Clare Carnell, the director of Independents for Canberra, is on medical leave from the position in the political party established to back independents at the ACT election.
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"I've stepped aside for a little while for health reasons - fingers crossed I'll be back before long," Ms Carnell said in a message to The Canberra Times.
Ms Carnell, the daughter of former Liberal chief minister Kate Carnell, launched the party alongside Thomas Emerson, a staffer to Senator David Pocock and the son of former Labor minister Craig Emerson, in January.
"Roads, rates and rubbish need to be fixed. Rates are so high but services are so low and we just need to make sure back to basics," Ms Carnell said at the time.
![Clare Carnell, who is on leave from her position as party director of Independents for Canberra. Picture by Elesa Kurtz Clare Carnell, who is on leave from her position as party director of Independents for Canberra. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/35sFyBanpD896MKnAH5FRtj/b3d35824-c1e4-4c54-aa76-7718c0bd4e02.jpg/r0_633_8138_5226_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We will take action and we will do what we say we do. We've seen what the teals and David Pocock have done in 2022. It's working."
Independents for Canberra submitted an application to register as a political party in February, with Ms Carnell listed as party director.
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Ms Carnell in January told The Canberra Times her rare autoimmune disease - ANCA associated vasculitis - would prevent her from running as a candidate at the October 19 election.
"My health is still a challenge but, hey, I'm still not dead, which is great," she said.
"Autoimmune is complicated and the diagnosis still shifts. We are going in the right direction, I think. I've learned, since I got sick, to build up redundancies and support structures."