https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/04/03/federal-election-independent-candidates-labor-seats-mps/

QUOTE BEGINS

Anthony Albanese reckons the independents movement is an anti-Coalition phenomenon. These candidates say otherwise.

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked what he’d learnt from the last election on the podcast Big Small Talk (6:55), he made a telling remark about his view of the independents movement.

“I think the rise of many of the independents, particularly, of course, characterised by being progressive women [sic], has been in part because of the Coalition’s shift to the right,” he said. “It’s left a void, so that if people are serious about climate change, they can’t vote for Peter Dutton. If they’re serious about gender equity, they can’t vote for Peter Dutton. And on integrity, we promised a National Anti-Corruption Commission, which we’ve delivered in this term.”

It was a neat distillation of what are often considered the “teal” movement’s three core values — though ironically his last point was about a corruption body Labor weakened to secure Coalition support.

But it also implied Albanese considers the community independents — through which disgruntled communities are fielding their own candidates — an anti-Coalition phenomenon. To be fair, all of the Indi-inspired campaigns that have succeeded thus far have been against Liberal MPs. Yet his comment overlooks the “Voices of” groups in Labor-held seats, formed by communities frustrated with his government.

Of the 38 “community independents” running in this election, seven are challenging Labor: anti-salmon farming campaigner Peter George in Franklin, Tasmania; Chris Kearney in Jagajaga and Kath Davies in Chisholm, Victoria; Kate Dezarnaulds in Gilmore, NSW; Jessie Price in Bean, ACT; Phil Scott in Solomon, NT; and Kate Hulett in Fremantle, WA, fresh off a close run for the state seat of the same name.

Most of these are considered safe seats — in other words, those primed for an upset, with indies usually winning safe seats. Five are supported by Climate 200 (George, Dezarnaulds, Price, Scott and Hulett), contradicting claims that the fundraiser is purely anti-Coalition. Though no doubt that’s where much of its climate focus lies.

For midwife-turned-candidate Jessie Price, backed by orange-branded “Voices of Bean” in the ACT, this Labor government has been a huge disappointment. She refrains from directly criticising her opponent, little-known backbencher David Smith, who has a margin of 12.9%. But she believes the “groundswell of support” she’s received points to a deep frustration.

“Canberra is progressive and there was a lot of relief when the Albanese government succeeded the Morrison government,” she says. “And then in the event, there’s just been so much disappointment, especially in the climate change, climate action and environmental protection space.”

Price points to Labor’s failure to act on housing affordability and gambling ads, suggesting both major parties are captured by vested interests.

“We just want a government with guts and vision,” she says. “People are crying out for that adult conversation about the complex things. We expect our national government to tackle the complex things. That’s their job.”

Independent candidate for Solomon Phil Scott, backed by Indi-inspired “Voices of the Top End”, makes similar arguments — though with an NT twist.

For Scott, it’s “inconsequential as to who’s incumbent”; neither side is listening to his Darwin and Palmerston community, with major party decision-making focused on southerners.

“The Northern Territory has never really had a proper seat at the table on those negotiations, because backbenchers with little to no voice aren’t advocating strongly enough, or aren’t heard when they do.”

Scott doesn’t name sitting Labor MP Luke Gosling, who has an 8.4% margin. Instead, he reels off several issues facing the NT, including community safety, gendered and family violence, poverty and underfunded healthcare, which he puts down to the tyranny of distance.

The community worker also calls out gas expansion, noting that Darwin is on “the very edge of the climate crisis” — likely unlivable at two degrees of warming. Labor and the Coalition, he argues, take money from the same corporate donors, “the same banks, the same airlines, the same gas companies and fossil fuel companies and gambling industries”.

Scott likes his chances, partly due to the success of community indies in last year’s Territory election, partly due to recent polling showing the duopoly vote sitting at 54% in Solomon.

Both Price and Scott reckon their incumbents are concerned, claiming independent enthusiasm is growing by the week. It will nevertheless be a tall ask to defeat a safe Labor MP, arguably harder than removing a Liberal, with Labor closer to where these communities are on climate and integrity.

For Gilmore candidate Kate Dezarnaulds, chosen by the local group “South Coast Independents”, things look a little different. Hers is the most marginal seat in the country, with Labor’s Fiona Phillips and Liberal Andrew Constance locked in a 2022 rematch.

As Dezarnaulds argues, the independents movement is neither anti-Labor nor anti-Coalition; it’s pro-community.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think it matters whether you’re challenging a Liberal or Labor incumbent,” she says. “Voters are frustrated with the system itself. What I’m offering is a breath of fresh air — someone 100% focused on the steady, persistent work of representing this community.”

So can independents knock off Labor MPs in next month’s federal election?

Based on the success of “Voices for Fremantle” candidate Kate Hulett in the WA state election, coming within 500 votes of winning a formerly safe Labor seat, in a Labor state, one would have to say yes.

Hulett has already pivoted to run for the federal seat, where Labor has a smaller margin, retaining her existing campaign infrastructure, including headquarters, corflutes and volunteers.

Someone should probably inform the prime minister.

• Rachel Withers is a freelance writer with an unfortunate penchant for Australian politics. She is the former editor of The Politics and currently co-hosts Spin Cycle on Triple R radio.

QUOTE ENDS

#AusPol #ClimateCrisis #WomensRights #ShitParty1 #ShitParty2 #FsckOffDutton #WhyIsLabor #NoNukes #VoteGreens #ProgIndies #OzElection2025