The Rise of Independents

A New Era of Politics

A. Dowling

Many of you may think that the ins and outs of politics is just boring old-people talk, but there is some interest for us in the matter, especially this year’s election. While the results showed a landslide election for the Australian Labor Party, especially amid concerns that the Liberal Party was forgoing its moderate views for an increasingly right-leaning campaign, one thing did stand out. The increasing power and acceptance of teal independent women against steadfast liberal MPs in some of Australia’s wealthiest electorates. Focusing on issues such as climate change and the need for a federal corruption body, these women are increasingly appealing to the wider public and becoming a powerful force within the political game. 

These candidates are backed not by a powerful political party but by groups such as Climate 200 who provide financial donations that support their campaigns. However, the most encouraging thing was the grassroots support for these independents, people from the community who genuinely supported and sacrificed for the people representing them in parliament (many of you may have seen the sea of blue at Spit Bridge, or the likes of Zali Stegall supporters). It represents a shifting cultural movement for the affluent outer regions of Australia’s biggest cities, away from conservative Liberal Party members towards a more progressive representation. Ultimately, it’s a big move in the game of politics with some huge repercussions, a Labor government for one. 

So, what does this mean for you and I? With a greater representation of independent politicians within government the bargaining power of these independents increases. The current government requires the support of independents to pass bills of legislation through the lower house and, in return, the bills offered by independents are given more credit. When examining the thread of climate-aware independents, we can see how their uprising has contributed to the changing climate policy of the Labor party. For those frustrated by the Morrison government’s laissez-faire attitude towards climate change, we can see real change about to happen.

While trying to foresee the political future is nearly impossible, we can make a guess. The public is sick of the two-party system that has dominated Australian politics for the last 80 years and people think that it’s time for a change. The 2022 federal election could just be foreshadowing the increasingly independent nature of political representatives in Australia.