Federal Election 2016: Greens brace for disappointing result

GREENS senator Lee Rhiannon has admitted her party is prepared for a disappointing result with the NSW senator conceding they normally receive fewer votes than what their polling numbers suggest.

NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon says the Greens are preparing for a disappointing election result.

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GREENS senator Lee Rhiannon was last night preparing for a disappointing result, maintaining that her party is in it for the “long haul”.

The NSW senator said the Greens normally receive fewer votes than what their polling numbers suggest.

“We have been polling at between 9-12 per cent this week,” she said.

“Our election result is normally lower than what our polling shows.

“We have had thousands of people out on polling booths across the state.

“It gives you a real boost when you are out and see people only picking up a Greens how-to-vote card.”

Greens MP Adam Bandt

Ms Rhiannon admitted that it “was always going to be tough” to take the inner western Sydney seat of Grayndler from Labor’s Anthony Albanese.

The Greens were also facing an uphill battle to snatch the seat of Sydney from Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek.

South of the border, the Greens were confident of retaining Adam Bandt in the inner-city seat of Melbourne.

Asked about the contests in the Labor-held Batman and Liberal-held Higgins, she said: “I would not be surprised if we had a breakthrough in those seats”.

“We have had a big turnout in Melbourne.”

A Channel Nine exit poll last night had the Greens tracking at 9 per cent.

The party’s primary vote went backwards in the 1998 and 2013 federal elections.

Mr Bandt told Sky News refugees and climate change were the biggest policy issues for Greens voters