Latest news with #SarahWitty
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Sarah Witty v Adam Bandt: how an unlikely Labor champion took down a Greens giant
Labor could hardly be considered a metaphorical David in most federal election contests. But in the progressive seat of Melbourne, where the now-beaten Greens leader Adam Bandt had reigned for 15 years, there are similarities to the oft-told biblical story. On 28 March, when Anthony Albanese called an election date for May, Melbourne appeared on no one's list as a battle to watch. Just five months before the campaign began, Labor's candidate against Bandt, Sarah Witty, had unsuccessfully run for a seat on Yarra city council. She came third behind independent and Greens candidates. By February, less than two months from polling day, Witty was Labor's choice to run in Melbourne against the long-serving Greens MP. From the outset, the seat wasn't on federal Labor's radar. 'I don't think we even had it in the winnable column,' a Victorian Labor source said. A Greens insider said there had been no indication Melbourne was in trouble, noting the party didn't have the resources for single-seat polling in the way the major parties do. Both the Greens and Labor will reflect on the unexpected result in the coming weeks to figure out what happened. For the Greens, it will be a sobering look at how Bandt, regarded as a unifying leader within the party, lost the seat he had held for so long. Local Labor volunteers from the Melbourne and Richmond branches were out on the hustings daily. Even Witty's social media was run by a volunteer, who updated the page in their free time. How-to-vote cards were supplied by the national campaign but rank-and-file members had to fundraise through raffles and auctions to pay for campaign shirts and corflutes. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A senior Victorian Labor source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described Witty's campaign as 'run on the smell of an oily rag', with donations from the active Melbourne and Richmond branches. Another Labor source, who helped the campaign, said: 'It was a very, very sparsely funded campaign, all raised from locals. It wasn't like there were massive amounts of money coming from a national office.' The idea of Labor as David in a battle against the Greens Goliath doesn't sit well with the Greens camp. They argue that Labor's federal megaphone gives even the most under-resourced campaigns a big chance. While the 'people-powered' campaign is credited by Labor sources as the reason Witty ousted Bandt, a 'perfect storm' had also hit. The Greens leader's chance of winning a sixth term in office was dampened by three key factors, the electoral analyst Kevin Bonham said. The electoral boundaries for the seat shifted before the election, lowering Bandt's primary vote from 49.6% in 2022 to 44.7%. On a two-candidate preferred basis, it had dropped from 60.2% to 56.5%. After days of tense post-election vote counting, Bandt on Thursday conceded to Witty, saying a Greens win in Melbourne was like 'climbing Everest'. 'We needed to overcome Liberal, Labor and One Nation combined, and it's an Everest that we've climbed a few times now, but this time we fell just short,' he said. Bonham said preference flows had not favoured the Greens this time around. More Liberal and One Nation votes went to Labor than previously. The rightwing activist group Advance ran a campaign against the Greens to reduce its vote in both houses, claiming Bandt's defeat as a win. Social media advertising analysis showed the group had spent no money on targeted ads in the seat during the campaign. A source inside Bandt's camp said a post-election review would look at third-party campaigns against the party to understand their impact on the inner-city seat. Bonham said another factor against Bandt couldn't be written off as easily: the Greens leader's primary vote dipped just enough, even after the boundary redistribution, to set the wheels in motion for his loss. 'It's a perfect storm,' he said. 'He had a lower baseline, he had a swing against him on the primary vote, and he had a swing against him on preferences. 'Those three things combined have got rid of him.' Swings against Bandt in progressive booths, including Fitzroy and Collingwood, will require further analysis to determine how the Greens came undone in the lower house. A Victorian Labor source from the left faction hoped the Greens 'looked critically' at their failings. 'I really do see the value of having strong leftwing crossbenchers in the parliament,' they said. 'I think it's good for democracy, and I think it's really good for the Labor party when we do have a viable leftwing minor party. 'So I really hope that they take some time to critically look at their failings.'
SBS Australia
08-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Greens Leader concedes defeat in seat of Melbourne
Greens Leader concedes defeat in seat of Melbourne Published 8 May 2025, 8:30 am Greens Leader Adam Bandt has conceded defeat in the seat of Melbourne, becoming the third Greens MP to be turfed out at this election. Despite finishing first on the primary vote, Bandt sustained a two-candidate preferred swing against him - Labor's Sarah Witty winning back the electorate, some 15 years after the Greens won it. The future of two prominent Labor ministers is also under question, as newly-elected ministers gathered in Canberra for the first time.
