Independent MPs launch new Australian centrist party

Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender, two members of the ‘teal’ independent bloc, unveiled the Community Strong Australia party on Thursday in Canberra, claiming that a new alternative is needed as political divisions widen.

The party promises ‘unity over division and reason over rage’, says it will give members a free vote rather than party orders, and has no single leader to prevent factionalism.

Key priorities include housing affordability, cost‑of‑living pressures, climate change, childcare, education and health care, with the founders stressing the need for solutions that resonate with diverse communities.

After Labor secured a landslide win last year and the Coalition suffered heavy losses, the rise of right‑wing populist One Nation has made the founders wary of entrenched political battles.

They clarified that the political organisation Climate 200, which has funded similar independents, is not involved in the new venture, and that registration with the Australian Electoral Commission is pending, expected to be finalised this October.