Jump to content

Teal independents

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Agemegos (talk | contribs) at 12:46, 22 May 2022 (inserted "environmentalist" to indicate the political significance of the colour green in the context of the blend of green and blue.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Teal independents, sometimes simply referred to as Teals, are a loosely-defined group of mostly centrist independent candidates for House of Representatives seats in the 2022 Australian federal election. The colour teal (seen as a blend of environmentalist green and Liberal blue)[1][2] is a dominant feature of campaign branding used by high-profile independent candidates Zali Steggall, Allegra Spender and Monique Ryan, though many of the candidates typically considered part of this group use other colours in their campaign materials. Although the Teals sometimes share a policy platform, funding arrangements and some campaign machinery, they are not a political party and do not have an official leader or spokesperson. Early counting on the night of the 2022 election was very favourable for the independents and their success was later termed a “teal bath”.[3] Many candidates were successful in toppling their Liberal Party opponents, namely Spender, Tink, Daniel, Ryan and Scamps.[citation needed] Zali Steggall was re-elected.

The 2019 election saw the share of the primary vote for the two major parties at its lowest since the Second World War. Electoral law expert Graeme Orr considers the current crop of independent candidates to be a "nascent political movement", sharing resources and strategies across seats, and with similar policy focuses on climate change, government integrity and gender equality. The Voices for Indi supported Cathy McGowan to take Indi from Liberal Sophie Mirabella, inspiring Zali Steggall's campaign and others.[4] Part of their rise is said to be that the Liberal Party did not replicate the Labor Party's commitment to including women in its ranks.[5]

During the 2022 election campaign, prominent Liberals such as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described the Teal independents as "fake" independents.[6] They largely defeated moderate Liberal sitting MPs, which is predicted to result in the Liberal Party shifting to the right.[5]

Definition

Candidates described as Teals by the press generally do not use the term themselves, making a precise definition of the group difficult. Characteristics generally thought to mark a candidate as Teal are:

  • receiving funding and/or administrative support from Climate 200, Simon Holmes à Court's political fundraising group
  • running against incumbent Liberal or Nationals MPs or in electorates historically represented by those parties[2]
  • a policy platform centred around faster reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than those planned by the Liberal and Labor parties, but not as ambitious as those of the Greens.[6]
  • They are not political staffers - they are professional women.[6]

Certain incumbents meeting some of these criteria, notably Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines and Rebekha Sharkie established their political base long before the arrival of Climate 200 and, while receiving its funding, may not be considered part of the Teal group.

2022 election

The 2022 Australian Federal election saw a number of Teal independents gain power, defeating sitting Liberal members. This was part of a triple hit for the Liberal Party: they lost some inner city seats to the Greens, they lost Sydney seats to Teal independents, and they also lost seats to Labor, seen by analysts as a punishment of the Liberal Party by their previous constituents for ignoring issues such as climate policy. [7]

Funding

Climate 200 describes recipients of its funding as "values-aligned". Candidates are pledged to support faster reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, establishment of a federal anti-corruption commission and "advancing gender equity".[8] With the exception of Sharkie, who said she would negotiate with the Coalition first, none have revealed which party they would be likely to support in the event of a hung parliament.[9]

House of Representatives

The table below lists House of Representatives candidates receiving funding from Climate 200.[10] Members in italics did not re-contest their House of Representatives seats at this election.

Candidate Division Incumbent MP Incumbent Party Elected
Nicolette Boele Bradfield Paul Fletcher Liberal No
Kate Chaney Curtin Celia Hammond Liberal Yes
Zoe Daniel Goldstein Tim Wilson Liberal Yes
Jo Dyer Boothby Nicolle Flint Liberal No
Alex Dyson Wannon Dan Tehan Liberal No
Claire Ferres Miles Casey Tony Smith Liberal No
Helen Haines Indi Helen Haines Independent Yes
Caz Heise Cowper Pat Conaghan National TBA
Kate Hook Calare Andrew Gee National No
Hanabeth Luke Page Kevin Hogan National No
Despi O'Connor Flinders Greg Hunt Liberal No
Monique Ryan Kooyong Josh Frydenberg Liberal Yes
Sophie Scamps Mackellar Jason Falinski Liberal Yes
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Rebekha Sharkie Centre Alliance Yes
Allegra Spender Wentworth Dave Sharma Liberal Yes
Georgia Steele Hughes Craig Kelly United Australia Party No
Zali Steggall Warringah Zali Steggall Independent Yes
Kylea Tink North Sydney Trent Zimmerman Liberal Yes
Andrew Wilkie Clark Andrew Wilkie Independent Yes
Liz Habermann Grey Rowan Ramsey Liberal No

Senate

In addition, Climate 200 is funding the separate independent Senate campaigns of David Pocock and Kim Rubenstein in the Australian Capital Territory; and Local Party Senate candidate Leanne Minshull in Tasmania.[10]

See also

  • Teal Deal, a hypothetical New Zealand Green-National alliance in the mid-2000s

References

  1. ^ "Australian conservative party faces teal independent threat". The Independent. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Elias Visontay (21 May 2022). "Australia election: conservative government voted out after nearly a decade". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  3. ^ Evans, Jake (21 May 2022). "The 'teal bath' of independents heading to parliament". ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  4. ^ Millar, Royce (6 May 2022). "A secret party? Immoral? Explaining who the 'teal' independents really are". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b Taflaga, Marija. "What now for the Liberal Party? A radical shift and a lot of soul-searching". The Conversation. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Nethery, Amy. "Why teal independents are seeking Liberal voters and spooking Liberal MPs". The Conversation. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Teal independents punish Liberal moderates for inaction on climate crisis and integrity commission". the Guardian. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Climate 200 - About Us". www.climate200.com.au. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  9. ^ Brown, Andrew. "Sharkie to negotiate with government first". 7News. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Climate 200 supported candidates". www.climate200.com.au. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Teal_independents&oldid=1089199628"