Independents’ Day

‘The fascinating story of how frustrated citizens rose up to humble the mighty Liberal party and create a new force in Australian politics’ - Peter Hartcher

As Australia headed into the 2022 election, the media focussed on the usual two-horse race. They ran photos of Scott Morrison in high vis, and trapped Anthony Albanese with gotcha questions. But in community halls and online forums, suburban streets and country towns, a very different kind of change of government was already well underway.

Brimful of enthusiasm, novice candidates, volunteers and campaigners were making it up as they went, often working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, not daring to believe they might succeed. Everyday people in the safest Liberal seats donned teal, pink and purple t-shirts, turned up at railway stations at dawn and danced through shopping centres at lunch time. They wanted real action on climate change, integrity in politics, and gender equality. So much so that they had found strong candidates willing to listen.

Brook Turner has been following the rise of the contemporary community-backed independents movement for more than a year now, speaking to key players and watching campaigns as they have come of age. He tells the inside story of the grassroots movement that has upended politics in Australia. He explains how and why a community politics model minted in Cathy McGowan’s campaign in rural Victoria have been adopted around the country, fuelled by local fundraising and Climate 200, and disgust with political jobs for the boys. He also examines why the established parties misread the public mood, and why the community activist genie unleashed at the 2022 election is unlikely to go back into the two-party bottle any time soon.