Progressive minority government the only way forward for Australia

• Largely due to demographic shifts, Australia finally looks ready for a progressive minority government.
• The major parties are terrified and have teamed up to legislate a structural bias against potential crossbench candidates.
• Support good minority candidates (weed out the pretenders) by checking climate scorecards, including Vote Climate One’s traffic light voting guide.​

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Gillard’s minority government (2010-2013) was perhaps the most productive Australian Parliament ever, passing over 500 pieces of legislation, including major reforms such as the Clean Energy Act, the Mineral Resource Rent Tax and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In comparison, the Albanese majority Government has passed 342 Bills near the end of this Parliament (as at 14 March 2025) with just the budget sittings to go. 

Naturally, the two major parties are terrified by the thought of minority government and have buddied up yet again, to ram through legislation that further biases the election outcome to themselves and almost guarantee their future dominance.

Fortunately these legislative changes won’t come into effect for this election so a hung parliament won this election could reverse some of the changes that inhibit independents and minor parties into the future.

In the 2022 election, the number of Lower House crossbenchers grew threefold (from 5 to 16). In 2025, the combined vote for all minor parties and independents should exceed either of the major parties in the Senate. The main factor is the growth in Millennial voters, who now outnumber voters over 65, and Millenials are not as bound to voting for the major parties.

According to a recent survey conducted by Resolve Strategic for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, 72%  of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 believe they will never be able to buy a house and have shifted their focus to issues that will affect them: notably, climate change; job insecurity; integrity in government; and gender and diversity issues. and Why vote for a party that prioritises new fossil fuels over fixing the housing market? An additional half million Gen Zs will (hopefully) vote for the first time in this election. 
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On climate alone, fossil fuel exports have doubled twice in the past three decades. While the Albanese government has been positive for renewables, they have also approved 19 fossil fuel projects since the 2022 Lismore floods and Australia remains the second largest exporter of coal. Any perceived emissions reduction is due to clever accounting of exporting our fossil fuels and bogus carbon credits.

But let’s not rest on our laurels. There are the crucial components for winning a progressive minority government? 
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1. Helping Australians understand that putting independents and minor parties ahead of the majors is not a wasted vote. For a 101 on how preferential voting works (most Australians are ignorant) watch this painless one minute video, and for a emotive take, watch Juice Media on the subject.
2. Ensuring voters make it to the polling booth.
3. Helping voters understand who the candidates are that actually represent their values.

Australia can’t afford to be complacent on any of these points. Toward number 3, Vote Climate #1 provides a Traffic Light Voting guide for all the 150 electorates. Voters can select their electorate for an overview of how to identify the most climate positive candidates (Green Light candidates) 

Vote Climate #1 leans on the Climate Rescue Accord, a revamped Climate Emergency Declaration to prioritise the Outstanding Green Light candidates. Candidates demonstrate their commitment to the 3Rs of climate rescue: reduce, remove, and reflect in a written statement. The Accord states explicitly what was not always obvious in the Declaration. 

​We live in an age of rapid and tumultuous upheaval. Everyone is fed up with the same bad actors running the show. This Federal election is an opportunity for us to do  something practical to promote the good side of human nature and Australian values we are proud of. Communities are set to make history again with Community Independents standing in 37 of 150 seats right across the country from Solomon In the far north to Franklin in the deep south of Tassie, and from the West to all the way down the East coast. Add to this good news other independents like Adam Martin in Braddon, who are fully committed to the 3Rs and the Green Transition. Let’s also not forget micro parties like the Legalise Cannabis Party are absolute heroes when it comes to commitment on stopping global heating. This election may be our last chance to change Australia’s politics for the better.