Large crossbench is an ‘upgrade to democracy’: Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court

Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court insists the country is better off for having the largest crossbench in modern history holding the balance of power in Parliament.

The businessman and political activist said the aggregation of small donations to funnel towards independent candidates means the major parties can no longer take “safe” seats for granted and ignore their communities.

And he sees the success of the community independent movement as “a big upgrade to our democracy”.

“No seat is ever owned by a political party or is theirs by right,” Mr Holmes a Court will tell the National Press Club on Wednesday in an address that was originally expected to take place at the start of the Federal election campaign.

“We now have the largest crossbench in the history of the modern parliament. And we are better for it.”

At the last election, Climate 200 donated about $6 million across 19 community independent candidates, according to electoral commission data. It took in more than $8.3m in donations in the same period.

Across the country, 11 independents were elected to Parliament — including six new faces in the lower house and David Pocock in the Senate — largely taking out incumbents from seats that had previously been the Liberal heartland.

The so-called teal independents have copped criticism from the Liberals accusing them of not being true independents, or of working as a front for the Greens or Labor.

They are also regularly questioned about Mr Holmes a Court’s influence.

He will tell the press club that Climate 200 didn’t create the movement nor did it speak for it.

“I am simply someone who understands its power, and its potential. I’m not running for office and the truth is, Parliament does not need more people like me in it,” he will say.

“Climate 200 simply recognised this profound shift in our democracy and sought to provide the resources and support needed to help communities and their independent candidates succeed.

“Climate 200 does not start campaigns. Climate 200 does not run campaigns. Climate 200 does not target seats or select candidates. Those responsibilities lie squarely with the communities themselves.”

Independent MPs and Mr Holmes a Court reacted angrily to the overhaul of electoral financing laws that passed Parliament last month and will come into effect for the election due in 2028.

Under the changes, individual donors are limited to giving no more than $50,000 a year to any one candidate, while spending caps restrict campaign budgets in each seat to $800,000.

The rules will limit Climate 200’s donation aggregation model unless the independents unite under a party structure.