Support for progressive independent candidates is undoubtedly a growing trend, and the Liberals are definitely feeling the heat.
When Joe Hockey said this week that if the seat of North Sydney was lost in the election, he would rather it was won by Labor than an independent, he wasn’t joking.
Interviewed on ABC Radio, the former Liberal treasurer said the Liberal Party was “at serious risk” of losing the seat, and added that it was much harder to win a seat back from an independent than the opposing side.
He’s right. The success of Cathy McGowan in Indi shows that when an independent wins they usually hang on to it. Zali Steggall, who rid us of Tony Abbott in 2019, is also on track to keep her seat of Warringah.