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Afternoon Update: Bandt concedes defeat; two men guilty of Cassius Turvey murder; and a snail lays an egg from its neck
Good afternoon. The outgoing Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has formally conceded defeat in the seat of Melbourne to Labor's Sarah Witty. In a statement, Bandt said he 'got the highest vote' in the electorate, but One Nation and Liberal preferences 'got Labor over the line'. As of Thursday afternoon, Witty was leading Bandt by more than 3,800 votes, an 8.6% swing against the sitting member. Bandt became the first Greens MP to sit in the lower house when he won Melbourne in 2010, and has been leader since 2020. The Greens candidate in the neighbouring seat of Wills, Samantha Ratnam, today also conceded defeat. Speaking to reporters, Bandt urged Anthony Albanese's re-elected Labor government to use its 'big majority' to tackle climate and inequality, or else 'watch for a big swing at the next election'. Attention now turns to where the Greens go from here. Bandt's office said leadership 'will be determined by a meeting of the party room next week', with the Tasmanian senator Nick McKim appointed interim caretaker. Top news In video Photograph: Lisa Flanagan/AP Conservationists in New Zealand were undertaking a routine weight check on a captive population of Mount Augustus snails when a small, white egg started emerging from a snail's slimy neck. The carnivorous land snails are found only in New Zealand and are among the largest in the world. Watch the video here. What they said … Ambassador Kevin Rudd. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP 'I don't think we want to see a tax on Bluey.' Australia's ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, has taken aim at the US proposal to put tariffs on screen productions. Speaking on a panel about the state of modern diplomacy in Los Angeles, Rudd said cultural brands – such as the Brisbane-based cartoon juggernaut – had the 'power to capture the public imagination'. In numbers The New South Wales government has given the go-ahead for 10 renewable energy and storage projects to connect to the state's first renewable energy zone near Dubbo. The state currently has about 13GW of renewable energy capacity made up of solar, hydro, wind and biomass power stations. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Before bed read Tristan Lutze tests 11 supermarket pumpkin soups, finding only one that tastes like ripe pumpkins. Photograph: James Gourley/The Guardian Supermarket pumpkin soup taste test: from decent work lunches to 'thin yet clingy' Canned, refrigerated or in a pouch: packaging didn't make a huge difference to the overall quality, Tristan Lutze and his fellow judge found. But not all heat-and-eat soups were a hug in a bowl either. Daily word game Today's starter word is: VERA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Sign up Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australia Greens leader loses seat, cites 'Trump effect'
The leader of Australia's third-largest political party, the Greens, has conceded his seat in Melbourne after a tight electoral vote count that lasted several days. Adam Bandt, who had safely held the seat of Melbourne since 2010, told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he had called Labor candidate Sarah Witty to congratulate her on her victory. Australia's centre-left Labor party won Saturday's federal election by a landslide, decimating the conservative Liberal-National Coalition while also gutting the left-leaning Greens. While the Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne, Bandt said the main reason for their loss was the preference votes for Liberal and the far-right One Nation party. Australia uses a preferential voting system, where candidates are ranked in order of preference. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the first tally, the votes from the least popular candidates are redistributed, and that process is repeated until someone secures a majority. "To win in Melbourne we needed to overcome Liberal, Labor and One Nation combined, and it's an Everest we've climbed a few times now, but this time we fell just short," Bandt said. "We came very close," he added, "but we couldn't quite get there." Bandt also cited the so-called Trump effect as a "key defining feature of the election" - the Coalition's PM candidate Peter Dutton was often compared to the US President, which he rejected but it stuck. Bandt said that contributed to a five-week "riptide" that saw votes swing away from Liberal and Dutton, and towards Labor. This same effect also pulled votes away from the Greens, he added: "The riptide from Liberal to Labor had an effect on us as well." "People in Melbourne hate Peter Dutton, and with very good reason. They've seen his brand of toxic racism for many years... and like me, many wanted him as far away from power as possible. "My initial take is some votes leaked away from us, as people saw Labor as the best option to stop Dutton." Like Bandt, Dutton also lost his seat in the election, adding to his resounding defeat at the polls by incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Bandt has held the seat of Melbourne since 2010 [Getty Images] Bandt, who has been leader of the Greens since 2020, said he wanted to thank the Melbourne community for "regularly giving