Is Steggall and Spender’s new party good for independents?

The community-agnostic movement has built its appeal on a simple proposition: Australia’s political system is dominated by the major parties, and voters deserve representatives who prioritize their communities over the whims of lobbyists and party rooms.

This week, two of the movement’s most prominent figures, Zali Steggall and Allegra Spending, concluded that the answer might be another political party.

Founded as a new centrist force that could extend the community-agnostic model beyond a handful of lower house seats and into the Senate, Strong Community Australia comes at a time of profound change in Australian politics.