More than a decade after it began, the so-called “teal” independent movement has finally reached the Sunshine Coast with the aim of upsetting the traditional Coalition-Labor divide.
The movement, which started in the rural Victorian electorate of Indi in 2013, made a splash in 2022 when it saw seven community independent candidates elected to the House of Representatives.
Now, for the first time, the representatives of Australia’s two major parties on the Coast will have to contend with two Climate 200-backed independents in the form of Francine Wiig and Keryn Jones, campaigning for the Federal seats of Fairfax and Fisher, respectively.
Who are the “teals” and what do they stand for?
The teals are a loose collection of independent candidates who share broadly similar views on issues relating to the environment and the economy. While their fiscal policies tend to be more conservative, their stance on climate change is generally seen as progressive.
Despite their “teal” moniker, they are not a political party. “The fact remains there is no teal party,” Ms Wiig says.
Some, like LNP MP Andrew Wallace, say the community independents’ lack of party affiliation is a weakness. “You can only deliver those kinds of outcomes [that I deliver] as a member of a team and a party of government,” he says. “A minor party or a so-called [independent] can talk the talk, but when push comes to shove, they have no power to effect change or deliver for the local community.”
However, Ms Wiig says the fact the independents are not a party is actually one of their greatest strengths. “The independent movement allows individual representatives to represent their community without being tied to party ideology or party voting structures,” she says. “There’s no factions to keep happy.”
Although the community independents are not campaigning together as a bloc, many — including Ms Wiig and Ms Jones — have chosen to adopt aqua colours in their branding. “My signs are teal and my shirts are teal, and that’s because that colour for me has come to represent those shared values of integrity, equality, and strong evidence-based climate action,” Ms Wiig says.
Meet the candidates
Ms Wiig, a candidate for Fairfax, is a small business owner and mother of twins who has lived on the Sunshine Coast for almost 20 years.
She says when she started volunteering with community group Fairfax Matters she had no intention of standing as a candidate. “I just wanted to do something positive,” she says. “I had felt such despair and hopelessness at the political landscape that we were in … then [the group] took nominations for candidates and I was quite surprisingly, but gratefully, nominated.”
Ms Wiig says she is committed to making a real difference for her community and has promised to tackle cost of living, deliver better public transport, and protect the Sunshine Coast’s natural environment if elected.
Ms Jones, who is running in Fisher, has previously served on the Sunshine Coast Council and — together with her husband, Mark — established a successful solar energy business in Caloundra.
She says people are sick of the political status quo. “Many [politicians] have said the same old, same old, same old, and [people] want something different,” she says.
Like Ms Wiig, Ms Jones is campaigning on a platform of change centred around key issues like cost of living, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Climate 200 concerns
Both Ms Wiig’s and Ms Jones’ campaigns have received funding from Climate 200, a climate-focused fundraising organisation founded by multi-millionaire Simon Holmes à Court that has been providing financial support to electoral campaigns across the country.
Fairfax Labor candidate Naomi McQueen says she worries that the Climate 200 funding model risks importing American-style politics. She says she is pleased with the recently introduced election spending caps but would like to see more done to keep big money out of Australian political campaigns.
“I would like to see rules put in place, like that cap, that prevent us from going down the same path as the US where a very wealthy person can throw huge amounts of money and power into something,” McQueen says.
Ms Wiig says although she has received funding from Climate 200, she is not beholden to the organisation. “Climate 200 does not control my policies or decisions, I’m only accountable to the people of Fairfax,” she says. “Climate 200 is not a political party. It doesn’t select candidates, dictate policies, or run campaigns; it simply helps strong community-led campaigns get off the ground.”