me the highest vote, including this election, and to thank you for the last 15 years and the chance to do some amazing things together". He listed off a string of achievements by the Greens under his leadership, including the party's pivotal role in the marriage equality plebiscite, the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum, and advancing "world-leading climate legislation". "Fighting the climate crisis is the reason I got into politics, and I want to thank everyone in Melbourne for helping us make a difference," Bandt said. He also thanked his party colleagues, noting that he leaves the party with "the vote for the Greens higher than when i started, and our biggest ever representation in parliament". Bandt thanked the African and Muslim communities in Melbourne, as well as "everyone that had the courage to speak up against the invasion of Gaza, and spoke up for peace in Palestine". Finally, he thanked his wife, Claudia. "Not only could I have not done this without her, we've done it together," he said. In his closing remarks, Bandt offered some "free advice to the media". "We're in a climate crisis," he said. "I really want the media to stop reporting on climate as a political issue, and start thinking of it as if our country were being invaded. We should treat the climate crisis as if there was a war on." "Please, please start taking the climate crisis seriously, and holding this government and any future government to account."
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Adam Bandt: Australia Greens leader loses seat, cites 'Trump effect'
Australia Greens leader loses seat, cites 'Trump effect' While the Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne, Bandt said the main reason for their loss was the preference votes for Liberal and the far-right One Nation party. Australia's centre-left Labor party won Saturday's federal election by a landslide , decimating the conservative Liberal-National Coalition while also gutting the left-leaning Greens. Adam Bandt, who had safely held the seat of Melbourne since 2010, told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he had called Labor candidate Sarah Witty to congratulate her on her victory. The leader of Australia's third-largest political party, the Greens, has conceded his seat in Melbourne after a tight electoral vote count that lasted several days. Australia uses a preferential voting system, where candidates are ranked in order of preference. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the first tally, the votes from the least popular candidates are redistributed, and that process is repeated until someone secures a majority. "To win in Melbourne we needed to overcome Liberal, Labor and One Nation combined, and it's an Everest we've climbed a few times now, but this time we fell just short," Bandt said. "We came very close," he added, "but we couldn't quite get there." Bandt also cited the so-called Trump effect as a "key defining feature of the election" - the Coalition's PM candidate Peter Dutton was often compared to the US President, which he rejected but it stuck. Bandt said that contributed to a five-week "riptide" that saw votes swing away from Liberal and Dutton, and towards Labor. This same effect also pulled votes away from the Greens, he added: "The riptide from Liberal to Labor had an effect on us as well." "People in Melbourne hate Peter Dutton, and with very good reason. They've seen his brand of toxic racism for many years... and like me, many wanted him as far away from power as possible. "My initial take is some votes leaked away from us, as people saw Labor as the best option to stop Dutton." Like Bandt, Dutton also lost his seat in the election, adding to his resounding defeat at the polls by incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Bandt, who has been leader of the Greens since 2020, said he wanted to thank the Melbourne community for "regularly giving me the highest vote, including this election, and to thank you for the last 15 years and the chance to do some amazing things together". He listed off a string of achievements by the Greens under his leadership, including the party's pivotal role in the marriage equality plebiscite, the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum, and advancing "world-leading climate legislation". "Fighting the climate crisis is the reason I got into politics, and I want to thank everyone in Melbourne for helping us make a difference," Bandt said. He also thanked his party colleagues, noting that he leaves the party with "the vote for the Greens higher than when i started, and our biggest ever representation in parliament". Bandt thanked the African and Muslim communities in Melbourne, as well as "everyone that had the courage to speak up against the invasion of Gaza, and spoke up for peace in Palestine". Finally, he thanked his wife, Claudia. "Not only could I have not done this without her, we've done it together," he said. In his closing remarks, Bandt offered some "free advice to the media". "We're in a climate crisis," he said. "I really want the media to stop reporting on climate as a political issue, and start thinking of it as if our country were being invaded. We should treat the climate crisis as if there was a war on." "Please, please start taking the climate crisis seriously, and holding this government and any future government to account."
