Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender launch new party aimed at political centre promising ‘reason over rage’

New party dubbed Community Strong Australia follows secret talks about future of community independents

Teal independents Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender have launched a new political party called Community Strong Australia, with the aim of providing a centrist alternative for voters amid the rise of One Nation and the turmoil inside the Coalition.

The party will focus on issues including housing affordability, cost of living, climate change, childcare, education, healthcare and social cohesion, according to Steggall, the member for Warringah.

Community Strong Australia – which carries teal-coloured branding – will “support community-backed candidates” for election in both the House of Representatives and Senate, Steggall said in announcing the long-rumoured party.

“The community independent movement has shown what’s possible when people unite around shared values and practical solutions. Community Strong Australia is about extending that opportunity to more Australians,” she said.

Steggall and Spender unveiled the party on Thursday following weeks of speculation and secret talks about the future of the independents movement. Despite a wave of so-called “teal” MPs being elected to parliament in recent elections, at this stage only the Sydney MPs Steggall and Spender have declared their plan to join the party, while fellow crossbencher Nicolette Boele said she was considering her options.

Steggall said the party would extend the “community independent” model to more Australians and more communities across the country.

“Australia is at a turning point and people are worried about what the future holds. Community Strong Australia offers unity over division and reason over rage,” she said.

“At a time when others are promoting conflict and hate, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to provide a real political alternative and promote a positive narrative about what Australia is and what we can achieve together.”

The independents started discussing the prospect of forming a party after Labor and the Coalition last year teamed up to pass new political electoral laws – including spending and donation caps – that disadvantaged smaller players.

The talks have intensified over the past six months as the rise of One Nation forces MPs to consider the best approach to remain relevant in the shifting political landscape.

Steggall last week briefed teal MPs and prominent members of the independents movement about the case for banding together. The Warringah MP’s presentation included polling and an explanation of the benefits of operating in a party structure, according to sources briefed on the project.

A formal party structure has logistical benefits, allowing MPs to share staff and other resources and allocate portfolio responsibilities.

But it risks undermining Steggall and Spender’s reputation as genuine community independents, which is the essence of their political brand.

Steggall said the party had lodged an application with the Australian Electoral Commission to register as a political party, and expect that to be finalised by October. She said in coming months Community Strong would “engage with communities across the country to help shape the party’s future direction and policy priorities.”

In a separate statement, Boele – the Member for Bradfield – congratulated Steggall and Spender on the new party, saying she would remain independent but was “still working through what this party would allow me to do for the people I represent that I cannot already do as a community independent”.

Boele did not rule out closer ties with the party, and said she expected to work with the party “often” on policy issues.

“Community Strong Australia represents the kind of brave, hopeful politics our country needs more of, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.”

Steggall entered the federal parliament after defeating Tony Abbott at the 2019 election while Spender was part of the so-called “teal wave” that swept through heartland Liberal seats in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth at the 2022 ballot.

The project has divided the Climate 200-backed MPs, with Monique Ryan and Kate Chaney immediately ruling themselves out after reports emerged last month of the private talks.

Other crossbenchers, including Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie and Rebekha Sharkie, also won’t be part of the new political alliance.

Earlier this week, the opposition leader, Angus Taylor , mocked the imminent announcement by claiming the teal MPs had long operated as a de facto political party.

“They were launched years ago. They’ve been around for a long while,” he said.