How times have changed. The teal independents haven’t given up on progressive issues such as climate change but they are pivoting their agenda towards tax reform for small business ahead of the election due no later than May 17. The teals putting down a marker on tax could help break the political deadlock on taxation reform if the next parliament is hung.

At the 2022 election, teals won six formerly blue-ribbon Liberal seats, benefiting from a backlash against Scott Morrison over integrity, inaction on climate change and the perception his government wasn’t listening to women. The teals offered little in the way of policy substance but they capitalised on widespread disenchantment among moderate Liberal voters. Their success exposed the party’s structural challenges; namely, a membership that picked conservative candidates in preselection contests who failed to resonate with voters in inner-city electorates that over time have become more socially progressive.