The teal movement of independents represents an alternative to major parties. It had its first blueprint in 2019, when Zali Steggall won the seat of Warringah from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
On Sunday, Simon Holmes a Court asked for urgent support for four of his Climate 200-backed independents, who he said were “at risk” from unexpectedly hostile opponents. They were Monique Ryan in Kooyong, Zoe Daniel in Goldstein, Sophie Scamps in Mackellar, and Kate Chaney in Curtin. They were being “outspent and are outnumbered by a network of front groups running a range of attacks,” he said.
This is just a hint of the passion and fury that’s increasingly dominating this election.
Here’s a round up of what just a fraction of the independents standing for election promise. It’s a companion piece to what the major parties promise.
Nicolette Boele, Bradfield
Climate: Boele helped set up the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, worked with the Smart Energy Council, and advised an Australian electric vehicle start-up. The following is just a taste of the deep scope of her advocacy.
There’s been progress, she says, but we now need to adopt a 75 per cent emission reduction target by 2035, align national policies with what the science says is needed to protect the future of our planet, formalise sector-specific strategies. Government’s role is to provide “long, loud, and legal policy parameters around emission reduction plans”, including for key industries such as energy, transportation, and agriculture, to allow businesses to find opportunities and home-grown investors.
A moratorium on new coal projects, end native forest logging, phase out the $65 billion in taxpayer-funded fossil fuel subsidies, redirect funds to provide immediate energy bill relief for families and turbocharge the rollout of tens of thousands of battery and solar systems. Prioritise grid infrastructure.
Equity: No one should be left behind, retraining programs for fossil fuel workers to provide pathways into secure, good jobs in clean energy, construction, and manufacturing. Investment in renewable energy hubs, support local manufacturing, strengthen building codes for homes and businesses and provide financial support to retrofit buildings to protect from more frequent storms, floods, and fires.
Housing: new housing developments to add to quality of life rather than destroying it. Protection for national parks and bushland, our creeks and rivers, and our civic green spaces. Support for housing for those most in need – frontline workers, students, single-parent families, and ageing women
Energy: A National Home Battery Program to cut household bills by $1100–$1500 a year through smarter energy use, reduce payback periods for batteries, making them more affordable for more homes, flatten the load curve, lowering wholesale electricity prices for all consumers. All new-build homes to be fully electric, support for efficient appliances, work with state governments to allow vehicle-to-grid, energy labelling for both rental and for-sale properties, accelerate the Home Energy Upgrades program and other relevant government initiatives to prioritise social, community, and rental housing where the need is greatest.
See more on Boele’s platform here
Zoe Daniel, Goldstein
Energy: The nation has immense potential for renewable energy production, thanks to its abundant mineral resources.
EVS: Tax incentives for businesses to expedite the electrification of vehicles such as taxis or rideshares. Aim for one third of all passenger kilometres travelled via EV by 2030, with fast charging networks and a well-paid workforce for maintenance and decarbonisation of heavy vehicle fleets.
Energy efficiency: Government incentives for the uptake of household and commercially ready industrial energy efficiency technologies. Electric heating is to be encouraged, along with batteries and rooftop solar. Incentives for owners to provide tenants with electrified homes.
Climate adaptation/mitigation: Daniel believes that climate change mitigation is important to national security, environmental protection and public health. The nation needs actual emissions reduction, not creative accounting”, and polluters should be prohibited from “double counting” and “excessive use of carbon credits.” The Safeguard Mechanism needs to be expanded to include agriculture and transport, and multinational gas should be subject to a windfall tax.
Housing: Calls for a national “under one roof” housing summit to create a long term commitment to a 20 year housing strategy framework for long lasting and sustainable housing solutions, with bipartisan support.
Kate Chaney
Energy: Firm support for renewable energy as the cheapest energy. We need the safeguard mechanism to be closely re-examined during its review in 2026. Support for any amendments requiring new entrants to meet their baseline and targets without the use of ACCUS.
Climate adaptation/mitigation: Australia has a biodiversity debt, and the government has failed to deliver on its promise of introducing significant nature positive reforms. This issue is top priority for Curtin, and Chaney will continue discussions on stages 2 and 3 of the government’s promises of setting up new vital institutions, such as the EPA, and to set a robust national standard. She says the WA government has been hijacked by industry pressure for the government to fast-track development, over the environment.
