{"id":40912,"date":"2019-03-21T18:05:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T07:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=40912"},"modified":"2022-05-02T12:25:50","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T02:25:50","slug":"shifting-sands-of-politics-on-the-northern-beaches-mikehallsydney-reports-from-inside-indy_ally-mackellarvotes-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/shifting-sands-of-politics-on-the-northern-beaches-mikehallsydney-reports-from-inside-indy_ally-mackellarvotes-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Shifting sands of politics on the Northern Beaches: @mikehallsydney reports from inside @Indy_Ally #MackellarVotes campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1LUzV7h1_400x400.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40795\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>Alice Thompson for Mackellar. Photo: supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The B1 bus from the Northern Beaches is packed with kids all chatting excitedly. I\u2019m heading to the Climate Strike in Sydney\u2019s CBD with Alice Thompson (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Indy_Ally\" target=\"_blank\">@Indy_Ally<\/a>), who\u2019s running as an Independent in Mackellar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re both wearing her bright yellow campaign T-shirt. Next to me is a bloke with grey hair, dark suit, headphones on, staring out the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re taking pictures of the kids\u2019 signs for Instagram (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@alice4mackellar (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alice4mackellar\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">@alice4mackellar<\/a>) when the bloke leans forward: \u201cExcuse me, are you Alice Thompson?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s read about her in a local online newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The kids at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ClimateStrike?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ClimateStrike<\/a> understand the only thing blocking action is political will. They&#39;ll keep trying to change minds. But many are old enough to vote and will seek to change government to one that accepts we&#39;re in climate crisis and has the courage to act <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MackellarVotes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MackellarVotes<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kgYQCMixDc\">pic.twitter.com\/kgYQCMixDc<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Alice Thompson for Mackellar (@Indy_Ally) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Indy_Ally\/status\/1106418865708269568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 15, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve voted Liberal all my life but I just can\u2019t bring myself in good conscience to vote Liberal again,\u201d he says. \u201cEver!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And he can\u2019t vote Labor or Greens, he says: \u201cThis universal income thing isn\u2019t going to work. I have trouble finding employees as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He manages a business in Sydney\u2019s west. He and Alice chat about his employment challenges. Then the key question: \u201cSo if you\u2019re elected, you\u2019re on your own. What difference can you make?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alice seizes on this with a passion that comes from experience in government. She explains how, when she worked as an advisor to Malcolm Turnbull in 2017, she supported negotiations with crossbench MPs. Tasmanian Independent Andrew Wilkie is so effective at lobbying government to get things done for his electorate, she says. And Cathy McGowan, the Independent MP for Indi, has an enviable reputation for standing up for her rural constituents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Independents, says Alice, can really work for their community, get the attention of whichever government is in office, and talk directly to the prime minister. An inexperienced backbencher just doesn\u2019t have the same impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our bloke\u2019s impressed. \u201cWell, I hadn\u2019t really understood all that before. That\u2019s great. You\u2019ve just got my vote.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He then tells us how he was having lunch at the Royal Motor Yacht Club when other members joined in a discussion about politics. They were all Liberal voters, all unhappy with the party and all asking about the alternative. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to tell that story,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get the word out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>\u2018They just can\u2019t pin me\u2019<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been a week since I started helping Alice manage her campaign. I\u2019ve got my head around the scale of the task and a much better understanding of her motivation, character and experience \u2014 and a growing action list. I\u2019m also getting a sense of whether Alice and her message will resonate locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few days before the Climate Strike, a couple walked into the small campaign office Alice had just opened in a shopfront on the main street of Mona Vale. The man dropped $100 in cash on the table as his wife leaned in to touch Alice\u2019s forearm. In an almost conspiratorial tone, she said: \u201cI\u2019ve always been on the right \u2014 you know, Liberal, but I can\u2019t vote for them now! I\u2019m so pleased you\u2019re standing, it\u2019s so good, and yellow is such a bright, happy colour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This disaffection with the Liberal Party is a recurring theme locally, but it isn\u2019t complete; in fact