Latest news with #Greens-held
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'People have had enough': Claims the Greens being 'divisive' played a key role in minor party going backwards in lower house
A former Labor state minister has said the Greens going backwards in the House of Representatives is proof Australians have had enough of the minor party. The Greens are yet to win a seat in the lower house following Saturday's election amid the party's national primary vote declining by 0.50 per cent. The party lost the seats of Brisbane and Griffith it claimed in 2022, with Sky News Australia's election analyst Tom Connell declaring leader Adam Bandt will be defeated in Melbourne. Labor is currently leading in Melbourne with 52.7 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote according to the AEC, with Ryan the only Greens-held seat they appear to be ahead in. Philip Dalidakis, who served as a minister in the Andrews government during his five years in Victoria's Legislative Council, said the Greens' "divisive" approach proved costly. "This election, if nothing else, is proof positive that the Australian public have had enough," Mr Dalidakis told Sky News Australia's Chief News Anchor Kieran Gilbert. "What the Greens are selling, the Australian public are no longer buying. This all comes down to the fact that they've been divisive. "They've taken a conflict... thousands of kilometres away from home, they have weaponised it here and they have attempted to try and win votes at the expense of social harmony here at home and people have had enough." Mr Dalidakis said the Greens was "no longer the party of Bob Brown", drifting away from core environmental issues they made traction on. "If you go back and have a look at the news clippings for the last 18 months, you'd be hard pressed to find more than a dozen mentions of the environment by Greens' spokespeople," he said. "They have moved away from environmental issues. "In fact all that they've done is they've tried to weaponise social disharmony and disunity and attempted to try and vote harvest from it. "The fact of the matter is that the Greens political party have gone down a very, very dirty and murky road." While Mr Dalidakis said the Greens "will do well to learn from the lessons that they've just experienced", he indicated that has not yet been the case. "In the last 48 hours, I've heard a number of different Senators double down on this and say in actual fact they probably should have gone harder," he said. "Well, this is fair warning, if they go harder, the rest of the Australian public will treat them they way that they just did on Saturday." Mr Bandt's primary vote was down 4.40 per cent in Melbourne, while the Green's first preferences dropped 1.40 per cent in Ryan, 2.88 per cent in Griffith and 1.71 per cent in Brisbane.
ABC News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Labor tears down Coalition in Queensland stronghold
For election after election, Queensland has stood as a fortress for the federal Coalition. On Saturday night, Labor tore down the fortress walls, seized a slew of seats, and stunningly defeated Peter Dutton in Dickson. Ali France is the newly-elected member for Dickson. ( ABC News: Alex Brewster ) Labor had been eyeing off several seats in the sunshine state, but never really thought it would win as many as it did. At a state level, the party was feeling a bit weary after losing the Queensland election just months ago. Fast-forward to this federal poll, Labor has notched up significant swings from the north to the south of the state. Election essentials: Look back on our The government made deep incursions into long-held LNP-held territory, winning electorates such as Bonner, Forde, and Leichhardt. Labor is even tracking well in the Greens-held seats of Griffith and Brisbane. To put this result into context, this is Labor's best outcome in Queensland since Kevin Rudd's landslide election win in 2007. Labor's landslide election win in 2007 came after succesful campaigning. Election watchers weren't expecting Queensland to be a big story in this year's federal poll — and weren't paying close attention to many of the seats that have switched hands. But the state has delivered a surprising result. It has played a pivotal role by giving Anthony Albanese a very comfortable majority in his second term as prime minister. Dutton says he will take "full responsibility" for the Coalition's loss. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) Queensland captures the national spotlight again Before this election, Labor held only five of the 30 seats in Queensland. The party is now set to double its representation, at the very least. