The Rise of Independents in Australian Politics

Just how powerful are Independent politicians? Many Australians were asking this question after the 2022 Federal Election, which saw a record swing towards Independent candidates.

An ‘Independent’ is a Member of Parliament who is not affiliated with a political party.

Just over a year on from the 2022 Federal Election, the team at Nexus are reflecting on what led to this unprecedented shift and analysing what the Independents in the 47^th Parliament have been able to achieve since.

As of June 2023, there are 11 Independents in the House of Representatives. Like any other Member of Parliament, Independents speak and vote on behalf of their constituents. They can debate and vote on bills, give speeches, work on committees, and more. Independents may also introduce bills. These are called private member’s bills in the House of Representatives or private senator’s bills in the Senate.

Since Federation, there have been 54 Independent Federal Members of Parliament, spanning from Australia’s inaugural Parliament to this 47^th Parliament.

The dawn of the modern Independent

In 2013, Ms Cathy McGowan AO broke the Liberal National Coalition’s 74-year hold on the Federal seat of Indi, becoming the first independent member for the north-east Victorian electorate and the first female Independent to sit on the parliamentary crossbench in the House of Representatives. As a result of this feat, she was dubbed “the godmother of the Independents movement”.

During her two terms as a politician spanning five years, Ms McGowan worked in Federal Parliament to develop policy around regional development, a national integrity commission, a code of conduct for politicians, and drought policy.

Her successful grassroots campaigns sparked nationwide interest in the potential of independent politicians. She was described as “the next evolutionary step for political representatives.”

Through engagement with Ms McGowan, the Nexus team have noted her commitment to the notion of prioritising one’s community above oneself as a politician.

She is now a director and founding member of the Community Independents Project (CIP), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting independent candidates to get elected to Federal Parliament.

In 2019, Ms McGowan was heavily involved in the successful campaign of Indi’s second female independent member, Dr Helen Haines MP. Dr Haines’ election and that of fellow Independent Ms Zali Steggall OAM MP, exemplified Ms McGowan’s impact.

Dr Haines is the first Independent politician to succeed an Independent in a federal seat. As it stands, Dr Haines is leading the political push for a federal anti-corruption commission as the Deputy Chair of the Joint Select Committee on National Anti-Corruption Commission Legislation. Dr Haines has extensive experience in the health sector as a former midwife and Healthcare Company Executive Director with a PhD in Medical Science.

Ms Steggall’s election to the traditionally Liberal federal seat of Warringah in 2019 was also ground-breaking. As a first-time candidate, she defeated the incumbent, former Prime Minister the Hon Tony Abbott. Ms Steggall was the first Independent to utilise the colour teal in her campaign, representing a voting base with conservative fiscal politics as well as green views on climate.

2022 Federal Election – the Teal Independents

Independent candidates had the largest swing in their favour of any political grouping at the 2022 election. In 2022, six new ‘Teal Independents’ as they were largely defined by the media, were elected to the House of Representatives (of whom only one was previously active in one of the traditional political parties):

Ms Kylea Tink MP (North Sydney, NSW)
Ms Allegra Spender MP (Wentworth, NSW)
Dr Sophie Scamps MP (Mackellar, NSW)
Dr Monique Ryan MP (Kooyong, VIC)
Ms Zoe Daniel MP (Goldstein, VIC)
Ms Kate Chaney MP (Curtin, WA)

Despite running as Independents on the ballot, each of these candidates displayed numerous shared policy interests. Climate and the environment were the leading focuses of legislative promises for most candidates. Additionally, integrity in politics, gender equality, and health remain key focuses.

Other than their policies, the ‘Teal’ campaigns had common features;

Almost all of the 20+ candidates characterised as ‘Teals’ were women,
At the centre of each campaign was a grassroots movement supported by dedicated local volunteers,
Most successful campaigns were held in wealthy, inner-urban seats that were primarily occupied by moderate Liberals before the election,
Most of the Teal Independents received some campaign funding during the 2022 election from Climate 200, a group established by activist philanthropist Simon Holmes à Court.

Independents in Parliament – How powerful are they?

Given that the Albanese Government holds a majority in the House of Representatives, the capability of Independents to directly sway governmental decisions has been limited. It would appear that the government is listening and cooperating on issues with the independents. This is politically smart given the narrow majority that they currently hold. Federally, Independents have not held the balance of power since 2010. However, at a state and territory level, Independents have often wielded power to extract significant concessions from governments and also attain positions within ministries.

A distinguishing feature of Independent Members of Parliament is that they are not bound to a fixed party bloc when voting. This was an alluring factor for voters who were disillusioned by Australia’s political system in the lead-up to the 2022 election. Despite their lack of party affiliation, the Teals have openly referenced the need to collectively allocate responsibilities according to areas of interest and expertise to make more meaningful reform. Regardless, the Teals have publicly refuted the notion of forming a party on multiple occasions.

During an event that the Nexus team was pleased to attend recently, Dr Monique Ryan MP, Independent Member for Kooyong in Victoria, expressed that the importance of Independents is highlighted through their contributions to the national conversation. Ms Kate Chaney MP, Independent Member for Curtin, in WA, argued that this ‘third voice’ is invaluable because it “holds both parties to account” and is “the conscience of the Parliament.”

The Teals have had some legislative victories. They made successful amendments to the Albanese Government’s Climate Change Bill (2022), which passed the House of Representatives in August last year. Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister the Hon Chris Bowen MP, described their minor amendments as “sensible suggestions”.

Dr Helen Haines MP introduced an Integrity Bill in 2021, which was blocked by the then Coalition government. The Albanese Government said it would draw upon Dr Haines’ bill to inform its legislation; however, the NACC has significant differences from Haines’ bill – including the secrecy clause. The Government did not accept any of the Teals’ Amendments to the Bill. Whilst this example demonstrates the majority Government’s overarching influence on the Parliament of the day, it also highlights the value of the work of independent politicians, including Ms McGowan and Dr Haines, who were integral to putting the item on the agenda in the first place.

What lies ahead for Independents in Australian politics?

Last year, the unprecedented ‘Teal wave’ demonstrated that there is a political appetite in Australia for socially progressive yet fiscally conservative policies. The Teal Independents who promote those policies effectively utilised Australia’s preferential voting system to create massive electoral swings in 2022. Independent members were able to defeat high-profile incumbents, including former Prime Minister the Hon Tony Abbott and former Treasurer the Hon Josh Frydenberg.

The ‘Teal wave’ wasn’t as strong in the NSW State Election of March 2023, where just one of the five Climate 200-backed Independent Candidates, Ms Judy Hannan MLA, won a seat in the NSW Legislative Assembly as the member for Wollondilly.

Unphased, Mr Holmes à Court said, “History shows it generally takes communities two elections to build a win.”

“The independent vote is rising, and the role of independents in shaping major party policies on climate and gambling reform will have long-lasting implications,” he added.

The mantra ‘no seat is a safe seat’ is here to stay. Members of Parliament undertaking a community-based, specific approach to electorate engagement is more salient than ever. For Independents, the challenge is to continue in this approach and maintain momentum.