Pros and cons to creating formal party, ex-teal says
One of Australia’s first teal independents has warned that forming an official teal party could lead to complicated leadership disputes or force members to vote for policies they disagree with.
Kerryn Phelps, who won the Sydney seat of Wentworth when former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull resigned in 2018, said having a party structure would allow blue independents to share resources and work together on policies but suggested the move could also alienate some supporters.
A large number of independent MPs have left the door open to forming a more formal political alliance, whether as a party or a closer grouping, and Mr Turnbull has reportedly been involved in the process of bringing them together.
Asked about speculation, Professor Phelps said some voters wanted independent MPs to remain independent, but the political impact of forming a new party would largely depend on the make-up of the party.
“A lot depends on whether MPs can retain the ability to represent their constituents rather than the party,” he told AAP.
“At the very least, I think candidates and party members should sign up to aligned values and a set of rules.
“When I stood as an independent in Wentworth, it was the first of these community-based urban independent campaigns that would later be labeled teal.
“I didn’t want to have to vote for policies, leadership disagreements, or factional dynamics that I didn’t think my voters would support or agree with.
“I have not yet seen a party model that eliminates these concerns.”
To avoid some of these problems, Prof Phelps said independents could form a group that is nominally a party but in practice an alliance, pooling resources but voting independently.
The former MP is known for spearheading “medevac” legislation that allowed 135 asylum seekers to temporarily leave offshore detention and travel to Australia for medical treatment.
The bill’s passage in 2018 marked the first time a government was defeated in the House of Representatives in decades, but the law was repealed in late 2019.
Prof Phelps lost his seat in the 2019 election after serving as an MP for less than a year.
But in 2022, seven independents entered parliament under the teal flag.
Sydney MPs Allegra Spending and Zali Steggall are among those leaving the door open to a more formal party arrangement, but others are skeptical of the idea.
“I’m certainly open to having a conversation, because I think this is the moment when we need to think about what kind of political system would best meet the needs of Australians,” Ms Toweler said.
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan and Curtin MP Kate Chaney said they would remain independents from the community, as did regional Victoria MP Helen Haines.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said the Turquoises had been acting as a political party for years and played down speculation that moderate Liberals might join them.
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