IT was the Chief Minister calling me a liar when he was in no position to know that really got my hackles up.

There was Andrew Barr sheltering behind the parliamentary privilege of the Legislative Assembly declaring that I had made up a version of a conversation with one of his staff. A chat where he was not present. But no ifs, buts or maybes about how he was assured by his staffer that I was not telling the truth. Just the bold assertion that I was.

Did Canberra really have a petulant man like that running the territory government?

Apparently so was the claim of many friends and strangers who spoke with me in the following days.

As a well-retired pensioner I had not really taken an interest in local politics for years before being asked to give some advice to clubs concerned about secret dealings between government and a foreign-owned casino.

Now I was being barraged with details of back-door dealings across the city. From trams, to the Brumbies and my old bowling club, to an out-of-town football club trying to muscle in and destroy the heritage aspects of Manuka, to paying over the odds for Glebe Park land and the creation of yet more ugliness at Dickson.

And there was a common thread to grumblings like these and to complaints about the grab for money from increased rates and licence fees. People were disenchanted and angry about the disregard for good governance principles by this Labor-Green alliance government. Someone “orta do” something about it.

Ought to indeed. And a final straw was being told that Chief Minister Andrew Barr had told a public meeting that he was not interested in the views of people over 40. Well this old bloke, aided and abetted by others of his age group, and encouraged by others half my age disgruntled by the cavalier planned destruction of live music venues in the city, decided to give it a go.

And so Canberra Community Voters is now going through the process of seeking registration under the ACT’s electoral legislation.

Ours will not be a traditional political party with policies on everything. The aim is simple – to strive for a less rigid form of parliamentary democracy in the ACT where independent thinking by community minded representatives, and proper community consultation, is encouraged and respected.

We want a truly transparent and evidence based system of government in the ACT that puts an end to secret dealings in government and particularly in land development.

Our candidates will not be bound by rigid party discipline. They are encouraged to think and speak for themselves. To be true independents representing their community – united in the belief that Canberra needs honest, open and evidence-based government.

Any of our members elected to the Legislative Assembly will not be joining either of the major parties in a cosy embrace like the Greens rushed into with Labor. Whether Liberal or Labor forms government our aim will be the same – to end secret back-door dealings by the usual suspects.

We will fight to establish an independent Commission to investigate corruption in government and to ensure the application of good governance principles including a commitment to probity, openness and transparency.

The Commission will decide on any application by government to limit the release of information on the grounds of commercial in confidence and to give overwhelming weight to the principle of the public’s right to know. And we want an end to the ridiculously high charges by government that make a mockery of “free” in freedom of information.

Richard Farmer is the convenor of the Canberra Community Voters Party. The new political party is in the process of seeking registration under the ACT’s electoral legislation and intends to compete in the October ACT election.