INTERVIEW: This ex-Liberal wants to bring together Greens and One Nation voters

Charlotte Mortlock, a former Liberal Party insider and journalist, has launched 'Something Better' — a bold new political movement aiming to unite disenchanted voters from across the spectrum, including Greens supporters and One Nation backers. After years of trying to reform the Liberal Party from within, she concluded it was no longer viable, citing its failure to evolve, its unrepresentative membership, and its inability to address widespread anti-establishment sentiment. Her vision is not a traditional left-right party, but a radical, ambitious movement focused on common ground — policies like fast rail and a reformed gas tax that transcend ideology. She argues that Australia’s political landscape is ripe for disruption, and that young people, independents, and even disillusioned conservatives could find a home in a party built from scratch, free of factional baggage. While critics question her credibility and the feasibility of uniting such divergent groups, Mortlock remains defiant, emphasizing that failure is a risk worth taking for the sake of democracy. Her initiative, funded entirely by her own maternity leave savings, is already gaining traction — with thousands signing up in days — and could evolve into Australia’s next major political party if it meets the legal threshold of 1,500 members. The core of her argument is that the real crisis isn’t ideological polarization, but institutional inertia.