Chapter 4: Independents Can’t Form Executive Government

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 – MAKING THE BEST OF THE SYSTEM WE HAVE
CHAPTER 2 – THE CURRENT DYNAMIC IS ‘PROGRESSIVE VERSUS CONSERVATIVE’
CHAPTER 3 – OUR CURRENT PARTY STRUCTURES ARE INEFFECTIVE
CHAPTER 4 – INDEPENDENTS CAN’T FORM EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER 5 – BREAKING INTO THE CARTEL
CHAPTER 6 – PATHWAYS TO SOMETHING NEW
CHAPTER 7 – A POTENT POLITICAL FORCE NEEDS PEOPLE
CHAPTER 8 – PRODUCING LEADERS
CHAPTER 9 – KEEPING IT SIMPLE
CHAPTER 10 – DRAFT ORGANISATIONAL MODEL
CHAPTER 11 – PEOPLE
APPENDIX 1 – HISTORICAL COMMENTARY ON THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
APPENDIX 2 – AUSTRALIAN COMMENTARY

The changes in the makeup of the 2022 Parliament is a display of the fracturing of 20th-century politics and its political parties. There has been no change to the system. Rather, it is a display of the public’s distrust in and unease towards the two main political parties within it. The main change was that well-organised and well-funded independents were successful.

In our system of government, it is the executive that makes all the day-to-day decisions—all the decisions about the allocation of resources, the number of staff members that each new independent MP will have, and so on. Independents are a reactive force, outside of executive government, with the best option of ‘keeping the government honest’.

In this Parliament (as in most in our history) one party has control of the executive—the only way the legislative has any power, is in the passing of legislation to the ‘upper’ house for review. In the current Parliament, the ALP, an increasingly small group with leaders from a narrow slice of society, is providing 100% of the makeup of the executive.

Any talent the independents might have is wasted. If the independents gained the balance of power in a future Parliament, they would still be a reactionary force outside the executive.

It is not just the independent MPs that are on the outside—it is also all of their supporters. Many of the independents had the largest numbers of volunteers and supporters in their electorates. These people did not see the traditional ‘parties’ as a viable option.

Once a group of independents thinks about becoming a political organisation within our two-party system, questions have to be asked.

Are they a party?
What is the structure of the party?
If there is two or more people that could be a good representative, how are they going to be selected?

If there is an alternative to thinking about organisational structure and design, then what is it? What is another viable pathway? Seeing the rise of independents is a transition – it has to evolve into something. Having a party you like, that has integrity and can form government, is better than being on the outside.