Latest news with #AdamBandt
Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Their founder now calls them unlikeable and authoritarian. Can the Greens change their spots?
Not so long ago, Adam Bandt was a very happy man. It was the winter of 2022. The Morrison government had been defeated and Bandt, in his fifth term as the member for Melbourne, was accompanied in the lower house by three new Greens colleagues who'd won seats in inner-city Brisbane. The 'old' parties – Labor and the Coalition – were in terminal decline as far as the Greens leader was concerned. 'We created a Greenslide, and we've put down even deeper roots in Greensland,' he declared. 'Next election, I know we can grow again. I think we can win even more lower house seats.' Bandt stayed on his high for the next three years. He looked ahead to the prospect of Labor falling into minority government status in 2025 and how that would enable the Greens to have a direct role in setting national policy. He worked with his housing spokesman, Max Chandler-Mather, to block the Albanese government's housing policies, deemed to be insufficient, by joining with the Coalition in the Senate. Bandt and Chandler-Mather convinced themselves they were creating a whole new Greens-supporting political constituency of mostly young, angry renters. They overplayed their hand. The government stared them down and the Greens eventually folded late last year, waving through Labor's legislation. But the damage was done. The Greenslide was going into reverse. Most renters don't want to stay renters forever. They wanted action on building more houses; Labor's prescription might not have been ideal, but it did offer action while the Greens for too long delivered inaction and boasted about it. It was a shocking failure of strategy. Much of the talk in politics, encouraged by Bandt publicly, was about a possible Labor-Greens minority government. At the May 3 election, voters with the power to make a definitive difference acted assertively. Two of the 'Greenslide' seats went to the ALP, and Bandt himself was turfed out of Melbourne, which Labor's Sarah Witty won with a swing of more than 8 per cent. There is now just one Greens MP in the lower house, Elizabeth Watson-Brown. A couple of points need to be made. One is that although the Greens lost three of their four seats, the party's lower house vote was still 12 per cent, just as it was in 2022. The other is that while the party was hurt in the lower house, it is by no means irrelevant. One of the biggest running stories about the Albanese government's second term is that it will have to rely on the Greens in the Senate to get its legislation passed. The Greens have 10 senators and the balance of power. They are the legislative gatekeepers. But they have been on a long march to try to fulfil the wish of one of their founders, Bob Brown, to replace the Labor Party as the pre-eminent 'progressive' party. That venture is not going well and took a bad hit at this election. In fact, the 2025 outcome could well come to be seen as a watershed for the Greens. It suggested very strongly that while the public is OK with the Greens having a substantial presence and role in the upper house, it's much less interested in entrusting them with a direct role in government. Loading Just to put the Greens' new single-seat status in context, the party's 12.2 per cent share of the national primary vote is certainly substantial. But the other parties holding one seat are Centre Alliance, with 0.2 per cent of the vote, and Katter's Australian Party, with 0.3 per cent. The Greens' lower house vote share has hovered around 12 per cent for six consecutive elections. And on May 3, many of its older, cashed-up supporters in gentrified suburbs, put off by the performative politics of Bandt and Chandler-Mather as well as its aggressive stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, flipped to the Labor Party. In my local polling place, a hitherto heavily Green part of the seat of Wills, there was a 7 per cent swing away from the Greens, which, along with similar vote shifts elsewhere, was enough to keep Wills in Labor's hands. Bandt's successor as leader, Larissa Waters, has a massive job ahead of her in navigating the responsibility of holding the balance of power in the Senate while also recalibrating the tone and behaviour of the party. There is a key question about the Greens' mission. The party grew out of the environmental movement, a global phenomenon, and is still struggling with broadening itself. The split over transgender rights and restrictions on discussing the issue within the party, which has led to the expulsion of a co-founder, Drew Hutton, is an example of this. Hutton has described the modern Greens as aggressive, weird, unlikeable, authoritarian and doctrinaire.
