Across the country, Australians are saying they want something better: politics that brings people together, tackles long-term challenges with courage and optimism, and gives communities a stronger voice in shaping the future.
People want governments focused on creating opportunity and prosperity for all Australians.
They want to feel safe and secure. They want practical solutions to the issues that matter most; housing affordability, cost of living pressures, climate change, childcare, education, healthcare and social cohesion.
Most importantly, Australians want representatives who are accountable to the communities they serve, not party machines, lobbyists or vested interests.
On Thursday June 25, Warringah MP Zali Steggall and Wentworth MP Allegra Spender announced the formation of Community Strong Australia (CSA), a new political party designed to bring the successful community-led model to more Australians and more communities across the country.
Community Strong Australia represents a positive vision for Australia's future - one built from the ground up by communities, driven by integrity, evidence-based policy and a belief that better politics is possible.
The new party will support community-backed candidates and parliamentarians in both houses of Parliament who share a commitment to integrity, climate action, economic prosperity, practical solutions and genuine engagement with the people they represent.
“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,” Zali Steggall said.
“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. We invite everyone who shares those values to join us."
Allegra Spender said the formation of Community Strong Australia responds directly to what many Australians have been calling for.
“Too many Australians feel politics is dominated by career politicians who don’t listen to them,” Ms Spender said. “Australians deserves a positive, responsible alternative.”
“They deserve representatives who can bring real world experience to parliament. They want a new political organisation that can bring people together and give communities the power to shape their own future.”
Community Strong Australia seeks to build on the principles that have driven the success of community independents: integrity, accountability, practical problem-solving and putting communities at the centre of decision-making. This chapter is not about choosing between independents and parties but combining the strengths of both.
As some political forces fuel division and push voters towards more extreme choices, Community Strong Australia is focused on bringing Australians together.
“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,” Ms Steggall said.
Spender said Community Strong Australia was focused on community, participation and solutions. “Our country’s success wasn’t built on complaining or fighting each other. It was built on the common good of hard work, tolerance, shared identity and purpose,” she said.
“It was built from communities up – and that is where politics needs to return.”
Community Strong Australia representatives will collaborate to develop evidence-based, expert-informed policy, while retaining a free vote and remaining accountable first and foremost to their communities. Their primary commitment will be to the people who elect them and the values they share.
Party registration is required so candidates can run for the Senate and ensure more communities can choose authentic, community-based representation.
An application has been lodged with the Australian Electoral Commission to register Community Strong Australia as a political party. Registration is expected to be finalised by October 2026.
Community Strong Australia would aim to navigate changed electoral and donation laws. It would allow these MPs to collaborate and resource campaigns more flexibly, though its capacity to match major party fundraising remains challenged by new legislative spending caps.
Despite the backing of grassroots networks, Independent-aligned movements face significant spending and donation limits (e.g., an $800,000 candidate spending cap). The new electoral funding laws allow the Liberal/Colaition and Labor political parties to spend millions of dollars on national advertising which independents warned will see them out-spent in their seats. Critics and organisers view this new law as a "financial gerrymander" designed to advantage major parties.
Community Strong Australia could serve as a mechanism to counter the financial constraints placed on independent campaigns. It aims to support socially progressive candidates while maintaining a "free vote" model that retains community-first values.
However, under the Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017 (the Regulations), defines a minority party as a party that:
(a) is not part of the Government or the Opposition; and
(b) has at least 5 members in the Parliament (reg 4).
Members of Parliament who are independents, or whose party is not large enough to win party status know their task of representing their constituents is just as heavy as any Labor or Coalition MP. These members experience significant uncertainty regarding the levels of access to parliamentary resources which may fluctuate from parliamentary term to parliamentary term. In the case of independents the calls for additional resources will be an ongoing issue unless they find a way to address this.
See:
- October 2024 report: What's dodgy about the Australian political donations reforms?; the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024
- February 2025 report: Federal Electoral Reform Bill passed by the Labor-Liberal Alliance
However, Ms Spender said wealthy donors, including Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, who had given to pro-climate independents, had not been asked to be involved.
