Independents seek to reclaim centre from wealthy Goliaths

Simon Holmes a Court: ‘Voters like what they see in the current crop of principled independents’. Picture: Aaron Francis

It should surprise no one that strong community independent campaigns are emerging in Liberal “heartland” seats for the coming federal election. Scott Morrison’s directionless government no longer represents socially progressive and economically conservative voters. Labor’s small-target strategy enthuses no one. The sensible centre no longer has a party to call home, driving many in these politically engaged electorates to organise like never before.

The days of the cosy duopoly are over. In 2019, almost one in three votes did not go to a major party. Many who did vote for them held their nose.

The Liberal Party has abandoned many of its founding values. “Small l” liberals don’t recognise the Liberal Party anymore, and it doesn’t much recognise them. “Moderates” try to soothe their frustrated electorates, but even if these “moderates” are speaking up in their party room, they haven’t won a fight in living memory.

The government’s symbolic but meaningless net-zero target would not have seen the light of day without the independent challenge, nor would Morrison have belatedly quashed a licence for oil and gas drilling off Sydney’s beaches or raised the priority on preselecting women.

In these electorates, climate ranks as the top concern. Voters know and hate that Morrison took Tony Abbott’s 2015 climate policy to Glasgow, because Barnaby Joyce wouldn’t have it any other way.

Allegra Spender will run as a Climate 200-backed independent candidate against federal Liberal MP Dave Sharma in the Sydney seat of Wentworth. Picture: Jane Dempster

Climate 200 is readying to back ABC journalist Zoe Daniel for a run in the Victorian seat of Goldstein. Picture: Supplied

Once seen as a safe pair of hands for our institutions and economy, the Coalition has gutted tertiary education, derides the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption and wastes billions on coal and gas projects the market won’t touch. Josh Frydenberg has overseen the largest debt since World War II, the highest tax take in a generation, and billions wasted due to poor oversight of Jobkeeper.

This week millions of households received a six-page taxpayer-funded glossy brochure claiming Australia is doing better than most countries on emissions. As the RMIT/ABC Fact Check has shown, this is false. And a crying shame, because strong, stable and ambitious climate policy is critical for positioning our economy for prosperity in this century. Just ask the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group whose emissions targets are higher than both major parties.

In every seat we’ve polled “trust and integrity in politics” ranks as a major concern and the government scores very poorly. Last month this government again voted against laws put forward by independents for a federal anti-corruption commission and truth in political advertising.

Zali Steggall will receive campaign assistance from Climate 200 as she bids to hold the seat of Warringah. Picture: Supplied

Voters hate that the major parties take huge cheques from those they’re supposed to regulate. Is it any wonder that Labor backed down on limiting problem gambling when the poker machines of its own Canberra Labor Club have been a funding source for ALP campaigns?

Is it surprising that the Nationals voted against reducing harm from cigarettes when they receive donations from tobacco companies? Then there are the big banks, coalminers, gambling companies, defence contractors and property developers who generously contribute to the $1.05bn in Labor and Coalition revenue over the past five years.

Voters like what they see in the current crop of principled independents. Many are hopeful, for the first time in a long time, of a parliament that holds politicians to account, brings credible action on climate, and makes safe and equal treatment of women a reality, not a platitude.

Against this backdrop, I started Climate 200, modelling it on Frydenberg’s Kooyong 200 fundraising vehicle, of which I used to be a member. Climate 200 is not a party. We don’t start or run campaigns. We don’t stand candidates. We simply give Australians a way to help quality political aspirants have a fighting chance in a system stacked heavily in favour of the party machines.

Taking on major parties is incredibly hard because they write the rules. They give themselves access to every voter’s contact details and the right to spam your phone. They make themselves exempt from truth-in-advertising laws so they can mislead you.

And they give themselves millions of dollars in unaccountable “communications budgets” so they can do it all on your dime. If any ordinary Australian is brave enough to take them on, even if they can raise $1m they’ll still likely be outspent. That’s one electorate. There are 151. Last election, parties reported income of $435m and Clive Palmer spent $89m helping re-elect the Coalition.

We’ll never come close to those numbers. But together 6750 of us have raised $6.5m so far. If we pick our campaign fights wisely, we might be able to help a few independents take on political Goliaths and win. And a couple more might be all it takes in a tight parliament for these independents to hold the balance of power. The best thing about these community candidates? None of them are career politicians. They’re cleanskins, and they’re not beholden to party machines.

Climate 200 is subject to the same disclosure laws as political parties. (Despite much bluster, new disclosure laws that took effect this week had no practical impact on Climate 200.) We go a step further, proudly listing thousands of donors on our website. Frydenberg’s Kooyong 200 has received $1.7m in donations in the four years to June 2020 without disclosing a single donor.

The independents we’re backing have been animated by the failures of this government, so it’s not surprising they are stepping up in government-held seats. Labor hasn’t won many federal elections of late, but if it does, and flails like Morrison, I’m sure we’d see similar campaigns arise in engaged government-held seats.

In recent days the government has noticed this movement but struggled to pin it down. Morrison thinks these independents are “left-wing”, exposing his blind spot. The party he leads has systematically abandoned the sensible centre, leaving the space wide open for independents.

Peter Andren, the “lighthouse” independent for Calare from 1996-2007, kept a cartoon in his office depicting him being booted out the house, with a leering speech bubble booming from the gilded halls: “The cheek of him! Coming in here representing the mob.”

Simon Holmes a Court is a cleantech investor and convener of Climate 200