Labor candidate confirms she would work with Greens

Footage of a speech by the Greens’ mayoral hopeful talking about a Greens-Labor majority coalition has sparked claims of a “dodgy power sharing deal”. It comes as Labor’s lord mayoral candidate confirmed she would work with the Greens if forced to after the council election. VIDEO

Labor’s lord mayoral candidate has confirmed she would work with the Greens if forced to in the aftermath of the Brisbane City council election but insists neither party has done a formal power sharing deal.

It comes as video footage emerged of the Greens lord mayoral hopeful Jonathan Sriranganathan telling supporters the minor party could “knock the LNP out of a majority and create a situation where you have a Greens mayor and a Greens-Labor majority coalition”.

LNP Team Schrinner has leapt on the comments as proof of a “dodgy power sharing deal” secured by a “Green/Labor Coalition of Chaos” – a claim it has pushed throughout the campaign as it battles two fronts in a bid to hold on to power.

The battle for the Brisbane mayoral race is heating up as Tracey Price and Jonathan Sriranganathan prepare to topple the incumbent Adrian Schrinner.

Voting in the local government election closes on March 16, with the race for the top job a three-horse race between the LNP’s Adrian Schrinner, Ms Price and Mr Sriranganathan.

The LNP holds 19 of the 26 council wards, though the Greens are hopeful – based on internal polling – of netting five of those to at least become the next official opposition. Labor has not taken a ward off the LNP in 20 years.

Labor’s lord mayoral hopeful Tracey Price said she was fighting to lead a majority council, but if voters didn’t return that mandate she would “work with whatever I’ve got”.

“If we get to the point where I’m forced to work with them (the Greens), then it’ll be working through what the policies are and speaking to the community and finding out what community wants,” she said. “I will always advocate first and foremost for my policy agenda.”

Ms Price and Mr Sriranganathan reiterated neither party had struck a deal, nor did they believe those agreements were necessary.

Screenshots of Greens leader Jonathan Sriranganathan confirming he will form a Coalition with Labor which was filmed at his official campaign launch in October.

It comes as video from Mr Sriranganathan’s October 2023 campaign launch surfaced. He told the crowd the Greens could puncture the LNP majority and bring about a “situation where you have a Greens mayor and a Greens-Labor majority Coalition on Brisbane City Council”

Team Schrinner campaign spokeswoman Cr Fiona Cunningham said with a week to go before polls close in the Brisbane City Council election, Greens and Labor needed to “come clean”.

She claimed Mr Sriranganathan’s comments at the campaign launch contradicted his “repeated claims to the media that he has no plan to form a Coalition with Labor”.

LNP Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. Pic: John Gass.

But Mr Sriranganathan has previously said while there is no formal deal between Greens and Labor but as a “matter of commonsense” if a party doesn’t get an outright majority “then councillors from different parties are going to have to work together”.

Mr Sriranganathan stood by his comments, and affirmed he was willing to work with different parties including the LNP and Labor.

The last Brisbane City Lord Mayor to work with a council dominated by a different political party was Campbell Newman in 2004. Mr Newman at the time narrowly defeated Labor’s Tim Quinn but Labor still held 17 of 26 wards.