The wave of teal independents at the 2022 federal election rocked the political establishment and prompted declarations that the two-party system was splintering.
Backed by nearly $10 million from Simon Holmes à Court’s Climate 200, six professional women swept into parliament (joining teal independent Zali Steggall) representing affluent inner-city electorates once thought unlosable by the Liberal Party.
An earlier version of the story stated James Brown was not a native to the “insular peninsula” but in January 2024, he spent $1 million to buy a local house. Brown was born in Collaroy and purchased the property in January 2023.