Brisbane council election 2016: Queensland’s first Greens councillor says it’s just the start for the party

THE musician and community worker who will become Queensland’s first Greens councillor has a strong message for members of the two main parties.

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THE musician and community worker who will become Queensland’s first Greens councillor has declared voters are frustrated with the political status quo.

Labor yesterday conceded defeat in The Gabba ward, paving the way for Greens’ Jonathan Sri – who secured 31.56 per cent of the primary vote – to claim victory on the back of preferences, and make history in the party.

Describing the swing as a “vote for positive social change”, the councillor-elect vowed to “stand up for residents” and warned the other political parties to focus on the issue of housing affordability or risk losing seats.

GABBA: Sri declares victory

Australian Greens deputy leader Larissa Waters said it was an “exciting day” for the party.

“This is really the start of the Greens having more opportunity to show that we’re responsible when we’re elected, that we’re responsive, and that we have some long-term vision and the courage to stand up for what really counts,” she said.

When asked how he saw himself working with the LNP-majority council chamber, Mr Sri said he believed there would be a “few small issues” where they could find common ground. But he said residents had elected him to wage battle on their behalf.

“I’m not going to back down over this stuff. I wasn’t elected to be a bureaucrat or puppet for the corporate sector, I’m going to stand up for residents,” he said.

Mr Sri, who holds a double-degree in arts and law, believed the party’s refusal to take “big corporate” campaign donations was “probably the biggest thing” that had held the Greens back.

Jonathan Sri and Greens Senator Larissa Waters, who said it was an “exciting day” for the party. Picture: Liam Kidston

“That’s what set our campaign apart here – we didn’t have a lot of money but we had people power on the ground … we reached people not through glossy billboard ads and ads in the newspaper, we reached people with meaningful, face-to-face conversations,” he said.

The councillor-elect listed housing affordability, economically sustainable development, and giving residents “a meaningful say” over the future of their neighbourhoods as three central issues.

He said the “big end of town” held too much influence over council.