Is Australia about to get a new left-leaning political party to challenge the rise of One Nation? Some of the so-called ‘Teal Independents’, who rose to notoriety 2022 federal election, are considering banding together to form an actual party — but not everyone is on board. And what does former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have to do with it?
Warringah MP Zali Steggall put it plainly on ABC radio this morning, saying she is “always open” to the idea after years in parliament.
“I’m in my third term and after seven years in parliament, I can see how there are many things we could do politically better and differently,” she said.
For now, though, even those involved are careful not to overstate things.
“There are conversations, that’s all I can say at this point,” Steggall added.
Who are the Teals, exactly?
“Teal” is not a formal party name. It is a nickname that stuck to a loose group of centrist, mostly female community independents who campaigned in traditionally Liberal, largely urban seats with teal‑coloured branding and a focus on climate action, integrity and gender equality.
The label first started gaining attention around Zali Steggall’s 2019 win in Warringah, but it really exploded at the 2022 federal election, when a wave of similarly branded community independents — including Allegra Spender, Monique Ryan, Zoe Daniel, Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink and others — toppled Liberal MPs in long‑held seats. Many of those campaigns received financial backing from Climate 200, the fundraising vehicle founded by Simon Holmes à Court, whose primary focus is supporting candidates who back stronger climate action.
Despite the nickname and their tendency to vote together on issues like climate and anti‑corruption, they are not registered as a party with the Australian Electoral Commission. They appear on ballot papers as independents, and many are adamant that the “community independent” model is core to their identity.
Why is this even being discussed?
The timing definitely isn’t random. There are a couple different things that are pushing this conversation along at once.
One is the broader political landscape. There’s growing concern about the rise of One Nation and what some independents see as a shift in the Coalition.
ACT independent senator David Pocock is not part of the teal group but has also been talking about how that shift is landing with voters.
In an interview on the weekend, he spoke to the ABC about the growing influence of One Nation helping drive conversations about alternatives.
“There is a lot of frustration and anger out there in the community that our political system is not working for Australians,” he continued.
He argued that on many big challenges “it’s not necessarily left versus right, it’s actually vested interests and their stranglehold on the major parties versus the Australian people.”
There’s also a practical reason: money. Recent changes to electoral funding laws have capped donations and spending for independents, while parties still benefit from national campaign structures.
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender said those reforms have “tipped the balance away from independent to major parties, and I think that was exactly their intention”.
What would a “Teal party” even look like?
This is where things get a bit fuzzy.
Even MPs open to the idea are wary of replicating the traditional party model. Spender made that clear, saying: “I don’t think people want a party like we have seen with the major parties, I think any evolution wants to be something quite different.”
Instead, the focus seems to be on collaboration rather than uniformity — finding ways to work together while still maintaining local accountability.
Spender summed up the tension neatly: “People want to be represented locally, they want to feel their representatives are accountable to them… But the question is, is there a way to evolve how we work together… so that we can more explicitly align on certain areas and then where our communities and where we fundamentally disagree to have that freedom?”
Not all Teals are on board
Importantly, this is not a unified push.
Several independents have already ruled out joining any formal party. Kooyong MP Ryan said she would stick to the model she was elected on in a statement this morning: “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.”
Curtin MP Kate Chaney struck a similar tone in her own statement, saying collaboration doesn’t necessarily require a party: “I am interested in working ‘more collaboratively’ with fellow crossbenchers, but right now I do not think that requires me to be a member of a political party.”
more teals are ruling themselves out of the "teal party" idea being advanced by Zali Steggall – Kate Chaney says she's "interested in working more collaboratively with other crossbenchers" but "right now I do not think that requires me to be a member of a political party" pic.twitter.com/txZgt2tXyv
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 25, 2026
Others, like Mackellar MP Scamps, are leaving the door open but emphasising consultation with their communities before making any decision.
Where does Malcolm Turnbull fit in?
The former prime minister and former leader of the Liberal party Malcom Turnbull has also involved himself in the possible party convo. This morning on ABC’s RN Breakfast he confirmed he’s had discussions with teal MPs “going back some years”, but says any move is entirely up to them.
What he has done is point to a broader political gap: “I think there is a vacuum in Australian politics at the moment… I think there is a vacuum for an alternative centre party. The teals would be obvious people to be part of that or to do that.”
So… what happens next?
Right now, nothing is locked in.
There’s clear interest from some independents, clear hesitation from others, and no formal structure on the table. What is happening, though, is a live debate about whether the “community independent” model can evolve without losing what made it appealing in the first place.
As Steggall put it, “There has to be an alternative choice from the major parties and One Nation: that is sensible.”
And as Spender put it:: “I think some different options need to be on the table, whether it’s evolution, whether it’s a party, whether it’s just working together differently.”
Whether that alternative becomes a party or stays something looser is still very much up in the air.
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