some of that disaffection has moved to the right. A gaggle of former Liberal activists, now Australian Conservatives, were handing out at a local market recently. One of them told my partner: \u201cShe\u2019s a Green in yellow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Green activist told me Alice is a neo-conservative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey just can\u2019t pin me,\u201d says Alice. \u201cThat\u2019s the point about an Independent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Spruiking credentials<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>At the 2016 election, an Independent right-winger Jim Ball ran for the first time and won seven per cent of the vote. Former local MP Bronwyn Bishop\u2019s hardcore supporters got behind his campaign. Jason Falinksi, Mackellar\u2019s sitting MP elected in 2016, won just 51.2pc of the primary vote, down more than 11 percentage points from the party\u2019s result in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disengagement is probably our biggest enemy in this election. I bump into a near neighbour heading off to work before dawn: \u201cI\u2019m just fed up with it all \u2014 politics all over the TV \u2014 it\u2019s relentless!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Handing out Alice\u2019s leaflet to early morning beachgoers and shoppers in Avalon, there are many who refuse to engage, young and old. A similar reaction at the bus stop in Dee Why at the southern end of the electorate, where we\u2019re competing with a couple of people dressed in scarlet superhero suits dancing for passing motorists and holding a fitness club sign.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Down at Dee Why Beach, retirees are walking their dogs and young mums are meeting friends, clutching takeaway coffees. They\u2019re more relaxed and happy to take a leaflet and have a chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve made a strategic decision not to door-knock. Without the backing of a big team of confident and organised volunteers, there\u2019s no time to make that work. Instead, our plan is to organise small groups of people willing to don the yellow T-shirt and stand for a couple of hours at busy places in the community and spruik Alice\u2019s credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Finding comfort in Lib heartland<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>On the bus back from the Climate Strike on Friday, Alice tells me she sat next to a couple involved in a local sustainability group. They\u2019ve volunteered for the Greens before, but after a 25-minute conversation, they\u2019ve had the time and opportunity to really understand how Alice\u2019s crack at the seat could really shift politics, and they\u2019re willing to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m on another bus scrolling through Twitter and sitting next to a group of Year 10 girls discussing whether they\u2019re going to get detention. Their whole year group went to the Climate Strike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suddenly, I\u2019m watching a video of the mosque attack in Christchurch, unknowingly, thinking it\u2019s some sick video game. When it dawns on me what this is, I feel nauseous and cover my phone so the girl sitting next to me doesn\u2019t see it. I sit there stunned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Saturday morning, I head down to Collaroy Rockpool where Alice has entered a 24-hour swimathon organised by Head Above Water, a mental health group, founded by local Andrew Ward. He\u2019s partnering with Gotcha4Life to raise funds to back more mental health services on the Northern Beaches. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15-44 and with 100 volunteers running the event, it\u2019s clear this issue resonates in the community. My job is to make a short Facebook video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alice and I talk about the mass shootings in New Zealand. I find some comfort in our campaign to whittle away support for the Liberal Party, too many of whose senior figures have fuelled racism and division. On Sunday, I started calling volunteers. After the NSW state election, we\u2019ll ramp up the campaign in this once Liberal heartland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Follow Alice Thompson on social media&#8230;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Facebook: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alice4mackellar\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alice4mackellar\/<\/a><br \/>Twitter: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@Indy_Ally (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Indy_Ally\" target=\"_blank\">@Indy_Ally<\/a><br \/>Instagram: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Alice4mackellar (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alice4mackellar\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">Alice4mackellar<\/a><br \/>Website: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/alicethompson.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/alicethompson.com.au\/<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The B1 bus from the Northern Beaches is packed with kids all chatting excitedly. I\u2019m heading to the Climate Strike in Sydney\u2019s CBD with Alice Thompson (@Indy_Ally), who\u2019s running as an Independent in Mackellar. We\u2019re both wearing her bright yellow campaign T-shirt. Next to me is a bloke with grey hair, dark suit, headphones on, [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":40914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3434,2969,3395,3347,3330,3326,3548,585,3359],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/hallmackellarFP.png?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t0mw-aDS","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57287,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40912\/revisions\/57287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}