Housing: Priority for immigrants with construction industry trades, more government funded social and affordable housing, support for build to rent and stability for renters, as well as reviewing negative gearing and capital gains tax. Replace stamp duty with land tax, streamline approval processes and strengthen renters’ rights.
Natural resources: Curtin has a deep background in the resources industry, believes that gas will continue to play a significant role in the WA economy until the transition to clean energy and will likely remain in the mix until 2050. Instead, the focus is on making good long-term decisions, which is not approving 50 year expansions and targeting offshore gas exported to trading partners such as Japan and South Korea. “Offsets are not the solution – we need actual, rapid abatement and methane capture,” she said.
Peter George
Energy and Resources: Support for renewable energy and solar through subsidies for panels and batteries, plus all moves to stop any new coal mines, gas drilling and building of nuclear power plants.
Transport: cheaper public transport, for example, a flat $1 fare trial to make it viable to ditch cars for work or shopping.
Housing: Construct affordable homes with a focus on modest and energy-efficient designs. George will also push to expand community housing, especially in rural Franklin.
Climate adaptation/mitigation: policies preparing for bushfires, including more firebreaks, buffers, controlled burns, early warning systems, grants for fire resistant upgrades, as well as proper firefighting and equipment funding as well and encouraging flood proof infrastructure. George is also pushing to establish fire-resistant community centres and push for affordable insurance premiums in high risk zones. He hopes to advocate for an emissions reduction ambition of 75 per cent reduction by 2035, most urgently focusing on methane. He also hopes to create a national climate action fund to help build resilience against the climate crisis, focusing on Southern Tasmania.
Water: George is a long time campaigner against salmon companies, who he says release tonnes of antibiotics, chemicals, feed waste and faeces into the waterways, suffocating local species, contaminating beaches and subjecting the coast to 24/7 industrial noise and light. He hopes to push policy forcing big companies to pay for resource rental for the Tasmanian waterways, give foreign owners time to wind down on water operations, move to land or leave. He also believes federal subsidies are better redirected to training community transition, and an immediate EPA for Tasmanians needs to be established to ensure future land operations are driven by transparent science and regulation.
Ben Smith
Energy: While “there no simple answers”, Smith says his policy includes pushing for the “Peninsula battery initiative” to help local households store solar and reduce community reliance on the grid. He also wants to adopt a national gas reservation policy similar to WA to keep prices 50 per cent lower than eastern states, as well as adopt strong actions preventing price gouging and champion community energy projects to support local resilience during outages.
Climate adaptation/mitigation: Smith will advocate investments in a coastal protection program, as well as redirect fuel subsidies towards the local renewable industry and create jobs. Policies also include strengthening planning law to protect the green wedge, proper funding towards Landcare groups, supporting volunteer conservation groups and advocating for stronger enforcement against polluters.
Housing: Increased funding for affordable housing, including better targeted Commonwealth rent assistance, less red tape for housing in areas of good infrastructure and amenities, tax incentives for dedicated essential worker housing, as well as advocating for additional housing and funding to assist those living through crisis. His goal is to create a “national housing and homelessness plan”.
Ellie Smith
Challenging opposition leader Peter Dutton in his home South East Queensland seat of Dickson.
Energy: Calls for bipartisan support to ramp up battery and solar uptake. Around 64 per cent of dwellings in the electorate have rooftop solar, but only a fraction can afford a home battery.
She also calls for three year extension on the $300 federal energy bill relief and “investor certainty over our energy policy”.
Housing: “Smarter” housing solutions, such as secondary dwellings and town houses and proper transport planning around new housing developments and growth corridors.
Climate adaptation and mitigation: Climate risk mitigation, lower home insurance premiums, while protecting local creeks and bushland.
Allegra Spender, Wentworth
Cost of living: Lower cost of living for all, lower income taxes, lower housing costs with more homes built, “making it cheaper to rent and buy”, permanent energy bill relief, lower child car cost and keeping a lid on student debt.
Housing: support for boarding houses, a national assembly into housing affordability,
Climate: Accelerate the clean energy roll-out; set an ambitious but achievable goal of up to 75 per cent emissions reduction by 2035; deliver “my Permanent Energy Bill Relief Plan”, speeding up clean energy approvals; more serious nature protection, setting up an independent Environment Protection Authority.
Read more here
– with Tina Perinotto