For months, the major parties have been colluding to reshape elections in Australia. Now, they have finally unveiled their bill designed to “kill the independents.”¹

‍We’ve found a better way of doing politics - and it’s threatening the major party duopoly. Together, we helped seven new community-backed independents get into parliament at the last election, and there are dozens more with a very real chance of winning seats from the major parties at the upcoming election. They’re holding the major parties to account on issues such as climate change, integrity and gender equality. 

‍In a desperate attempt to drown out independents and lock out new community independent candidates, Dutton has made a deal with the government. Masquerading under the guise of ‘electoral reform’, it would: 

• Give the major parties tens of millions of dollars in public funding to run their campaigns
• Incapacitate independent campaigns with imbalanced spending caps that major party candidates can easily circumvent. 
• Do little to reduce the influence of trade unions and big business on the major parties
• Ignore calls from the crossbench to follow normal parliamentary process and scrutiny, instead ramming through a 410 page package of complex changes, just days after tabling in parliament.

‍1 in 3 Australians voted against the major parties at the last election. That number is unprecedented and growing. But instead of winning back the trust of voters, this bill is a brazen attempt to rig the game and limit your ability to support genuine, community-backed alternatives to the status quo.

‍Send the major parties a message - don’t crush community independents!

References

1. ‘Dutton and Albanese are safe this 'killing season', but they have their work cut out for them’ ABC Online, 18/11/24