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on So strong was the Coalition's presence in Queensland, it previously held 21 of the state's 30 electorates. On the floor of the House of Representatives, Queenslanders made up roughly 40 per cent of the Coalition's MPs. Labor was always going to face a tough challenge in Queensland. The historical odds were against it. Signage and the colours of the shirts worn by political party volunteers light up King George Square outside of Brisbane City Hall. ( ABC News: Christopher Gillette ) With so few Labor seats to lose in Queensland, Mr Albanese arguably played offensive in this election campaign, visiting a number of Coalition and Greens-held electorates. He even showed up in Mr Dutton's seat of Dickson, where he stood alongside Ali France. Despite Labor winning all but two state elections in Queensland since 1986, the party often struggles to make significant inroads at federal elections. Since 2010, the Coalition has always managed to hold onto a majority of the state's federal electorates. And, in the 2022 poll, Labor even lost a seat (Griffith to the Greens) despite the party winning the overall result across the country. Nevertheless, Queensland is often a place to watch on election night. In 2007, it helped push Mr Rudd over the finish line as he led Labor to victory. Photo shows Four people on stage hold hands in triumph as the crowd takes photos Fighting back tears as he addresses supporters, Anthony Albanese flashes his often displayed Medicare card and vows to get back to work tomorrow. In 2019, it played a major role in sending then-prime minister Scott Morrison back to the Lodge and giving the Coalition a slim majority. And in 2022, Queensland caught many by surprise when it sent three Greens MPs to Canberra. In 2025, it has once again captured the national spotlight — by giving Mr Albanese a major boost to his majority and booting the opposition leader from his own seat. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
The Australian
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Australian
Federal Election 2025: Labor breaches fortress Queensland with Peter Dutton ousted
Fortress Queensland? The Coalition bastion north of the Tweed River has been breached by the Labor Party which seems set to claim the prize scalp of Peter Dutton in his outer Brisbane seat of Dickson in an election boilover. With 67 per cent of the vote counted in Dickson, Labor's Ali France was heading the Opposition Leader by 58.75 per cent two-party preferred to Mr Dutton's 41.25 per cent. Election watchers agreed he would be hard-pressed to come back from that position, even though pre-poll votes traditionally favour the blue team. An ALP scrutineer monitoring the count in Dickson said: 'The pre-poll is also breaking our way.' ABC election analyst Antony Green declared at 8.41pm that Mr Dutton had lost his ultra-marginal seat, on a buffer of barely 1.7 per cent This caps a potentially disastrous night for the Coalition, given that Queensland has been the rock on which Liberal-National Party governments have rested since John Howard's day three decades ago. Labor lost one of its then six seats in the Sunshine State at the 2022 election won under Anthony Albanese. Leading into the 2025 federal election, Labor held only five of the state's 30 federal seats. On current counting, it is in the mix to pick up the LNP electorates of Petries, Bonner, Bowman and Dickson in greater Brisbane, as well as Carins-based Leichhardt in north Queensland. The Greens-held seat of Brisbane and Griffith are also in play for the ALP. Labor is particularly confident of its chances in the seat of Brisbane, where Greens MP Stephen Bates faces a third-placed finish on the primary vote count – meaning ALP candidate Madonna Jarrett would win on his preferences. The Greens' high profile housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather is also in deep trouble in his seat of Griffith. On current counting, Labor could lift its tally of House seats in Queensland to 13, approaching the high water mark of 15 seats achieved in the 2007 election under hometown hero Kevin Rudd. First time Labor candidate Kara Cook is on track to win the Brisbane seat of Bonner, held by Liberal MP Ross Vasta for 18 of the past 21 years. With 55 per cent of the vote, the former Brisbane City Councillor and lawyer has secured an 11 per cent swing to Labor, and now leads Mr Vasta by 57 per cent to 42 per cent on a two party preferred basis. In the Liberal-held seat of Petrie, Labor's candidate Emma Comer led the two party preferred vote on 55.48 per cent to incumbent MP Luke Howarth's 44.5 per cent. The seat was switched between Labor and the Liberals over the past two decades. Mr Howarth, whose electorate neighbours Mr Dutton's seat of Dickson, has held Petrie since 2013. The Cairns' based seat of Leichhardt, long held by the retiring Liberal MP Warren Entsch, is also likely to fall to Labor. With 80 per cent of the vote counted, Labor's Matt Smith was leading Liberal candidate Jeremy Neal 58.33 per cent to 41.67 per cent, on a two party preferred basis. Read related topics: Peter Dutton
