“Instead of the slick and controlled views of many of the major party candidates, there was a raw, unschooled passion. The speakers simply called it as they saw it.” Political columnist MICHAEL MOORE has been enjoying the company of members of minor parties.

IT was a breath of fresh air listening to the views of would-be members of the Legislative Assembly at a recent minor party meeting. 

Instead of the slick and controlled views of many of the major party candidates, there was a raw, unschooled passion. The speakers simply called it as they saw it.

Concern for the community came through strongly, understanding of major issues and disappointment with the current state of politics in the ACT. Responses to pointed questions of so many of these potential cross-bench members were thoughtful, caring and direct to the point. 

I came away from the meeting hoping the crossbenches of the Assembly will be increased significantly. Sure, there were some naïve answers and, in some cases, very limited understanding of the workings of the Legislative Assembly and government. However, I suspect that this was not from those with some chance of getting elected.

The Canberra Progressives had called the meeting and invited me to chair it as a former crossbench MLA. 

As with most of the other minor parties, the Canberra Progressives have developed policies that are publicly available. Along with David Pollard in Yerrabi and the Belco Party in Ginninderra, they probably have amongst the best chance of the minor parties in having some candidates elected. But ACT elections are not easy to predict – and there could always be a surprise.

The chances have improved following agreement amongst these candidates, including Murrumbidgee independent candidate, Fiona Carrick, to call on their voters to save their last preferences for the major parties (and for the candidates present, this includes the Greens). It will be a challenge to persuade their own voters that under the Hare-Clark electoral system, preferences may be distributed widely without any loss of the value of the vote. 

Voters look at both issues and personalities. What does this person, or this party really think? Can I really trust the candidate to deliver on their promises? Even more importantly, can I trust this candidate to make a sensible decision on a matter that has not yet been raised?

Responses to the question on political donations were quite varied. The Canberra Progressives revealed a very strong party platform on integrity and ethics with limitations around accepting donations. David Pollard was quick to point out that he had not been offered much in donations other than from friends – but pointed to the corrupting impact of inappropriate donations from entities such as tobacco and developers.

Others followed suit with a number pointing to donations coming from very close friends and family. The Belco Party, along with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers were somewhat more relaxed about donations – but spoke to the issue of integrity.

On being asked about their top three priorities, The Canberra Action Party summed up with integrity, transparency and openness. These were common features amongst candidates. However, planning issues were raised again and again with concern about so many failures in Canberra. Solutions varied from seeking a truly independent planning authority to more effective community consultation.

Accusations of community consultation being a façade were repeated by a number of candidates. They suggested government decisions were often already in place and the consultation a pretence at understanding community concerns. 

Common to candidates was the issue of homelessness. For many, this issue illustrated that the government was failing to build an equitable society. It is what they had hoped for from Labor – but the issue was just one illustration of the government’s failure. Many suspected it would be worse under a Liberal government.

The strongest theme was around accountability. A strong crossbench, working hard, they argued, can make government much more accountable. There were Jacqui Lambie and Ricky Muir characters amongst the gathering. These senators were initially raw and naïve – but both grew in the role, worked hard, called it as they saw it, and developed into very effective crossbench senators.

It will be interesting to see how voters judge cross-bench candidates on October 17, but they do deserve a chance.