Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender Launch Community Strong Australia

Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender, now political partners, are quite different people.

One is a former Olympic skier and family law barrister who operates with a fierce elite athlete mindset underpinned by extraordinary determination and, when it comes to politics, deep conviction.

The other is a deep thinker, a former CEO who grew up in a political family, a qualified economist and a genuine and gentle listener.

As distinctive as they are as individuals they have much in common, and as the launch of Community Strong Australia shows, these two women are brave.

Starting something, then changing course, adapting, in the face of entrenched systems of power requires that. Not doing it would be far easier and I know this hasn’t been an easy decision – for those who are in or out. There’s no right or wrong decision. There are lots of variables to consider, primarily the sentiment of the communities who have supported independent politics.

I’m using first names because Zali and Allegra are my friends. We jumped off a cliff together and then had the shared experience of the gladiator pit of politics. Few things could be so bonding.

Zali had already served one term having defeated Tony Abbott in Warringah in 2019 when the rest of the independents were elected in 2022. She and Helen Haines caught us when we all jumped; political newbies, but professional women who were prepared to take a huge risk to contribute to solving problems and strengthening our nation in the face of the frequently mystifying and often toxic political fray.

You will read, hear and watch plenty of hot takes about the new party. This might include cynical broadsides and lies and misinformation about their motivation.

Take a moment to consider the landscape.

Labor is too dominant, the Coalition is disintegrating and One Nation is at the gates. People are angry and frustrated. They are searching for leadership. Who else is going to step to the front?

It is a fraught idea to try to translate the authenticity of community independence into a form of alliance or party structure.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the armchair warriors will be all over it. So will the political apparatchiks trying to tear it down before it even stands up. This is shortsighted and self-interested.

“Australia is at a turning point and people are worried about what the future holds. Community Strong Australia offers unity over division and reason over rage. We invite everyone who shares those values to join us,” the party announcement says.

“Reason over rage” sounds good to me.

As pollster and analyst Kos Samaras says, “a number of people who are currently voting for One Nation – not an insignificant number of them – will switch to an alternative if it’s a serious one”.

“They are sitting on One Nation in lieu of something else,” he says. “At the moment there is only one product on the market.”

It’s also important to note that the way the two major parties do business is not the only way. There is no law that says parties must operate the way they do.

Community Strong Australia will use a collective leadership model, and its constitution does not require members to vote together – they can vote as they choose on all matters except providing supply and confidence to government.

The party rests on values alignment, on sensible economic management, climate action, equality and integrity, the four pillars that I ran on when I was elected in 2022 that underpin the community independents movement.

In the Australian spirit of having a go, give it a chance. This is what our communities asked us to do, to try to do politics differently, and that can take more than one form.

Community Strong Australia may not be the perfect answer, but I believe it can be a part of the solution. And it can coexist with independents who choose not to join.

The genesis of the community independents movement was in Indi, in Northeast Victoria, where Cathy McGowan was elected in 2013.

When I was pondering entering politics I spoke to Cathy who I’ve known as a friend and mentor for several decades.

She told me that politics requires finding your courage muscle.

Someone has to, and today it’s Zali and Allegra who are having a crack.