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Writer's pictureLeonardo Puglisi

Liberals for Climate: Party that 'had no climate policies' & ran 'fake independents' deregistered

WA was the only state where Flux was still registered.

A minor political party that once admitted to running 'fake independent' candidates has had its registration cancelled by the Western Australian Electoral Commission.


Flux, registered in WA as 'Liberals for Climate - The Flux Network', was first registered at a federal level with the Australian Electoral Commission in 2016, contesting that year's election and receiving a national average of 0.15% of the vote in the senate.


The party was also registered with the Electoral Commission of Queensland, Elections ACT and NSW Electoral Commission - however they have since lost registration with all.


This left the WAEC as last place the party was registered - until today.


The name of the party, which has also been known as 'Flux the System!', was changed in WA in 2020 before the March 2021 state election as an "experiment it is intended to enhance probability of success in the upcoming campaign by leveraging particular nuances of Western Australian elections...including preference negotiations for Group Voting Tickets," according to the party itself.


"Simply by appearing on the ballot paper, we expect that LFC will attract a small percentage of votes on the merits of its name alone."

"It is also a political statement, drawing attention to one of the most contentious issues of our time - the politics of climate issues. We shine a light on this matter as it highlights the ways in which our current political system has failed to address climate issues with any real level of sophistication or success."


According to WAtoday, party secretary Daithí Gleeson said that "Liberals For Climate does not have any policies but it does support the implementation of issue-based direct democracy."


WA elections in the upper house used group voting tickets until after the 2021 election, leaving Victoria as the sole state where they are active.


Flux had also worked with 'preference whisperer' Glenn Druery before, and in 2017 said they ran multiple independents who were in fact part of their party. Describing them as 'fake independents,' the ABC reported at the time that there were 26 such candidates


It is unclear what the future holds for the party, which has also gone under the name 'VOTEFLUX.ORG'.


6 News has contacted the party for comment.


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