Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender, now political partners, are quite different people.

One is a former Olympic skier and family law barrister who operates with a fierce elite athlete mindset underpinned by extraordinary determination and, when it comes to politics, deep conviction.

The other is a deep thinker, a former CEO who grew up in a political family, a qualified economist and a genuine and gentle listener.

As distinctive as they are as individuals they have much in common, and as the launch of Community Strong Australia shows, these two women are brave.

Starting something, then changing course, adapting, in the face of entrenched systems of power requires that. Not doing it would be far easier and I know this hasn’t been an easy decision – for those who are in or out. There’s no right or wrong decision. There are lots of variables to consider, primarily the sentiment of the communities who have supported independent politics.

I’m using first names because Zali and Allegra are my friends. We jumped off a cliff together and then had the shared experience of the gladiator pit of politics. Few........

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