“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today we officially submitted our Application for registration of a non-Parliamentary party to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). 

It seems fitting to us that we submitted our application just five days after Americans celebrated their annual Thanksgiving holiday, because our overwhelming feeling during this process has been that of gratitude. 

There is a tradition at many Thanksgiving tables for each attendee to go around and say what they are thankful for that year. 

It’s not only a nice tradition that reminds families and friends of the good in the world - particularly in testing times - but research shows that that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. 

Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

“Practicing gratitude” is something that both of us have turned to multiple times over the last two years when the campaign has seemed overwhelming, or when the odds against us feel too big. 

Over the last four weeks, we have spent countless hours in the AEC offices reviewing the names and addresses of each person who has signed up to the Better Together Party, to ensure that our application is ready and complete for submission. 

Each time we reviewed the list we felt an enormous amount of gratitude to each of the more than 1,550 Australians who had joined the party. 

Each person who had said no to the same-old-same-old and said yes to trying something new in politics. Each person who believes that we can question the status quo to build a stronger nation where everyone has a voice in shaping our future. Each person who gave their time to support this movement. 

It’s a truly awe inspiring feeling, to feel more than 1,500 Australians behind us, working together for real change, for the benefit of all Australians.

So, today, we say THANK YOU. We are grateful and energised to continue our campaign for a more representative democracy for all.