Greens leader Adam Bandt concedes he cannot retain the seat of Melbourne

Adam Bandt has conceded defeat in the seat of Melbourne after his electorate was called for Labor’s Sarah Witty, opening up a vacancy for the leadership of the Greens.

“A short time ago I called the Labor candidate for Melbourne, Sarah Witty, to concede, congratulate her and wish her all the best as the next member for Melbourne,” Bandt said on Thursday afternoon.

The Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne, but One Nation and Liberal preferences will get Labor over the line. Bandt was visibly emotional as members of his party stood behind him in support.

“Together we’ve made marriage equality law after getting the highest vote in the country in the plebiscite no-one should have had to have,” Bandt said.

“We worked hard together to get the highest vote in the Voice referendum, sending a message of hope that big parts of Australia still want to see First Nations justice. Together we got dental into Medicare for kids and world-leading climate legislation.

“The price on pollution worked. It really worked. It was the only thing that has actually cut climate pollution in this country. In the middle of a climate crisis, we actually turned the corner. Fighting the climate crisis is the reason I got into politics, and I want to thank you for helping us make a difference.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt concedes defeat.Credit: Wayne Taylor

Greens senators Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters, David Shoebridge and Mehreen Faruqi are among the potential contenders to replace Bandt. None have declared their ambitions publicly.

Bandt denied the Greens’ focus on the ongoing conflict in Gaza had played a factor in his loss.

“I want to also particularly thank everyone who had the courage to speak up against the invasion of Gaza and spoke out for peace in Palestine and I think as we see events continue to unfold and continue to unfold in the most tragic way, this is a massive moment of humanity and we have been really proud,” he said.

Sarah Witty, who won the seat for Labor, is a housing advocate and chief executive of the Nappy Collective, which provides free nappies to families in crisis.

The count has taken several days because the Australian Electoral Commission did the first count assuming that the final two-candidate outcome was likely to pit the Greens against the Liberals, based on the last election. A second count was conducted when it became clear the final phase would pit the Greens against Labor.

Bandt achieved one of the greatest victories for the Greens when he won Melbourne from Labor in 2010 and became the first of his party to win a seat in the House of Representatives at a full federal election, beginning a period of growth that led to three other Greens MPs joining him in 2022.

His shock defeat is a devastating blow for the party after the loss of Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather in the Queensland seat of Griffith on Saturday night and the defeat of Greens MP Stephen Bates in the neighbouring seat of Brisbane. The Greens’ hopes of picking up another seat in the Melbourne electorate of Wills were dashed after Labor’s Peter Khalil clung on.

The outcome may leave a sole Greens member, Elizabeth Watson-Brown, in the lower house. Her seat of Ryan remains too close to call.

The party will maintain its strong presence in the Senate, however, with the election results likely to make the Greens even more important because they will hold the balance of power in their own right in the upper house. The government will be able to pass legislation with support from the Greens, without requiring support from other crossbenchers or the Coalition.

Read more on Labor’s landslide election win

• Inside story: How the Coalition campaign was a catastrophe months in the making
• Some seats are still too close to call. Here are all the races that remain in doubt – plus every seat that’s changed hands
• Interactive: See how your polling booth voted in this election
• Live results: Track every seat in the country
• Live blog: Anthony Albanese plans second term, Liberals plan a leadership change

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