[[Deakin, Australian Capital Territory|Deakin]], [[Canberra]]{{cite web |title=Register of Political Parties |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/120902661 |publisher=The Canberra Times |access-date=17 November 2024 |page=5 |date=6 January 1989}}"},"international":{"wt":""},"website":{"wt":""},"registered":{"wt":"{{Start date and age|16 January 1989}}"},"country":{"wt":"Australia"},"abbreviation":{"wt":"FEC"},"founder":{"wt":""},"legalised":{"wt":""},"dissolved":{"wt":"{{Start date and age|26 July 1991}}"},"colors":{"wt":""},"native_name_lang":{"wt":""},"governing_body":{"wt":""},"standing_committee":{"wt":""},"merger":{"wt":""},"split":{"wt":""},"predecessor":{"wt":""},"merged":{"wt":""},"successor":{"wt":""},"newspaper":{"wt":""},"think_tank":{"wt":""},"student_wing":{"wt":""},"youth_wing":{"wt":""},"womens_wing":{"wt":""},"membership":{"wt":""},"membership_year":{"wt":""},"position":{"wt":""},"religion":{"wt":""},"national":{"wt":""},"regional":{"wt":""},"european":{"wt":""},"continental":{"wt":""},"europarl":{"wt":""},"slogan":{"wt":""},"anthem":{"wt":""},"symbol":{"wt":""},"flag":{"wt":""},"flag_alt":{"wt":""},"country2":{"wt":""},"footnotes":{"wt":""},"logo_upright":{"wt":""},"logo_alt":{"wt":""}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwBw">
Although its members, including president Miko Kirschbaum, did not initially want to be a political party, the FEC applied for registration with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 5 January 1989 and was registered 11 days later.[3][6][11]
In February 1989, Tony Fleming (who had planned to contest the election as part of his own "Tony Fleming Independent Group" party), former Australian Democrats candidate Julie McCarron-Benson and three members of the Rainbow Alliance joined the FEC to contest the election, in order to best maximise their chances under the D'Hondt system.[12][13] This meant the Rainbow Alliance withdrew from the election as a separate party.[14][15]
The FEC received second preferences from a majority of the minor parties that were contesting the election.[16]Opinion polling published throughout the election campaign showed the party with between 1.1% and 2.8% of the vote, which was not enough to win a seat.[17][18] Fleming's campaign was endorsed by Tasmanian Independent Greens MP Bob Brown, who said Fleming was "part of the fresh wave of Australian politics" and "a brilliant candidate".[19][20]
The election was held on 4 March, but counting took almost two months to complete.[21][22] Around three weeks after the election, Fleming conceded that he had narrowly missed out on being elected, with the FEC winning 99.92% of the quota needed and thus falling just 117 votes (or 0.08%) short of gaining a seat.[23][24] This was despite Fleming having the third-highest personal vote of any candidate in the ACT.[25][26]
On 26 July 1991, the FEC was deregistered by the AEC.[27]
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