121. A Political Paradigm Shift
Kate Chaney on becoming the 7th new independent female MP in Australia
Kate Chaney has become the first female independent MP from Western Australia to be elected to the Australian parliament – along with a whopping eleven other independents. A year ago to the day on this podcast, Cathy McGowan – Australia’s first female independent MP in 2013 – talked of the potential to transform politics in this country by 2030. Merely a year on, and that transformation is well underway.
Kate Chaney speaking at her election night event (credit: #MilesTweediePhotography).
“On Saturday night I said at one point, hands up if you’ve never been involved in a political campaign before, and the sea of hands went up and I could hardly see anyone who didn’t have their hand up. And that’s been a really lovely part of it. Community is reclaiming politics. And that’s how it should be.”
This story isn’t limited to Australia either. But more on that another day. This Australian story is now global news. The BBC and Time Magazine were among many beaming into Kate Chaney’s election night event. I’ll put out a special extra to this episode next, following how the day unfolded with Kate in the now independent seat of Curtin. For now, join Kate and I the day after her win was confirmed, as the sun set on Cottlesloe Beach.
This conversation was recorded among Friday evening revelers at Cottesloe Beach, on the day after the seat of Curtin was won by Kate Chaney, 27 May 2022.
Click on the photos below for full view, and hover over them for descriptions (all pics by Anthony James except the first one - that one’s by Yeshe James!).
Get more:
Tune into the special extra to this episode (and see more photos), ‘How Election Day Unfolded, with Kate Chaney in the now independent seat of Curtin.’
You can hear my conversation with Kate at the start of her campaign in February, accompanied by some photos and links (with a link, also, to the episode with Cathy McGowan a year ago).
Music:
Regeneration, composed by Amelia Barden, from the soundtrack of the new film Regenerating Australia, available for community screenings now.