party" which was not yet registered as a political party. "The Advertiser" reported that "former Family First insiders" believed that  the new party was formed with the intent of taking marginal seats from the Liberal Party in northeastern Adelaide. Snelling has said that "I have had no discussions with anybody in the ", and that he had not discussed the decision to form Family First with either party leader Peter Malinauskas or Labor's state executive. "The Advertiser" also wrote on 30 July 2021 that a Liberal member had said that the "fuse had been lit" for a potential breakaway party from the Liberals to be formed after the Family First Party's formation, with "some Liberals" also worrying that the  party could potentially cause the Liberals to lose seats in northeastern Adelaide. On 1 August 2021, it was reported that Deepa Mathew, who ran for the Liberal Party in the seat of Enfield at the 2018 South Australian state election, had joined the Family First Party. Mathew claimed that the Liberal Party was "introducing legislation that is a serious threat to the very fabric of our society and families, especially around individual's and organisations' freedom to be able to conscientious object based on your beliefs". Federal Liberal MP for Boothby, Nicolle Flint, called Mathew's defection a "big loss  for the Liberal Party", and that she was "deeply saddened to learn that Deepa was leaving the Liberal Party – I firmly believe if you want to change things do it from within". "The Advertiser" wrote that Mathew was expected to run as a candidate for Family First. The party was registered by the Electoral Commission of South Australia on 13 January 2022. 2022 South Australian election. The party is running candidates in the 2022 South Australian state election. Family First initially said it aimed to run in all 47 seats of the South Australian House of Assembly. Snelling did not  intend to run, but Kenyon was reported to be considering candidacy. "InDaily" reported that Kenyon is "expected" to run as Family First's lead candidate in the Legislative Council. When candidate lists were finalised, Family First had candidates in 34 seats, and two candidates (Kenyon and Mathew) for the Legislative Council. At the election, the party received 3.67% of the primary vote in the Lower House and 3.05% in the Upper House, and were not successful in getting any candidate elected. Their highest vote was in the seat of Ramsay with 11.4%.