Ms Patten said the Australian Sex Party was not interested in dealing with Family First, asserting that they represent the worst aspects of conservative Australia. The “family values” party is opposed to gay marriage and gay civil unions as well as abortion, prostitution and pornography.

Ms Patten has said the proposition was laughable and had been knocked back, as she doesn’t "believe we have a single common place to go to on anything".

A spokesman for Family First confirmed the call, and said they were “talking with them (the Australian Sex Party) about the election ... and we came to an arrangement not to do an arrangement with them".

SA Senator Nick Xenophon said the two parties were “strange bedfellows” and that "It's a case of not being desperate and dateless, but desperate and preferenceless.”

In an interesting choice of words, Xenophon added, "this preference deal is not something that genuine Family First supporters should take lying down."

Should the Australian Sex Party reconsider? Could these two parties find common ground? Log in below and have your say.