More election ranting

A strong show of support for Family First was an important factor in the Howard victory, with preferences from the Christian-values party boosting the Coalition vote.

Late last night figures suggested the socially conservative party, which is affiliated with the Assemblies of God Church, had attracted more than 2 per cent of the vote, the majority of which flowed on to the Government.

Under a deal brokered before the election, preferences in all but three of the 126 seats the group contested went to the Coalition.

One exception was the seat of Leichhardt, where the party refused to preference Liberal MP Warren Entsch because he supports gay marriages.

Family First burst into the federal political arena this election, aiming to push socially conservative policies and counter the rise of Greens candidates.

Founded in 2002, the party's initial purpose was to help Assemblies of God pastor Andrew Evans win a seat in the South Australian Parliament.

Despite the benefit of Family First preferences, not all Coalition members were happy with the arrangement. Nationals Senate candidate Barnaby Joyce last week described the party as the 'lunatic right'.

In the seat of Brisbane, Family First directed its preferences to the Nationals because the Liberal candidate Ingrid Tall is a lesbian.