Updated ,first published
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has backed a new centrist party of teal independents to take on the Coalition, as independents Monique Ryan and Kate Chaney rule themselves out of joining.
Turnbull said on Monday the opposition had left a vacuum in Australian politics that created prime conditions for a new political movement, after this masthead revealed on Sunday that independent MPs were in the advanced stages of forming a new party structure.
“There is absolutely an opportunity there. I mean, people feel the Liberal Party has moved away from the centre,” Turnbull told Radio National. “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.
“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, and I’ve talked to them about that publicly going back some years, but whether they actually decide to do so is up to them.”
Sources familiar with the conversations told this masthead that Turnbull, who is still a Liberal Party member despite attempts to expel him, had raised with moderate Liberals the prospect of joining a new centrist movement. Turnbull on Monday denied being actively involved in setting up a new party, and sources close to the independents said some conversations had involved Turnbull and some had not.
“I’m not involved with any plans to set something up,” Turnbull said.
Asked whether he had been speaking about the political climate with some of the independents, Turnbull said: “I talk to a lot of people.”
Independent MP Zali Steggall on Monday said the independents were discussing how to be more effective in parliament when voter frustration with major parties is mounting.
“There are conversations. That’s that’s about all I can say at this point,” Steggall told Radio National.
“I’m consulting with my community, looking at what the options are.”
Steggall said she could see many opportunities for politics to be done “better and differently”, and that many Australians were frustrated with the major parties.
“I think there is a huge sense of disquiet with where Australian politics is at, and I think it is my responsibility and others’ responsibility to step up,” she said.
Steggall acknowledged the risk of losing votes if voters saw joining a party as a loss of independence.
“How do we actually evolve and expand the community movement, so that communities that don’t currently have the option of voting for an independent have more choice? I think that’s a really interesting challenge for us,” she said.
On Monday morning, both Kooyong MP Monique Ryan and Curtin MP Kate Chaney had ruled themselves out of joining the party.
“In both 2022 and 2025, I stood as a community independent. That is the commitment I made to the people of Kooyong,” Ryan said in a statement.
“I will continue to do that in the capacity in which I was elected: as a community independent, voted for and answerable to the people of Kooyong.”
Chaney followed shortly after Ryan, saying: “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.”
Fellow teal independent Sophie Scamps did not rule herself out of joining a new centrist party, but did say she would consult her Northern Beaches community before making any major decision.
“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,” she told this masthead.
“These conversations been accelerated by new electoral campaign laws that will make it difficult for independent candidates, particularly new ones, to run.”
At a press conference at Parliament House on Monday, regional crossbench MPs Helen Haines, Andrew Gee, Rebekha Sharkie and Bob Katter said they did not intend to join any party.
Liberal moderates on Monday ruled out defecting from the Coalition and attacked the potential new outfit.
“I think no one actually takes this party seriously,” Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson told Nine’s Today show. “It’s about them achieving their own survival, not the good of the nation.”
Deputy opposition leader Jane Hume accused the independents of abandoning the platform of integrity they campaigned on.
“The idea that they have gone out and said to their electorates that they are community independents, that we’re going to do politics differently, but have now demonstrated that they’re going to do it exactly the same way, I think speaks volumes,” Hume told Sky News.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce also took a swipe, poking fun at the six independents representing wealthy inner-city electorates.
“It’d be a hell of a party. Is there enough gin and tonic to go around? Is there a yacht big enough?”
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Nick Newling is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
Brittany Busch is a federal politics reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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