Kylea Tink (Image: AAP/supplied by BeNoble)

When independent candidate Cathy McGowan and her group “Voices for Indi” wrested the seat from the Liberal Party in 2013, she started a revolution. The model of her victory — a genuine grass-roots, community-led campaign — has been followed by electorates all over Australia. There are now about 40 “Voices” groups focused on getting around the impasse on climate change and political integrity by electing an independent.  

The latest electorate to formally nominate an independent candidate is North Sydney, which contains some of the richest postcodes in the country. It’s an electorate which has voted for an independent before — the legendary Ted Mack served as a local councillor, NSW MP and ultimately federal MP between 1974 and 1996. 

The North Sydney’s independents group has put forward a very impressive candidate for the seat: Kylea (pronounced Kylie) Tink, a 50-year-old former CEO of two cancer charities who has lived and worked in the electorate for 15 years.

Tink is no ALP Trojan Horse. She has previously voted for the Liberal Party (as recently as the last election) and would have described herself as a “small-l Liberal”. But she is one of a growing number of Liberal voters who believe their views haven’t changed but the party has moved away from its mission. 

Like Warringah, where independent Zali Steggall wrested the seat from Tony Abbott in 2019, North Sydney is ripe for change. Census stats show its residents are wealthier and more educated than the national average, which correlates with being socially progressive. 

The local member, Trent Zimmerman, is a leader of the moderate wing of the party and is the first openly gay MP in the lower house. But apart from same-sex marriage which was a conscience vote, he has the same voting record as right-wingers like Matt Canavan and Peter Dutton. Private polling conducted recently showed that about 16% of the electorate were disenchanted with the two major parties and could vote for an independent; Zimmerman’s margin is 9.3%.  

The North Sydney group, like most “Voices” community groups, is dominated by women, who are fed up with politics as usual. 

The problem for Prime Minister Scott Morrison — who has a one-seat majority — is that there is a substantial voting gender gap. According to the most authoritative survey on Australian electoral habits, the ANU’s Australian Election Study, 45% of men gave their first preferences to the Liberals at the 2019 election; only 35% of women did so.

Labor got 37% of women’s first preferences compared with 34% of men’s, and the figures for the Greens were 15% women and 9% men.

Katharine Murphy wrote in Guardian Australia earlier this year that Morrison speaks almost exclusively to one group of voters: men at risk of voting Labor. But if he wants to win the next election, perhaps he should spend more time speaking to women, who overwhelmingly want action on climate change, political integrity and gender equality. 

The North Sydney independents have received help from Climate200, a climate-focused, non-partisan organisation which backed winning candidates in the 2019 election. It was set up by environmental campaigner and adviser Simon Holmes à Court and others and looks to offer money, advice, infrastructure and technical expertise to six to 10 seats at the election. It has offered to match up to $100,000 in donations to the North Sydney campaign. 

The Liberals may have a real fight on its hands with Tink. Born and raised in Coonabarabran, she was the CEO of the breast cancer charity the McGrath Foundation for six years and then CEO for children’s cancer charity Camp Quality. Her two daughters go to high school in the area and her son is at university. Her unconventional first name, Kylea, came about when her father misspelled “Kylie” on her birth certificate.

Since the announcement of Tink’s candidacy on Saturday, she has been inundated with offers of support and donations. 

When Mack died in 2018, Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said he had “always put the public interest, and public accountability and the community and democracy first”. Can Tink convince the voters that she shares these values with their beloved former member? At the election, we will find out.

Would you vote for an independent over a major party candidate? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name if you would like to be considered for publication in Crikey’s Your Say column. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.