The community group has hosted events, grown the tribe, conducted research in the community and developed a report. This is democracy in action!

What now?

1. Identify a list of goals and actions to improve representation of the local community

Are there issues and concerns important to the local community that don’t match the MPs voting record or activities?
Is the community satisfied with the lines of communication with their local representative? If not, what changes are the group recommending?

Was your MP willing to meet with the group?
Did your MP find ways to communicate with the community (town halls, zooms, updates, working groups)?
Does your community feel represented?
Can the obstacles (for example, voting along party lines) be overcome?

If the answer to the questions above are unsatisfactory, it’s time to find better representation for your unique community.

2. Present the group’s findings to the local MP in a respectful and courteous manner.

3. Invite the local MP to Town Hall to address the findings in the group’s report.

4. Drive community involvement in the solutions.

Finding a candidate

There is a groundswell for a community-led Independent and it’s time to identify a values-aligned candidate.

Each electorate is different and how a community goes about finding a suitable candidate will also differ. As with each step along the community independents journey, reach out to others who have done this before. The leaders of the 2019 and 2022 campaigns will be paying it forward, sharing and assisting in any way they can.

Searching for and selecting a candidate will require agreed approaches including:

A campaign entity for launching and running the campaign in compliance with AEC rules. Ruth McGowan’s book ‘Getting Elected’ is a great resource that’s free to download
Funds to support the campaign. Funding is essential and one of the most challenging aspects of running a successful independent campaign. Funding rules are complex and differ for parties and independents. They also provide a huge advantage for incumbents. Ensure all your fundraising adheres to AEC rules, including how funds are raised from individuals or groups, how it is collected, and how it is spent.