The Family First party will merge with the new Australian Conservatives political movement in a new realignment on the right of Australian politics.
But the merger is unlikely to include the new Family First senator Lucy Gichuhi, who appears set to take her place in the federal parliament as an independent.
The merger will bolster the fledgling Australian Conservatives party, established by the Liberal defector Cory Bernardi in early 2017, giving the party the prospect of expanding beyond its base in South Australia in time for the next federal election.
Combining resources and infrastructure will help Australian Conservatives face off against stiff competition on the right from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party.
As well as the new federal representative, Family First has two other members in the South Australian parliament, Dennis Hood and a former Liberal minister Robert Brokenshire.
The merger is a consequential development ahead of the South Australian election, due next year.
That election will see vigorous competition between Australian Conservatives and the Nick Xenophon Team for disaffected voters on the right and centre right in SA.
Reacting to news of the merger, Xenophon told Guardian Australia: “Two splinters don’t make a twig, let alone a branch, but I wish them well, because politics needs to be a contest of ideas.”
A Guardian Essential poll in mid-February suggested Australian Conservatives could win support from 18% of Coalition voters.
The survey indicated 14% of voters were likely to vote for Bernardi’s new conservative party and 62% weren’t interested – but 18% of Liberal/National voters said they would be either very likely, or somewhat likely, to support the new breakaway movement.
