Read time: 5 mins
Based on The parliamentary voting behaviour of ‘teal’ independent MPs by Pat Leslie, published April 2025.
ANU research shows that independent ‘teal’ MPs voted together on proposed laws during the last parliamentary term as often as the major parties. The crossbench’s growing influence is reshaping Australian politics beyond the traditional government-opposition divide.
Read time: 5 mins
Based on The parliamentary voting behaviour of ‘teal’ independent MPs by Pat Leslie, published April 2025.
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ANU experts analysed the full voting pattern of the 47th Parliament of Australia to understand the political behaviour of ‘teal’ independents.
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The teals demonstrated high cohesion when voting, on some measures surpassing the level of ideological alignment of major parties.
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If major party support continues to decline, a two-dimensional voting dynamic could emerge as the new norm: one separating the two major parties and another separating the major parties from the crossbench.
The 2022 federal election marked a significant shift in Australian politics, with a record number of independent candidates entering the House of Representatives.
A subset of these Members of Parliament (MPs) has been labelled the ‘teals’ by the media. This refers to Climate 200-funded independent candidates who defeated Liberal Party members in long-held seats.
Despite sharing a funding source and a similar political agenda, the teals are not a party under Australian law. However, political opponents have accused them of acting like one in all but name.
To inform this ongoing debate, ANU experts examined their entire voting record during the last parliamentary cycle, from 2022 to 2025.
The study revealed teal MPs voted with a high degree of cohesion – sometimes exceeding that of the Labor and Liberal parties.
While they occasionally disagreed on policy issues including worker rights and the Gaza-Israel conflict, their consistent voting alignment is comparable to that exhibited by well-established parties in other parliamentary democracies such as the UK.
ANU experts say this like-mindedness is remarkable, considering teal MPs aren’t subject to party discipline or penalties when voting against their own.
Though afforded more latitude, teal MPs still voted as a block, manifesting a voting behaviour that set them apart from other independents and major parties.
ANU research has also shown that the growing size and influence of the crossbench – 19 members in the last term – has reshaped voting patterns in the House of Representatives.
Traditionally, votes have followed a clear left-right divide between Labor and the Coalition. But this is changing.
For the first time in the post-war era, a second voting dimension has emerged, separating the major parties from independents and minor parties such as the Australian Greens.
This new dimension reflects the policy preference of crossbench groups, often at odds with the two major parties on issues such as climate change, corruption and refugee policy.
If the decades-long decline in primary support for major parties continues, these new voting dynamics could persist – challenging the dominance of traditional party lines in the 48th Parliament.
Teal MPs voted with a high degree of cohesion – sometimes exceeding that of the Labor and Liberal parties.
