Greens snub Labor in fight for Ley seat

The Greens have directed preferences to an independent ahead of Labor in the close contest for Sussan Ley’s NSW seat.

Independent candidate for Farrer, Kevin Mack. Picture: Hollie Adams

The Greens have directed preferences to conservative independent Kevin Mack ahead of Labor in the close contest for Liberal Sussan Ley’s southwestern NSW seat of Farrer, prompting a warning from Labor candidate Kieran Drabsch.

In a highly unusual move, rather than exchanging second preferences with Labor, in Farrer the Greens have put Labor fourth on the how-to-vote card of their candidate Dean Moss, after the Sustainable Australia candidate, Ross Hamilton, and Mr Mack.

By contrast, Mr Drabsch’s how-to-vote card puts the Greens candidate second and Mr Mack third.

Although at the last election Ms Ley, who is Assistant Minister for Regional Development, scored a 20.5 per cent lead over Labor, Mr Mack, Mayor of Albury, has support from many irrigation farmers and is seen as posing a serious challenge.

The biggest plank of Mr Mack’s platform is support for a “pause” in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which is progressively buying back irrigation licences in favour of freeing more water for environmental flows, and a royal commission into the plan itself.

This week, he also said the ­Coalition had “got it right” on ­climate change, describing Bill Shorten’s emissions reduction ­target of 45 per cent as “extreme” and the Coalition target of between 26 and 28 per cent as more appropriate.

Mr Mack described himself to The Australian as a “conservative independent”.

Asked what he thought of the Greens’ decision to preference Mr Mack ahead of Labor, Mr Drabsch told The Australian: “You’d have to ask them why they are preferencing a conservative over a progressive party.

“It would be very ironic if a left-leaning organisation helped a conservative take the seat.”

The Greens polled 8.2 per cent of the primary vote in Farrer at the 2016 election.

Mr Drabsch insists that in a political climate where there is a significant backlash against Ms Ley, the vote against her will not all go to Mr Mack. “I see it very much as a three-way race,” he said.

Mr Moss defended his how-to-vote card. “Although we may not agree with Kevin on everything, he supports action on climate change and has a track record as the Mayor of Albury for supporting local investment in renew­ables,” he said in a statement.

“Like the Greens, Kevin ­supports a royal commission into mismanagement of water allocations, he’s been a vocal critic of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and he supports a federal ICAC and greater transparency on political donations.”

Ms Ley has also placed Mr Mack relatively favourably on her how-to-vote card, at fourth out of nine candidates, after United Australia Party candidate Mike Rose and Christian Democratic Party candidate Philip Langfield.

Mr Mack is not directing his preferences.