Ms Steggall added it would be "for individuals who care about our politics, who will have the capacity to contribute, whether that be big or small, to enable a new choice at the table of our politics".
'This is just the beginning. Over coming months, Community Strong Australia will engage with communities across the country to help shape the party's future direction and policy priorities', CSA states
Community Strong Australia is building a movement that will grow and evolve with the people it serves. Australians who share a belief in integrity, participation and practical solutions are invited to join us and help shape Australia’s future.
For more, go to www.communitystrong.org.au.
Zali Steggall MP, Community Strong Australia Member for Warringah, stated:
“The creation of Community Strong Australia is an important next chapter for our community and the movement that Warringah helped build.
I’ve been speaking to residents, volunteers and supporters for some time on what comes next for Warringah and the community independent movement more broadly – and the message has been clear. We need to strengthen the movement that Warringah helped to create and provide more opportunities for everyday people, and for more communities, to have a genuine voice in Parliament.
For years, Warringah has proven that politics works best when the community comes first. Our community expects its politicians to make decisions that are guided by evidence, integrity and our common values. Community Strong Australia is about building on the success of the community independent movement. And by running candidates in the Senate, Community Strong Australia offers Warringah the chance to double its impact in Parliament by supporting a candidate committed to practical, community-focused solutions.
For me, Warringah has always and will always come first. As a member of Community Strong Australia I’ll continue to fight for Warringah and focus on the issues that matter most to locals. Warringah has been a driving force behind the success of the community independent movement and I will continue to listen to Warringah and represent its interests as fiercely as I have done over the past seven years.
Over the weeks and months ahead, I’ll continue to meet residents across Warringah to hear their views so we can shape this next chapter together. The creation of Community Strong Australia is an opportunity for Warringah to continue leading the way, and to help build a politics that is more connected, more accountable, more diverse and more focused on the people it serves.”
Dr Sophie Scamps MP, Independent Federal Member for Mackellar, stated:
''Congratulations to Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender on the launch of Community Strong Australia. This is a significant moment in Australian politics that will continue to embed communities in the heart of our political system.
There is a clear need for more constructive, common-sense leadership that community independents have championed, with evidence-based solutions that do not shy away from the challenges of our time. A better future for our country cannot be built on division or anger and must be prepared to meet the tough issues head-on.
There is a growing void in our political landscape, with too many Australians no longer feeling their values align with what is currently on offer. On top of this rapidly changing political space, the new electoral laws will make it harder for independents to be elected and fill that gap.
I am taking the time to consult with my community before making any decision about my involvement in Community Strong Australia, and my decision will be based on what is in the best interests of the people of Mackellar and the future of our nation.
My priority remains exactly as it has always been - to represent the people of Mackellar and to work every day to deliver the best outcomes for our community and our country.''
Nicolette Boele MP, Independent Federal Member for Bradfield, stated:
"Today is a significant day, and a hopeful one. Many Australians want climate action, integrity, and politics that is done with them and for them. Community independents have offered exactly that - but only to the electorates lucky enough to have one on the ballot. What launches today could open that door to a great many more.
"My congratulations to Zali Steggall MP and Allegra Spender MP on their launch of Community Strong Australia. Building something like this takes vision and courage, and I am genuinely excited about what it could mean for the country.
"For now, I am remaining independent. That is the mandate Bradfield gave me, and any decision to change that belongs to my community, not to a press conference. I am 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 — and until I am certain, I will not pretend otherwise.
"On policy, I expect to work with Community Strong Australia often.
Particularly on a strong economy, climate action, and integrity, they will find a committed collaborator in me. Bradfield elected me to deliver on those issues, and I will progress them with whoever is willing to come to the table.
"Community Strong Australia represents the kind of brave, hopeful politics our country needs more of, and I look forward to seeing where it goes."