West Australian
01-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: The key seats that could decide the next government
This Saturday's election is shaping up to produce a mélange of results. All the polls say Labor is almost certain to retain Government, it will just be a matter of whether they cling on to majority, or fall short – and if so, by how much. Going into the election, Labor holds a notional 78 seats, the Coalition 57, the Greens 4, and the crossbench 11. The major parties need 76 of the 150 seats to form majority Government, but could govern with 75 by making a crossbencher the speaker. A handful of marginal seats could swap hands, while there are serious challenges to electorates with more sizeable buffers. The teal wave that swept through capital cities in 2022 could extend into the regions this time, while the Greens face tough competition in their three Queensland seats, and One Nation's vote is up across tehc ountry. Psephologist Kevin Bonham told The Nightly said there were about 50 seats to pay close attention to – including most marginal seats on either side. 'If the polls are right, the median result is Labor slightly increasing its majority. There could reasonably be anything from Labor falls into minority by a few through to something lopsided – anything within that range,' he said. 'For Labor to fall deeply into minority, something would be deeply wrong… But you can't be absolutely sure until you see what happens.' Liberal sources know there's a reality where they only win five or six seats come Saturday but are still hopeful a significant Labor backlash eventuates in the outer urban electorates. Labor MPs and staffers alike are still nervous, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is hopeful he doesn't just hold his majority, but increases it. 'We're aiming to hold every single one of them, and we're out there campaigning hard in Coalition-held seats and in Greens-held seats as well,' he said on Wednesday. Pollsters, strategists and party sources alike say there are very few guarantees in this election — Saturday will essentially be '150 byelections' but these are about 40 of the key ones to watch. Of the state's 38 seats, a handful could change hands on Saturday night. The unpopular state Government has been a drag on federal Labor's vote, but they're hopeful the outer-suburban wipeout the Coalition had been hoping for doesn't eventuate. The Liberals have made no secret of their aspiration to pinch Chisholm back from the Labor Party, while Aston — which was won by the Government in the 2023 byelection on a fluke — will inevitably change hands. 'We're not supposed to have it,' one Labor source said. McEwan , in the city's north, is held by Labor with 3.8 per cent. Dutton has now visited the seat three times this campaign and is firming up to be one of Labor's losses. Dunkley , in the city's east is another one of those outer-metropolitan/ peri urban seats where the cost-of-living factor could go against Labor's 6.8 per cent margin. The safe Labor seat of Gorton , held with 10 per cent, became the centre of a concerted Coalition advertising campaign mid-way through the campaign. Labor could suffer a significant swing here, but party insiders believe it will hold. They share the same view about Hawke (7.6 per cent), which Mr Dutton has now visited twice in five weeks to Mr Albanese's zero. Meanwhile in Bendigo , the Nationals are in with a strong chance of decimating Labor's 11.2 per cent margin to add it to its column. Labor is also fighting on its left flank, with the Greens running strong races in Wills and Macnamarra — where preference flows will be crucial. The minor party are most confident about knocking Wills MP Peter Khalil off. Labor could recover some of their losses by picking up Deakin , which is held by the Liberals on 0.02 per cent. Liberal sources believe they will pick up either Goldstein or Kooyong from the teal independents. Former MP Tim Wilson is running a strong campaign in the former, and Mr Dutton spent time with candidate Amelia Hammer in Kooyong this week to throw his support behind her. But the Coalition could lose Dan Tehan's regional seat of Wannon to Climate-200 backed candidate Alex Dyson. The Coalition is most confident of its chances in picking up the Labor-held seat of Gilmore , where former state MP Andrew Constance is again taking on Fiona Phillips' wafer thin 0.2 per cent margin. In Sydney, the redistribution has reverted Labor-held Bennelong - the seat of former PM John Howard - back to the Liberals. Mr Albanese visited the electorate on Monday to hand out how-to-vote cards with incumbent MP Jerome Laxale, and Labor sources acknowledge the seat will be a tough fight - but are hopeful it will hold. The Liberals have made some noise