By Sean Carroll
Voices of Macquarie has emerged as the local organisation responsible for bringing one of the founders of Australia’s newest political party into the Macquarie electorate months before the party itself was publicly announced.
The connection began when Voices of Macquarie invited independent Warringah MP Zali Steggall to take part in its Floods, Fires and Fuels community forum at the Richmond School of Arts on May 1.
Ms Steggall appeared alongside Western Sydney University water scientist Dr Ian Wright and Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action chief executive Serena Joyner.
At the time, the event was presented as an opportunity for residents to discuss bushfire preparedness, flood management, water quality and the future resilience of the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains.
However, the invitation also established a direct connection between Voices of Macquarie and an experienced community-independent MP.
Less than two months later, on June 25, Ms Steggall and Wentworth MP Allegra Spender announced the formation of Community Strong Australia, a new political party intended to support community-backed candidates in electorates across the country.
That sequence of events explains how Community Strong first found its way into the Macquarie political conversation.
The invitation came from Macquarie
Community Strong did not initially arrive in Macquarie through a centrally directed party campaign.
Instead, the connection grew from a locally organised event.
Voices of Macquarie brought Ms Steggall to Richmond because of her work on climate change, disaster resilience and political accountability. Her visit allowed the group and local residents to hear directly from an MP who had successfully emerged from the community-independent movement.
Ms Steggall later publicly thanked Voices of Macquarie and described the Floods, Fires and Fuels forum as an opportunity to elevate the experiences of communities affected by natural disasters.
The significance of the visit became clearer after Community Strong was launched.
The new party says it will not impose candidates on electorates from above. Instead, it intends to work with established community groups capable of demonstrating genuine local support.
Voices of Macquarie has already begun building precisely that type of local network.
The organisation has held community discussions, operated stalls at markets and fairs across the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains, invited residents to complete surveys and promoted “kitchen table conversations” about the issues that matter to them.
Its website describes the organisation as non-partisan and says its focus is on people rather than political parties.
A relationship, but not yet an endorsement
The developing relationship does not mean Voices of Macquarie has formally joined Community Strong or selected a candidate for the next federal election.
No such announcement has been made.
When previously asked by the Gazette whether Voices of Macquarie could become part of Community Strong, Ms Steggall said the decision rested with the local organisation.
“It is an independent, community-led organisation, and it’s entirely up to them whether they continue in their current form, work alongside Community Strong as allies, or choose another path,” she said.
Ms Steggall said Community Strong would support candidates only where a community had organised around someone who shared the party’s values, satisfied its policy requirements and passed its endorsement process.
“The decision to stand a candidate starts with the community,” she said.
That distinction is important.
Voices of Macquarie can engage with Community Strong, invite its representatives into the electorate and examine its model without automatically becoming part of the party.
It could remain an independent community organisation, cooperate with Community Strong on particular issues or eventually support a candidate seeking the party’s endorsement.
Why Macquarie may interest Community Strong
Macquarie contains two distinct but connected communities: the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains.
Residents face major questions involving bushfire and flood preparedness, housing, health services, transport, road infrastructure, tourism, environmental protection and the opening of Western Sydney International Airport.
The electorate is held by Labor MP Susan Templeman, who has represented Macquarie since 2016 and maintains a strong local profile.
However, Community Strong’s national strategy is not limited to seats held by one side of politics. Its founders say they are looking for communities wanting an alternative to both Labor and the Coalition.
Macquarie could fit that model because Voices of Macquarie has already established an organisational presence and begun gathering residents’ views.
The May forum demonstrated that the group could attract a sitting federal MP, subject experts and local residents to discuss issues extending across traditional political boundaries.
From a forum to a political possibility
Voices of Macquarie did not bring a formally established Community Strong party to Richmond on May 1. The party would not be announced until June 25.
What the group did was invite one of its future founders into the electorate and establish a relationship before the wider political project became public.
That relationship has now placed Macquarie within the broader discussion about where Community Strong could expand.
Whether it leads to a Community Strong candidate remains undecided.
Before that could happen, Voices of Macquarie would need to decide what role it wants to play, a prospective candidate would have to demonstrate genuine community support and Community Strong would have to grant its endorsement.
For now, the clearest conclusion is that Community Strong’s interest in Macquarie did not begin with instructions from a distant party headquarters.
It began with a local invitation, a community forum in Richmond and Voices of Macquarie opening the door.
