CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT PROCESS
As a group of independents, we don’t believe it is our role to “select” candidates to represent our communities. We believe this responsibility sits firmly with the community. Instead, we have an endorsement process.
Independents for Canberra aims to transform how politics is done in the ACT. We have codified the change we seek through our 10 shared principles. Our endorsement process is designed to assess how aligned each potential candidate is to these shared principles, which are non-optional expectations of our candidates. This is the process devised and administered by the Candidate Endorsement Committee:
1. Prospective candidates submit a nomination pack, including a police check, credit check, proof of residency and two personal referees.
2. The Committee interviews all prospective candidates to discuss their views and past actions in relation to the principles.
3. If no clear conflict with the principles is found, each prospective candidate is given the opportunity to speak at a Community Town Hall where they can share their vision and respond to questions from people in their electorate.
4. Endorsement is then provided if the Committee is confident the candidate is fully committed to the principles. This assessment is based on the candidate's personal history, their interview and feedback from Community Town Hall attendees.
Note: the Committee may disendorse any candidate who fails to demonstrate commitment to the 10 shared principles at any time.
