Greens campaign targets disillusioned Queensland voters in Labor-held seats

The Greens have knocked on the doors of more than 105,000 homes across Queensland, ­attempting to recreate the ‘Greenslide’ success achieved at a federal level in 2022.

Greens state election candidates are targeting inner Brisbane seats held by Labor. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

The biggest takeaway from the Queensland Greens’ ambitious door-knocking campaign ahead of this month’s state election is voters fed up with the status quo.

And the minor party hopes that feeling may see them double – or potentially triple – their influence in parliament.

In the past six months, candidates and volunteers for the Greens have knocked on the doors of more than 105,000 homes across the state in the lead-up to the October 26 election, ­attempting to recreate the “Greenslide” success achieved at a federal level in 2022.

Greens MPs Amy MacMahon and Michael Berkman told The Weekend Australian the party’s on-the-ground conversations had revealed housing and cost-of-­living continued to be the biggest issues for Queenslanders, with many becoming increasingly fed up with the parliamentary class.

“People are feeling a sense of anger and disillusionment that is really far and above anything that I’ve experienced. (They’re) feeling really hopeless with the political system,” Ms MacMahon said.

Mr Berkman added: “There’s a mood for change. But I don’t think anyone’s convinced the LNP is going to do any better.”

The foot campaign has focused on the four Labor-held inner-city seats of McConnel (11.06 per cent), Cooper (10.49 per cent), Greenslopes (13.20 per cent) and Miller (13.82 per cent), all of which polling suggests the Greens could win.

Should they capture all four, they would hold six of the 93 seats in the Queensland parliament.

With an increased balance of power, they will push for a rent freeze, price caps on essential grocery items and the establishment of a publicly owned bank and mining company to help fund more public housing, alongside free healthcare and public transport.

More than three-quarters of all doors knocked have been in those four electorates. Second-time Greens candidate Katinka Winston-Allom and volunteers have visited 26,014 homes in the seat of Cooper, held by Labor backbencher Jonty Bush, while financial educator turned political hopeful Rebecca White and her helpers have visited 25,237 properties.

“We’ve had huge swings at a federal level and at the council election, and the winnability factor is very real,” Ms White said.

Former mine engineer Holstein Wong is running against Old Guard faction leader and senior cabinet minister Grace Grace in the inner-city electorate of McConnel. However, internal Labor polling seen by The Weekend Australian suggests the race in the seat might be closer than first thought, with Ms Grace sitting on a primary vote of 27 per cent, the LNP with 34 per cent and the Greens at 24 per cent.

The seat of Miller, currently held by former transport minister Mark Bailey, is relatively new territory for the Greens. It is the only target electorate that falls outside of the geography of three federal seats picked up in 2022. The Greens candidate, Liam Flenady, believes it may be a tight race that comes down to a handful of votes.

“This campaign in Miller is going to be, quite literally, more than 10 times larger than anything we’ve done in that area before,” Mr Flenady said.

“I think you can be pretty guaranteed you’re going to see both major parties start to adopt more and more of the Greens’ platform because they know that it’s popular, and they feel threatened by the fact we’re winning their seats.”

Despite the Greens failing to live up to expectations in the local council elections in March, they captured a 5.2 per cent swing.