Representative practices of independents: How Australia’s community independents perform representation

Abstract Voters increasingly value ‘independence’ as a quality in politicians; they want elected representatives to put constituents before party. But what does the performance of representation look like in the absence of a party? This article examines how independent (non-party) elected representatives perform their representative work. Drawing on constructivist approaches, the concept of ‘representative practices’ is developed and applied to explore how Australia’s Community Independents are performing representation. Six categories of representative practice are inductively identified and examined: self-presentation, constituency-making, listening and engaging, civic capacity-building, advocacy, and accountability. The analysis sheds light on the diverse ways that politicians are performing representation in contexts where citizens seek more autonomous, ‘authentic’, and engaged representatives.