Phoebe Hayman

Screenshot of journal article. Title: Political Outsiders? A Study of “Teal” Independent Campaign Demographics in the 2022 Australian Federal Election. Author: Phoebe Hayman, La Trobe University. Abstract: The 2022 “teal” independents’ campaigns were a movement of political outsiders challenging the power of the established parties. Their campaigns mobilised candidates, campaigners and volunteers in the thousands across Australia, but little is known of who these participants were. Analysing the gender, class and ethnicity of campaign participants, this article considers whether the independent campaigns should be understood as a departure from or replication of the elite demographics of political parties. This study employs mixed methodologies, drawing on interview data from candidates, campaigners and volunteers (N = 55) and a survey of highly engaged volunteers (N = 270) to explore who joined independent campaigns and how recruitment processes influenced the gender, class and ethnicity of participants. This article argues that, despite efforts to attract participants from diverse backgrounds, the independent campaigns largely mirrored the demographics of political participants within party campaigns—except for their achievements in recruiting women across participant types. Recruitment via the social networks of existing participants was a contributing factor, reinforcing demographic disparities. This study contributes new knowledge of the teal independents movement and highlights the role of informal and social processes in shaping the gender, class and ethnicity of political participants and representatives, inside and outside of party campaigns.

More excellent 49.2 content:
@phoebehayman.bsky.social examines political participation in teal independents' campaigns - are they outsiders challenging established power, or are they replicating elite dynamics?

#OzStudies #auspol #WomenInPolitics #teals

tinyurl.com/4aacnp7a

It was a pleasure to join, reconnect with and meet new members of the @apsa-pop.bsky.social community this week and present papers on political systems and extreme polarisation (with Narelle Miragliotta) and the Greensland phenomenon in Brisbane (with @phoebehayman.bsky.social and Stewart Jackson).

"Insiders and Outsiders" was wonderful to be a part of and offers a well-developed discussion of elites in Australia, particularly in politics.

Thanks again to @sybiln.bsky.social & @chriswallace.bsky.social for their work as special editors for @jas-jozstudies.bsky.social

Recalibrating labour-capital relations: a typology of consensus politics under the Albanese Labor Government This article examines the Albanese Labor Government's adoption of ‘consensus politics’ as a governing strategy, drawing comparisons with the corporatist approaches of previous Australian Labor gove...

We're in @ausjpolsci.bsky.social, examining the ALP's first term in government and exploring the resurgence of 'consensus' politics. This one is also open access!

A ‘new economic model’ in Australia? The political economy of the Australian Labor Party The election of the Labor government in Australia in 2022, under the leadership of Anthony Albanese, marked a change in the political and economic direction of the country. Post-pandemic, the Labor...

Rob and I have a new(ish) article in Commonwealth & Comparative Politics. In the paper we discuss the extent to which the first term Albanese Labor Government reshaped Australia's political economy. It's open access too!

Follow the money: the organisations that spent the most on social media during the election Climate 200, Advance Australia and the ACTU were some of the biggest third party social media advertising spenders during the 2025 election campaign.

Fun fact: On Meta, during the #FederalElection Anti-Nuclear\LNP orgs outspent pro-Nuclear/LNP ones d almost 3:1.

Me in the Conversation looking at the biggest third party spenders on Meta in the federal election. #AusPol

theconversation.com/follow-the-m...

Liberal Party reclaims Goldstein – how Tim Wilson turned back the Teal tidal wave The Liberal Party has reclaimed a seat lost to the Teals in 2022. Tim Wilson did it by adapting some of the campaign strategies used by the independents.

🚨 New piece in @aunz.theconversation.com from Amy Nethery and I:

In this article, we consider 'How did Tim Wilson turn the tide in Goldstein?'. The answer: by becoming more like the teal campaign that defeated him in 2022.

Read it in full here

theconversation.com/liberal-part...

Fake news and the election campaign - how worried should voters be? New research reveals a growing number of Australians are encountering political misinformation and disinformation in the election campaign and are worried about it.

Two in three Australians say they have encountered misinformation in the lead up to the election. How concerned should we be? Read about the results of our recent survey w @acarson.bsky.social theconversation.com/fake-news-an...

Some really great musings from Mark Riboldi here.

He presents a really insightful set of ideas, questions and points on who is represented in Australian politics, in what ways, and how they get there - I'm very happy to have played a small role in sparking them!

The Liberals’ women problem may seem intractable, but here’s what they could learn from the Teals As the election campaign wraps up, the impression of the Liberals being out of touch with women persists, but some solutions can be found in their political rivals.

The Liberal Party's women problem isn't new, yet the party has made little progress.

