Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting)

The Non-Custodial Parents Party was formed in Australia in 1998 by Andrew Thompson and other concerned citizens. The NCPP ran 20 candidates for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and two candidates for the New South Wales Legislative Council in the 1999 state election.{{cite NSW election |title=1999 election totals |year=1999 |district=Totals |access-date=2022-06-15}}{{cite web |url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/nsw-legislative-council-elections-1999/LC1999AntonyGreen.pdf |title=New South Wales Legislative Council Elections 1999 |first=Antony |last=Green |author-link=Antony Green |work=Background Paper No 2/2000 |date=May 2000 |publisher=Parliament of New South Wales |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303141400/https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/nsw-legislative-council-elections-1999/LC1999AntonyGreen.pdf |url-status=live }}

The NCPP contested six seats and the Senate in New South Wales for the 2001 Australian federal election.{{cite web |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/10822/Website/SEN_NSW.htm |title=2001 Federal Election – Senate results NSW |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=11 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211194212/http://results.aec.gov.au/10822/Website/SEN_NSW.htm |url-status=live }} A NCPP candidate, John Flanagan, contested the 2002 Cunningham by-election and received 556 votes, representing 0.83% of the total vote.{{cite web |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/supplementary_by_elections/2002/cunningham.htm |title=2002 Cunningham by-election |access-date=13 June 2020}}

In the 2004 federal election, the NCPP fielded candidates in states other than in New South Wales for the first time. The party ran for the Senate in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and nationally received a total of 12,207 votes, representing 0.10% of the national vote.{{cite web|url=http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-12246-NAT.htm|title=Senate State First Preferences By Group|work=Australian Electoral Commission|year=2005|access-date=31 March 2013|archive-date=12 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512031310/http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-12246-NAT.htm|url-status=live}} The party also contested two seats in the House of Representatives, Cunningham and Parramatta, receiving 1,132 votes total.{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-12246-114.htm |title=2004 Australian Federal Election Results for Cunningham |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=16 December 2010 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402144332/http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-12246-114.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-12246-140.htm |title=2004 Australian Federal Election Results for Parramatta |access-date=16 December 2010 |archive-date=1 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301223215/http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-12246-140.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-NAT.htm |title=First Preferences By Party-National |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |year=2005 |access-date=31 March 2013}}

The party was automatically de-registered in 2006, along with all non-parliamentary political parties, as a result of the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2006.{{cite web |date=22 December 2006 |title=Deregistration of Political Parties |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Media_releases/2006/d2212.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609142929/http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Media_releases/2006/d2212.htm |archive-date=2007-06-09 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission}}{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|num_act|earaiaoma2006668|Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2006}} The NCPP successfully re-applied for registration under the name Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting).

In the 2007 federal election, the NCPP again contested four states in the Senate, and ran in Cunningham and Macarthur in the House. The Senate candidates received 6,385 first preference votes, or 0.05% of the total vote,{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/Website/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-13745-NAT.htm |title=Senate State First Preferences By Group |work=The official election results 2007 |year=2008 |access-date=31 March 2013 |archive-date=5 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505143042/http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/website/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-13745-NAT.htm |url-status=live }} while the House of Representatives candidates received 795 first preferences votes representing 0.01% of the national vote{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/Website/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-13745-NAT.htm |title=First Preferences By Party |work=Australian Electoral Commission |year=2008 |access-date=31 March 2013 |archive-date=23 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723042440/http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/Website/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-13745-NAT.htm |url-status=live }}

At the 2010 Federal Election, the NCPP contested the Senate only in New South Wales, winning 0.09% of the total New South Wales votes.{{cite web |url= http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/snsw-results.htm |title= Senate Results - New South Wales - 2010 Federal Election |work= ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |year= 2013 |access-date= 31 March 2013 |archive-date= 24 March 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130324074310/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/snsw-results.htm |url-status= live }} and 0.03% of the national vote.{{cite web|url=http://results.aec.gov.au/15508/Website/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-15508-NAT.htm|title=Senate State First Preferences By Group|work=Australian Electoral Commission|year=2013|access-date=31 March 2013|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225163624/https://results.aec.gov.au/15508/Website/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-15508-NAT.htm|url-status=live}} The party also ran candidates in Cunningham and Throsby, receiving 2,835 votes.{{cite web |url= http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/parties.htm |title=Party Totals - 2010 Federal Election|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|year=2013 |access-date=31 March 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/15508/Website/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-15508-NAT.htm |title=First Preferences By Party |work=Australian Electoral Commission. |year=2013 |access-date=31 March 2013}}

The NCPP ran for the Senate in New South Wales at the 2013 federal election, and also ran in three House of Representatives seats: Cunningham, Throsby, and Flinders in Victoria.{{cite web |url=http://www.equalparenting.org.au/get-involved/elections/ |website=Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) |title=2013 Federal Election and candidates' page |access-date=26 March 2013}} The party ran again in Cunningham and Whitlam (formerly Throsby), and for the Senate in New South Wales, in 2016.{{cite web |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm |title=Candidates for the 2016 federal election |date=12 June 2016 |access-date=12 June 2016 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |archive-date=13 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613080512/http://www.aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm |url-status=live }}

The party nominated Anthony Fels, a former member of the WA Legislative Council, for the 2017 Bennelong by-election. Fels came last of 12 candidates with a primary vote of less than 0.2 percent.{{Cite web |url=http://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-21379-105.htm |title=2017 Bennelong by-election results: AEC |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219045408/http://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-21379-105.htm |archive-date=19 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}

At the 2019 federal election, the party ran only in Cunningham, receiving 1,213 votes.{{cite web |url=https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/HouseDivisionPage-24310-114.htm |title=Whitlam, NSW |website=Virtual Tally Room 2016 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=6 June 2020}}

The NCPP voluntarily de-registered in May 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Deregistered_parties/files/19-20-037-voluntary-deregistration-web-notice-non-custodial-parents-party-equal-parenting.pdf |title=Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) Voluntary Deregistration |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=11 June 2020}}

• Child custody
• Equal Parenting Alliance: political party
• Fathers 4 Justice
• Families Need Fathers
• Family law
• Fathers' rights
• Shared parenting

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.equalparenting.org.au/ Homepage]

{{Australian political parties}}

Category:1998 establishments in Australia

Category:Defunct political parties in Australia