Independents for Canberra prepared to cut deals but won't hold a government to ransom

All Independents for Canberra candidates have agreed to only support a government that meets the group’s 20-point statement of expectations if it holds the balance of power after 19 October.

The group said that any successful Independents for Canberra candidates would not join a coalition government but sit on the crossbench and exert pressure from there.

The top three include introducing a Future Generations Act requiring the development of a community-led vision for Canberra and establishing a Future Generations Commissioner; respecting and protecting the rights of people of all cultures, races, ages, abilities, genders, and sexualities; and taking no backward steps on climate action, voluntary-assisted dying or abortion access.

The statement covers IFC policy points across housing, education, health, the environment and the economy.

Leader and candidate in Kurrajong Thomas Emerson said that unlike opaque negotiations leading to Labor-Greens governing agreements, IFC would be clear about its intentions.

“Community members are asking who independents might support in government,” Mr Emerson said.

“Today, we are asking the major parties: who in our community will you support in the next term of government? What standards will you uphold? Which unmet needs will you take action on?

“Who will commit to making the ACT the first jurisdiction in Australia to legislate a Future Generations Act?”

But Mr Emerson admitted there would be no guarantees as was the case whenever independents ran.

He said that depending on the composition of the Legislative Assembly, deal-making would still have to be done, but it would be conducted based on the statement.

“What we have committed to is conducting ourselves in accordance with the principles we’ve all voluntarily signed up to, which include ensuring every voice is heard and pushing hard to actually deliver results for the ACT,” he said.

“We want to be a constructive force, not an obstructive one, and making sure that decisions are based on our community’s interests, not vested interests or party interests.”

Mr Emerson said it would be up to the independents elected to come to a decision, not the IFC organisation, and they would be free to go whichever way they wanted.

“If we reached an impasse again, there’s nothing within our organisation that could force someone to do one thing or another,” he said.

“But we wanted to issue a statement of expectations to make clear to people what it is that we’ll be fighting for.”

Mr Emerson added that the IFC was not about holding a government to ransom but was focused on getting the best deal for the community out of each piece of legislation.

He said the Greens worked with Labor to form a de facto majority government, shutting down debate and policy solutions.

IFC would not strike a governing agreement, preferring to keep its options open.

“We’d rather have some core commitments that we are focused on early on but continue the policy development process throughout a term,” Mr Emerson said.

“Something that we’ve heard has been a concern about communities being stuck within a four-year election cycle on the basis of those governing agreements. Something that doesn’t get into the governing agreement, it’s very unlikely to happen, which means we have a less adaptable and responsive government, which is a really common complaint for people in our community.”

Mr Emerson said the statement came from the community after months of engagement.

“We’ve hosted many public community meetings over the last nine months, spent hundreds of hours at street stalls, had thousands of doorstep conversations, engaged in continued online interaction with people from across the ACT, and had 20 community members from diverse backgrounds put their hands up as candidates,” he said.

“People want more accessible and responsive MLAs. They want more accountability, increased transparency, and an honest assessment of the challenges we’re facing. Above all, people tell us they want real action, not just talk.

“If Canberrans decide to elect an independent crossbench on October 19, we will do all we can to ensure the next government delivers on these expectations.”