Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender launch new party aimed at political centre promising ‘reason over rage’

The independent member for Warringah, Zali Steggall, right, and the independent member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, are launching a new political party called Community Strong Australia. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP View image in fullscreen The independent member for Warringah, Zali Steggall, right, and the independent member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, are launching a new political party called Community Strong Australia. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender launch new party aimed at political centre promising ‘reason over rage’ New party dubbed Community Strong Australia follows secret talks about future of community independents Teal independents Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender have launched a new political party called Community Strong Australia, with the aim of providing a centrist alternative for voters amid the rise of One Nation and the turmoil inside the Coalition. The party will focus on issues including housing affordability, cost of living, climate change, childcare, education, healthcare and social cohesion, according to Steggall, the member for Warringah. Community Strong Australia – which carries teal-coloured branding – will “support community-backed candidates” for election in both the House of Representatives and Senate, Steggall said in announcing the long-rumoured party. “The community independent movement has shown what’s possible when people unite around shared values and practical solutions. Community Strong Australia is about extending that opportunity to more Australians,” she said. Steggall and Spender unveiled the party on Thursday following weeks of speculation and secret talks about the future of the independents movement. Despite a wave of so-called “teal” MPs being elected to parliament in recent elections, at this stage only the Sydney MPs Steggall and Spender have declared their plan to join the party, while fellow crossbencher Nicolette Boele said she was considering her options. The ‘teal party’ was once used to undermine independent MPs. So why would they try to make it a reality? Read more Steggall said the party would extend the “community independent” model to more Australians and more communities across the country. “Australia is at a turning point and people are worried about what the future holds. Community Strong Australia offers unity over division and reason over rage,” she said. “At a time when others are promoting conflict and hate, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to provide a real political alternative and promote a positive narrative about what Australia is and what we can achieve together.” The independents started discussing the prospect of forming a party after Labor and the Coalition last year teamed up to pass new political electoral laws – including spending and donation caps – that disadvantaged smaller players. The talks have intensified over the past six months as the rise of One Nation forces MPs to consider the best approach to remain relevant in th