Australian Conservatives | |
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Leader | Cory Bernardi[a] |
Founder | Cory Bernardi |
Founded | 7 February 2017[c] |
Dissolved | 25 June 2019 |
Split from | Liberal Party |
Headquarters | King William Street, Kent Town, South Australia 5067 |
Membership (2017) | 22,000[b] |
Ideology | |
Political position | Right-wing[4][6][7] |
Colours | Light blue |
Slogan | ...a better way |
House of Representatives | 0 / 151 (2017–2019) |
Senate | 1 / 76 (2017–2019) |
SA Legislative Council | 2 / 22 (2017–2018) |
Victorian Legislative Council | 1 / 40 (2017–2018) |
This article is part of a series on |
Conservatism in Australia |
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Australian Conservatives was a conservative political party in Australia formed in 2017. It was led by Cory Bernardi, who had been elected to the Senate for the Liberal Party,[8] but resigned citing disagreements with the Liberal/National Coalition, its policies and leadership under Malcolm Turnbull.
The Family First Party and its two state parliamentarians, Dennis Hood and Robert Brokenshire, joined the Australian Conservatives. Brokenshire was not re-elected at the 2018 state election, and Hood left the Conservatives to join the Liberal Party,[9] leaving Bernardi as the sole remaining member in federal parliament, whose term in the senate ran until 30 June 2022. In 2017, the leaders of the Victorian branch of the Australian Christians agreed to merge the Victorian branch with the Conservatives.[10][11]
Bernardi deregistered the party following the re-election of the Coalition Morrison government at the 2019 Australian federal election, citing a lack of political success and poor financial position.[12][13]
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Senator Bernardi said his party had about 2,500 members in Victoria. Its total national membership was approaching 13,000. Each member pays a $25 fee and there are no discounted or free memberships.
The fact that over 22,000 people formally joined the Australian Conservatives in our first year demonstrated just how badly the Coalition were haemorrhaging supporters who wanted their enduring values and traditional principles upheld. However, the decision to make Scott Morrison prime minister truly changed the political climate and our political fortunes. Rather than punish the Coalition for another new leader, many Conservatives breathed a sigh of relief that a man of faith and values was leading the Liberals back to their traditional policy platform.