Labor lord mayoral candidate Tracey Price preferences Greens opponent Jonathan Sriranganathan over LNP

Labor’s Brisbane lord mayoral hopeful Tracey Price has asked voters to preference her controversial Greens’ opponent over the LNP, sparking accusations of a coalition.

Labor’s lord mayoral candidate has asked voters to preference her radical Greens’ opponent in the race to helm Australia’s largest council, sparking accusations of a power-sharing deal.

How-to-vote cards for lord mayoral hopeful Tracey Price have revealed the official suggestion to voters is to put her first and give their immediate preference to Greens’ mayoral hopeful Jonathan Sriranganathan – who has faced court over protests and come under fire for out-there social media posts.

The cards then recommend numbering the rest of the boxes with the LNP at the bottom.

The move comes despite Ms Price repeatedly declaring the party is not interested in a coalition with the Greens, and in radio interviews last year she affirmed she would ask voters to “just vote 1 Labor”.

Labor lord mayoral candidate Tracey Price. Picture: Steve Pohlner

LNP Team Schrinner spokeswoman Fiona Cunningham said the how-to-vote cards published by Ms Price and other Labor candidates potentially indicated a “power-sharing deal” had been done with the Greens.

“Team Schrinner is advocating “Just Vote 1” on all how-to-vote cards. Ms Price could have done the same or simply recommended voters make up their own minds,” she said.

“But she hasn’t.”

Labor has refuted the accusation, with Queensland Labor State Secretary Kate Flanders claiming no deals have been done and the decision to suggest voters number all boxes was to prevent confusion at the ballot box.

The Greens have also rejected any suggestion a deal was struck with Labor, with a spokesman noting the party’s how-to-vote would put Labor third or fourth on the preference list based on the decision of party members in each area.

The Greens’ lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan. Picture: Richard Walker

Mr Sriranganathan has frequently attracted headlines for his out-there Facebook posts, including appearing to encourage people to squat in empty homes and his defence of a University of Queensland student union article offering advice on shop stealing.

In 2022, he was placed on a good behaviour bond after being found guilty of undertaking a prohibited activity in the city’s Queen Street Mall for participating in a protest.

But he has claimed authorities have demonstrated a pattern of targeting him, and last year Queensland Police dropped charges of trespass and obstruct police against him, citing a lack of evidence.

Queensland local government elections use the optional preferential voting system in some areas and first past the post voting in others.

In the Brisbane City Council election voters don’t need to number every box for their vote to count.

But about 38,000 voters across three city council wards will also need to vote in the by-election for the state seat of Inala, which will require them to number every box.

“(Because of this) we think it’s helpful to voters to be consistent in our approach to offering how to vote cards that show full preferential voting,” Ms Flanders said.