Author(s): Andréa Cullen

Politics

Democracy without political parties would not be possible. Do independent politicians have relevance and influence in a political system as well? What do independents have to offer a parliamentary democracy?This is a book about independent politicians and why they matter in a parliamentary democracy-with an Australian focus. The book documents the history and place of independent members in Australia's federal, state and territory parliaments. It examines the effect that independent members have on a parliamentary democracy-firstly, as it concerns relevance-offering the electorate an alternative form of representation to that sourced from major or minor parties at election time, and secondly, as it concerns influence and impact-once elected, the parliamentary contributions of these non-party members of parliament who sit on the crossbenches. This book will be of interest to readers with a passion for parliaments, politics or history.With forewords by Quentin Dempster and Philip Norton.