Teal MPs explore forming a political party, while others rule it out

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Scamps keeps door open to teal party

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By Courtney Gould

Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps is leaving the door open to what she says would be a "stronger alliance" between Teal independents.

While others, such as Monique Ryan and Kate Chaney, counted themselves out, Scamps is keeping her options open.

"People have been coming to me with ideas for some time about the potential for a stronger alliance — one that complements the community independent movement," Scamps said in a statement.

"These conversations been accelerated by new electoral campaign laws that will make it difficult for independent candidates, particularly new ones, to run — along with the seismic political shift that has seen the Liberals lurching further to the far right."

She says she will consult with her community before "making any major decisions".

"I've always engaged my community in open and honest dialogue on the issues that affect them, and this is no different."

Shoebridge and Cash fire up over FOI's

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By Isabella Tolhurst

Senate estimates is off to an exciting start this week (if you can believe it), with your favourite unexpected duo Greens’ David Shoebridge and Liberals’ Michaelia Cash teaming up to grill the Attorney General department over its Freedom of Information requests.

The Canberra Times revealed the department delayed the publication of an FOI request until a minute before the last senate estimates, meaning senators couldn’t ask questions about it.

The issue was over an email sent by the FOI team, asking for the publication of documents to be delayed until the day of estimates.

Department officials today said they’d only found out about the issue on Friday, but couldn't provide much information about what steps they'd taken next.

Shoebridge was very displeased with this, grilling them not only for the delay directive, but for not asking enough questions of the people involved.

Cash didn’t let them off easy either, questioning why the Attorney General’s department, which is meant to be the “gold standard” for FOI requests, was purposefully delaying publication.

Department representatives say they work hard to ensure best practise is upheld, that they have a full commitment to comply with time frames, and that estimates aren’t taken into account when deciding on the publication of documents.

Chaney hoses down speculation she could join teal party

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By Courtney Gould

And another one bites the dust. West Australian Kate Chaney, who represents the seat of Curtin, has also distanced herself from joining any teal party.

In a statement, Chaney said she'd remain as an independent.

"Our political poles are shifting. The Liberal Party is moving further to the right. The big issues impacting the lives of everyday Australians no longer fit on the convenient left-right political spectrum," she said.

"In this context, I have had many conversations with my fellow community independents about the challenges Australia faces, and have thought deeply about how I can best contribute to a healthy democracy.

"I am interested in working more collaboratively with other crossbenchers on policy – many of our communities have similar values – but right now I do not think that requires me to be a member of a political party."

Haines, Katter and other crossbenchers rule themsleves out of joining teal party

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By Courtney Gould

So Monique Ryan has ruled herself out of joining Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall's proposed new party but what about the rest of the crossbench?

Helen Haines channeled Bob Katter as she counted herself out.

"Let 1000 blossoms bloom! If people want to talk about forming more formal allegiances through a party, go your hardest ... it's not something for me but it may be something for other people," Haines said.

Katter, who was previously a member of the Nationals, said he was in no rush to join another party.

"I came out of the party system and the last thing in the world I want to do is go back into it, I can assure you," he said.

Andrew Gee, who also traded a spot in the Nationals party room for the crossbench, said his independence had been "hard won".

"So I am remaining a true country independent," he said.

Mayo MP Rebekah Sharkie agreed it wasn't for her.

"I think I did suggest this to Zali back in 2022. There's a lot of similarities across the teals, they're referred to as the teals so if they want to create a party, good for them," she said.

Iran war's economic shock is reaching Australian wallets and politics

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By Patricia Karvelas

A poll published late on Friday showed One Nation would win as many as 59 seats if an election were held today, pushing Labor deep into minority government and wiping out the Coalition in all but three states and territories.

That's the worst-case scenario for the major parties in a large-scale analysis of voter intentions conducted by Redbridge Group and Accent Research that underlines the shift in Australian politics since the last election.

There is so much hypothesising about why this surge in populist supply has occurred, but the evidence is staring at us and it is crystal clear. In fact, the Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, told us and it was blunt. She said Australians were poorer because of the ripple effect on prices from the conflict in the Middle East.

If Australians are poorer, and they know they are poorer, why would they keep supporting the status quo? What if the cumulative impact of the depletion of their living standards is making them think something else has to be the solution?

A conflict on the other side of the world pushing up essential items on our supermarket shelves, the government unable to offer a quick fix or outline when this will pass and a population still whip-lashed by COVID. It is easy to understand why people are running out of patience with major parties and feel let down by Canberra.

Taylor unsurprised by teal party proposal

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By Courtney Gould

Angus Taylor has laughed off concerns some of his moderate Liberal colleagues could jump ship to join the teals.

The opposition leader told reporters the group of independents have "acted like a party for years".

"I don't know what's new. They act like a political party. But I tell you what, we are the one party, or Coalition, that is fighting the Labor Party every day," he says.

Taylor was also asked about a poll published in the Australian Financial Review over the weekend that suggested One Nation could win up to 53 seats at the next election.

"I am out there every day fighting the Labor Party. That is our one focus. Because this Labor Party is taking this country down the drain. That's where they're taking us."

Coalition to 'do what's necessary' to block tax overhaul

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By Courtney Gould

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and deputy Jane Hume are out and about this morning, visiting a local small business in Canberra.

It's probably no surprise they're here to talk about the government's proposed changes to the capital gains tax discount, negative gearing and trusts. Taylor has repeatedly said he would do whatever he can to stop the tax shake-up from passing.

He's asked if that includes withholding support from the government's overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

"Well, our focus is on axing Labor's toxic taxes and getting the balance right on the NDIS and we will do what's necessary to achieve that," Taylor says.

