Gleeso Confidential: Labor, Greens in secret talks
They are both denying it of course, but it is my understanding that Labor and the Greens have held secret talks over what a minority government would look like in a hung parliament post-election, writes Peter Gleeson.
Opinion
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They are both denying it of course, but it is my understanding that Labor and the Greens have held secret talks over what a minority government would look like in a hung parliament post-election.
Just a few weeks ago, senior Greens officials met with key Labor personnel about the possibility of a Labor-Greens parliamentary alliance.
The Greens believe the first policy to be rammed through in a Labor-Greens alliance would be an extra 100,000 public housing lots in Brisbane.
The Greens have internal polling suggesting they are in front in South Brisbane and Maiwar and are marginally behind in both McConnel and Cooper.
Greens whistleblower John Meyer – disendorsed in Clayfield after the party said his conduct was “inconsistent with the Greens’ code of ethics’ – said a Labor-Greens minority government would “shake the foundations of Queensland’’.
“It would be a shocker,’’ he said, while rejecting all allegations against him made by the party’s senior executive.
It’s understood discussions have been held at the Greens state council about what the balance of power structure would mean for the party, including the possibility of a Cabinet role.
“I’m extremely disappointed that nobody has supported me when many people within the party know the truth,’’ Mr Meyer said. “There are heaps of people inside the Greens prepared to leave the party over the radical way in which it has lurched to the Left.’’
The Australian Taxation Office is investigating JobKeeper payments going to at least 20 Greens staff in Queensland.
It follows an email which I’ve sighted, dated Thursday, April 30 and signed by the party’s finance officer David Keogh, which says the Greens did not qualify for JobKeeper because its membership income was growing.