The hunt is on for an independent candidate to seek Climate 200 funding to challenge Canberra Labor MP Alicia Payne at the federal election due by May.
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Canberra cardiologist Arnagretta Hunter, who campaigned for Indi independent MP Helen Haines, and climate activist Amy Blain are among a dozen founding members of Voices for Canberra, laying the groundwork for a bid to steal the traditionally safe Labor seat.
Dr Hunter said a number of public servants are part of the group, which is vying for support from Simon Holmes-a-Court's political funding body.
![Voices for Canberra hopes to secure funding from Climate 200 to mount a challenge in the traditionally safe Labor seat. Picture by Elesa Kurtz Voices for Canberra hopes to secure funding from Climate 200 to mount a challenge in the traditionally safe Labor seat. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/234480217/5d953db0-1e56-4deb-bb39-00988e5ac8c8.jpg/r399_852_7611_4422_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
She said the electorate was ripe for an independent challenge to the Labor incumbent "because we're in Canberra, and because climate change matters ... We actually understand how politics works in this town."
As the climate wars reignite between the major parties, the group aims to convince Canberra voters to back an independent who could influence a potential minority Labor government to take stronger action towards reducing Australia's emissions.
Voters in 2022 reduced Ms Payne's margin from 17.1 per cent to 12.2 per cent, after a swing towards the Greens. Independent Tim Bohm secured just 5.2 per cent of the primary vote.
Ms Payne told The Canberra Times while she would never take voters' support for granted, being an MP in a party of government meant being able to "really deliver" and not just make promises.
Independents including Canberra senator David Pocock, Curtin MP Kate Chaney, Wentworth MP Allegra Spender and Mackeller MP Sophie Scamps have all seized on climate divisions in recent days to criticise both the government and opposition.
The Teals are positioning themselves to work with the Greens to push Labor to increase its emissions reduction target to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees, should the next election result in a hung parliament.
Dr Hunter said: "We can see the advantage of minority governments and getting better representation."
Senator Pocock said voters had made clear at the last election that they wanted "more ambitious climate action" and that it may take a minority government "to deliver the ambition we need to meet the scale of the challenges we face".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that Australians had "voted for Labor candidates and for other candidates who said that they would take climate change seriously".
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has announced he will campaign against Labor's legislated target to reduce emissions from 2005 levels by 43 per cent by 2030, arguing it is not achievable.
Climate 200 ramped up its marketing campaign targeting donors to pay for its community accelerator fund over the weekend, after Mr Dutton's comments.
The organisation aims to raise $1 million from its 11,000 donors, including several hundred in the ACT, to kick-start campaigns.
A group in Canberra's south, Voices of Bean, is also vying for Climate 200 support. If successful, Canberra and Bean would be the first two federal Labor-held seats to be targeted by a Climate 200-backed campaign.
An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified the 2022 independent candidate for Canberra as Tim Hollo, who ran for the Greens. This has been corrected.