Politics in Australia changed dramatically on 21 May this year.

The election of a Labor Government led by Prime Minister Albanese was predicted by all polling organisations; however, few so-called expert commentators and well-known political analysts foresaw the election of so many independents and Greens.

The 47th Parliament now has the largest crossbench ever, with a record 31 per cent of voters not casting their first vote for the Australian Labor Party or the Liberal–National Coalition.

These political swings show that the major parties truly underestimated change at a societal level.

There was a clear lack of understanding of the role of trust in navigating the unknown, of the dynamics that shape communities when confronted with a pandemic, a climate crisis and an uncertain future, and that all politics is local.

This was an electorate that understood that the future will unfold in ways we’ve not seen before.

On the back of bushfires, flooding and a pandemic that up-ended the economy, the change in voting patterns was driven by concern about the role of government, its effectiveness and, in particular, the environment and the impacts of climate.

The electorate chose diversity and diversity brings myriad benefits.

Until recently, if the two major parties were not interested in an issue or agenda, there were few avenues to pursue change.

Now, however, the historic number of crossbench members creates many more opportunities.

It’s unfortunate that Senate estimates hearings and committee work are not accorded the status they deserve by a media hungry for ‘gotcha’ journalism.

The Senate is where government expenditure and programs are scrutinised and where contentious legislation is sent to committees for public consultation, hearings and reports tabled in Parliament.

However, the ability to do this is dependent on numbers.

In the Senate, providing oversight to legislation is a key function, as is initiating inquiries.

The more diverse the Senate, the greater the opportunities to deliver a more representative democratic process.

Now that we have a far greater mixture of independent MPs and senators who can initiate private members’ bills and Senate inquiries, we are likely to see more robust analysis of government expenditure and policies.

For the physiotherapy profession—indeed, for all health associations and practitioners—the new Parliament may turn out to be the most progressive and reform-minded ever.

The independents, Greens and new MPs bring their own life experiences, cultural backgrounds, perspectives and passionate issues to the legislature.

When Parliament begins in earnest in the second half of the year, we will see ‘new faces’ who have campaigned on climate change, health, accountability and, for many, the delivery of improved services locally.

It’s not a surprise that local health issues, hospitals, COVID-19 and access were top of the agenda in many electorates.

Dai Le (Independent, Fowler) is a former Fairfield City Councillor who identified healthcare and disability as major issues.

Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Labor, Higgins) worked at a major Melbourne hospital and is one of Australia’s leading experts in infectious diseases.

Sydney doctor Sophie Scamps (Independent, Mackellar) is another parliamentary GP committed to ‘accessible, equitable, best-practice healthcare that is responsive to our needs and a health system best prepared, resilient and well-resourced for future health challenges’.

Dr Monique Ryan (Independent, Kooyong) ran the neurology department at the Royal Children’s Hospital and campaigned on climate change and healthcare.

Dr Mike Freelander (Labor, Macarthur), Dr David Gillespie (Nationals, Lyne) and Dr Gordon Reid (Labor, Robertson) are medical practitioners who have a deep understanding of the issues germane to the APA.

Meanwhile, Sally Sitou (Labor, Reid) brings a research perspective and has spoken about making healthcare a priority.

Sam Lim (Labor, Tangney) may be known as a dolphin trainer but as a former police officer, he’ll probably have seen the effects of mental illness.

Cassandra Fernando (Labor, Holt) and Zaneta Mascarenhas (Labor, Swan) also come from what could be called ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds for Labor members—that is, they’re not former staffers or lawyers.

Zali Steggall (Independent, Warringah) was one of the first to respond to the APA’s pre-Budget submission and election statement, Physiotherapy: A Path to Better Care, and her adviser met with the APA to discuss falls prevention and physiotherapy.

Former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel (Independent, Goldstein) also responded favourably to our election statement.

Helen Haines (Independent, Indi) has long been a champion of rural health issues and the problems of workforce distribution.

The Greens increased their House of Representatives members from one to four: Adam Bandt (Melbourne), Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith), Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan) and Stephen Bates (Brisbane).

The Greens policy of Medicare-funded dental and mental healthcare is a major reform that aligns with the APA’s position that referral pathways should allow easy and affordable access to appropriate healthcare, such as physiotherapy.

Another pleasing outcome of the election is the record number of Indigenous members and senators elected.

Senator Jana Stewart (Labor, Victoria) is a Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman.

She joins the new Member for Lingiari, Labor’s Marion Scrymgour; Northern Territory senator for the Country Liberal Party, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price; and Dr Gordon Reid.

Returning to Parliament will be Labor senators Pat Dodson (Western Australia) and Malarndirri McCarthy (Northern Territory), along with Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney (Barton), who is replacing Liberal Ken Wyatt in that role.

Independent senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie and Greens senators Dorinda Cox (Western Australia) and Lidia Thorpe (Victoria) will resume their places in the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in our history.

If this reads as overly optimistic, it’s because there is an air of anticipation, maybe even expectation, that the off-putting, negative, adversarial ways of Parliament will be washed away by new members elected with a mandate to change the way we’re governed.

Instead of trying to find a politician to advocate for your cause—as Senator Jacqui Lambie did with Veterans’ Affairs on our behalf—we now have many highly skilled and engaged MPs and senators who we genuinely hope will work with us and others to reform the health system.

Main image: Monique Ryan was a paediatric neurologist before defeating former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg for the Victorian seat of Kooyong.