ABC predicts Family First candidate Bob Day elected to Senate in South Australia

Family First South Australian Senate candidate Bob Day AO may become the second Senator for the party, following Steven Fielding's single term in Victoria from 2004.

While the Australian Electoral Commission Virtual Tally Room is still only showing primary votes, the ABC election pages are calculating the preference flow of all parties and describing as elected Senate candidates in South Australia:

1 Cory Bernardi, Liberal Party
2 Nick Xenophon, Nick Xenophon Group
3 Penny Wong, Australian Labor Party
4 Sarah Hanson-Young, Australian Greens.
5 Bob Day, Family First Party.
6 Simon Birmingham, Liberal Party.

If accurate, this represents the major electoral achievement of parties associated with the Christian vote in the 2013 election.

Other Senate outcomes

In separate news, the Christian Democratic party may have missed out on a Senate seat in NSW due in part to an unusually large vote for the Liberal Democrats, who have won a Senate seat. A second reason is the failure of Christian parties to preference one another. For example the DLP preferenced One Nation and Family First the Motor Enthusiasts Party and these preferences did not flow to CDP before they were excluded.

The Liberal Democrats were in the first column on the NSW Senate paper and the Liberal Party was concerned that some voters would accidentally vote for the Liberal Democrats. Their vote in NSW is far larger than in other states, perhaps supporting this theory, to the detriment of the CDP.

In other results, Nick Xenophon went close to winning two quota's outright, although the ABC is not giving them the second position on preferences.

The Palmer United Party seems to have won a Senate seat in Queensland with former rugby league star Glenn Lazarus likely to return to Canberra where he once starred for the Raiders.

In Victoria, the ABC is predicting the Motor Enthusiasts Party will come from behind on preferences to win the sixth seat despite a strong showing from Family First and Rise Up Australia.

This might one good example of the way Christian parties have let down Christian voters with their preferencing.

Election night results 2013 brought to you by Australian Christian Voter

Tweets by @PeterAHallett

If you can't cope with TV election coverage, watch the footy and keep the Virtual Tally Room on your computer, tablet

The range of sporting events tonight include a rugby test, AFL final, NRL final rounds and even US Open tennis and some might add the blood sport - politics.

But if the misery on the faces of Labor commentators and the smug adulation of the Liberals is too hard to take, then there's a cliche free way to stay right up to date with the federal election 2013 result while watching the sport of your choice.

The Australian Electoral Commission's Virtual Tally Room is an appealing alternative to the now defunct National Tally Room in Canberra and the repetitive election coverage on the television networks. (Have you noticed the longer coverage runs, the shallower it gets?)

Anyway, at the VTR you'll find live updates of seat tallies for each party and independents as well as state breakdowns, two party preferred and closed seats.

Using the menu on the left, you can click through to progress on individual seats, see seats where the incumbent is trailing and check out the latest count in the Senate.

Who needs half a dozen or a hundred talking-heads (no matter how much we love you) to describe what can find out for ourselves with a few clicks during the ad break at the footy (or whatever you are up to tonight!).

Got to http://vtr.aec.gov.au and enjoy your evening.

One more post on how to vote Christian, kind of, before election day arrives

John Dickson, one of Australia's leading marketplace Christian communicators, begins his election advice with this quote from Mahatma Ghandi:

'He who says politics and religion do not mix understands neither one.'

Peace-award winning Pastor Jarrod McKenna begins his electoral advice article in today's Fairfax media with a quote saying just the opposite from Tony Campolo:

'Mixing religion and politics is like mixing ice cream and manure. It doesn't do much to the manure but it sure does ruin the ice cream.'

Despite the apparent divergence of starting points, the two move on to give remarkably similar advice to Christians and other voters in how best to cast their vote.

The fact Dickson seems to be reminding us that faith cannot be left out of any sphere of life, including politics, whereas McKenna is reminding us that faith can only be damaged by politics without benefiting it, is an apparent contradiction, but not a real one.

Both points are true but are in tension. If we allow faith and religion to guide our values, personal choices, voting priorities and political behaviour our politics will be better for it.

If we submerge our faith and religion in the political process thinking it is our saviour and the worldly means of defending our turf or asserting our will then we all lose.

To read more of John Dickson and other election advice, see our previous post. To read Jarrod McKenna, click here.

ACV's final pre-election thoughts

And as this may be our last pre-election post, perhaps there's room for a few brief reflections.

To think any one party or leader will solve all our problems or be above reproach on every point is to think we are in heaven and not on earth.

