By Parker McKenzie
In the aftermath of the federal election, one of the biggest stories was the elevation of community-driven independent candidates to Parliament.
12 independent candidates were elected to the House of Representatives, including Zoe Daniel in Goldstein and Dr Monique Ryan in Kooyong.
Over 40 Voices groups formed to nominate and elect independents throughout Australia including Voices of Casey, who endorsed former Sustainability Victoria CEO Claire Ferres Miles.
Like Ms Daniel and Dr Ryan, Ms Ferres Miles campaigned on integrity in politics, climate action and equality for women, and received funding from Climate 200.
The results were starkly different, however, with Ms Ferres Miles winning 8.5 per cent of the vote at the time of publishing and Dr Ryan and Ms Daniel heading to Canberra to represent their electorates.
Why did the independent wave sweeping the nation fail to take hold in Casey?
One factor may be the relative popularity of former Casey MP Tony Smith.
The animosity towards former Prime Minister Scott Morrison may have lost the vote of some throughout the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, but Mr Smith’s performance as Speaker of the House and his reputation of being respected by both Liberals and the Labor party likely softened the blow.
The new Casey MP Aaron Violi promised more of the same throughout the campaign and while he saw an 8 per cent swing against the Liberal Party compared to the 2019 election, it was enough to get him over the line.
In other places like Kooyong and Goldstein, the animosity extended to the sitting member too. Former Kooyong MP Josh Frydenberg’s comments during Victoria’s lengthy lockdowns and former Goldstein MP Tim Wilson’s pointed scepticism towards climate action won them few admirers at home.
A larger factor though is likely to be the time frame in which Voices of Casey was organised. Dr Ryan’s campaign launched on 11 December 2021, more than five months before the eventual election day.
More than three months later, Ms Ferres Miles launched her campaign at the Kalorama Memorial Gardens in March 2022.
Behind the scenes, Voices of Kooyong was establishing itself in the community as early as 2020 as frustration with Mr Frydenberg’s performance as a local member began to rise. The Voices of Kooyong Twitter and Facebook pages were created in August 2021, six months before Voices of Casey first created its social media.
The first public meeting for Voices of Casey was held online on 27 January 2022, less than four months out from the election.
Ms Ferres Miles was a good candidate — full of integrity, experience and intelligence —but to win a seat held by the Liberal Party since the 1980s would require a monstrous effort of community organisation highly improbable to achieve in such a short amount of time.
If the Voices movement continues to pick up steam, Ms Ferres Miles has proven there is an appetite for an independent voice in Casey.
The lesson, however, is right now is the best time to organise.
Ms Ferres Miles and Voices of Casey were contacted for comment.
