Teal independents
The Teal independents, sometimes simply referred to as Teals, are a loosely-defined group of centrist female 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, Monique Ryan, and Kate Chaney,[3][4] though some of the candidates typically considered part of this group use other colours in their campaign materials, for example Kylea Tink, who used pink, or salmon.[5]
The Teals are generally considered socially progressive and economically conservative. Although they 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".[6] Many candidates were successful in defeating their Liberal Party opponents, namely Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan, Chaney, and Sophie Scamps.[7][8][9] Zali Steggall was re-elected to the seat of Warringah, after winning in 2019.
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.[10] The Teal Candidates origins, come from, in part, the grass roots movement called 'Voices of', who started by intervieweing communites at 'Kitchen Table Conversations', to determine which issues were important to locals.[11] 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.[12]
During the 2022 election campaign, prominent Liberals such as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described the Teal independents as "fake" independents.[13] They largely defeated moderate Liberal sitting MPs, and almost all the defeated Liberal MPs who were replaced were men.[12]
Definition[edit]
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 Australian Greens.[13]
- They are not political staffers; most are professional women.[13]
Certain incumbents meeting some of these criteria, notably Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines and Rebekha Sharkie (a member of Centre Alliance), established their political base long before the arrival of Climate 200 and, while receiving its funding, might not be considered part of the Teal group.
2022 federal election[edit]
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, Melbourne and Perth blue-ribbon 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.[14]
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the victorious candidates who affiliated with the Teal indepedents movement were incumbent MP Zali Steggall, and six more female MPs who won inner city seats from moderate Liberals: Monique Ryan, Allegra Spender, Zoe Daniel, Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink, and Kate Chaney.[15] Other successful candidates occasionally associated with the climate-focused Teal independent movement include incumbent independent MPs Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie, and Rebekha Sharkie, as well as likely incoming independent Senator for the ACT David Pocock.[16][17]
Funding[edit]
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".[18] 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.[19]
House of Representatives[edit]
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The table below lists the 20 House of Representatives candidates receiving funding from Climate 200.[20]
Incumbents in italics did not re-contest their House of Representatives seats at this election.
† denotes an incumbent MP
Senate[edit]
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.[20]
See also[edit]
- Green Liberalism
- Teal Deal, a hypothetical New Zealand Green-National alliance in the mid-2000s
- Voices groups in Australia
References[edit]
- ↑ "Australian conservative party faces teal independent threat". The Independent. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elias Visontay (21 May 2022). "Australia election: conservative government voted out after nearly a decade". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ↑ "Teal and Green wave surges through inner-city seats". Australian Financial Review. 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ "'Teal' independent Zoe Daniel claims victory over Liberal Tim Wilson in Melbourne seat of Goldstein". ABC News. 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ "The teal wave: Meet the women who took on the Liberal Party and won". The New Daily. 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ Evans, Jake (2022-05-21). "The 'teal bath' of independents heading to parliament". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ↑ "Teal independents: who are they and how did they upend Australia's election?". the Guardian. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ Nethery, Amy. "The big teal steal: independent candidates rock the Liberal vote". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ "'Independence day' as Teals pick off key seats in Liberal heartlands". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ Millar, Royce (6 May 2022). "A secret party? Immoral? Explaining who the 'teal' independents really are". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ↑ Wahlquist, Calla; Evershed, Nick; Ball, y. "Election 2022: are there 'teal independents' in your electorate? Search the full list of pro-climate action and political integrity candidates here". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Taflaga, Marija. "What now for the Liberal Party? A radical shift and a lot of soul-searching". The Conversation. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Nethery, Amy. "Why teal independents are seeking Liberal voters and spooking Liberal MPs". The Conversation. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ↑ "Teal independents punish Liberal moderates for inaction on climate crisis and integrity commission". the Guardian. 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ↑ "The 'teal bath' of independents heading to parliament". ABC News. 21 May 2022.
- ↑ "The big teal steal: Independent candidates rock the Liberal vote".
- ↑ "'Independence day' as Teals pick off key seats in Liberal heartlands".
- ↑ "Climate 200 - About Us". www.climate200.com.au. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ↑ Brown, Andrew. "Sharkie to negotiate with government first". 7News. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Climate 200 supported candidates". www.climate200.com.au. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
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