Zali Steggall, the member for Warringah, and Allegra Spender, the member for Wentworth, have announced their new political party, Community Strong Australia. The party aims to offer an alternative to the major parties, with a focus on unity and reason over division and rage.
A New Political Landscape
The launch comes at a time when Labor is too dominant, the Coalition is disintegrating, and One Nation is at the gates. People are angry and frustrated, searching for leadership. According to pollster and analyst Kos Samaras, "a number of people who are currently voting for One Nation – not an insignificant number of them – will switch to an alternative if it's a serious one." He added, "They are sitting on One Nation in lieu of something else. At the moment there is only one product on the market."
Community Strong Australia offers "unity over division and reason over rage," as stated in the party's announcement. This message could resonate with voters disillusioned with the current political climate.
Brave Political Moves
Zoe Daniel, the former independent member for Goldstein, writes that Steggall and Spender are "quite different people." Steggall is a former Olympic skier and family law barrister with a fierce elite athlete mindset, while Spender is a deep thinker, former CEO, and qualified economist. Despite their differences, they share a common bravery in starting something new against entrenched systems of power.
Daniel notes that translating the authenticity of community independence into a party structure is risky, but in the Australian spirit of having a go, she says to give it a chance. "This is what our communities asked us to do, to try to do politics differently, and that can take more than one form," she writes.
Party Structure and Values
Community Strong Australia will use a collective leadership model, and its constitution does not require members to vote together. They can vote as they choose on all matters except providing supply and confidence to government. The party rests on values alignment, including sensible economic management, climate action, equality, and integrity – the four pillars that underpin the community independents movement.
The genesis of the community independents movement was in Indi, Northeast Victoria, where Cathy McGowan was elected in 2013. Daniel recalls that McGowan told her, "politics requires finding your courage muscle."
A Part of the Solution
Daniel emphasizes that Community Strong Australia may not be the perfect answer, but it can be part of the solution and coexist with independents who choose not to join. She concludes, "Someone has to, and today it's Zali and Allegra who are having a crack."
