Ousted Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather says working at parliament was ‘bloody awful’ at times
The Greens firebrand has unloaded on his at times “bloody awful” time in parliament, stating he’s “quite happy” he doesn’t have to go back.
Federal Election
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Ousted Greens firebrand Max Chandler-Mather has described his experience working in parliament as “bloody awful” and “miserable” in his first interview following the federal election.
Speaking to Triple J Hack, Mr Chandler-Mather, who lost the Brisbane seat of Griffith to Labor’s Renee Coffey, took responsibility for the defeat.
While he said he didn't “regret a thing,” a silver lining of his election defeat would be not having to return to parliament.
“One of the things I’m quite happy about at the moment is I don’t have to spend more time in that House of Representatives because basically every time I stood up, I got screamed and yelled at,” he said.
“In terms of a workplace, it was bloody awful, and frankly, a lot of the times miserable, and the only reason I kept going back was because it felt like we were one of the few voices fighting for millions of people who feel really let down by this political system.”
However he conceded the Greens “fell short”.
“I feel like I’ve let people down because I always feel like at the end of the day, the MP has to take responsibility for that, and I suppose I do,” he said.
While counting remains ongoing, the Greens could stand to lose three of their four seats in the house, leaving Ryan MP Elizabeth Warren-Brown as the party’s sole representative.
Counting also remains ongoing for party leader Adam Bandt’s electorate of Melbourne, where Mr Bandt is trailing Labor’s Sarah Witty 46.45 per cent to 53.55 per cent on a two-candidate preferred basis.
About 69 per cent of the vote has been counted.
Asked what the Greens could have done differently in the wake of a near election wipe-out, Mr Chandler-Mather couldn’t say however acknowledged the Greens’ senate performance.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t think I have all the answers now, less than about two days after the election. I think one thing to reflect on is actually nationwide, our senate vote is up, like we’ve got the best senate result in our party’s history,” he said.
Originally published as Ousted Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather says working at parliament was ‘bloody awful’ at times
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