ALP "taking over the middle ground" and Liberals in a mess? Fact is Reds, Greens, Blues and Teals are indistinguishable, They're all rainbow watermelons. Middle ground voters no longer have a viable choice after Morrison won The Climate Election and then deserted them.

As long as there's no moral requirement to access that taxpayer-funded trough the integrity-devoid will flock in for their chance to exploit !

No. The Teals were elected out of sheer ignorance and gullibility by voters. And, the Teals are not "well qualified" for anything useful to Australia. Politics is one of the few jobs these days not needing qualifications at all - one of reasons we are in such a mess.

The standout fact for this year's election is that a clear majority of Australians (56%) did not want a Labor government, and only 35% of them wanted a Liberal government. The totally useless Teals were a protest vote, something that will not change anything while we have this stupid preferential voting system.

Until voters go on strike - write 'none of these' on their ballot papers - Australia will stay rooted.

What if? Perhaps? Maybe? I think the Teals will be around for at least a decade. And because of climate change and how we address it. Basically, by tanking the economy with unsustainable energy prices.

If the Teals had a natural leader, Jacki Lambi perhaps? Then they could coalesce around her? And become an official party then become the government?

I mean labor barely scrapped in and only because they're not the "liberals", i.e., conservatives. The only true libs in parliament today are the Teals. Labor a mismatch of neo libs and neo conservatives/opportunistic career polly waffling Pollies

The Teals as a true moderate Liberal party, could easily defeat labor. By embracing carbon-free nuclear power.

Not as conventional nuclear power but as MSR thorium and MSR nuclear waste burners. Where the rest of the world pays us annual billions to take their nuclear waste. And were we to do that, provide the very funding we need to transition to low cost, clean, safe, affordable energy THAT WE OWN AND CONTROL!

And get the economy up off the floor as well as drawing down our massive trillion plus dollar debt.

The world's lowest costing energy will see the high-tech energy dependent industries of the world beating a path to our doorstep, even as China all but encircles us? And given that's the case? A robust manufacturing industry even more essential!

To encapsulate, it's the economy, stupid.
Alan B.

Whatever Mr Burke said, the primary role of any politician is to represent the views of his electorate.
However, in practice, it is not possible for a politician to know, instantly, his electorate's view on a particular matter.
So, in parliament, he must use his best endeavours to envisage their probable attitude.
He is guided in this by the 'policies' he expounded to voters at election time.
If he represents a particular party, the majority who installed him will understand that he will apply that party's principles when casting his vote.
Independents also stated their aims and ideas to their electorate. So they too have a set of principles to follow.
As their term in office proceeds, they should take steps to find out if the thinking of their electorate is changing.
Politicians are not supposed to 'roam free'.
They all have their guidelines, which are supposed to underpin the way they vote.

Whether they stay or 'wither' on the vine, will depend on their personal 'drive'.
If we accept that all who are 'well qualified' will become 'thoroughly bored' and leave parliamentary life, what are we then left with?
Are we to assume that all long term politicians are ignorant slobs, who are too lazy to find real and meaningful employment elsewhere?
Are we to assume they are confidence men, with the goal of getting as much as they can, whenever they can, for as long as they can?
Is so, why did we elect them?
Are we so lacking in integrity ourselves that we couldn't see them as they really are?
I think we must avoid being so negative.
We must quite rightly accept that most politicians do their very best to fulfil their duty to their electorate.

Ipso Fats,
Thumbs up ! The best captain will lose control of his/her ship if the crew is useless !