Jo Dyer, who led campaign against Christian Porter after he was accused of rape, to run as independent

Jo Dyer, who led the campaign against Christian Porter after he was accused of rape, will run as an independent in Boothby.

Jo Dyer, left, who championed the case of a woman who accused Christian Porter of historical rape, announces via video that she will contest the South Australian seat of Boothby at the election.

The woman who spearheaded the campaign against Christian Porter after the former attorney-­general was accused of rape is to stand as an independent at next year’s federal election.

Arts administrator Jo Dyer will contest the ultra-marginal South Australian seat of Boothby under the “Voices of” banner. She joins a growing group of high-profile women seeking to replicate the success of Helen Haines and Zali Steggall at the 2019 election.

Ms Dyer has been endorsed by the grassroots “Voices of” campaign and is running in the seat – held by retiring Liberal MP Nicolle Flint on a margin of 1.4 per cent – on a platform of greater climate action, the better treatment of women and integrity.

“Yes, people, this is happening: I’m running as an independent for the mighty seat of #Boothby,” Ms Dyer tweeted on Monday. “It’s way beyond time to reset the toxic mess of our current politics and demand honesty, integrity and accountability from our leaders.”

Ms Dyer shot to national prominence when she became the public spokeswoman for the friends of Mr Porter’s rape accuser, who took her own life in 2020, launching a public campaign for an inquiry into the allegation and the former attorney-general’s suitability to be a senior cabinet minister.

Mr Porter, who will leave parliament at the next election, was seen as a potential prime minister before the allegations, which he strenuously denies, came to light in an ABC report. In announcing his decision to leave, he lamented the “harshness” of elected office, declaring there “appears to be no limit to what some will say or ­allege or do to gain an advantage over a perceived enemy”.

Ms Dyer used her campaign launch video to promote the independent movement, declaring her experience in women’s justice would help her political fight.

“I‘ve been involved very directly in a campaign this year for women’s justice,” she said in her launch video on Monday.

Christian Porter. Picture: Adam Yip

“I have experienced first-hand how this government has treated that broad sweeping campaign as just another political problem – preferably to be ignored.”

It comes as Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Ben Morton wrote to colleagues on Monday alerting them of new electoral rules that will compel organisation such as activist group Climate 200 and the “Voices of” movement to be more transparent with their campaign funding.

The email, sent on Monday, includes a template MPs can send to the Australian Electoral Commission to dob in “potentially affected stakeholders” and groups that will be forced to register with the electoral body if they spend more than $250,000 on political campaigning in a financial year.

Climate 200 and the Voice of movement have launched a political battle in marginal Liberal seats by funding a string of high-profile independents. “(We have) a government that is captive to sectional interests and that hasn’t been governing for the greater good, and we’re all suffering as a result of that,” Ms Dyer said in her campaign launch video.

“Is the independent thing a movement? Yes it is … This election there’s a vast swathe of people that have decided to step up.”

But Scott Morrison and Coalition MPs, including Jason Falinski in the northern Sydney seat of Mackellar and Tim Wilson in Victoria’s Goldstein, have dismissed the challengers as Labor and Greens’ supporters masquerading as independents.

Mr Morton used his Monday email to declare these groups would no longer be able to “shroud their electoral income in secrecy”.

“Organisations, including activist organisations seeking to influence election outcomes, will no longer be able to shroud their electoral income in secrecy, and will face tough rules that ban foreign donations from influencing Australian elections,” he wrote.

“In recent years, new entities have been established with the sole or dominant purpose of acting as political fundraising vehicles.

Retiring Liberal MP Nicolle Flint. Picture: Gary Ramage

“Many of these funding vehicles hide in the dark – they were established with the explicit goal of avoiding electoral funding disclosure.

“Potentially impacted groups that you may be aware of in your local community include ‘voices of (electorate)’, ‘(electorate) independents’, ‘vote (Name) out’, ‘Climate 200’ and other organisations that are fundraising for or expending electoral expenditure.”

The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigners) Bill 2021 passed the parliament in the final sitting fortnight, giving the AEC legislative tools to require further disclosure and transparency from entities seeking to influence elections.

Under the legislation, organisations will now be required to register with the AEC as significant third parties within 90 days.

Climate activist Simon Holmes a Court, the son of billionaire businessman Robert Holmes a Court, has previously told The Australian his Climate 200 organisation, which is on track to raise $20m in the lead-up to the next election, could back up to 15 independent candidates at the federal poll.

“For too long independents and political activist groups have been able to hide dark money without being held to the same standard as political parties. The Morrison government refuses to stand for it,” Mr Morton’s office said in a statement following the bill’s passing.

“Activist groups have been funnelling money into campaigns to influence elections. It is time the Australian people finally know what they’ve been up to.”

Mr Morton said organisations such as Climate 200 Pty Ltd, which are structured as a fundraising operation, could previously avoid disclosure of the same standard as political parties.

“They will now have to open their books, just like other significant political participants. These new laws will shine a light on these groups that had been hiding in the dark,” he said.

Mr Morton said the legislative changes weren’t about stopping charities from being able to advocate.

“This is about transparency for all organisations trying to influence votes in an election,” he said.