The Better Together Party (BTP) is an Australian political party. It was registered to contest the 2025 Australian federal election.[3] The party intended to nominate co-party leaders Lucy Bradlow and Bronwen Bock as a single "job-sharing" candidacy for a Senate seat in Victoria, but withdrew their candidacy due to Bradlow being ineligible due to dual citizenship.

History

Bradlow and Bock originally intended to stand as a single "job-sharing" candidate for the Division of Higgins.[4] However, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) abolished the division in September 2024 as part of a redistribution.[5] Bradlow and Bock subsequently announced their intention to stand as a single candidate as a Senator for Victoria instead.[6]

The AEC stated they would not accept the candidature as the required forms only allow for one candidate to be named. In February 2025, Better Together began legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia to compel the AEC to accept their nomination.[7] The court case was scheduled to be heard on 12 March 2025.[8]

On 28 March 2025, Bradlow and Bock issued a joint statement announcing their withdrawal as a candidate for the 2025 federal election due to a "legal issue".[9] The issue was later reported to be that Bradlow held South African citizenship, thus disqualifying her from running for parliament under Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia that forbids dual citizens holding federal political office.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Bronwen Bock and Lucy Bradlow want to become Australia's first job-sharing MPs". ABC News. 9 October 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  2. ^ Howden, Saffron (10 March 2025). "Registered: political duo set to make history with unprecedented job-sharing MP role". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Register of political parties 17 March 2025". Australian Electoral Commission. 17 March 2025. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  4. ^ "These two women are running for federal parliament as a single candidate". ABC News. 20 April 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  5. ^ "7. Announcement of names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in Victoria". Victorian federal redistribution. Australian Electoral Commission. 5 September 2024. The abolition of the Division of Higgins. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Victoria's first job-sharing candidates have eyes set on the Senate". ABC listen. 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  7. ^ Doraisamy, Jerome (13 February 2025). "Job-sharing Senate candidates launch proceedings to safeguard nomination". HR Leader. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  8. ^ Howden, Saffron (10 March 2025). "Registered: political duo set to make history with unprecedented job-sharing MP role". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  9. ^ "THE END OF THE ROAD BUT NOT THE END OF THE JOURNEY". Better Together Party. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  10. ^ Jeffery, Stuart (30 March 2025). "Common(wealth) Knowledge #115: 'Job-sharing' Senate hopefuls defeated by South African dual citizenship". 6 News Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Together_Party
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