The Age
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Age
Their founder now calls them unlikeable and authoritarian. Can the Greens change their spots?
Not so long ago, Adam Bandt was a very happy man. It was the winter of 2022. The Morrison government had been defeated and Bandt, in his fifth term as the member for Melbourne, was accompanied in the lower house by three new Greens colleagues who'd won seats in inner-city Brisbane. The 'old' parties – Labor and the Coalition – were in terminal decline as far as the Greens leader was concerned. 'We created a Greenslide, and we've put down even deeper roots in Greensland,' he declared. 'Next election, I know we can grow again. I think we can win even more lower house seats.' Bandt stayed on his high for the next three years. He looked ahead to the prospect of Labor falling into minority government status in 2025 and how that would enable the Greens to have a direct role in setting national policy. He worked with his housing spokesman, Max Chandler-Mather, to block the Albanese government's housing policies, deemed to be insufficient, by joining with the Coalition in the Senate. Bandt and Chandler-Mather convinced themselves they were creating a whole new Greens-supporting political constituency of mostly young, angry renters. They overplayed their hand. The government stared them down and the Greens eventually folded late last year, waving through Labor's legislation. But the damage was done. The Greenslide was going into reverse. Most renters don't want to stay renters forever. They wanted action on building more houses; Labor's prescription might not have been ideal, but it did offer action while the Greens for too long delivered inaction and boasted about it. It was a shocking failure of strategy. Much of the talk in politics, encouraged by Bandt publicly, was about a possible Labor-Greens minority government. At the May 3 election, voters with the power to make a definitive difference acted assertively. Two of the 'Greenslide' seats went to the ALP, and Bandt himself was turfed out of Melbourne, which Labor's Sarah Witty won with a swing of more than 8 per cent. There is now just one Greens MP in the lower house, Elizabeth Watson-Brown. A couple of points need to be made. One is that although the Greens lost three of their four seats, the party's lower house vote was still 12 per cent, just as it was in 2022. The other is that while the party was hurt in the lower house, it is by no means irrelevant. One of the biggest running stories about the Albanese government's second term is that it will have to rely on the Greens in the Senate to get its legislation passed. The Greens have 10 senators and the balance of power. They are the legislative gatekeepers. But they have been on a long march to try to fulfil the wish of one of their founders, Bob Brown, to replace the Labor Party as the pre-eminent 'progressive' party. That venture is not going well and took a bad hit at this election. In fact, the 2025 outcome could well come to be seen as a watershed for the Greens. It suggested very strongly that while the public is OK with the Greens having a substantial presence and role in the upper house, it's much less interested in entrusting them with a direct role in government. Loading Just to put the Greens' new single-seat status in context, the party's 12.2 per cent share of the national primary vote is certainly substantial. But the other parties holding one seat are Centre Alliance, with 0.2 per cent of the vote, and Katter's Australian Party, with 0.3 per cent. The Greens' lower house vote share has hovered around 12 per cent for six consecutive elections. And on May 3, many of its older, cashed-up supporters in gentrified suburbs, put off by the performative politics of Bandt and Chandler-Mather as well as its aggressive stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, flipped to the Labor Party. In my local polling place, a hitherto heavily Green part of the seat of Wills, there was a 7 per cent swing away from the Greens, which, along with similar vote shifts elsewhere, was enough to keep Wills in Labor's hands. Bandt's successor as leader, Larissa Waters, has a massive job ahead of her in navigating the responsibility of holding the balance of power in the Senate while also recalibrating the tone and behaviour of the party. There is a key question about the Greens' mission. The party grew out of the environmental movement, a global phenomenon, and is still struggling with broadening itself. The split over transgender rights and restrictions on discussing the issue within the party, which has led to the expulsion of a co-founder, Drew Hutton, is an example of this. Hutton has described the modern Greens as aggressive, weird, unlikeable, authoritarian and doctrinaire.
