Editing Australian Democrats (section)

===1977–1986: Foundation and Don Chipp's leadership===
The Australian Democrats were formed on 9 May 1977 from an amalgamation of the [[Australia Party]] and the [[New Liberal Movement]]. The two groups found a common basis for a new political movement in the widespread discontent with the two major parties. Former Liberal minister Don Chipp agreed to lead the new party.<ref name="Madden" />

The party's broad aim was to achieve a balance of power in one or more parliaments and to exercise it responsibly in line with policies determined by membership.

The first Australian Democrat parliamentarian was [[Robin Millhouse]], the sole New LM member of the [[South Australian House of Assembly]], who joined the Democrats in 1977. Millhouse held his seat ([[Electoral district of Mitcham (South Australia)|Mitcham]]) at the [[1977 South Australian state election|1977]] and [[1979 South Australian state election|1979]] state elections. In 1982, Millhouse resigned to take up a senior judicial appointment, and [[Heather Southcott]] won the [[1982 Mitcham state by-election|by-election]] for the Democrats, but lost the seat to the Liberals later that year at the [[1982 South Australian state election|1982 state election]]. Mitcham was the only single-member lower-house seat anywhere in Australia to be won by the Democrats.

The first Democrat federal parliamentarian was Senator [[Janine Haines]], who in 1977 was nominated by the South Australian Parliament to fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Liberal Senator [[Steele Hall]]. Hall had been elected as a [[Liberal Movement (Australia)|Liberal Movement]] senator, before rejoining the Liberal Party in 1976, and South Australian premier [[Don Dunstan]] nominated Haines on the basis that the Democrats was the successor party to the Liberal Movement.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-26/the-urge-to-merge---family-first-and-the-australian-conservative/9388904 The Urge to merge – Family First and the Australian Conservatives], [[Antony Green]], [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]], 20 March 2018</ref>

At the [[1977 Australian federal election|1977 election]], the Australian Democrats secured two seats in the Senate with the election of Colin Mason (NSW) and Don Chipp (VIC), though Haines lost her seat in South Australia. At the [[1980 Australian federal election|1980 election]], this increased to five seats with the election of Michael Macklin (QLD) and John Siddons (VIC) and the return of Janine Haines (SA). Thereafter they frequently held enough seats to give them the balance of power in the upper chamber.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Australian-Democrats|title=Australian Democrats {{!}} political party, Australia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2018-11-12|language=en}}</ref>

At a Melbourne media conference on 19 September 1980, in the midst of the [[1980 Australian federal election|1980 election campaign]], Chipp described his party's aim as to "keep the bastards honest"—the "bastards" being the major parties or politicians in general. This became a long-lived slogan for the Democrats.<ref name="Madden" />