My @aunz.theconversation.com article draws on findings about how women were recruited to independent campaigns to consider how the Liberal Party could attract more women.

theconversation.com/the-liberals...

My piece on the voting behaviour of the teals has made it to the AusJPS. New, improved and open access.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

More than 4 million Australians have already voted. Major political parties take note Applications for postal votes close tonight at 6pm but early voters are wasting no time having their say.

The boom in early voting has consequences for campaign timing and strategies

Today I spoke with the ABC about how major, minor and independent candidates are adapting their campaigns to this new normal in different ways

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...

Drive - ABC listen The lively debate and stories that have shaped Canberra today.

Ever wondered how much data political parties have on you or why you receive so many texts from candidates during elections?

I chatted to ABC Canberra about data and campaigns yesterday. Check it out here, from about 8 minutes in: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

This is a brilliant visualisation by @caseybriggs.com.
@bspiesbutcher.bsky.social @phoebehayman.bsky.social & I wrote about this in @auspsa.bsky.social AJPS last yr, examining some of the political & electoral factors this realignment of Australian politics. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

New in the Fin Review. My ideal point analysis on the Teals gets a facelift courtesy of Lucy King and Josh Peach, now online and in print this Easter weekend.

www.afr.com/interactive/...

Political Outsiders? A Study of “Teal” Independent Campaign Demographics in the 2022 Australian Federal Election The 2022 “teal” independents’ campaigns were a movement of political outsiders challenging the power of the established parties. Their campaigns mobilised candidates, campaigners and volunteers in ...

An open-access copy is available through this link to the first 50 readers - just in time for your long weekend reading!

Ultimately, issues of representation are not unique to (or a product purely of) party organisations. By showing how recruitment processes shape who joins campaigns, these results offer insights for independent and party campaigners seeking to engage with people across diverse electorates.

The findings show that independents effectively and organically recruited through social networks, and although this resulted in women's participation across the campaigns, it also led to demographic disparities in class and ethnicity.

In this study, I ask just how different independent campaign participants are from the sorts of people who participate in political parties? I explore who joined the campaigns and how recruitment processes shaped the gender, class and ethnicity of volunteers, campaigners and candidates.

🚨 My article 'Political Outsiders? A Study of “Teal” Independent Campaign Demographics in the 2022 Australian Federal Election' has been published as part of an upcoming special issue of @jas-jozstudies.bsky.social edited by @chriswallace.bsky.social and Sybil Nolan

Both leaders were very on message throughout, speaking to the issues they see as theirs. It wasn't always captivating TV, but it was a great opportunity to examine Albanese and Dutton's language as they attempt to frame the election, key issues such as housing, and each other.

Evenings & election leaders' debate - ABC listen An eclectic program featuring the latest in arts, sport, science, music, medicine and more.

After last night's leaders debate, I joined David Astley and speechwriter Joel Deane to unpack the leader's performances on ABC Radio Melbourne and talk about the role of debates in political campaigning.

Check it out here, from around the 2:25:00 mark.

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Podcast #144: Will the Greens hold their own? Ben is joined by Stewart Jackson and Phoebe Hayman to discuss the role of the Greens in the federal election: the seats they are defending and are challenging for, the rivalry between Labor and the…

My latest podcast went up yesterday, and it's a discussion about the role of the Greens in the federal election with @phoebehayman.bsky.social and Stewart Jackson. Check it out! #ausvotes

Media coverage of @phoebehayman.bsky.social @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social and my research on the ‘party-like’ behaviour of the Climate200-backed independents www.crikey.com.au/2024/12/19/f...

Do independents like to party? The rise in independent and minor party MPs in Australian parliaments since 1970 Commentary about the successes of the ‘Teals’ and the Greens in the 2022 federal election echoes scholarship regarding the ongoing fragmentation of major party support, weakening partisan alignment...

They're right to do so too. Our recent research shows that organised independents running against Libs do better across Australian elections - part of a broader realignment in Australian politics.

doi.org/10.1080/1036...

Before there can be funding, there needs to be a candidate and a campaign.

Independents have been more likely to run against Liberal incumbents for decades now - a pattern that predates the emergence of Climate 200.

In 2022, independents were more likely to succeed in electorates where a big independent campaign had run in 2019.

It makes mobilising volunteers and voters easier, @climate200.bsky.social use this support as a prerequisite for funding to prove community support and electability.

This is more likely about where and in what circumstances independents are electable.

The electorates outlined here almost all ran independents in 2022, and these campaigns will build on this existing support and campaign infrastructure.

People are increasingly looking for better political representation - with "independence" being an appealing value that the major parties aren't delivering.

@phoebehayman.bsky.social @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social and I show this is part of a decades long trend www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....