Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters for your help during the recent federal election. We kept the momentum going for AJP, gained experience, gained new ideas, gained new people and gained new memories.

Although no AJP candidate in the country was elected, that was our expectation. The bar for election to federal parliament is higher than to SA state parliament. All our election focus is now on the state election, to be held on 21 March 2026, which presents a credible chance of gaining SA’s first elected AJP parliamentarian in SA’s upper house. AJP currently has three state parliamentarians across the country, gaining a fourth would give an even greater voice to animals and ensure our advocacy makes even more tangible improvements to the lives of animals, people and planet.

Our Recent Federal Election Participation

AJP ran two upper house candidates and five lower house candidates in SA for the recent federal election. This was up from four lower house candidates in 2022, so more voters had to number a box next to an AJP candidate than in 2022, putting our party in the minds of more voters. In order of our share of first preference votes in the lower house, we ran in these divisions:

1. Adelaide
2. Makin
3. Spence
4. Kingston
5. Hindmarsh

We received more support in the upper house than most other minor parties, we were the ninth party after distribution of preferences. Compared to the share of first preference votes, later preferences didn’t change the position in the results for any party in this election. This is where each party resulted in the upper house election, which for this election, was also incidentally the order of first preference vote share:

1. Australian Labor Party
2. Liberal
3. The Greens
4. Pauline Hanson's One Nation
5. Legalise Cannabis Australia
6. Trumpet of Patriots
7. Jacqui Lambie Network
8. Family First Party Australia
9. Animal Justice Party
10. Gerard Rennick People First
11. Libertarian
12. Australia’s Voice
13. The Nationals
14. Fusion
15. Sustainable Australia Party
16. Citizen’s Party

This election chose six parliamentarians for the upper house, whereas the state election next year will chose eleven for the upper house, which makes it easier for minor parties to gain a seat. There are fewer parties currently registered for SA state elections than federal elections, which should further improve our chances next year.

The upper house is statewide, but within the state, running a lower house candidate tended to attract more upper house votes. These are all the divisions in SA ordered by our share of first preference votes in the upper house, with those where we ran a lower house candidate in bold:

1. Spence
2. Kingston
3. Mayo
4. Adelaide
5. Makin
6. Grey
7. Hindmarsh
8. Barker
9. Boothby
10. Sturt

This indicates our chance of success in the state election next year should be greater if we run many lower house candidates. The challenge with state elections is that state election districts are smaller and more numerous, forty-seven districts for state elections compared to ten divisions for federal elections in SA. On the other hand, the requirements for candidates are more relaxed, for example, dual citizens may run. Keep an eye on your inbox because we will be recruiting candidates for the state election.

for the animals...

Lionel Pengilley
Animal Justice Party SA Treasurer