There are common themes among many of the independents candidates challenging incumbents in blue-chip Liberal seats. They are highly educated women with successful professional careers, campaigning on climate action and a federal integrity commission. They have all supported the Liberal Party at times but now believe moderate Liberal voters are looking elsewhere for a candidate to support.
Why are these women gearing up to disrupt Parliament? And what does the consistency of their profiles and messages say about the independent movement in Australia? Crikey spoke to three of them who have launched their campaigns: Zoe Daniel in Goldstein, Allegra Spender in Wentworth, and Kylea Tink in North Sydney.
Women in high places
A notable trend is that they are all overwhelmingly high-profile women. Daniel spent almost 30 years as a journalist with the ABC, Spender was the managing director of Australian fashion house Carla Zampatti, and Tink has extensive experience as CEO of various charities.
After a terrible year for women in Parliament — starting with Brittany Higgins’ allegations of rape and ending with the release this week of the damning Jenkins report — Tink says that although many of the independents would “usually turn to the Liberals … there’s no place for us in that party at the moment”.
Daniel says the candidates are all “professional women, of a similar age, with a lot of capacity, who have got to the point where they want to step in and do something”.
Reflecting on a number of high-profile moderate Liberal women leaving politics in recent years, Daniel says “what happened to [former foreign affairs minister] Julie Bishop was really disappointing” and acknowledged that Bishop’s experience might have been “a subliminal motivating factor”.
All the candidates agreed that sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’ report has further highlighted the need for more women in Parliament and more action on gender equality.
“The culture [in Parliament] is not one that we want for the country,” Spender said. “It feels like it’s not going to change from within. That’s why a lot of women feel they need to step up, because otherwise how will it change?”
Committed to integrity and climate
An independent integrity commission and decisive action on climate change are the two platforms that have been the central focus of independents already in Parliament, and those hoping to be there next year.
Tink says the votes against motions brought by independent member for Warringah Zali Steggall on climate change and independent member for Indi Helen Haines on an integrity commission as examples of moderate Liberals voting against the interests of their electorates (an exception being Bridget Archer who crossed the floor last week to support Haines).
The two issues have clearly tapped into strongly held sentiments in the electorate, with the potential to galvanise long-held Liberal seats to vote independent.
Every vote counts
Voting records represent an important point of difference for the candidates, and one of their key messages is that the Liberal incumbent in each case has professed to be a moderate but has the same voting record as Nationals’ leader Barnaby Joyce.
To get this point across, each candidate says they are actively engaged with their constituents in a form of direct democracy. Spender says the independent movement is founded on “listening and not telling”.
Daniel says she “won’t be voting with the Nationals on issues that matter to the people of Goldstein against their will”. Instead every vote will be a “conscience vote”.
Tink thinks the opinions of North Sydney are being “completely subsumed by the party system, which has seen our vote cast in identical fashion to Barnaby Joyce, even though he represents an entirely different electorate”.
It’s hard to say how successful the movement will be. Steggall was propelled by a protest vote against Tony Abbott in Warringah, and Kerryn Phelps rode the wave of resentment in Wentworth over the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull (losing the seat seven months later to the Liberals’ Dave Sharma after an expensive fight).
What we do know though is that this movement is growing and it has significant backing, both financial and political, and its key messages on climate and integrity are proving hard to ignore.
Will you be voting independent? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name if you would like to be considered for publication in Crikey’s Your Say column. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
The Liberals have no-one but themselves to blame for the rise of female Independent candidates, first by denying women a significant place in higher ranks of the party, and second by pandering to more and more extreme voices on the Right, so that there is less and less space for moderates. Both of these are really a reflection of the same moral failing: power before principal. Robert Menzies, should he still be able to see it, would be horrified by what the party he founded has become.
All candidates are rusted on Liberals, only so called Independent!
Those struggling will still be screwed by conservative economics – but with a left-hand thread.
The Liberal and National Parties are full of dinosaurs with outdated thinking.
The Nationals especially seem to represent the Fossil fuel Industry more so than their actual Constituents.
When the Allegras and Zoes start gunning for the LNP, they have a problem (and rightly so). The so-called Liberal moderates have been worse than useless – they have been a shiny veneer for all sorts of dodgy stuff, nothing but bland enablers of the worst of the worst.
If the Lucindas turn on them too, they are done for.
Just hope that there are not too many Livias & Lucretias amongst them.
All these candidates will do is rub the sharp edges off the L/NP federally, they will change little of substance.
Wage theft will continue, lower taxes means worse services for the poor and disadvantaged, Indigenous disadvantage will continue, Universities will still be ignored and the education apartheid of resource allocation for school funding will continue, we will continue to have a 2 tiered health system – well I could keep on going on.
What are they interested in – an Integrity Commission, a good thing but Turnbull wasn’t interested, Emissions, great they can drive their EV Porche and sail in their carbon offset yachts, but they will not lower their commitment to growth, they simply want someone else to pay the cost. Equity, well they don’t need to be in Parliament to do something about that. Women’s issues, well my wife was bullied out of her senior PS job by a woman, as was her successor.
My point is these people are involved in gesture politics, like entertainment celebs finding their voices and still being paid millions, nothing more, just gestures.
If they cannot abide Labor (and under the present cohort of tacticians I can sympathize) then they should support the Greens, they needn’t run, but they could offer significant donations and we would get an increase in representation for a whole suite of policies that are thought out, costed, ethical. Palmer showed us at the last election what spending can produce, so how about the “new” old Liberals getting on board. Even in that regard Labor is presently pathetic, but the government should be thrown out, not because of emissions, integrity, women but because since 2013 we have had, objectively, the worst series of government in our history, and these “new” old Liberals voted them there.
Paul, some of these candidates may be ‘glory seekers with good intentions’ but the change that I am watching evolve is the Indi method : candidates selected/approached by a community group(s) that want a real government that governs for all of us with the minimum of bias and bullying.
I agree that we have had the worst series of govt since Abbott got in. However, judging these women based on a couple of statements in an article seems totally inappropriate. Their policy platforms have not been extensively described here. If they follow Helen Haynes example of consultation with the electorate, then these other issues will come to light. If you are taking a stand on climate change and integrity, I suspect social justice issues are simply an extension of that philosophy, or alternatively the belief in EVIDENCE based policy rather than ideology based policy. Taking a stand on climate involves believing the science and fighting the undue power of fossil lobby groups. Integrity commission is closely linked to establishing equitable and transparent processes and decision making.
I hope for an influx of principled intelligent independent members who will fight for changes to our political system and the power of large donors to political parties.
If they really are decent people, then they will use their power wisely to support good progressive legislation, working closely with Labor and the Greens. Both of those parties have the ability to work cooperatively, which the LNP lacks entirely.
Whatever. Surely they will be better for the country than the lily livered drones safely tucked into a corner of the party room, where the head kickers of the right can keep them subdued.
Thank you for stepping up ladies. Hopefully you’ll set a trend that will make quotas redundant.
Also thanks to the males on the front bench that trashed the LNP brand. Superb work.
would love to see some secret body cam footage of the daily bully pit being exposed.