Re-elected Kate Chaney reflects on ‘sliding doors moment’ that paved way for Teal rise (5 May 2025)
Article summary: Freshly re-elected independent MP for Curtin, Kate Chaney, has reflected on the Liberal Party's 2018 leadership decision as a pivotal moment that alienated many female voters, reinforcing her position outside the major parties. In her post-election remarks, Chaney described the choice of Scott Morrison over Julie Bishop as a “sliding doors” moment that symbolised a turning point for women’s perception of the party. “I certainly think that when the Liberal Party knocked back Julie Bishop and chose Scott Morrison instead, I think that was a sliding doors moment for the Australian Liberal Party. And a lot of women looked at that point and thought ‘this does not look like a party that represents me’,” she said.
Chaney, who successfully defended her seat against Liberal challenger Tom White, entered federal politics in 2022 during the “teal wave” and held onto Curtin despite its long-standing status as a safe Liberal seat. She acknowledged that prior to this shift, she had not envisioned a political career: “I had never really thought about going into politics, so it’s not like I was finding a path through and, you know, picking a path.”
Reflecting on the broader challenges faced by women in politics, Chaney criticised the Coalition’s record. “I hope that the Coalition can have a good look at what a pathway into politics looks like for women and avoid becoming irrelevant by ensuring that it can represent the full gamut of people,” she said, adding, “the Coalition had not done much to prove that it’s a good place to be for a woman in politics.”
Despite the Labor Party’s strong majority, which reduces the influence of independents in Parliament, Chaney remains committed to her legislative role. She dismissed concerns about reduced crossbench power, emphasising that the independents had already demonstrated their capacity to work constructively with both sides of politics. “I will keep doing this job the same way, no matter what the make-up of Parliament is, and that is taking my job very seriously as representing the values of the electorate and voting on every piece of legislation on its merits in this Parliament,” she said.
Chaney also issued a pointed observation about the political dynamics of the new Parliament, noting the potential for more MPs named Kate in the Perth area than Liberal representatives, depending on the result in Fremantle where independent Kate Hulett is in a close contest. “In Parliament I have our offices in what I call ‘the hall of Andrews’, where there are more men called Andrew than women,” she quipped. “I think an increased gender representation is great, an increased representation by people called Kate is also great. And it would be nice to have a friend on the plane (to Canberra).”
Chaney’s re-election confirms her continued resonance with voters in Curtin, where she originally won on a platform prioritising climate action and political integrity. Her victory reaffirms the durability of the independent movement in traditionally safe Liberal seats and her ongoing critique of the major parties’ approach to representation and reform.
