Simon Holmes à Court 2022 election: Climate activists funds independents

The son of Australia’s first billionaire is trying to influence next year’s federal election by funding independent candidates to oust Liberal MPs.

Clean energy investor Simon Holmes à Court, the son of late businessman Robert, set up a fundraising body called Climate 200 to raise huge sums for pro-climate candidates.

Before the 2019 Federal election it raised $500,000 but this time around Mr Holmes à Court wants to raise $5million with the aim of getting three more independents into Parliament.

The organisation says it needs to raise the cash to counter the huge sums of money donated to political parties by billionaire Clive Palmer and fossil fuel companies. 

The group is vocal on three main issues: climate policy, integrity and gender equality.

‘We back local communities who want to ditch stale politicians and elect fresh independent voices instead,’ the group’s website says.

‘Taking on major parties is hard. So at the upcoming federal election, we’re raising funds to support up to a dozen underdog candidates who stand for cleaning up politics and following the science on climate change.

‍’Together, we can make it happen.’ 

Mr Holmes à Court, who is hoping to secure funding from billionaire Atlassian co-founder and climate activist Mike ­Cannon-Brookes, says he doesn’t select candidates or start campaigns but pours in funds once they have momentum and look like they can be successful.

He will be backing up to a dozen female independents against Government MPs. 

Allegra Spender (in blue), the daughter of late fashion designer Carla Zampatti and former Liberal MP John Spender, is running for the Liberal seat of Wentworth

On the northern beaches Jason Falinski is under pressure from local doctor Sophie Scamps (pictured)

High-profile independents who have declared their candidacy include Allegra Spender, the daughter of late fashion designer Carla Zampatti and former Liberal MP John Spender.

She will be running against Dave Sharma in the eastern Sydney seat of Wentworth, which he holds on a slender 1.3 per cent margin.

Other blue-ribbon Sydney seats under attack include North Sydney where businesswoman Kylea Tink is challenging Trent Zimmerman and Mackellar on the northern beaches where Jason Falinski is under pressure from local doctor Sophie Scamps.

In Melbourne Mr Holmes à Court will back ABC journalist Zoe Daniel against Tim Wilson in Goldstein, local councillor Despi O’Connor in retiring Greg Hunt’s seat of Flinders and children’s doctor Monique Ryan in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong.

Mr Holmes à Court will back ABC journalist Zoe Daniel (pictured) against Tim Wilson in Goldstein in Melbourne

Mr Holmes à Court describes himself as a ‘Menzian Liberal’ who believes in free markets and individual responsibility – but feels the Coalition has lost touch with these values. 

Asked why he doesn’t fund independents against Labor or the Greens, Mr Holmes à Court said he hasn’t seen any good candidates for those seats.

‘These campaigns come out of frustration and it’s not surprising that people are frustrated with the party that’s in power,’ he told Sky News. 

The climate activist will also back sitting independents including Warringah MP Zali Steggall, Indi MP Helen Haines, Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie and Clark MP ­Andrew Wilkie. 

Liberal MPs have hit back at his campaign. Mr Falinksi says independent candidates are left wing and has pointed to Ms Steggall’s voting record to show she is closer to Labor than the Liberals.

Mr Sharma, meanwhile, says independents have limited influence on policy and has urged voters to stick with the Liberal Party. 

Both have played up their roles encouraging Scott Morrison to adopt a net zero by 2050 target. 

Mr Holmes à Court is a senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University and director of the Smart Energy Council. 

He was the founding chairman of Australia’s first community-owned wind farm, Hepburn Wind, and is one of four children of Robert Holmes à Court and his wife Janet. 

Robert was born in Johannesburg in 1937 and moved to Perth to study law in 1961.

After working as barrister and solicitor, he built a business empire made up of companies in the resources, transport, media and beverage industries. 

He died of a heart attack aged 53 in 1990, leaving his fortune to wife Janet and his children.

Robert’s eldest son Peter Holmes à Court is a multimillionaire entrepreneur who once owned the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL team with Russell Crowe.   

Climate 200 hopes independents will hold the balance of power after the next election which is expected to be in May and tipped to be close. 

‘If just a handful more fresh independents succeed at the next federal election, together they could have enough votes to finally force meaningful climate action and clean up politics,’ the group’s website says.  

Robert Holmes a Court (pictured) was born in Johannesburg in 1937 and moved to Perth to study law in 1961