about Labor-held Reid, Parramatta , and Werriwa. Werriwa appears the most likely to change hands, if the outer-suburban swing away from Labor manifests, and dependent on how the third-party vote pans out. Out in the city's west, Labor is pouring resources into Fowler , where independent Dai Le won by 1.1 per cent in 2022 following a disastrous decision by Labor to parachute in senator Kristina Kenneally. This time, they've backed in Tu Le, and Mr Albanese received a warm reception during a streetwalk earlier this week. Both Mr Dutton and Mr Albanese stopped in the country's bellwether seat of Robertson on the same day this week. Both parties say they are confident in this central coast seat – but whatever happens here has for 15 elections been a reflection of the national mood. Bradfield , which has been a blue-ribbon seat since its creation in 1972, has captured some of the independent voters from the abolished electorate of North Sydney, and the Liberal's margin has been reduced to a narrow 2.5 per cent. With Paul Fletcher retiring, there's a strong belief well-financed independent Nicolette Boele could win the seat on her second tilt. Of the other blue-ribbon seats that went teal in 2022, Mackellar - held by Sophie Scamps - is discussed as the most likely to revert. In the regions, Calare will make for a fascinating watch where a three-way competition between the Nationals, party defector and incumbent Andrew Gee, and a Climate-200 backed independent. In Cowper , where independent Caz Jeise shaved off almost 10 per cent of Nationals MP Pat Conaghan's margin in 2022, Coalition sources acknowledge they face a serious threat. The Sunshine State offers Labor the most chances for gains. Greens-held Brisbane will be a three-way contest, and it could go to either Labor or the Liberal Party, depending on preferences. If Labor's Madonna Jarrett can finish second ahead of incumbent Stephen Bates, she can clinch the seat on preferences. The Coalition feels more confident in wresting Ryan back from the Greens. Griffith , Kevin Rudd's old seat, will be another fierce contest against Greens' MP Max Chandler-Mather. Mr Albanese visited the seat on Tuesday, and Labor sources acknowledge it will be difficult - less of a sure bet, but possible. The bayside seat of Bonner has been in Coalition hands since 2010, but as Labor has improved in national polling this electorate has emerged as a must-watch seat with Mr Albanese visiting the seat on Tuesday. In Leichhardt in the state's north, candidate Matt Smith has had plenty of frontbench support in the last five weeks and a strong advertising campaign behind him. Mr Dutton's seat of Dickson , which he holds with a slim 1.7 per cent margin, could provide a fascinating result. Labor's Ali France is running for a third time, and it was the first stop on Mr Albanese's campaign. The emergence of a Climate 200-backed candidate who hails from a Liberal-supporting part of the electorate has Mr Dutton vulnerable in his own backyard. Climate-200 independents are running strong in the regional electorate of Groom, which has emerged as a dark horse, as well as the Gold Coast seat of McPherson . While the Coalition has buffers of 6.9 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively, there's an outside chance of some movement. Four of the apple isle's five seats are under the spotlight this election. Labor believe they have a chance of flipping Bass and/ or Braddon , on margins of 1.4 per cent and eight per cent respectively. The Liberals have thrown a lot of resources at taking Lyons from Labor, with Mr Dutton making his fifth visit this campaign on Thursday. The safe Labor seat of Franklin , held by minister Julie Collins on 13.7 per cent, is on the wildcard list. Solidly Labor since 1993, the salmon farming issue has become potent in the electorate and independent Peter George, backed by Climate 200, has run a highly visible and well-funded campaign. Labor is in a good position to hold all nine of its seats in WA, including Tangney . The new electorate of Bullwinkel , which is notionally Labor, is favoured by the Liberals. The Liberals are confident the affluent blue-ribbon seat of Curtin , which went teal in 2022, will return to them. But they could lose the regional seat of Forrest , where Climate-200 backed Sue Chapman has run a strong campaign and could pinch the seat from the Liberals after 53 years. The suburban seat of Sturt is a three-cornered race, where Liberal MP James Stevens faces a tough battle against Labor and a new independent challenger. The Greens picked up 16 per cent of the vote last time, so any increase to that vote, as well as preference flows from the independent, could put this seat in Labor's hands. Labor could lose nearby Boothby , where former MP Nicolle Flint is taking on the Labor incumbent. Liberals are confident her name recognition will help them.
