Lyle Shelton, the former Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, will be the lead senate candidate in New South Wales for the Family First party.
Shelton is currently the party’s Executive Director, he was their lead candidate for the NSW Legislative Council in 2023 where he received over 58,000 votes, falling well short of the amount of support needed to join parliament.
He was previously a member of Fred Nile’s Christian Democrats and before that ran as part of Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives at the 2019 federal election.
Shelton also hosts an online program on ADH.TV where he often interviews other opponents of LGBTIQA+ rights.
In a media release the party said Shelton has a vision to “restore the nation by promoting, encouraging and protecting the most important group unity of society – the married, heterosexual family.”
They also said the vision covered “its extended expression which is inclusive of non-married relatives and strangers alike.”
Shelton said he would be a voice for “values voters”.
“It’s time to put the best interests of the child at the centre of public policy, ahead of adult lifestyle choices.
“Sadly our politicians can’t define what a woman is, let alone a family.
“Liberal and Labor have failed to remove LGBTIQA+ gender fluid ideology programs in schools which are damaging the lives of too many precious young people.” Shelton said.
Winding back anti-discrimination protections is high on the party’s agenda, and they’ve also vowed to limit transgender people’s participation in sport.
“Family First will restore freedom of speech and freedom of religion by overhauling Australia’s regime of flawed anti-discrimination laws which allow even the threat of activist litigants to police our speech.
“Family First will restore the definition of woman in the Sex Discrimination Act so girls and women are again protected from the unfairness of biological males in their sports and encroachment in their private spaces.” Shelton said.
Shelton has a long history of campaigning against LGBTIQA+ rights and was one of the leaders of the campaign against marriage equality.
Family First has previously had three federal MPs. Steve Fielding was a senator from 2005 until 2011. Bob Day joined the parliament in 2014 but was deemed ineligible in 2016. He was replaced by Lucy Gichuhi who later became an independent and then a member of the Liberal party.