Taylor says he wants the Greens to join with the Coalition to oppose the trio of tax changes.

Monique Ryan hoses down speculation she could join teal party

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By Courtney Gould

Monique Ryan has distanced herself from plans to establish a formal teal-led political party.

Independents, including Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender,confirmed conversations to formalise the community independent movement into a party were underway.

But Ryan, who was elected in 2022 and 2025, hosed down speculation she's part of discussions.

"For the past four years, I have worked closely and collaboratively with the crossbench colleagues from both the House and the Senate.

"Representing the people of Kooyong in Canberra has been one of the biggest honours of my life. I will continue to do that in the capacity in which I was elected: as a community independent, voting for and answerable to the people of Kooyong."

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'He's clearly a masochist':Turnbull reacts to Abbott's election as federal Lib president

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By Courtney Gould

Former Liberal PM Tony Abbott was elected unopposed as the party's next federal president over the weekend.

"He's clearly a masochist," fellow former PM Malcolm Turnbull joked when asked about it on ABC's Radio National Breakfast.

"He's got a strong commitment to politics, so good on him."

But Turnbull cautioned his party against adopting the mindset Abbott and other commentators have been pushing that the Liberals' mistake was not being right-wing enough.

"They've been saying this despite every election sending them the message that a significant part of the electorate feel they have gone too far to the right," he says.

Turnbull says the fact the group of teal independents were elected "tells you something that the voters are seeing is lacking in the Liberal Party".

Turnbull says he's 'not aware' of approaches to Lib moderates

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By Courtney Gould

Malcolm Turnbull says he's not aware of discussions to poach moderate Liberals to join a potential new party.

Speculation in the papers this morning suggested moderate Liberals had been approached to join the teal-led party. The former prime minister was asked by ABC Radio National Breakfast if he'd been the one to make the approach.

"I'm not aware but I wouldn't be surprised. Look, people talk about this stuff all the time but ... well, if there's something concrete being organised, I'm not aware of it," he says.

Turnbull denies 'active' involvement in push to create teal political party

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By Courtney Gould

Speaking of Malcolm Turnbull, the former prime minister has just dialled into ABC Radio National Breakfast.

He's asked if he's had any discussions with some of the teal independents to form a political party.Turnbull says he talks to "a lot of people", including Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall. But he denies he's actively involved in the push.

"I think there is a vacuum for an alternative centre party. Now the teals would be obvious people to be part of that or to do that, but I've talked to them about that publicly going back some years," he says.

"Whether they actually decide to do so is up to them. So I'm not involved with any … plans to set something up."

That being said, he acknowledges there is "absolutely an opportunity" for a new party to occupy the centre.

"People feel the Liberal Party has, you know, moved away from the centre. That is why the teals were elected. And the more the Liberal Party tries to chase and emulate and copy One Nation, the more it builds up the vote for One Nation," he says.

He says that only legitimises One Nation. "This is exactly the mistake that the Tories have made in the UK,"Turnbull says, referring to the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform party.

Too early to say how teal-led political party would look: Spender

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By Courtney Gould

Allegra Spender doesn't want to "jump the gun" about how a teal-led political party would operate, or who would be its leader.

"There could be lots of different ways to do this," she tells ABC Radio Sydney.

"Where I'm thinking about at the moment is just to have the conversations about what is possible to collaborate better in other ways of doing this that gives, you know, people more choices about … who represents them in a way that they feel is both connected to the community but where people are sort of collaborating … even more effectively I think to drive the national policy debate."

Has Malcolm Turnbull been involved in this process, perhaps in sounding out Liberal moderates to join?

Spender says that's up for Turnbull to say.

Spender confirms she's also in talks about new political party

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By Courtney Gould

Fellow independent Allegra Spender has also been out and about this morning, confirming she's been in conversations about forming a new political party.

Speaking with ABC Radio Sydney, Spender says people have approached her with concerns about the current political landscape.

"They look at states like South Australia and WA where there is no effective opposition. And ... a lot of people are saying, you know, we need to do something different," she says.

"So I've certainly had lots of conversations. Nothing more than that to announce at the moment."

Spender's asked whether the conversations were sparked by the reforms to electoral donations laws. The laws cap donations and the amount MPs can spend on campaigns. But MPs who are in a party benefit from formal parties spending on national campaigns.

She says it's something she "looked at carefully" but a formal party would go "beyond campaign financing".

"The question is ... are there ways to better collaborate to evolve and how we work together or how some of us work together so that we can more explicitly align on certain areas and then where our communities and where we fundamentally disagree to have that freedom," she says.

"I don't think people want a party like we've seen it with the sort of major parties. I think if any evolution [it] wants to be something quite different."

Electoral reforms a factor at play as teal MPs consider political party

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By Courtney Gould

So how much of this idea to establish a teal-led political party has been prompted by the new electoral funding laws?

The reforms passed within the last term of parliament place a strict cap on spending and donations. Independent Zali Steggall says it was a consideration.

"That did also force me to look at the set-up and the disadvantage there is in being a community independent versus a major party," she said.

"There are many things that favor major party structures, and again, the public was incredibly cynical about that move, that it's yet again major parties trying to rig the game for their benefit."

Steggall 'open' to teal-led political party

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By Courtney Gould

Independent MP Zali Steggall has confirmed she's open to the teals forming their own political party but declined to say how far talks have progressed.

"I'm always open because, of course, I'm in my third term and after seven years in parliament, I can see how there are many things we could do politically better and differently," she tells ABC's Radio National Breakfast.

She says discussions are looking at how the collective can work in a "collaborative way" noting that she's learned in her seven years in parliament she can see how there are "efficiencies" to be found in working together.

Steggall also p