‘Teal’ independent campaign targets Liberal James Stevens in Adelaide seat of Sturt

The climate activist group that propelled “teal” independents to power is offering to bankroll an Adelaide group with a near-identical logo.

A “teal” independent campaign in the marginal Adelaide seat of Sturt is being invited to be bankrolled by the climate activist group that ousted key Liberals from their blue-ribbon strongholds.

The Independent for Sturt group is hunting for a candidate to challenge Liberal incumbent James Stevens in the Coalition’s second-most marginal seat, held by a wafer-thin 0.5 per cent margin.

The group’s logo is an almost-identical shade of teal to Climate 200, which helped so-called teal candidates dislodge Liberals including the-then treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the 2022 election.

Emma Fletcher is spearheading a search for an independent candidate in the eastern Adelaide seat of Sturt. Picture: DemocracyCo

Independents are poised to play a key role at a federal election expected early next year, with polls indicating a minority government.

Independent for Sturt is spearheaded by Emma Fletcher, a former policy adviser to Labor premier Mike Rann, whose firm DemocracyCo ran a citizens’ jury that in 2016 torpedoed the-then premier Jay Weatherill’s nuclear storage push.

Ms Fletcher told The Advertiser the Sturt group was “not aligned to the Labor Party or any other party in any way”, and had not received or applied for funding from Climate 200, although it might do so “at a future date” if their values and community sentiment aligned.

Climate 200 logo. Picture: Supplied

The eerily similar colour teal used for the Independent for Sturt logo. Picture: Supplied

Climate 200 executive director Byron Fay said no donations from a $1.2m Community Accelerator Fund had yet been made in SA but added independent groups in Sturt and Liberal-held Grey were “welcome to apply for a grant … when they are ready”.

“We’ve been watching the community buzz in South Australia. We’re aware of two community groups, in Grey and Sturt, who have been energetically engaging with their local communities through kitchen table conversations and other events. It’s great to see them so active and strong,” he said.

Climate 200 executive director Byron Fay at the National Press Club in Canberra in 2022.

Climate 200 backer Simon Holmes à Court

Mr Fay said Climate 200’s Community Accelerator Fund had, so far, donated to more than a dozen groups and had received $1.2m, thus far, from almost 1600 people.

Climate 200, whose backers include wealthy activist Simon Holmes à Court, in June announced it would bankroll independent campaigns in nine Coalition-held seats in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Mr Holmes à Court was a key speaker at the group’s first SA event, in Adelaide on April 17, ahead of which Mr Fay said there was “a lot of potential for independent campaigns to be successful in South Australia”.

Ms Fletcher said she was part of a group of ten Sturt constituents searching for an independent candidate to contest the seat.

“Independent Sturt is a community-based initiative, made up of volunteer residents from across the electorate. We are self-funding, with contributions from our group and the broader community,” she said.

Climate 200 funded Mayo MP Rebekah Sharkie, plus unsuccessful independents Jo Dyer and Liz Habermann, at the 2022 federal election.