Fewer Australians than ever voted for a major party at the last election.
While some of these votes went to minor parties, many went to independents: but who are they and what do they stand for?
If you want to know more about the four parties dominating Australian politics, find out about what they stand for here.
Like their name suggests, an independent MP is separate from any party, with their own individual policies and views.
But they can be broken down into a few groups: here's a guide to who's who.
Looking for a particular person?
The long-timers (Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines + Bob Katter)
On the current crossbench (where independents sit), Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines and Bob Katter have been in parliament the longest.
Who is Andrew Wilkie?
He represents the electorate of Hobart and is a former spy.
He advocates heavily for privacy protections and against pokies and the gambling industry.
He's also been a big supporter of a federal anti-corruption commission, something he has in common with Helen Haines.
OK, so who is Helen Haines?
She's a former nurse and midwife from Wangaratta, an area she now represents as the member for Indi.
She advocates for better regional healthcare and housing.
She is the second independent elected to represent Indi, backed by the Voices Of movement, something that was then replicated by a group called the teals (find out more about them here.)
But Helen Haines is not a teal — orange is her colour, actually!
What about this Bob Katter guy?
He's one of the longest-serving MPs ever, representing the seat of Kennedy in outback Queensland, the seat his dad used to represent.
He used to be in The Nationals but switched to being an independent in 2001.
He technically leads the Katter's Australian Party, but he's the only one elected to federal parliament and his focus is on limiting monopolies (like the supermarkets), nationalisation of essential services like gas and airports, and giving everyone the right to own a gun.
The Teals
What do you get when you mix Liberal blue and Green, uh, green?
Teal.
This group of independents gets its nickname because when it comes to values, they're typically a bit more economically conservative but socially progressive.
At the last election, this crew managed to win a number of long-time Liberal seats, focusing on issues like climate change, integrity and gender equality.
Because each is an independent, they put their own spin on things, but vote together most of the time.
Zali Steggall was the first teal to be elected, winning the Sydney seat of Warringah from former Liberal PM Tony Abbott in 2019.
At the 2022 election she was joined by:
- Monique Ryan (MP for Kooyong in Melbourne)
- Sophie Scamps (MP for Mackellar in Sydney)
- Kate Chaney (MP for Curtin in Perth)
- Zoe Daniel (MP for Goldstein in Melbourne)
- Allegra Spender (MP for Wentworth in Sydney)
- Kylea Tink (MP for the now-abolished seat of North Sydney)
They're also all backed by a major fundraising group called Climate 200, run by director of the Smart Energy Council millionaire Simon Holmes a Court.
He used to give financial backing to Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg, but they fell out over him supporting a coal fired power station.
Fun fact: the teal MP his group backed defeated Mr Frydenberg and now holds the seat.
The group also provides financial support to a number of MPs who are not in the teal grouping, but support strong action to counter global warming.
The party leavers
Quite a few independents in parliament started out as party MPs.
That includes:
- Lidia Thorpe (Green)
- Jacqui Lambie (PUP)
- Fatima Payman (Labor)
- Russell Broadbent (Liberal)
- Tammy Tyrrell (Jacqui Lambie Network)
Russell Broadbent and Andrew Gee both used to be part of the Liberal National Coalition before moving to sit on the crossbench as independents.
In the Senate, Lidia Thorpe, David Van, Fatima Payman and Tammy Tyrell also left their respective parties to sit on the crossbench.
Victorian senator Thorpe left the Greens because she wanted to better represent the grassroots blak sovereign movement, something she said she couldn't do within the party.
Victorian senator Van was expelled from the Liberal Party in 2023, following sexual assault allegations by Senator Thorpe and former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker.
He rejected these allegations, quit the party and became an independent.
WA senator Payman left the Labor party for the crossbench in 2024, saying the government had not acted enough to support Palestine and protect civilians during Israel's war on Gaza.
She's since launched her own party — Australia's Voice — though exactly what their policies are isn't clear right now.
Technically, Lambie left her original party too: she was initially a Palmer United Party senator, until the pair had a falling out and she got elected again as an independent.
She now heads up the Jacqui Lambie Network, which focuses on advocating for Tasmanians and veterans.
Until recently, she had company in the Senate with Tammy Tyrell, who was elected as a Jacqui Lambie Network senator but left the group in 2023 and now sits on the crossbench as an independent.
The mini minor parties
On the lower house crossbench is Rebekha Sharkie, who represents Centre Alliance.
This party was formerly called the Nick Xenophon Team and it's primary focus is South Australia and improving the lives of people there.
In the Senate, the other small parties on the crossbench are Pauline Hanson's One Nation and the United Australia Party.
One Nation has two senators and the UAP has one; both parties fall far to the right of the political spectrum.
One Nation wants to reduce Australia's refugee intake, reduce availability of unemployment payments and impose heavy restrictions on abortion.
Members of the party have also been associated with spam text messages as well as spreading conspiracy theories about vaccines and the United Nations.
The United Australia Party has also had members spread these conspiracy theories, it also lists wanting to abolish HECs debt and process more minerals in Australia as key policies.
Mining magnate Clive Palmer pumped $123 million into his UAP campaign last election and won one Victorian senate seat that is held by Ralph Babet.
The other two
There's two more independents in parliament, one in the Senate and one in the reps.
In the Senate is David Pocock.
The former Wallabies captain won the ACT's second Senate seat from a Liberal in 2022, advocating for strong action on climate change and transparency in politics.
And in Western Sydney, former ABC journalist and local Liberal candidate Dai Le won the formerly-safe seat of Fowler from Labor that same election, after the major party parachuted former premier and senator Kristina Keneally in as their candidate.
Dai Le is the first Vietnamese Australian refugee to win a seat in parliament and is particularly focused on cost of living relief and better services for her electorate.
