The Greens have decided to back Teal and Australia’s Voice candidates over Labor in several crucial electorates, leader Adam Bandt has announced.
The decision to ask voters to rank independents, including Palestinian activist candidates in Sydney and Melbourne, is reportedly in retaliation for Labor having decided to have an open ticket (not directing preferences) in the Melbourne federal seat of Macnamara.
The popular vote in the seat is evenly split between Labor, Greens, and the Coalition, and the Greens believe they have a genuine chance if Labor directs preferences to them.
Further, there were also concerns such a move could confuse voters.
Instead, the Greens will preference Muslim candidates ahead of Labor in the Labor-held seats of Calwell in Melbourne, and Blaxland and Watson in Sydney.
Labor holds Calwell by a 12.4 percent margin, Blaxland by 13.0 percent, and Watson by 15.2 percent, so the Greens’ decision is unlikely to have much impact.
But in other seats where the races are much tighter, Labor’s chances could be jeopardised if Greens voters follow the instructions on their how-to-vote cards.
For instance, in New South Wales, the seat of Gilmore is on a razor-thin margin of 0.2 percent.
On paper, Fremantle in Western Australia looks safe with a margin of 16.9 percent, but independent Kate Hulett came close to winning the state seat from Labor earlier this year and is now standing in the federal election.
She lost only because of a deal that saw her ranked below Labor on the Liberals’ how-to-vote cards and also third on the Greens.
The Tasmanian seat of Franklin is held by the Labor Party with a 13.7 percent margin, but Labor Minister for Agriculture Julie Collins is facing a strong challenge from former journalist and independent Peter George, who has targeted her over salmon farming.
Casey and Deakin, both in Victoria, are held by the Liberals with a 1.4 and 0.02 percent margins, respectively, and the Greens preferencing of independents in both those seats could cause upset results.
Teal candidates will also receive Greens preferences in the Coalition-held seats of Wannon, Cowper, Flinders, and Monash, where opposition MPs have margins of 3.8, 2.4, 6.2, and 2.9, respectively.
In Wannon and Cowper, independents came close to taking the seats in 2022, and Climate 200 is investing heavily in campaigning this time around.
Greens preferences in some Senate races will also be directed to the Australia’s Voice Party—established by Fatima Payman after she left Labor last year over her support for Palestinian statehood.
A spokesman for Bandt said preference decisions were made by Greens officials, not MPs, but agreed there was anger within the party over Labor’s Macnamara decision.
Bandt issued a statement saying the deal between Labor and the Liberals “has just put Peter Dutton one step closer to The Lodge.”
“Anthony Albanese has done what Peter Dutton wants, a dirty preference deal to try and keep the Greens from winning more seats at the election, but it won’t work because voters aren’t stupid.”
Support for independents, however, had dropped 2.5 percent to 7.5 percent and other parties were down 0.5 to 3.5 percent.