To be impressed by all the powerful and intelligent-sounding voices, particularly the ones that adopt the, 'I really know more about this than any of you' tone (Bernard Keane, for example) is only to be as fallible as the person who pays no attention at all.

The Christian world-view has many challenges but one advantage is that it accustoms a person to the tension of living fully for today and living fully for eternity. We can care enough to consider policies, write political blogs and cast a considered vote without buying into the depressing spectacle that this is all there is between us and oblivion.

Something to remember about the telling majority of voters in Australia, is that they don't need that much information to make an electoral judgement that by and large is good for the country. We are mostly grounded in the practical issues of life and this is perhaps the best place from which to make political decisions. Governments can often do a reasonable job with nuts and bolts and struggle with intangibles.

Christians are meant to be good with the intangibles and deeply committed to aiding the practical realities of others.

There's an intersection there somewhere with the act of voting and we pray you find that sweet spot on polling day. Happy voting.

22 policy areas of concern to Christians feature on Australia Votes website

Homelessness, abortion, national curriculum, internet safety, sharia law and prayer in Parliament are some of the 22 policy areas canvassed by a political party questionnaire on the Australia Votes website.

Unlike the more common 'tick-a-box' policy responses, the policy pages on Australia Votes contain detailed policy notes written specifically for the site and providing some fascinating insights into policy.

Framed and distributed by the Australian Christian Lobby, the Australia Votes questionnaire avoids broader issues of voter interest and focuses on policy areas that may be critical to Christian voters, depending on their specific interests:

'ACL recognises that Christian voters will share many concerns with the general electorate and has tried to avoid duplicating those. Instead this questionnaire aims to reflect the main concerns of this constituency on topics such as refugees, abortion, marriage, family, classification standards, sexualisation of children and religious freedom.'

How can Julian Assange become a Senator while stuck in the UK?

Julian Assange's Senate candidacy for the Wikileaks Party throws up some interesting constitutional and political issues.

The Constitution says that a person convicted and sentenced or awaiting sentence for an offense with a penalty of one year imprisonment or more cannot be a Senator. It doesn't mention whether that conviction or sentence is restricted to Australian law, but that is the presumption.

On the face of it, although Assange faces possible charges in Sweden, and arguably the US, this does not disqualify him because it is not Australia that is pursuing him and in any case he is yet to be charged or tried. And although Australia has said it is investigating whether Assange has broke Australian law, there has been recent movement along that path.

Running for the Australian Senate is clearly a tactical move to ward off  foreign powers, particuarly the US, because it would be less likely to pursue Assange if he was a duly elected representative of the Australian people.

A greater threat to Assange's successful career as Senator, apart from the question of getting enough votes, is the Constitutional clause about absence from the Senate:

'The place of a senator shall become vacant if for two consecutive months of any session of the Parliament he, without the permission of the Senate, fails to attend the Senate.' Part II, 20.

If Assange is still holed-up in the Ecuadorian Consulate into next year, he is unlikely to survive attempts to oust him from his Senate position, should he win one.

More likely he intends to make a dash for Australia if he is successful in the election, believing sensitivity to Australian sovereignty will save him in the UK and that the Australian Government will also be unwilling to extradite him to Sweden or the US. But that still seems a long shot, particularly if Australian politicians are making unsympathetic noises here, given the annoyance Assange has been in Europe.

Barring some legal or political solution, Assange's long term Senate prospects seem problematic at best, despite the new 'body politic' he continually proclaims to be creating.

National Tally Room may not make it to the next election

The National Tally Room which nearly disappeared after the 2004 election may become a thing of the past with all commercial networks and the ABC announcing they will not broadcast from it on September 14.

The absence of the hordes of TV presenters and crews will leave the Australian Election Commission's National Tally Room a little light on activity.

ABC election expert Antony Green has written on bis blog that what happens to the tally room is matter for the AEC, but ABC coverage would be as comprehensive as ever, regardless of where it is broadcast from.

Antony Green's report here
Tony Wright provides a little tally room history

Pirates, bullet trains, Wikileaks, Carers - just some of the parties registering to contest September election

As an election year experience, Australian Christian Voter has subscribed to the Australian Electoral Commission's political party registration alert.

Whenever a party applies to register, change its name or has its registration approved or otherwise and the pace of alerts is definitely pick up.

Early alerts pertained to The Pirate Party, Carers Alliance and Bank Reform Party - read our earlier story here.

