Is a vote for an independent a wasted vote?

Independents and minor parties have the potential to provide true representative government across all electorates, not just within the marginals that are the focus of pork barrel party politics.

Sadly, a vote for an independent has been described by the major parties as a wasted vote and, Andren himself was described by a competitor as a waste of space in parliament. But a parliament comprised of independents and minor parties is not an impossibility.

It relies on citizens being educated about the voting process, having a belief that the two-party preferred system is not insurmountable, and marking the ballot paper formally below the line.

The real problem for independents and minor parties is two-pronged - the mainstream media treat them with contempt, and they don’t have sufficient financial clout to work up educative advertising and media campaigns.

A change to either or both of these impediments could hold the key to real representation and policy value at some point in the future.