Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, is fighting a war on two fronts. Polling suggests his Liberal-National Coalition is set to lose to the Australian Labor party in the federal election today. But the PM is also being outflanked by independent candidates running in his party’s blue-ribbon, right-leaning heartland – but on a climate change ticket.
More than 20 so-called ‘teal’ independent seats are challenging sitting Liberal and National party members of Australia’s lower-house on a common platform of greater action on climate change and restoring integrity to politics. In at least six seats, teals are either the favourite or have a credible shot at knocking off Coalition incumbents. The betting markets and pollsters predict Australia’s Treasurer and Prime Ministerial aspirant, Josh Frydenberg, will lose his prized seat of Kooyong in Melbourne’s inner east, which the Liberals have held since their first election in 1945.
Despite fashioning themselves as independents, the teals have adopted a common political playbook.
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