The next party registration alert seemed to coincide with the (very slow) discussion of a very fast train - The Bullet Train for Australia Party. Canberran Timothy Bohm is named as the applicant and the party's website says its goal is create a better Australia for our children and will have no other policies than to push for a high speed train.

An innocent little alert then came through for the Uniting Australia Party, a few days before Clive Palmer's plan to form a political party hit the headlines. Despite the application not being finally approved - objections can be made until May 24 - the UAP is already naming candidates and running advertising. It helps to have deep pockets.

Then this month, a trifecta of interesting new parties hit the AEC in time to beat the May 13 deadline for new registrations - Wikileaks Party, Voluntary Euthanasia Party and Nick Xenophon Group. You can find out more about their registration applications on the AEC website.

Wikileaks Party is a vehicle for would-be Victorian Senate candidate Julian Assange but has an interesting array of Australians on its National Council. The party has been formed by campaigner Dr Philip Nitschke and he is standing for the Senate, possibly in South Australia. Nick Xenophon says he has reluctantly formed the party so his name can be above the line on the ballot paper.

Meanwhile to parties with a symmetry to their names are both seeking changes or abbreviations to their existing registration.

The Democratic Labor Party of Australia wants to drop the 'of Australia' part with a new abbreviation, DLP Democratic Labor. And the Liberal Democratic Party wants to change its abbreviation from Liberal Democrats (LDP) to Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Party is objecting.

Rev Fred Nile's fiancee Silvana Nero contests NSW by-election

Rev Fred Nile's fiancee Silvana Nero is placed seventh on the ballot paper as the Christian Democratic Party candidate for the by-election in the NSW seat of Northern Tablelands to be held on May 25.

Ms Nero, a single mother of three who lives in government housing in Dee Why, is hoping to fill the parliamentary vacancy left by independent Richard Torbay who resigned suddenly and has since been referred to ICAC.

Torbay had been selected as the National candidate for Tony Windsor's federal electorate of New England in the upcoming election. He has been replaced by National's Senator Barnaby Joyce.

Ms Nero has encouraged people to vote for her saying on her Facebook page, 'I am on the Northern Tablelands by-election ballot at No.7. Lucky number. Vote for me and go to the bottom of the ballot.'
She describes herself as 'Pro-Life, Pro-Family and Pro-Christian ethics'.

She has been a teacher for 30 years, including in Walcha and Tamworth (Northern Tablelands) and says of her faith:

'As long as I can remember I have trusted and put into practice that “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. I stand for Biblical truths that brings us hope, peace and love.'

Rev Nile, 78, the national leader of the CDP and NSW MLC, announced this month his engagement to Ms Nero, 55, admitting that he was besotted with her and that his wife Elaine who died in October 2011 and said he could remarry, although ruling some women off limits.

Ms Nero says that Rev Nile is her 'knight in shining armour' and has made it clear that they do not live together or share a room as both believe strongly in marriage - Rev Nile was married for 53 years.

Fred Nile's engagement announced
Silvana Nero's Facebook page
Northern Tablelands by-election
Official CDP Facebook page

Postscript: The Northern Tablelands by-election was won by Adam Marshall (The Nationals) with 63.3 per cent of the primary vote followed by Jim Maher (Independent) with 13.5 per cent. Ms Nero came seventh with 2.1 per cent of the primary vote.

Open Australia bridges democratic disconnect and puts you in touch with Parliament

A new website that makes the unfathomable depths of Hansard easily accessible will be a huge asset for serious voters in the 2013 election.

OpenAustralia has a simple goal - to be 'a non-partisan website run by a charity, the OpenAustralia Foundation and volunteers. It aims to make it easy for people to keep tabs on their representatives in Parliament.' <>

Screenshot of an electorate search using a postcode.

OpenAustralia has already been featured by the Global Mail which has used information sourced from the website to produce charts showing how politicians use language to describe issues. Check out its Party Lines interactive feature.

The OpenAustralia website describes its function as a bridge for the 'growing democratic disconnect':

Carers Alliance and Bank Reformers seek registration alongside the Pirate Party

Two new parties have applied for registration towards the September 14, 2013 federal election, joining 33 other parties already contesting the poll.

The Carers Alliance and the Bank Reform Party hope to follow the most recently registered political grouping, The Pirate Party, which had its registration approved by the Australian Electoral Commission on February 13, 2013.

Party registration benefits include having party affiliation printed on ballot papers, not needing the signatures of 50 voters to nominate in an electorate and funding for endorsed candidates who received 4 per cent of the vote.

