You may have already seen – at 10:53 PM Dutton and Albanese passed new laws to rig elections against independents.
Over the years, the majors built a moat around their two party system, and this is their attempt to pull up the drawbridge.
A Canberra insider told me last year that “the major parties are aligned on donations for the first time in decades. Labor wants to ‘kill’ Clive Palmer and the Coalition wants to ‘kill’ the Teals”.
Under the new rules the Coalition and the ALP will receive a projected $140 million in taxpayer funding at the 2028 election, up from $57 million in 2022. And new loopholes mean the fossil fuel lobby and billionaires can still funnel millions through the Coalition’s 83 different fundraising entities… and don’t worry, there are plenty of loopholes for Labor too.
The expenditure caps allow the parties to spend far more than independents, exacerbating the taxpayer funded advantages enjoyed by incumbents, worth hundreds of millions.
They think this will be the end of the community independents movement. I think we need to prove them wrong on election night.
Support for the major parties has been declining for years — and they’re terrified. They could have won back voters’ trust with good policy, but today Labor and the Coalition chose to rig the system.
Let’s show them that self-serving, backroom deals like this are the exact reason voters are turning to local, community-backed leaders who can truly represent their interests.
Will these laws make it even harder for independents to compete? Yes, absolutely.
Will they stop us? That’s up to you and me.
The biggest source of our power isn’t in advertising budgets or massive donations. You and I are just two people in a growing movement of more than 40,000 people. Together, we can and will prevail regardless of a system stacked against us.
And I want to make sure Dutton and Albanese realise their mistake when Australia goes to the polls in two months.
Climate 200 is currently backing more than 30 community independents across the country — and even more will be launching in the coming days. That’s a lot of seats.
And I think we would all very much like to see Dutton and Albanese forced to negotiate with a bigger, more powerful pro-climate crossbench.
So let’s make it happen. We likely have just under 9 weeks until the likely election day. Donate today to help as many independents as possible win seats from the major parties.
These new laws won’t come into effect until after the 2025 election, which makes it even more important that we seize the opportunity of this election.
Looking ahead, I know this will be far from the killer blow Liberal strategists wanted it to be.
Because the system has always been stacked against those challenging the major parties. And yet, community independents continue to win seats.
I think we’re just getting started in changing the course of political history. I hope you feel the same.
In determination,
Simon Holmes a Court
