Election 2025: Coalition to ramp up attacks on Labor-Greens hung parliament

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has urged Labor to preference the ‘most dangerous’ Greens last on their how-to-vote cards.

Greens leader Adam Bandt at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

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Peter Dutton has ramped up his attacks on Anthony Albanese with warnings of what would happen in the event of a minority Labor-Greens government, as the nation’s peak Jewish organisation repeated a stern plea for both major parties to preference the Greens last.

“If there is a Labor-Greens ­alliance and you’ve got Anthony Albanese and (Greens leader) Adam Bandt introducing a ban or some sort of cutback on capital gains tax discount or in relation to negative gearing, that is going to be a disaster for our country,” the Opposition Leader said on Thursday, referring to two planks of the Greens’ demands on Labor to govern in coalition in the event of a hung parliament.

The Australian understands the Coalition intends to ramp up attacks on Labor over this point.

“When you look at the roller coaster ride that’s going on in the sharemarket at the moment, if the Prime Minister and Adam Bandt then introduce changes to the way in which negative gearing works in this country, that’s a big asset class for people who are on the cusp of retirement or have retirement plans based on rental incomes,” Mr Dutton said.

“That will be a disaster for our economy.”

He claimed there was “a lot of sympathy in the Labor Party to abolish negative gearing”.

Mr Albanese on Wednesday refused to promise that Labor would not cut any preference deals with the Greens but has previously said, on several occasions, that he would not rule in coalition with the minor party.

“Preference deals … I’ve been asked about it every day … very clearly those things are a matter for the organisational wing of the party,” he said.

However, it is understood Labor is leaning towards running an “open ticket” in the inner­Melbourne electorate of Macnamara in a bid to avoid a backlash among the seat’s large Jewish population. While a decision has not been locked in, Victorian ALP campaign chiefs favour not recommending preferences rather than placing the Greens below Liberals.

Labor Jewish MP Josh Burns was on the receiving end of a backlash from hundreds of Jewish community members at the Temple Beth Israel synagogue in St Kilda on Wednesday night, and refused to confirm how the ALP would direct preferences in the marginal Labor-Greens seat.

Labor strategists hope that running an open ticket will be enough to defuse, or at least reduce, anger among Jewish voters sparked by Labor’s reaction to the eruption of anti-Semitism.

While Liberal candidate Benson Saulo received strong applause, Mr Burns received only scattered applause, reflecting community concerns that Labor has not been hard enough on anti-Semitism after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

At the forum, Mr Burns said the Greens were the real threat to Labor’s hold on Macnamara. “If we do not win enough No. 1 votes, the Greens will obviously come into second place ... the only (other) people who can win this seat are the Greens,” he said.

On Thursday, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry urged Labor to preference the Greens last on their how-to-vote cards. “The Greens are the most dangerous force in Australian politics,” ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told The Australian.

“They have consistently demonstrated they are prepared to target communities, police and anyone they deem an ideological enemy. Their conduct has been a major contributing factor to normalisation of anti-Semitism.

“If they improve their position … or get anywhere near the balance of power, our country will suffer for it, which is why they must be preferenced last.

“The major parties need to put the interests of Australians first and assure voters that no matter what happens there will be no deals with the Greens and they will have no impact on public policy in this country.”