New political party has high hopes: Australian Christians

'The political landscape is at a crossroads. We believe the time is right for a new party, shaped by Christian values, to step forward as a viable third alternative.'

This is the bold declaration of a new political party known as Australian Christians which was launched in some states early last year.

A news story on the party by Perth Voice reports comments by national director Ray Moran who hopes that three existing political parties with Christian affiliations - Family First, Australian Christian Democrats and the Democratic Labor Party - can be united into one large Christian party.

However at the time, according to Perth Voice, the only progress had been some "official talks" with Family First.

A Victorian State Conference and Campaign Launch is being held on February 3 with the theme defending the essential three strands of faith, family freedom. Ecclesiastes 4:12 is highlighted - 'A cord of three strands is not quickly broken' - perhaps applicable also to the goal of uniting Christian political parties.

One of the speakers is Australian Christians' lead Senate candidate in Victoria, Vickie Janson, author of Ideological Jihad. She has recently completed a trip through regional Victoria meeting church leaders and other Christians. Tasmanian lead Senate candidate is Kevin Swarts.

On its website, Australian Christians describes a hopeful vision, clearly unsullied by political realities that too easily engulf even experienced hands.

'We see a movement that is known for what it promotes, not what it opposes. A party with a voice in the political conversation that can shape policy, promote and protect the values that create a better Australia for all Australians, no matter what their faith and belief. We believe this movement has the potential to unite Australian Christians. And we believe it has the potential to influence the values and culture of our next generation.'

Comment: at first glance, Australian Christians would seem to have unrealistic hopes and little organisation - the twin plagues of most Christian endeavours in the world of politics. A closer look reveals that, in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania at least, there is some degree of organisation and resource and even a few candidates. ACV

Wikipedia contains a small and slightly outdated reference to the party. It claims that Australian Christians will not operate in NSW due to the strength of the CDP in that state.

Status quo for Christian parties in NSW upper house

Christian parties neither increased or reduced their presence in the NSW Legislative Council in the March 2011 election. Shoalhaven Mayor Paul Green, standing for the Christian Democratic Party, replaces Gordon Moyes who represented Family First (after a mid-term departure from the CDP).

Once again, the two parties struggled to find agreement in how best to maximise the impact of those voters who choose to vote for a Christian party, with preference agreements falling down.

Paul Green joins Rev Fred Nile in the LC and together with the two Shooters and Fishers will play a significant role in sharing the balance of power in the current parliament. Green plans to continue on as Shoalhaven Mayor.

Gordon Moyes, his stint in NSW Parliament at an end, plans to use his time and experience in mentoring young Christian leaders, with a particular focus on politics.

For a wrap up of a the March 2011 NSW election, check out the following:

Antony Green's blog
CDP wrap-up
Gordon Moyes future
Australian Christian Lobby's reports

CDP summary describes vote as 'encouraging'

The Christian Democrtic Party NSW Senate results are 'very encouraging', according to a summary on the CDP website.

The CDP received 82,560 votes in the 2007 Senate Election and preliminary results indicate that the CDP vote will increase by 3-4000 votes in 2010, still not enough to win a seat.

Read the full NSW CDP summary.

Family First's Fielding loses Senate seat

The ABC's election analyst Antony Green says Victorian Family First Senator Steve Fielding has lost his place in the Upper House.

He says the Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate, with new senators elected in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.

The Greens had been widely tipped to increase their Senate numbers to take the balance of power.

Senator Fielding was elected to the Senate with the help of Labor preferences in 2004 but is almost certain to be replaced by Greens candidate Richard Di Natale.

Read the full Seven News report.

While we're hanging around, what's up in the Senate.

With the news focus firmly on the probability that Australia will have a hung parliament, what is happening for minor parties such as Family First and Christian Democratic Party in the Senate.

According to the latest figures from the Australian Electoral Commission, South Australian Family First candidate Bob Day is still in with the slimmest of chances of winning the sixth Senate seat.

Family First SA has 32,323 votes or .285 of a quota. However the Greens have .93 of a quota, Liberals 2.57 quotas and Labor  2.72 quotas. Which means only four of six seats are definitely decided and the final two will depend on the completion of counting and, possibly, the flow of preferences.

Family First can expect to rise on the preferences of some other minor parties but it is a slim chance indeed that they would get ahead of either Liberal, Labor or Green for the sixth senate seat. But it's not impossible and it certainly a night for the unlikely.

