Politics With Michelle Grattan: Tina Jackson On The Independents To Watch This Election

(MENAFN- The Conversation) The 2022 election catapulted a new movement into Australian federal politics, with the election of six“teals”. The teals are part of a broader wave of“community independents” who are challenging the major parties, especially the Liberals and appealing to voters who want Politics done differently.

As the 2025 election draws close, the Community Independents Project, which was founded in 2021 to support the grass root independents, will not only seek to retain the gains made but to increase the representation in the lower house.

We are joined on the podcast by the executive director of the Community Independents Project, Tina Jackson, who was a key figure behind Zali Steggall's successful campaign against Tony Abbott in Warringah. Steggall was a forerunner of the teals.

On what makes a“community candidate” different from other Independents like Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Tasmania) or Dai Le, (Fowler, NSW) Jackson explains,

On the kind of issues these independents might be campaigning on now that the“Morrison” factor is gone, Jackson says each campaign will decide what issues to tackle, and a lot of the issues from the 2022 campaign aren't going away,

Jackson nominates three candidates she is most hopeful about and how they are challenging the notions of safe seats,

While funding from Climate 200 remains a strong asset for the group, Jackson says it's the“people power” that helps the most,

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