SBS Australia
21-07-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Parliament is back. Here's what the parties have on their agenda
Labor's honeymoon period continues this week as a large cohort of new politicians joins the 48th parliament, ready to implement the mandate Australians voted for. Tuesday will largely be ceremonial before parliament resumes on Wednesday, and with it, a marathon of first speeches across several days, with 40 new senators and MPs to be sworn in. With an increased majority, holding 94 of 150 lower house seats, Labor will have 24 new MPs deliver their opening addresses. Newly elected federal MPs will be sworn in this week after a training session learning about their new roles. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch First up will be "leader slayers" Ali France and Sarah Witty, who ousted former Liberal leader Peter Dutton and former Greens leader Adam Bandt, respectively. Amid the formalities, the re-elected government now faces pressure to deliver the priorities it set out during the election. All eyes will also be on Question Time as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese adjusts to a new opponent in the House of Representatives chamber, with Liberal leader Sussan Ley taking her place across from him. So what can we expect from the major parties? LABOR The Albanese government has made its first sitting fortnight agenda clear: wiping student debt, increasing safety measures for children in childcare and protecting penalty rates. Labor will introduce a bill cutting student debt by 20 per cent retrospectively from 1 June, slashing roughly $16 billion from balances, amid wider reforms to the repayment system. The legislation should be passed quickly, breezing through the lower house where Labor holds a majority, and the upper house, where the Greens are expected to vote for the changes. Speaking to Labor Party caucus on Monday, Albanese said he hopes to "restore confidence in a system in which we should be confident caring for our vulnerable little ones". The Albanese government has vowed to strengthen protections, increase fines for poor quality operators and establish an independent regulator as part of the childcare centre reforms. THE COALITION After a short-lived split in May, the Liberal and National parties are adamant that they are back together, united and ready to hold Labor accountable with a strong opposition. New Liberal leader Sussan Ley sought to boost morale on Monday after May's election loss, firing up the Opposition caucus with vows not to "get out" of Labor's way. "Mr Albanese is giving interviews and suggesting we should just get out of the way. We will not," Ley said. Liberal leader Sussan Ley says the Coalition is ready to work hard for the millions of Australians that voted for them. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas She singled out cost-of-living relief as a key issue to prosecute, as well as fighting against raising taxes , after ABC reported leaked documents show Treasury advised the government to raise taxes and cut spending after the election. "I have not met a single Australian who wants to pay more tax, who thinks they are paying not enough tax," she said. "What I do know is that every single Australian expects this government to minimise their tax bill, to work hard for them and to make sure that they run a responsible budget with responsible economic management across the country." While the Opposition's policies are still under review following the election, education spokesperson Jonathan Duniam conceded the pitch to cut international student numbers by 80,000 "wasn't as constructive as it could have otherwise been". "I think we need to have a proper and open discussion with both the university sector and the community more broadly about how we can approach this," he told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. THE GREENS With the balance of power in the Senate, the Greens will be crucial to Labor passing its agenda. Senator Jordon Steele John has indicated the party may use the power to pressure Labor to review policies, like adding dental to Medicare. While points of contention remain unclear, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young stressed the party will be "constructive" as it scrutinises the bills introduced to parliament. "They don't have the numbers in the Senate, and that is because the Australian people want to make sure the Senate is a backstop for them, an insurance for them," she told reporters on Monday. "And the Greens take that responsibility very, very seriously."
