For the first time ever the Australian Christians political party has won a seat in the WA election.
Maryka Groenewald,the WA State Director of the party has won a seat in the state’s 37 member upper house, the Legislative council.
The Australian Christians is a conservative party, similar in style to the Christian Democrats, the now defunct party that was represented in the NSW Legislative Council by Fred Nile, often with another member.
Groenewald will join 16 Labor members, 11 Liberals, 4 Greens, 2 Nationals, 1 Legalise Cannabis, 1 One Nation witha final seat still in doubt according to ABC projections. The Greens will have the balance of power in the new house.
The breakthrough comes because the legislative council electoral system has been reformed. The McGowan Labor government seized the opportunity to change the system after their overwheming landslide. instead of six regioanl electorates, one vote one value was guaranteed witha change to a single statewide electorate. This reduced the quota frrequired for a seta from 14.29% of the vote in each ofthe old electorates to just 2.63%, according to Antony Green, ABC Chief Election Analyst. 26,613 votes gave Groenewald just over a quota.
Groenewald’s success was built on the same technique that saw Nile win election after election, by runnunf lower house candidates in almost every seat. She was a speaker at a Perth Never Again Is Now rally campaigning against antisemitism late last year, organised by former Sydney Anglican minister Mark Leach. Other Australian Christian party policies oppose abortion and assisted suicide, and support limited government, free enterprise and “fiscal responsibility that keep the books balanced.” They support chaplains in schools and religious freedom for schools.
The party mission statement includes “To promote true welfare for the people of Australia by bringing all legislation into conformity with the will of God as revealed in the Holy Bible, with a redemptive emphasis on the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).”
Image: Maryka Groenewald. Image credit: Australian Christian party video