While the outcome of the state election is disappointing, we are incredibly grateful for our volunteers, supporters, and of course, our voters. We put on our largest campaign yet, gained experience and ideas, and gained new people. Though we didn’t win a seat, the issues we’ve put forward and the awareness we’ve raised will continue to work towards better lives for animals, people and our planet.

We are committed to continuing the fight for the issues that matter to animals and remaining connected with our network of supporters. Your engagement is what gave us strength through this election and together we will keep moving forward.

Election results

We received more first preference votes than many other contenders. In the upper house, we received more first preference votes than three incumbent members (Tammy Franks, Connie Bonaros and Jing Lee) and a former senator (Bob Day). Counting is still continuing and we are forecast to receive about 15,000 first preference votes.

In the lower house, we ran a record sixteen candidates across the state. They received 4,727 first preference votes, the smaller figure for the lower house is largely because we didn’t run in every lower house district. We also had more than one hundred volunteers for this election.

The following table lists groups by first preference votes received in the upper house, showing where Animal Justice Party placed among other groups.

The rise of One Nation is quite visible, and consequently a smaller share of votes for others. In 2022, One Nation received 4.23 % of first preference votes, this time it was almost six times that. Meanwhile, the vote share for Animal Justice Party was slightly down in the upper house, from 1.5 % in 2022 to 1.3 % in 2026, and also down in lower house districts we recontested. That said, Animal Justice Party remains a household name because almost everyone knows us from when they went to vote, a characteristic we wouldn’t achieve if we were an advocacy organisation.

We need your support to build the party and win a seat in the next state election. Between now and then, there are many tasks to do, including lobbying for animals and more Animal Justice Party events to run. The party is not separate from its people, so we need people like you to volunteer and run the party, we need people like you to be candidates, we need people like you to vote for us and we rely on donations from people like you to keep the party going.

Interest from newly elected MPs

We hold influence even though we are outside of parliament and this is likely to increase. A number of newly elected MPs have mentioned they would like to be in contact with us to discuss animal issues. There is a diversity of views within parliament, so it’s promising that this fresh group of MPs are keen to speak with us and that they are interested in animal issues.

A global phenomenon

The rise of the right and consequently fewer votes for others is a global phenomenon. At about the same time as our state election, on 18 March, the Netherlands held local council elections. Our sister party in the Netherlands, the Party for the Animals, received fewer votes than last time too, going from 63 to 58 seats on local councils. Animals need your help globally to keep this movement going forward.

Next election

Our next election in SA is also this year! Local council elections will be held later this year, they are free to enter and require minimal paperwork. Quite a number of animal issues are delegated to the local government level, so this is another good opportunity to provide a voice to animals through politics. Councillors are paid an allowance for their duties in this part-time role.

Keep an eye on your inbox because Animal Justice Party can provide support to members who wish to contest these elections. These elections are only a few months away, here is the timeline for local council elections:

• Roll close: 5pm Friday 31 July 2026
• Nominations open: Tuesday 25 August 2026
• Nominations close: 12 noon Tuesday 8 September 2026
• Ballot draw: 9am Wednesday 9 September 2026
• Candidate profiles published online: No later than Tuesday 22 September 2026
• Mail out of voting materials: Thursday 15 October to Wednesday 21 October 2026
• Close of voting (Polling Day): 5pm Wednesday 11 November 2026
• Scrutiny and count: From 9am Saturday 14 November 2026

Our election focus is now on winning seats in local government. If we build a network of councillors, that will also serve as a great stepping stone to winning seats in the Parliament of South Australia.

for the animals...

Lionel Pengilley
Convenor
Animal Justice Party SA