Women in teal take on Australia’s stale males

Independent candidates with pro-climate agenda could hold the balance of power in tight election

AUSTRALIAN politics could be upended by a cohort of middle-class women bidding to become “queenmakers” in tomorrow’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, around 25 candidates – mostly professional women – are threatening to steal some of the coalition government’s safest seats by pushing for a kinder, climate-focused agenda.

With the help of millions of dollars from Simon Holmes à 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 – opposition party

Labor is just two points ahead – and no one gets a majority, the teals could decide who leads the next Australian parliament.

Scott Morrison, the conservative prime minister, is narrowly behind in the polls, but commentators say the election is now too close to call, presenting a huge opportunity for the teals.

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.

Outside a pre-polling booth recently, her supporters could be seen donning teal T-shirts and waving teal placards.

Dr Ryan said that “22,000+ conversations show that climate change and integrity are the most important issues in Kooyong”. “Community engagement is at the centre of our campaign. This is how politics should be done,” she added.

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.

Dr 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.

Mr Frydenberg is six points behind Dr Ryan and admits he is waging a “battle royal” for his seat. He has paid a small army of human billboards to walk the streets of his Kooyong constituency.

Mr Holmes à Court, who runs Climate 200, says on his website: “We want to back local communities who want to ditch stale politicians and elect fresh independent voices instead.

“We’re raising funds to support around 20 underdog candidates who stand for cleaning up politics and following the science of climate change.”

Although the coalition government finally pledged itself to a net zero emissions target by 2050 at the COP26 summit, many Australians regard it as a hollow promise, making climate change one of the biggest issues in this election, especially among the young.