Greens deal Scott Morrison another federal election blow

Greens leader Adam Bandt has delivered Prime Minister Scott Morrison another big blow weeks out from the federal election.

The Greens have revealed which candidates they will recommend voters preference at the federal election on May 21.

Greens leader Adam Bandt will announce on Saturday his party will preference Labor ahead of the Liberals across the country.

While Australians ultimately choose in what order to number their voting ballots, political parties deliberate over what order to put competing candidates on their how-to-vote cards which are handed out at polling booths.

Preferencing is powerful because many voters will choose to number their ballots in the order recommended to them on their preferred how-to-vote card.

Greens leader Adam Bandt will announce the party’s preferences on Saturday Picture: AAP Image / Gary Ramage

If a voter’s first choice doesn’t get enough votes to win their electorate, the votes will flow to their second choice and so on, allowing candidates to accumulate more votes.

Local and state branches of the Greens have finalised their preference recommendations this week ahead of early voting polling booths opening on May 9.

The Greens will run a candidate in all 151 lower house seats and say their how-to-vote cards will recommend a preference for Labor above the Liberals and Nationals and place other right-wing parties last.

The Greens will also recommend a preference for climate-focused independents in key Liberal held seats.

In the Senate, the Greens will recommend preferences to progressive candidates and Labor.

The Greens have failed to gain much ground in the House of Representatives since 2010, when Mr Bandt was elected in the progressive, inner-city seat of Melbourne.

Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, pictured with Higgins MP Katie Allen MP, has defended his decision to preference One Nation. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

But party members are optimistic they can be a powerful force at the upcoming election, with their preferences helping them to achieve their central goal of ousting the Coalition from government.

Mr Bandt earlier this month said he believed his party would hold the balance of power in the Senate in its own right and possibly hold the balance of power in the lower house.

Both Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison have ruled out doing a deal with independents or minor parties such as the Greens if the election results in a hung parliament, but it remains to be seen if this would really be the case.

And with a tight election on the horizon, the way parties preference one another is likely to play a big part in whoever forms the next government.

Right-wing senator Pauline Hanson turned heads this week when she announced her party One Nation would target Liberal moderate MPs in five key seats across the country by pushing its supporters to preference Labor.

Senator Hanson styled the Tasmanian Liberal party’s decision to direct its preferences to the political party founded by Senator Jacqui Lambie as a betrayal on behalf of conservative Australians.

Pauline Hanson, pictured with One Nation’s candidate for Spence Linda Champion, will target moderate Liberals in key seats. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

In retribution, Senator Hanson declared One Nation candidates would preference Labor above “left-leaning Liberals” in Bass, Goldstein, North Sydney, Indi and Sturt.

“(Scott Morrison) needs to be reminded that conservative Australians feel betrayed by his lurch to the left with net zero emissions by 2050, and the left-leaning Liberals who pushed him there need to be removed,” Senator Hanson said.

Her right-wing populist party will run a candidate in 149 of the 151 lower house seats, apart from Higgins in Melbourne and Kennedy in Queensland.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, a self-described moderate Liberal, has defended his decision to preference One Nation over his independent challenger Monique Ryan in his once blue ribbon electorate of Kooyong.

“In my seat, right, it’s going to come down to me, and the so-called independent because the Labor Party and the Greens, you can barely find a sign for them across the electorate,” he told the ABC.

Originally published as Greens deal Scott Morrison another federal election blow