On 3 May, Australians will head to the polls to elect the next government.
In the lead-up, The Daily Aus is breaking down the terms you’ll be hearing during the campaign trails.
In this piece, we’re explaining:
What is an independent?
Independents
Independents are politicians or candidates who do not belong to a registered political party.
If an independent candidate wins a seat, they sit on the ‘crossbench’ in Parliament alongside minor party members.
This is true for both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In the House of Representatives, independents are most important when there is a minority government.
This is when no major party has been able to form a majority, and so it needs the help of independents or minor parties to form a government.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your account details:
If it is a minority government, there is more room for negotiation between independents and the government.
For example, independents may impose some conditions in exchange for their support, such as an agreement that the major party will support particular policies.
In Parliament, draft laws proposed by independent politicians are called Private Members’ Bills.
If a party has formed a majority government, it’s rare for a Private Members’ Bill to pass parliament (since it doesn’t have the guaranteed support of a party).
But in a minority government, it’s more common for these to pass — again, because there is more room for negotiation.
2022
At the last election, independent candidates won several seats, in particular a group nick-named the ‘teals’.
These were independents who ran in safe Liberal electorates and received funding from the group ‘Climate 200’.
They included Monique Ryan, who beat then-Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong.
In the Senate, teal independent David Pocock won a seat for the ACT over previous Liberal Senator Zed Seselja.
