Women in teal take on the stale males

Australian politics could be upended by a cohort of middleclass women bidding to become “queenmakers” in today’s general election.

As polls narrow ahead of the vote, a group of independent candidates with little or no political experience may hold the balance of power, with their pledge to challenge the “stale” establishment.

Known as the teal independents, suggesting a greener shade of politics than Liberal Party blue, about 25 candidates — mostly professional women — are threatening to steal some of the coalition government’s safest seats by pushing for a kinder, climatefocused agenda.

With the help of millions of dollars from Simon Holmes Court, a pro-environment businessman, and his Climate 200 group, they are taking on mostly male Liberal MPs in some of Australia’s wealthiest electorates.

If the vote is as close as expected and no one gets a majority, the teals could decide who leads the next Australian parliament.

Perhaps the most prominent politician facing defeat at the hands of the teals is Josh Frydenberg, the Treasurer, who is strongly tipped to become the ruling Liberal Party’s next leader.

He is up against Dr Monique Ryan, a paediatrician and director of neurology at the Royal Children’s

Hospital in Melbourne who has been door-knocking in the suburb of Kooyong.

Ryan is typical of the candidates — well-educated high achievers in their chosen career. Others include an ex-foreign correspondent, a local businesswoman and a chief executive.

The movement was started by Cathy McGowan, a sheep farmer and former president of Australian Women in Agriculture, who unseated a Liberal candidate in 2013 by holding meetings to listen to what locals really wanted from their elected officials.

She has since stood down, but has been sharing her experiences with other women hoping to repeat the trick.