Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes A Court won’t stop teals backing Dutton’s Coalition

The millionaire founder of the Climate 200 movement says teals candidates could back the Coalition at the upcoming federal election, if their voters support it.

Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court has declared his desire for a hung parliament in which his army of inner-city teal MPs jointly hold the role of kingmaker, after revealing he wouldn’t stand in the way of independents from his movement supporting a Peter Dutton-led government.

Despite repeatedly criticising the Coalition in his Wednesday speech at the National Press Club, Mr Holmes a Court left the door open for teal independents to back a minority government led by Mr Dutton.

When asked if he’d be “disappointed” if Teal MPs supported the Coalition, Mr Holmes a Court said it was up to each independent to decide who they would back, which he said would be based off community feedback.

“The contract is between the elected MP and the community that has brought them there,” he said.

“The candidate knows exactly what the people in their electorate wants and if they don’t deliver it, they can’t expect to be returned.

“It is on an electorate by electorate basis … what I do know is the difference between a Dutton majority and a Dutton minority is a world apart.”

The millionaire backer of the teals movement, Simon Holmes a Court, addresses the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Given the six teals who won seats in 2022 came from previous Liberal heartlands, it leaves open the possibility of former Liberal voters supporting their MPs backing a Coalition government.

Mr Holmes a Court also voiced his support for a minority government in which the teals could capitalise to force forward their policies.

“The better alternative (to a majority government) is minority government, with either major party,” he said.

“With minority government the expected outcome of this election, whichever side forms government … will likely have (to be) more consultative, more transparent and deliver more evidence-based policy rather than raw politics.”

Despite declaring in his speech that “Climate 200 doesn’t run campaigns”, he was quizzed on the movement’s massive spend on social media advertisement – which included outspending the major parties on sites such as Facebook.

Mr Holmes a Court clarified that he meant Climate 200 doesn’t run individual candidates’ campaigns, admitting: “Yes, we run advertising campaigns to lift the salience of issues and make people aware of independents”.

He was defiant about polling, published by The Daily Telegraph this week, which showed a swing away from Labor and Greens could hobble the Teals by eating away at the preference votes which helped their MPs in 2022.

He said polling of 19 of 26 seats being targeted by Climate 200 showed “the opponent is in (the) danger zone”.

Despite championing the teals’ anti-fossil fuel platform, he denied he was a “renewable energy mogul,” saying less than two per cent of his investments were in the renewable energy sector.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, when quizzed on Wednesday afternoon whether he had sought a deal with the teals in the event of a hung parliament, refused to bite, saying he was planning on being in majority government after the election.

Originally published as Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes A Court won’t stop teals backing Dutton’s Coalition