Independents Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall have confirmed plans to form a new political party, but are yet to convince any of their crossbench colleagues to join what they call a “responsible alternative” to the major parties.
There has long been speculation about a formal grouping of the so-called teal independents, who have won previously safe Liberal seats over the past three elections and received some funding and campaign support from the political organisation Climate 200.
The pair had confirmed they were holding talks about a party in recent weeks. It will be called Community Strong Australia but is yet to be formally registered and has no leaders or candidates.
Party members would “collaborate” on policies, the pair said, but would retain a free vote, a model they said was “not about choosing between independents and parties but combining the strengths of both”.
In a joint appearance on ABC Radio National, the pair confirmed that Climate 200 was not directly involved, with Ms Steggall saying the funding group would “remain focused on independent representation”.
Climate 200’s ability to donate to independents across the country stands to be significantly curtailed by new electoral funding laws passed in the last parliament, which Ms Steggall and Ms Spender have both suggested is biased towards political parties.
A political party would have greater flexibility to prioritise resources and support multiple candidates than a collection of like-minded independents working together without a party structure.
Ms Spender said wealthy donors, including Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, who had given to pro-climate independents had not been asked to be involved.
Ms Steggall added it would be “for individuals who care about our politics, who will have the capacity to contribute, whether that be big or small, to enable a new choice at the table of our politics”.
New electoral funding laws passed during the last parliament allow political parties to spend millions of dollars on national advertising, which independents have warned will see them out-spent in their seats.
Other teals yet to join
Fellow teal independents Sophie Scamps and Nicolette Boele have not ruled out joining the grouping, but said they would need to consult their communities. In a statement, Ms Boele congratulated the pair on their new party but confirmed she would remain an independent for now.
Other independents including Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney and David Pocock have said they do not plan to join.
Asked whether they would welcome disaffected moderate Liberals, Ms Spender said she was “open to it” but that anyone who joined would have to be “really aligned with values and … really connected to the community”.
Ms Steggall described the party as “centrist” but that categorising them “from a left and right perspective” was reductive, citing a focus on “sensible economic management, climate action, integrity [and] equality”.
Ms Spender suggested the party was for those who were pro-business but progressive on climate change.
“If you’re … really driving innovation, but you also support climate action, where do you go? You have no home,” she said.
Ms Spender has held the seat of Wentworth since 2022 once held by former Liberal and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who has spoken favourably of the idea of a new centrist political party.
A former economist, she published a “white paper” on tax, which included proposals to change the tax treatment of capital gains, negative gearing and trusts. She proposed a flat capital gains tax discount of 30 per cent.
Ms Steggall won her seat of Warringah in 2019 from former prime minister Tony Abbott, now the Federal President of the Liberal Party.
Asked why the party had no leader, she said that this was “a media construct of always thinking about leadership and power”.
