Frequently asked questions
Is Voices of Bean a political party?
No. Voices of Bean is simply a community organisation consulting the people of Bean about the issues that are important to them and the qualities they seek in an elected representative. We aim to use this information and community support to endorse an independent candidate who can embody those qualities and champion those issues.
Who is your candidate?
We do not have a candidate. When we have consulted the community, we will try to find an appropriate candidate and endorse their campaign. At that point, Voices of Bean intends to go dormant, allowing our members and supporters to choose whether they want to campaign for the candidate we endorse.
What is your policy platform?
We don’t have one, we’re listening to what is important to the people of Bean. We’ve produced a first report from this, which we expect will inform the eventual candidate’s policy platform. The four issues of greatest importance in Bean are Cost of living, Health, Disability and Aged Care, Climate Change, and Housing Affordability.
I work for the Public Service, can I get involved?
Yes, we believe you can. Please see Section 6 of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct for guidance, but we have roles that can involve different levels of exposure, and our work is principally to listen, rather than to express opinions or positions. Please discuss it with us if you are unsure. You could also refer to similar advice from our friends at proACT.
What does Voices of Bean stand for?
Voices of Bean is a group of passionate Canberrans who want better representation for our community in the federal parliament. Our goal is to foster public involvement in democracy in Bean. We are politically independent and know it is time for change. We will listen to the diverse voices of the Bean community and find the ideal community backed candidate to represent us in the next federal election.
Voices of Bean holds these values:
- Positivity. We’re not here to knock anyone, we want to do things better and be our best selves.
- Honesty and Integrity. Lets be the change we want to see.
- Generous and Active Listening. Every opinion starts from a good place and every voice needs to be heard. We’re here to listen not to judge.
- Mutual Respect. We show respect to others and ask to be respected in turn.
- Compromise to succeed. Trust in team work; not everything will be perfect.
- Commit and follow through. We’re realistic about our individual capacities.
How are you funded?
We’re a group of volunteers and we run on the smell of an oily rag. But we do have expenses for venue hire, printing, website hosting and the like, that we are currently funding ourselves. We are working hard to get the mechanisms in place to accept donations; in the meantime it is possible to do so when you register for one of our events. Voices of Bean Inc is not-for-profit and is an association incorporated in the ACT. We are not a charity and do not have deductible gift recipient status, so donations are not tax-deductible.
Why elect an independent? Doesn’t an MP need to be with a party to form government and be effective?
There is nothing in the Australian constitution or system of government that requires an MP to be a member of a party or that prevents independents helping form government. Indeed, independents can be very effective if they hold a balance of power position, and even if they don’t. Independents can be the most effective representatives of their constituents because they do not have a party to answer to first.
If I vote for an independent, won’t it split the vote or have an unintended outcome?
In Australia’s preferential voting system, you can give your first preference to an independent, and if they are not successful, your vote transfers to the candidate to whom you give your second preference. Hence there is no risk in giving your first preference to an independent, unlike in countries that have a ‘first past the post’ system, where the concept of ‘splitting the vote’ does apply. There’s a good explanation of preferential voting in this video from The Guardian.
If I vote for an independent, won’t it increase the risk of a Liberal government?
Bean is considered a safe Labor seat because the primary vote for the Liberal party is too low for them to have any real chance of winning the seat. If people vote for an independent, and the independent is successful, they are very unlikely to help the Liberals form government. If the independent is not successful, voters are likely to give their second preference to the party they would normally vote for, so the outcome will just be the same as always.
I have a different question
Brilliant! Please go to the contact form at the bottom of the page and ask it. We love to help.