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dutton walks out of press conference as Albanese prepares for blitz of six states
Peter Dutton cancelled a scheduled press conference after he was gate-crashed by anti-nuclear protesters and then cut short a second media event, walking out when asked to defend his accusations that reporters covering his campaign were 'biased'. The opposition leader was again under siege as Anthony Albanese prepares for a blitz of six states in the final days of the campaign, hoping to turn his lead in the opinions polls into an election victory on Saturday night. Albanese campaigned in three seats in Brisbane on Tuesday before flying to Canberra ahead of a major speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday. At a press conference at a housing construction site in the Greens-held seat of Griffith, Albanese and his treasurer, Jim Chalmers, were again pushed on warnings from ratings agency S&P that big-spending election commitments could threaten Australia's AAA credit rating. Asked for a guarantee that the nation's prized rating would be retained, Chalmers said: 'There would be no reason to lose the AAA'. Meanwhile, Dutton was down on the New South Wales south coast, visiting the marginal Labor-held seat of Gilmore and Whitlam. He toured a farmers' market in Nowra, speaking to business owners and shoppers about rising grocery and power prices. He inspected produce including a large sweet potato but avoided a display of eggs. Dutton then went further south to Sanctuary Point, pledging $3.5m for upgrades at Francis Ryan Reserve. Dutton was due to hold a press conference there, but the photo op with junior football players was interrupted by union supporters wearing hazmat suits and holding a fake Geiger counter, to criticise the Coalition's nuclear plan. Standing in the area where Dutton was to hold his presser, the men played air raid sirens on a phone and held props including nuclear symbols. Members of the football club tried to shoo the men away, critical that the announcement for junior football players had been overshadowed. One club official called the protesters 'muppets'. One of the men identified himself as Arthur Rorris, head of the South Coast Labour Council, who said he was joined by Tafe and ports workers. The press conference got cancelled. Dutton later criticised the interruption as a 'stunt' and said it left the junior football players 'disappointed'. The opposition leader later appeared in Moss Vale to announce $113m for a new road bypass. It ended up being one of the shortest media appearances Dutton has given on the campaign, barely getting beyond 15 minutes and only taking a small number of questions. Dutton has usually fielded a large number of questions each day – but on Tuesday he only took around 12 questions, skipping over several reporters. In a campaign rally on Sunday, Dutton referred to the ABC and Guardian Australia as 'the hate media'. Asked about those comments in a Sky News interview on Monday, Dutton claimed some of the reporters covering his campaign were 'so biased' and 'activists'. Asked about those claims again on Tuesday, Dutton didn't directly answer. Voters, he said, weren't focused on the 'feelings' of the press pack. When pressed on whether it was just a convenient excuse to blame the media, and if he thought anyone in the press conference was biased, Dutton wrapped the press conference and walked off. News Corp has reported One Nation has reprinted how-to-vote cards in several key electorates, to put the Liberal Party second. The ABC reported the Coalition had put One Nation above Labor on their how-to-votes in 139 of the 150 seats. The former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who Dutton repeatedly mentions as his political mentor, famously decreed One Nation be placed last on Liberal how-to-votes in 2001; but Howard has softened in recent years. Dutton did not directly answer when asked about the One Nation preferences, responding: 'We've taken the decision that we want to make sure that Australians can preference us first. That's the most important way to be able to change this government'. He declined follow-up questions. Labor members including Chalmers have begun claiming Dutton wants to build a nuclear plant in Dickson. The treasurer repeated the claim on Tuesday. The Coalition has flatly rejected the claim, which appears to be a reference to Sunday night's debate where Dutton said he would be happy to have a reactor in his Brisbane electorate. Dutton did not say the Coalition would actually build one there. 'Those seven sites were identified around the country. There's not one in my electorate. So the prime minister can play all sorts of games,' Dutton said, when asked about the Labor scare campaign. Albanese visited a pre-poll station in Liberal-held Bonner – which has recently emerged as a Labor target seat – before taking a walk through Market Square, a popular lunch spot in the Labor-held seat of Moreton. The prime minister travelled back to Canberra late on Tuesday night ahead of a speech to the National Press Club. The Labor leader plans to campaign in all six states before Saturday, in a final push to sway undecided voters who could swing the outcome.
