Disagreeing better

Some late-night thoughts on what the fuck just happened

Apologies if this is a bit all over the place, but it is late. Or is it early?

In 2013 Cathy McGowan, an unknown independent from the rural Victorian seat of Indi, was elected to parliament, defeating the sitting Liberal member, Sophie Mirabella.

In 2016, McGowan not only held the seat, she increased her majority.

But here’s the moment a peripheral single-seat phenomenon turned into a blueprint for fundamental, nationwide transformation: McGowan retired at the 2019 election and handed the reins to another independent, Helen Haines, and last night, Helen Haines was re-elected too.

The mercurial independents had become the norm.

And the story continues.

In 2019, following the Voices of model of community organisation that brought McGowan into the parliament, the independent, Zali Steggall, defeated former Liberal Prime Minister, Tony Abbott in the blue-ribbon seat of Warringah, and tonight, at the 2022 federal election, she too was re-elected.

As I write this, it seems another six Voices of …