BAN the use of balloons at outdoor events, tell politicians how to vote via a smartphone app, introduce daylight saving.

These are some of the reasons micro-parties want your vote at this State election.

While the re-emergence of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation as a major political force in WA politics has already changed the face of the March 11 election, so is a record number of so-called micro-parties catching the eye of Labor and Liberal party strategists.

Armed with an array of unusual and some might say far-out policies, these so-called bit players could well determine the fate of political heavyweights Colin Barnett and Mark McGowan.

Political analyst Harry Phillips says this will be an election like no other in WA.

“Individually, they probably won’t have much of an impact, preferences could have a major bearing on the outcome of this election — it is close,” Dr Phillips said.

“We haven’t really seen anything like this before, certainly not in the 2013 election.”

At the 2013 poll, seven registered parties contested the election — which included the Australian Christians and Family First.

This election there are 16 registered parties.

These include the Animal Justice Party, Daylight Saving Party, Fluoride Free WA Party, Socialist Alliance WA, the WA Flux Party, Australian Christians, Family First Party WA, Julie Matheson for Western Australia Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.

So what do we know about the parties vying for votes alongside the Greens and the National Party?

The Flux Party was formed in 2015 “as a new concept in democracy with the stated aim of returning democratic power to individual voters”.

“Under the Flux model, elected Flux representatives will vote on legislation before them only as directed by a majority of Flux participants using a Flux smartphone app.

“The Flux concept is simple. It allows registered Western Australian voters to direct how elected Flux members vote on legislation by expressing their preferences via the Flux app,” Flux campaign manager Daithi O Gliasain said.

This is the first time the Animal Justice Party has run candidates in the WA State Election.

“Our core principles are equality, kindness, respect, rationality and non-violence,” party secretary Alicia Sutton said.

Among the party’s policies are moves to ban the use of balloons at outdoor events and the sale of all animals in pet stores and online.

And Wilson Tucker, of the Daylight Saving Party, said the group would love to win a seat in the WA Parliament so it could “introduce legislation for the adoption of daylight saving time from the last Sunday in October until the last Sunday in March”.

Dr Phillips says West Australians already have a track record of voting in the underdog — citing former Palmer United Party WA senator Dio Wang, former One Nation WA senator Rod Culleton and current WA MLC Rick Mazza, from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, as examples.

“Micro-parties means this election is even harder to pick.”

OUT TO SPOIL THE MAJORS’ PARTY

ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY: Want to ban the sale of all animals in pet stores and online, and ban the use of balloons at outdoor events. Standing candidates in the Upper House and Lower House.

AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIANS (WA): Election platform includes protecting refugees, freedom of expression, traditional marriage and children’s right. Against same-sex marriage and abortion. Fielding candidates in the Upper House and Lower House.

DAYLIGHT SAVING PARTY: Goal is to win a seat at the election and introduce legislation for daylight savings in WA. Contesting all Upper House seats.

FAMILY FIRST PARTY WA: Promoting “strong families, strong values, a strong Australia”. Believe marriage should be “exclusively between a man and a woman”. Contesting a variety of seats in the Upper and Lower House.

PAULINE HANSON’S ONE NATION: Opposes the sale of Western Power and Fremantle Port. Will run candidates in all Upper House regions and is looking at running candidates in all 59 Legislative Assembly seats.

THE MICRO BUSINESS PARTY: The Micro Business Party says it is“fighting against the unconscionable treatment of small business and contractors by the national and multi-national companies”. It opposes the privatisation of Western Power, the Fremantle Port, Water Corporation and the TAB. The party aims to“secure candidates in both houses of parliament”.

JULIE MATHESON FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Says candidates will be “Rambos for the people of Western Australia”. Campaigning on the GST being paid directly to WA, cutting red tape. Want to “make WA great”. Will run candidates in all Upper House seats and selected Lower House seats.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Campaigning on “lower tax, less red tape, no nanny state”. Pro guns and legalisation of use and sale of cannabis. Pro-choice for smoking. Will run two candidates in each Upper House region and may also run candidates in the Lower House.

SOCIALIST ALLIANCE WA: Against the sale of Fremantle Port and Western Power, and against Roe 8. Party is anti-capitalist, pro-public ownership, pro-environment and anti-racist. A defender of human rights. Standing in the Upper House seat of South Metropolitan Region and the Lower House seats of Fremantle and Willagee.

THE FLUX PARTY WA: Believe that via an app, the public should be able to tell pollies how to vote on every bill in parliament. Candidates in Upper and Lower House seats.

SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY: Want to abolish “anti-enterprise State taxes like land tax, stamp duty and payroll tax”. Will run candidates in each of the six Upper House regions as well as 19 Assembly seats.

FLUORIDE FREE WA PARTY: Primary aim is to end water fluoridation throughout WA. Will field candidates in all Upper House seats and some Lower House seats.

Originally published as Micro-parties to shake up State politics