Independent Liberal (Australia)

Independent Liberal is a description used in Australian politics, often to designate a politician who is a Liberal Party member but not endorsed by the party at elections. It has also been used by politicians and political candidates who identify as a liberal, but independent from the party.

Independent Liberals are present at the local level in several councils. For example, the Liberal Party chose not to endorse candidates in several Sydney councils for the 2021 local elections, with the elected members contesting as independents despite being affiliated with the Liberal Party. Independent Liberals are also present at the local level in several other councils in other state capitals, specifically Melbourne and Hobart.

Currently, the only Independent Liberal MP in a state parliament is Moira Deeming, who was expelled from the parliamentary Victorian Liberal Party in May 2023.

History

The label was first used at a federal election in 1910, following the formation of the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1907. The party dissolved in 1919, before the present-day Liberal Party of Australia was formed in 1944.

George Wise won the seat of Gippsland at that election as an Independent Liberal. He was a Protectionist who refused to join the party at the Fusion of 1909.

Bob Suggett won re-election in Moorabbin as an Independent Liberal in 1964 after losing party endorsement in 1961. He was then re-admitted to the party.

In 1972, Jeff Bate was an Independent Liberal in Macarthur for two months after losing Liberal preselection. He lost his seat when he contested the federal election later that year.

Bob Such served as an Independent Liberal in the South Australian House of Assembly from 2000 until his death in 2014. His widow, Lyn, said he never put 'Liberal' in his political branding because "if you’re independent, you’re independent – that was his thinking".

Pete Smith ran as an Independent Liberal at the 2015 South-West Coast Victorian state by-election to 'represent Liberal supporters who were not members of the party'. He achieved 1.8% of the vote.

Duncan McFetridge quit the Liberal Party in 2017 to sit as an Independent Liberal. He attempted to get permission from the party to formally use the description on the ballot paper at the 2018 state election, but was unsuccessful.

Activist Saru Rana contested the 2019 Enfield state by-election in South Australia as an Independent Liberal.

At the 2022 Victorian state election, former Liberal Party member Fred Ackerman ran as a 'Liberal Independent' on a ticket with Mark Barrow.

Western Metropolitan MP Moira Deeming started sitting as an Independent Liberal in April 2023 after receiving a 9-month suspension from the parliamentary party. She was later expelled from the parliamentary party in May 2023, but remains a rank-and-file Liberal member.

Multiple members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly have been elected as Independent Liberals, including Harry Shearn ( Maylands), Noel Butcher (Gascoyne), Bill Grayden ( South Perth) and Edward Oldfield (Mount Lawley). Alfred Cove MP Janet Woollard began sitting as an Independent Liberal after her party, Liberals for Forests, dissolved in 2008. She was defeated at the 2013 state election.

Representation

State level

Independent Liberals are mostly present on a local level. The only incumbent independent Liberal serving in a non-local legislature is Moira Deeming, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. She was expelled from the Liberal Party in 2023 after she attended a Let Women Speak rally in Melbourne. The event was organised as part of an Australian and New Zealand tour by British activist Kellie-Jay Keen, who has caused controversy for her views on transgender people. The event was attended by members of the National Socialist Network, a neo-Nazi hate group. However, she still remains a rank-and-file member of the Liberal Party, but sits on the crossbench.

Local level

At the local level, independent Liberals are much more common.

In New South Wales, the Liberal Party decided not to endorse candidates for the 2021 local elections in six councils in Sydney that they normally contest. These councils were Bayside, Blacktown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Inner West, Parramatta and Strathfield. All incumbents contested as independents.

In Victoria, an independent Liberal councillor is currently serving on the Greater Dandenong City Council in Melbourne, accompanied by a non-independent Liberal.

In Tasmania, there are two independent Liberals currently serving on local councils, one each on the Clarence City Council and the Derwent Valley Council, both of which are accompanied by a non-independent Liberal.

Similar political descriptions

Australian politicians have also been elected under other independent labels, including Independent Labor, Independent Free Trade, Independent UAP and Independent Socialist.

See also

* Independent politicians in Australia
* Teal independent

References

{{Reflist

Liberal Party of Australia
Political terminology in Australia