Flux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Nathan Spataro[1] |
| Deputy leader | Max Kaye |
| Dissolved | c. 2023 |
| Preceded by | Neutral Voting Bloc |
| Headquarters | 5/155Clarence Street, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Membership(2019) |  8,000[2] |
| Ideology | Issue-baseddirect democracy |
| Slogan | Upgrade Democracy! |
| City of Greater Geraldton | 1 / 15 (2017–2019) |
| Website | |
| voteflux | |
Flux, also known asFlux the System! andLiberals For Climate - The Flux Network, was apolitical party andmovement that aimed to replace the world's elected legislatures with a new system known as issue-baseddirect democracy (IBDD). Flux originated in and was most active in Australia, but also had groups existing in the United States[3] and Brazil.[4]
IBDD is similar toliquid democracy, though there are differences. In IBDD, voters would still have the right tovote directly on every issue or delegate their vote to someone else, but unlike in liquid democracy, voters can choose to forgo votes on one issue to use on another issue. This createsopportunity cost between issues and allows voters to specialise their votes on the issues that are more important to them.[5] This specialisation of votes aims to allow citizens to participate effectively in issue-based direct democracy without having to focus on every issue as they would in a regulardirect democracy.
Flux parties were registered in theAustralian Capital Territory,[6]Western Australia,[7]Queensland[8] andNew South Wales.[9] Flux was registered at a federal level from 2016, but it was de-registered in 2022 for failing to meet the increased requirement of 1500 members.[10]
In the2016 Australian federal election, Flux stood twosenate candidates in every state, and one in the Australian Capital Territory under the name "VOTEFLUX.ORG".[11] The group drew first preference votes of between 0.08% and 0.28% in each state, for a national average of 0.15%.[12]
Under the banner of "Flux the System!", Flux nominated 24 candidates for the2017 Western Australian election - 12 in theLegislative Council and another 12 in theLegislative Assembly.[13] They received first preference votes of between 0.31% and 0.88% in each legislative council region, for a state average of 0.44%,[14] One of the candidates included Lewis Freer, a sitting councillor on theCity of Greater Geraldton.[15] The party also controversially ran 26 so-called "fake independents" – candidates who were affiliated with the party but appeared asindependents on the ballot papers.[16]
Writing in 2020, ABC election analystAntony Green noted that Flux "has attracted negligible support" at elections.[17] Despite having no climate policies of any kind, the party changed its name to "Liberals for Climate - The Flux Network" for the2021 Western Australian state election.[18]
Liberals for Climate, the last registered Flux Party, had their registration cancelled in January 2023. The party's website is no longer online.[19]
| Federalparliamentary parties | |
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| State and territory parliaments (parties not represented federally) |
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| OtherAEC-registered parties | |
