The beauty of preferential voting is that the major parties are incentivised to cater for their opinions to gain more first preference votes in the next election. Climate change was frankly a non issue 15 years ago, now where I am in Kooyong (now with a teal independent), it would be impossible for a candidate to win without a climate policy. Victorian liberals tend to be much more moderate (think Frydenburg) than your Queensland liberals (Mr Potato head).

Last time I went to the polls I voted in order, Greens, Teal, Labor, Liberal, right wing independents.

Some seats are safe seats, in that case parties are less incentivised to throw money at your electorate. In marginal seats like Kooyong you'll see a corflute sign on every corner, and will get doorknocked every second day by a volunteer.

The best thing you can do is volunteer. The teals would not have won without thousands of volunteers doorknocking.