Victoria state election Labor candidate was an ALP hating Green
A TWO-time Greens candidate who once slammed Labor for being “fake” and “scandalous” and ripped into projects such as the North East Link and desalination plant in a series of social media posts will run for the ALP in the state election.
Victoria State Election
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EXCLUSIVE: A TWO-time Greens candidate who once slammed Labor for being “fake” and “scandalous” will run for the ALP in the state election.
Fiona Mackenzie is the Labor candidate in the seat of Bulleen — held by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy on a 10.6 per cent margin — where she ran in 2006 and 2010 for the Greens.
As a previous candidate she described former federal Greens leader Bob Brown as a “guiding light for the Gillard-Labor section of the government” and slammed the North East Link, which Labor is promising to build to link the Eastern Freeway to the M80 in Greensborough.
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“NASA can reach a distant planet for $10 billion and the Labor government will spend $6 billion for 5km of tunnel? (Not good shoppers!)” she posted on Facebook in 2010.
Since switching her green shirt for a red shirt, Ms Mackenzie has described the North East Link — now costing $16 billion but still including a 5km tunnel — as an “amazing project”.
Last night, Ms Mackenzie said she was proud to run for Labor and “I know from bitter personal experience that the Greens Political Party only howl from the sidelines”.
While switching parties is not unheard of, some social media posts by Ms Mackenzie when she previously ran for parliament are embarrassing for Labor.
She once described Victoria’s controversial 150 gigalitre desalination plant as an environmental disaster.
“The State Labor government not only does not support the environment — it has created environmental problems. Consider the desal plant, pipeline, dredging of the bay and more freeways. Consider the cost!” she posted.
She also slammed Labor’s “scandalous, fake community consultation” over a Windsor Hotel redevelopment proposal during the former Brumby Government.
The switch gives fresh ammunition to the Liberal Party in its campaign to warn against a “Labor-Greens alliance” after this month’s election.
Shadow treasurer Michael O’Brien said on Thursday night: “Under Daniel Andrews, Labor has been adopting Green Party policies. Now they are adopting Green Party candidates”.
“Victorians now know the truth: vote Labor, get a Green.”
Labor says other candidates have switched parties before, such as former Family First candidate Ann-Marie Hermans, who will run for the Liberals in Cranbourne.
The fresh attack on Labor and the Greens comes amid a heated dispute over inner-city seats in Melbourne.
On Thursday, the Liberal Party declared it would not run a candidate in Richmond, where Planning Minister Richard Wynne is battling the Greens.
The party will run candidates in Brunswick, Northcote and Melbourne — but may not direct supporters to preference Labor above the Greens.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said he did not want the party to be a “preference machine” for another party.
“The Liberal Party and those who live in those seats would understand that the choice between the devil and the deep blue sea is something we find very difficult,” he said
Mr Wynne said the Liberals had “turned their backs on their supporters in Richmond” and “voters deserve better”.
Greens Richmond candidate Kathleen Maltzahn said the seat was a true contest between the two parties because in the past “Labor has had to rely on Liberal preferences”.
If the Greens retain their three Lower House seats and win another, they could hold the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly if neither the Coalition or Labor Party wins a majority of 45 seats.
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