# Community Strong Australia
**Community Strong Australia** (CSA) is an Australian political party formed in June 2026 by the independent federal MPs Zali Steggall, Member for Warringah, and Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth, to give the community independent movement a registered party vehicle.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) The Australian Electoral Commission approved its registration application on 2 October 2026, and the party intends to field candidates in both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the 2028 federal election.[2](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registration_Decisions/index.htm) • [3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founders | Zali Steggall MP (Warringah) and Allegra Spender MP (Wentworth), announced 25 June 2026[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) |
| AEC registration | Application approved 2 October 2026[2](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registration_Decisions/index.htm) |
| Electoral plan | Candidates in both houses at the 2028 federal election[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/) |
| Voting model | MPs have a free vote on all policies; supply votes require 75 percent supermajority agreement[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/) |
| Leadership | No leader or candidates at launch; Steggall called leadership "a media construct of always thinking about leadership and power"[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) |
| Funding links | Climate 200 not directly involved; the crowdfunding group would remain focused on independent representation[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) |
| Positioning | A centrist, community-backed alternative to the major parties, with teal-colored branding[4](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/not-too-impressed-has-community-strong-australia-stumbled-at-the-first-hurdle/6f0vjuk8d) |
## Founding
The party was announced on 25 June 2026 in a joint appearance by Steggall and Spender on ABC Radio National, following weeks of confirmed talks between the two MPs about a formal grouping.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) The launch event was held at Parliament House.[4](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/not-too-impressed-has-community-strong-australia-stumbled-at-the-first-hurdle/6f0vjuk8d) Both MPs had won previously safe Liberal seats as part of the so-called teal independents, a wave of community-backed, climate-focused candidates who ran in wealthy electorates over the previous three federal elections.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026)
At the announcement the party was not yet formally registered and had no leaders or candidates. None of the other federal crossbench independents had said they would join; the teal MP Monique Ryan was among those questioned about the name but had not committed to the party.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) Spender and Steggall described the model as combining the strengths of independents and parties rather than choosing between them.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026)
The founders gave a practical reason for forming a party at all: new donation laws and the advantages enjoyed by established parties make it harder for grassroots campaigns to compete, so a registered party gives the community-led movement a way to compete on what the party's site calls a level playing field and to extend the movement into the Senate.[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/)
## Structure and governance
__Free votes are the model's core__. Members would collaborate on policy but retain a free vote, so MPs and Senators can vote for their community's interests rather than a party line.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026) • [3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/) The one exception to a free vote is supply: members decide confidence-and-supply votes (votes on government budget and survival that can topple a government) by super majority agreement of 75 percent.[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/)
The party's stated organizational design includes candidates selected from and approved by the local community, local teams that stay autonomous while holding a seat on a national Community Engagement Committee, mandatory youth and First Nations representation on standing advisory committees, and policy developed through community consultation with expert advice.[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/) Its listed commitments span intergenerational fairness on housing, climate and debt; AI and technology with data protections; energy security and affordability; climate resilience; and a productive economy described as prosperous, equitable, and sustainable.[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/)
## Registration with the AEC
Registration for federal elections is handled by the Australian Electoral Commission, which assesses applications against requirements in the Electoral Act.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/faqs/party-registration.htm) An application must include the party's name, structure and officers, and a fee of $500; a non-parliamentary party must also supply a list of between 1,500 and 1,650 enrolled members, which the AEC verifies against the electoral roll.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/faqs/party-registration.htm) Because Steggall and Spender are sitting MPs, the party applied as a parliamentary party, a track the AEC expects to take at least three months to complete, and one in which the AEC does not consider the party's policies or ideology.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/faqs/party-registration.htm) • [6](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/party_registration/)
The application was published for public consultation, with a one-month objection window in which any person or organization could lodge objections on specific statutory grounds.[6](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/party_registration/) The AEC listed the Community Strong Australia new-party application and its constitution among current applications on 24 August 2026,[7](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/applications/) and approved registration on 2 October 2026, close to the October timeframe the founders had stated.[2](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registration_Decisions/index.htm) • [3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/)
Registered status matters in practical terms: a registered party can list its name beside its candidates on ballot papers, display its registered logo, and access electoral roll data entitlements.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/faqs/party-registration.htm)
## Positioning and reception
Commentary has placed the party as a centrist alternative amid the rise of One Nation and turmoil inside the [Coalition](https://www.edgepedia.org/coalition), with the founders using slogans such as "hope over hate, reason over rage, and solutions over slogans".[3](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/) Reporting has also noted the challenge of translating the authenticity of community independence into a party structure, and that the party's growth beyond its two founders, and beyond teal-aligned voters, will test its premise.[8](https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/teals-new-party-puts-their-independence-at-risk%2C21248) • [9](https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/centre-v-right-populism-same-grievances-different-answers%2C21251) The name itself drew public comment, with the SBS headline asking whether the party had "stumbled at the first hurdle" over how the name landed online.[4](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/not-too-impressed-has-community-strong-australia-stumbled-at-the-first-hurdle/6f0vjuk8d)
## References
1. [Teals Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall form new political party Community Strong Australia, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/allegra-spender-and-zali-steggall-form-centrist-party/106839026)
2. [Party registration decisions and changes, Australian Electoral Commission](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registration_Decisions/index.htm)
3. [Community Strong Australia official website](https://www.communitystrong.org.au/)
4. ['Not too impressed': Has Community Strong Australia stumbled at the first hurdle?, SBS News](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/not-too-impressed-has-community-strong-australia-stumbled-at-the-first-hurdle/6f0vjuk8d)
5. [FAQs: Party Registration, Australian Electoral Commission](https://www.aec.gov.au/faqs/party-registration.htm)
6. [Political Party Registration, Australian Electoral Commission](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/party_registration/)
7. [Current party applications and notices, Australian Electoral Commission](https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/applications/)
8. [Teals' new party puts their independence at risk, Independent Australia](https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/teals-new-party-puts-their-independence-at-risk%2C21248)
9. [Centre v Right populism: Same grievances, different answers, Independent Australia](https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/centre-v-right-populism-same-grievances-different-answers%2C21251)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Political systems and ideas › Political parties and party families › Liberal-democratic parties › Liberal parties of the Americas, Africa, and Oceania › Liberal parties of Oceania*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license