Sydney Morning Herald
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Former Greens leader Adam Bandt's new gig revealed
Former Greens leader Adam Bandt is not resting on his laurels. Persistent speculation says Bandt is heading to the Australian Conservation Foundation, which sounds like a great fit. But so far, it is back to the future for the ex-Greens leader, who led the party to unprecedented lower house success in 2022 before it lost three seats – including his own – at the federal election on May 3. CBD hears Bandt is working for the United Firefighters Union (UFU), a Labor-aligned union, where an old mate and client, Peter Marshall, presides as secretary. Bandt has been spotted attending the office from time to time in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, in his old federal seat of Melbourne. Pre-parliament, Bandt was an industrial relations and public interest barrister and solicitor and worked protecting the rights of coal miners in the La Trobe Valley after power station privatisation. He has represented the UFU before, which often clashes with Labor governments, something Bandt definitely vibes with. Loading The firebrand union last put its head above the parapet when it challenged the Victorian state government's plan to increase its fire services levy and convert it into an Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. Marshall also attacked the federal government's demerger plans for the CFMEU after this masthead's Building Bad series revealed corruption and links with bikies. Bandt also attacked the legislation. The association is longstanding. The UFU backed Bandt in the 2010 election for Melbourne when he took the seat off Labor, and several times since. Bandt was elected five times before losing his seat to Labor this year in a shock turn of events the ALP didn't see coming. And neither did Bandt.
Daily Telegraph
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Abbie Chatfield addresses federal election controversy and Anthony Albanese posts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrity Life. Followed categories will be added to My News. Abbie Chatfield has addressed the controversies that erupted following her decision to speak out ahead of this year's federal election — and how she is 'often a scapegoat' to the 'demeaning' and 'deeply damaging' effects of being targeted by fellow feminists and far-right trolls. Chatfield used her platform to speak out about politics and the recent federal election in May. An Australian Electoral Commission inquiry was raised after collaborative social media posts between Chatfield and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as former Greens leader Adam Bandt, were queried by Liberal Senator Jane Hume. The AEC ultimately concluded that Chatfield's posts did not require authorisation under electoral law. Listen to the full interview with Abbie Chatfield on Something To Talk About: Speaking to the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About, Chatfield said: 'The AEC stuff was a whole other level of, I believe, discrediting smaller voices, but also discrediting outspoken young women'. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar Abbie Chatfield is on the cover of today's Stellar. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar 'It seems that when women do more than one thing, they're deemed as inept at all the things they do,' Chatfield told Something To Talk About, in a new episode released today. 'But when men do more than one thing it's like, wow, he's a footy player and he can read an autocue. 'The AEC thing made me feel really targeted. I feel I'm often a scapegoat because of how the media portrays me as being the spokesperson on things, and they go, 'Oh, she's talking again…'' Chatfield also addressed recent criticisms lobbed at her by prominent writer and feminist Clementine Ford, who accused her of 'profiting from the performance of being politically engaged' following an interview that Chatfield conducted with Albanese on her podcast. Abbie Chatfield has addressed her recent controversies in a new interview with Stellar. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Clark 'I feel like I'm in the middle of stories like that all the time. So it's kind of, unfortunately, my norm,' Chatfield told Something To Talk About. 'But it's never enjoyable or pleasant. This idea that because I'm not doing things perfectly, that I'm an idiotic narcissist, I don't know anything, I'm brain dead, I'm a deeply basic thinker – they're just insults. 'It's not actually critiquing my work. For more from Abbie Chatfield, listen to the full interview on Something To Talk About: 'It was really hurtful because then after that, the right-wing comments came in saying, 'Nothing better than a cat fight. Two feminists fighting. You can't even agree with each other!' 'And it's very demeaning. And that isn't Clementine's fault, but it is something that she should have considered, and that I have considered when I haven't called her out for things that I would say are deeply damaging.' In the Stellar cover story and podcast episode released today, Chatfield also opens up about her personal life and relationship with boyfriend Adam Hyde, and why she is in a better place when it comes to her life outside of work She issues a warning to women, saying they 'shouldn't date Trump supporters'. Listen to the full interview with Abbie Chatfield on Something To Talk About now, and watch it here. See the cover shoot with Abbie Chatfield in today's Stellar via The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA). For more from Stellar, click here. Originally published as 'Beyond sick of it': Abbie Chatfield fires back at critics
