After some of the worst fires and floods ever to hit Australia, a new cohort of climate-conscious independents are threatening to shake up the federal election on Saturday, putting the government under pressure in key districts and potentially reshaping the country's political landscape.
Enraged by the lack of government action on climate change, the candidates are campaigning hard on environmental issues in the hope of wooing moderate voters away from the major parties.
"There is deep frustration that real action hasn't been taken on climate change," said Allegra Spender, 44, an independent candidate in the wealthy Sydney electoral district of Wentworth. "It's become ideological rather than based on science and business, and that's what people are seeking: just a rational, proportional response to the evidence."