The 2022 federal election success of the teals and other community independents has been captured in three new books. How and why did they become a political force – and what might the future hold?
Politics with Michelle Grattan: The push to run independents on issues of climate and integrity
Michelle Grattan discusses the rise of independent candidates in the 2022 federal election and how their campaigns will be helped by a big war chest and plenty of strategic advice
Helen Haines (centre-right) made history at the election as the first federal independent to succeed another independent.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Independent MP Helen Haines on using ‘soft power’
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Helen Haines, who does not have the real legislative power her predecessor, Cathy McGowan shared after the Coalition fell into minority government, says "building relationships is key to getting things done".
Tony Abbott’s electorate is getting so socially progressive, he may soon be left behind.
MICK TSIKAS/AAP
Just as with Kevin07, formerly Coalition-friendly independents gave life-long centre-right voters a way to break ranks without feeling like they were being disloyal. Zali Steggall is doing the same.
The government has been hopeful that it can persuade independent Cathy McGowan to break ranks with other crossbench supporters of the bill.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Scott Morrison and David Coleman said: “There are now only four asylum seeker children on Nauru and they have all been approved for departure to the United States of America with their families”.
Nicholas Klomp and Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics.
Five crossbench members of the House of Representatives will take their seats in the 45th parliament, including Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie, and the Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie.
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Two more crossbenchers, Cathy McGowan and Andrew Wilkie, have given Malcolm Turnbull assurances they will back his government on supply and confidence.
Older people in the Indi focus group regarded Malcolm Turnbull as the more charismatic, but felt Bill Shorten was ‘more for the regular Joe’.
AAP
Malcolm Turnbull is overwhelmingly more trusted than Bill Shorten to lead the country in the final round of Indi focus group research among ‘soft’ voters in the seat.
Cathy McGowan is a community-minded representative who seeks to build her electorate’s capacity to respond to rural challenges.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Indi has a potentially large number of floating voters at the local scale, mirroring the situation nationally. What do the people of Indi think about issues of trust?
Support for Cathy McGowan has strengthened notably since the last focus group discussion in May.
Cathy McGowan
Soft voters in the Victorian seat of Indi are strengthening their support for independent member Cathy McGowan, but many are inclined to balance that out by opting for the Coalition in the Senate.
The battle for the Victorian seat of Indi is shaping up as a three-way contest.
Former independent member for Wills, Phil Cleary, joins Sophie Mirabella and Cathy McGowan in photos at a Wodonga football match.
Sophie Mirabella/Pat Hutchens
Phil Cleary, left-leaning one-time independent member for Wills, and Sophie Mirabella, the former Liberal MP for Indi who is trying to regain the seat, are far from political soulmates.
Cathy McGowan rates strongly for fighting for Indi, being hard working, approachable, responsive and a good communicator.
Tracey Nearmy/AAP
Sophie Mirabella has delivered an early blow to her campaign to regain Indi with an unsubstantiated claim that the seat missed out on $10 million in hospital money because it elected Cathy McGowan.
The New England contest will be about many things, but in particular it will test how Barnaby Joyce handles extreme pressure.
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Barnaby Joyce should be afraid. The Nationals profess they’ll hold New England, and Joyce is the favourite. But Tony Windsor is likely to drive Joyce mad.