Anthony Albanese noncommittal on Greens preferences and rules out minority government deal

Anthony Albanese has not committed to preferencing the Coalition ahead of the Greens on Labor’s how-to-vote cards at the next federal election, after two of the nation’s peak Jewish groups urged the major parties to do so.

While ruling out Greens’ support should Labor fall into minority government, Anthony Albanese would not commit to putting the Coalition ahead of the Greens on Labor’s how-to-vote cards. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Anthony Albanese has not committed to preferencing the Coalition ahead of the Greens on Labor’s how-to-vote cards at the next federal election, after two peak Jewish groups urged the major parties to do so.

However, the Prime Minister ruled out striking deals to form a minority government with the Greens, after the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the Zionist Federation of Australia demanded both Labor and the Coalition refuse the support of the left-wing minor party should they fall into minority.

“My objective, of course, is to lead, on an ongoing basis, a majority Labor government. That is what we will do,” Mr Albanese told Sky News on Wednesday. “Preferences will be done by the organisation.”

Pressed if he would prefer voters preference the Greens, Mr Albanese replied: “I want people to vote one Labor.”

Asked if the ALP would put the Coalition ahead of the Greens on its how-to-vote cards, a Labor Party spokesman said: “Decisions about Labor’s how-to-vote cards will be made closer to the election.”

Under electoral rules, votes are transferred between candidates according to the preferences marked by electors.

The influence of political parties on the flow of preferences is therefore determined by how-to-vote cards, which rank candidates in the order that the parties would prefer voters follow. However, electors are under no obligation to abide by them.

Similarly, Peter Dutton did not commit to place Labor ahead of the Greens on the Coalition’s election material but argued in support of a deal with the government that would place the left-wing minor party as the last preference for both major parties.

“It would be in our country’s best interests if we were able to arrive at an agreement with the Labor Party to put the Greens last,” the Opposition Leader said. “The ball is in the Prime Minister’s court.”

Mr Dutton unequivocally rejected that the Coalition would have any relationship with the Greens following the next federal poll.

“There will be no deals done – none whatsoever – by the Coalition to form government with the anti-Semitic Greens,” he said.

Despite Mr Albanese’s refusal to work with the Greens if the government fell into minority at the next election, Greens leader Adam Bandt has expressed his willingness to work with Labor, “even if Labor isn’t”.

“The Prime Minister needs to stop blocking and start negotiating, and respect the parliament that the people of Australia elect.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said while it was “good to hear the Prime Minister commit not to do any deals with the Greens if Labor needs to form a minority government in a future second term”, the question of preferences was “somewhat different”.

“Given the extreme positions the Greens have adopted on a range of local and overseas issues, even at times descending into anti-Semitism, both major parties should be able to place principles above politics and agree to direct their second preferences away from the Greens,” he said.

The Zionist Federation of Australia also welcomed Mr Albanese ruling out minority government with the Greens.