Greens say they are a chance to claim Kevin Rudd’s old seat

The Greens believe they stand a chance to claim Kevin Rudd’s old seat of Griffith saying people have switched off from Labor and the Liberals.

Supporters of The Greens out in force with their candidate for Griffith Max Chandler-Mather.

THE Greens believe they stand a chance to claim Kevin Rudd’s old seat of Griffith saying people have switched off from Labor and the Liberals.

Their candidate Max Chandler-Mather, a former Labor Party branch member, left the party in 2013.

Griffith has been held by the Labor Party since 1996 with Terri Butler holding the seat with a margin of 1.5 per cent.

The Greens are currently on 17% in Griffith and believe that they need a 7.5% swing from the ALP to win compared to 2016 federal results. Griffith covers the State electorates of South Brisbane and Greenslopes where the Greens secured a 11.7% and 7.6% swing respectively in the 2017 State election.

Mr Chandler-Mather, 26, hails from The Greens’ heartland for the electorate, growing up in West End and now living in a share house at Highgate Hill.

The Greens candidate for Griffith Max Chandler-Mather.

The Greens say Griffith will be a three-cornered contest, with the ALP, The Greens and the Coalition all in a position to win.

The party is focusing on making sure Larissa Waters is re-elected to the Senate and are targeting large swings in Griffith, Brisbane and Ryan saying they will create “a different sort of politics and economy that works for all of us”.

The Greens have run a grassroots campaign in Griffith, doorknocking twice as many homes as they did in South Brisbane in the state election, which saw a 12% swing and came within 3% of defeating Deputy Premier Jackie Trad.

Mr Chandler-Mather said he and his team of volunteers had knocked on more than 35,000 doors across the electorate over the last year.

“Greens internal polling shows an unprecedented surge in support, with the seat likely to come down to just a few hundred votes between the Greens and Labor,” he said.

If The Greens win the seat, Mr Chandler-Mather would be the party’s first lower house federal MP outside of Victoria.

“I’ve talked to so many people who will be voting Greens for the first time this election,” Mr Chandler-Mather said.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SOUTH-EAST ADVERTISER & THE COURIER MAIL: JUST $1 A WEEK FOR FIRST 12 WEEKS

“People have switched off from Labor and the Liberals and their lack of vision.

“What I’m hearing at the doors is that people want a representative who isn’t in the pockets of big corporations, that they can trust to fight for everyday people.

“People want common sense solutions like dental covered by Medicare, winding back the privatisation of essential services and introducing free childcare.

“People are fed up with Labor and the Liberals letting one in three big corporations pay $0 in tax.”