With the election only a couple of weeks away and how-to-vote registration closing soon, I want to explain the thinking behind Family First’s preference recommendations which will appear on our How to Vote cards. How to vote cards will be available on our website in coming coming days ahead of early voting beginning on Wednesday November 18th.
The most important thing to note is that recommendations parties make are just that: recommendations. Each voter is the one who decides where his or her preferences go.
Lower House
In most districts we have recommended a number 2 vote for One Nation. You will however notice that in four electorates we have recommended Labor candidates with a pro-life voting record be placed above Liberal and One Nation. We are balancing the importance of rewarding pro-life parliamentarians on principle while ensuring we DO NOT inadvertently cause a Labor government to be re-elected.
Our starting point in Greenvale, Broadmeadows, Pascoe Vale and St Albans remains the one we published last October: we will preference against MPs (Liberal or Labor) who have voted for the expansion of euthanasia and the attack on doctors’ conscience rights, and we will recognise those Labor MPs who crossed the floor to do the right thing. Voting records on life issues are critical. It should be noted that One Nation, while aligned on many of our issues, is not aligned on the life issues. One Nation also supports euthanasia, so it is appropriate that the four pro-life Labor MPs receive pro-life preferences ahead of One Nation in these four seats, should voters choose to follow our how to vote card.
You will notice that we are putting Liberals last in Hawthorn (John Pesutto), Bulleen (Matthew Guy), Brighton (James Newbury), Croydon and Tarneit. It will surprise no one that we deem it not appropriate to recommend preferences to those who have treated Moira Deeming so unjustly or persecuted other Christian candidates.
In Caulfield (David Southwick) we are recommending an open ticket: just vote 1 Family First.
In Sydenham and Niddrie we are running split tickets. We recommend in both to put One Nation ahead of Labor and Liberal. This makes it easier for the many Labor-voting Christians in those seats to vote 1 Family First. Voters can then choose whether to put Labor or Liberal next.
In several other seats we are also recommending an open ticket (vote 1 Family First only).
In Preston we have placed Labor at 3, ahead of the Liberals. This is a tight Labor–Greens contest and we are trying to stop the Greens from winning the seat (the One Nation candidate has been disendorsed).
Upper house
We are not contesting South-Eastern Metro (to help David Limbrick – please vote 1 Libertarian above the line) or Eastern Victoria (to help Jeff Bourman – please vote 1 Shooters, Fishers and Farmers). In return, neither is contesting Western Metro, which is beneficial to Moira’s re-election.
In the regions we are contesting, the preference order is broadly the same seat-to-seat, with Labor last. The aim is to create a buffer that reduces the chance of the Greens or Socialists picking up extra seats.
Important reminder
Our how-to-vote card is a suggestion only. It is not locked in the way group voting tickets operated in previous Victorian elections. If any Family First supporters or members disagree with the recommended order, they are welcome to choose the preference order that best suits them when they fill out their ballot at the polling booth. The final decision always rests with the voter.
Thank you for everything you are doing. The combination of 71 strong local candidates plus 17 upper house candidates, a clear values message and careful preference strategy gives us the best chance of getting Moira back and building a lasting presence for families in the Victorian Parliament.
Finally, it is vital that Family First receives your number 1 vote. A number 2 for Family First will be a wasted values vote as it will likely exhaust. Many people will want to support One Nation and can still do so by putting Family First 1 and One Nation 2, which is what we have mostly recommended.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me on [email protected].
Lyle Shelton
National Director
Family First