In WA's Seante race, the CDP polled 10,973 votes but were behind the Australian Sex Party with more than 13,000 votes. Most of the sex party preferences will flow to the Greens and there is not enough votes among other minor parties preferencing CDP to see them reach a quota.

In NSW the CDP polled about 60,000 votes, putting them ahead of the Australian Sex Party but behind the Shooters and Fishers Party. family First polled 27,706 in their first serious Senate attempt in NSW.

It will be interesting to see if the preferencing decisions of CDP and Family First affect their success in the election. Both preferenced Liberal before each other.

Good advice for last minute voters

Still to head up the street to cast your vote? In these final hours, here's a little last minute assistance:

Find your closest polling booth
Work out how to vote in the Senate
ACV's election summary
Last minute values checklist
Catering for an election night party
Election night coverage on TV
Something completely different

When I voted with my family today, the familiar aroma of a barbecue was the first sign of a polling venue, followed by the ubiquitous posters, leaflets and passionate (or bored) volunteers.

My polling booth was wet - dripping with water - tears or signs of a whitewash? I moved to a drier location, numbering all 84 preferences and taking about 10 minutes to do it!

So join the fun, and get out there and vote - polling places close at 6pm!

Double hung parliament a real possibility

As Australian's go to bed on election night, they might find they wake up Sunday morning, not with a hang over, but a double hung parliament.

Most opinion polls now have the two-party preferred vote as 50-50 with Labor's primary vote of about 36 per cent boosted by a large flow of Green preferences.

There are already three independents in the House of Representatives, Tony Windsor, Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott, who all stand a good chance of being re-elected while the Greens may win won inner city seat.

As the three current independents are either former Nationals or holding seats formerly held by the Nationals, the Coalition may have first chance of negotiating a government, however all three are in favour of Labor's national broadband plan and so this is far from clear cut.

Tony Windsor said that in the event of a hung parliament, the cross bench members would get together to work out how to proceed. Which party had the most seats and the best deal for regional Australia would be factors.

An interesting sidelight is that in the inner city seats of Melbourne, Sydney and Grandlyer, the Liberals have preferenced the Greens on their how vote card which might mean a Green candidate gets elected. They would be much less likely to deal with the Coalition.

In the Senate, unless the Coalitions picks up seats or one of the other minor parties pull of a miracle, the Greens will hold the balance of power. This means a slightly right leaning cross bench in the lower house and a left leaning Senate.

Read more hung parliament analysis:

They deserve a hung parliament: MP
'Double hung' parliament on cards
Greens prefer Labor in a hung parliament
Markets dread a hung parliament

How to cast the perfect vote... and not cast the first stone

Final election comment
By Peter Hallett
Australian Christian Voter

Many voters will be hoping to cast the perfect vote on Saturday - one that represents the best policies, the best candidates and the best future for themselves and the nation.

Christians, and many other thoughtful people, are trained to be intentional and purposeful in all that they do, conscious of rights and wrongs and doing what is best in the eyes of God or their own conscience. This brings a kind of moral pressure to bear as we sift through the competing arguments from candidates and commentators alike.

Sometimes casting a vote almost becomes a battle to see who will cast the first stone - is there any among us worthy to pass judgement on the poor, political sinners scrambling exposed in the dust.

The hard, but relieving, truth is that the perfect vote does not exist, and never has because none of the parties or candidates are perfect. So if perfection is your goal, your are looking in the wrong place. I can think of Someone perfect, but He doesn't need your vote. He would appreciate a chat though...

So take the pressure off, sit back and read my summary of the various options based on years of journalism and a relentless reviewing of parties, policies and posting more than 110 articles on the election in the past two months.

Oh, and one thing I won't be doing is telling you how to vote... That's your decision.

Non-government school funding could still be in the balance

In the 2004 election, Mark Latham made the funding of non-government schools a divisive issue and if Labor had been elected, funding for private, church, Christian, Catholic and independent schools would have been hit hard.

Labor lost the 2004 election in a landslide.

Kevin Rudd, and more recently, Julia Gillard have sought to remove this division and despite pressure from unions, have maintained school funding in such a way that parents from a range of backgrounds can consider different schooling options for their children.

Despite this, there are still many policy uncertainties surrounding the funding of non-government schools and one of the biggest is the impact of The Greens holding the balance of power.

Christian Schools Australia is a peak body for community Christian schools in Australia and its Election 2010 web page provides background on many educational and election issues.

Visit the CSA Election 2010 resource.