Big spenders: AEC reveals cashed-up Teals
By Steven Tripp
The Australian Electoral Commission's Transparency Register has revealed just how much the Teal Independents spent at the recent 2022 Federal election.
Is it little surprise? All it has done is confirm what many of us already suspected.
Their exorbitant expenditures grabbed the headlines, but there is another story that flows in the under-current.
Love them or hate them, Independents can play an integral role in our political system. The history of Australian politics has seen some fine Independent representatives.
But can traditional Independents compete when the Teal juggernaut decides to set up shop in their electorate?
In the Sydney electorate of Wentworth, Allegra Spender had a total expenditure of $2.124million. There was no other Independent candidate on the ballot.
By contrast, in the same electorate in 2019, high-profile Independent and incumbent, Kerryn Phelps spent almost $282,000. A big sum by many standards, but a fraction compared with more than $2million.
Spender was indeed the spender, but following in her footsteps was Monique Ryan, who upset former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in the Victorian seat of Kooyong. She spent $2.122million and again was the only Independent candidate. By contrast, the 2019 election saw three independent candidates in Kooyong, spending $483,804, $5,578 and $2,306.
Kooyong went from 3 Independent candidates in 2019, to one Teal in 2022.
Picking up on the trend?
In North Sydney, Kylea Tink spent $1.379million. Again, no other Independents dared to challenge her. Tink's expenditure was a big jump from 2019 when the Independent candidate spent $12,670.
In Goldstein, former ABC journalist, Zoe Daniel spent $1.594million with no other Independent in sight. The Independent in 2019 spent $13,500, mustering only 0.8% of what Ms. Daniel spent.
Sophie Scamps upset incumbent Liberal Jason Falinski in Mackellar by spending $1.542million. Once again, grass-roots Independents were running for the hills as Scamps was the only Independent to contest the seat. In 2019, Independent Alice Thompson did spend the sizeable sum of $75,980 to seek election, but again it pales in comparison to 'Dr. Sophie'.
It was the same situation in the Western Australian seat of Curtin, as Katherine Chaney spent $973,224 with no other Independent competition.
Then, there was Warringah, the electorate in which I contested as the One Nation candidate. The incumbent, Zali Steggall established herself by spending $910,893 in the 2019 election, only to spend $768,323 in the 2022 election.
I cringe at the word 'only', as $768,323 is still an incredible figure. Running for One Nation I spent just over $6,500; I cannot imagine what I would have done with three quarters of a million dollars. What do you even spend that money on?
Not only can other Independents not compete with the Teal’s war chest, but neither can minor parties it seems.
Setting the common trend, Zali Steggall was the only Independent in 2022, with the second Independent from the 2019 election learning her lesson this time.
In Warringah in 2016, there were three Independents. The possibility of that happening again seems unlikely.
Further analysis could scrutinise the other Independents that Climate 200 supported, but the trend is clear. The main point, of course, is how healthy can our democracy possibly be if the war chests of the Teals can out-spend their competition to such an excess?
The mighty war chests of the Teals have squeezed the other Independents out of the market - or in this case, squeezed them off the ballot.
Such excessive spending does not paint a favourable image of a group that preaches integrity.
When will the call come for the Teals to shed their Independent skin?
More importantly, when will the time come for restraint to be placed on Federal electoral expenditure?