Everyone gets a say with Greens
A large committee of Greens members would be called on to negotiate with Labor if the minor party holds the balance of power after Saturday’s election.
A large committee of Greens members would be called on to negotiate with Labor if the minor party holds the balance of power after Saturday’s election.
After winning its first state seat in 2017, a Newspoll published on Monday showed the Greens likely to win former deputy premier Jackie Trad’s seat of South Brisbane.
The minor party is also confident of winning McConnel in Brisbane’s inner north off Education Minister Grace Grace, as well as Cooper in the inner west, where long-time MP and current minister Kate Jones will not contest the election.
A major help to the Greens’ chances in these seats is the decision of the LNP to preference the Greens ahead of the ALP, so that if the Greens can finish second behind the ALP, they should be able to win through LNP preferences.
The party’s one current MP, Michael Berkman, who holds the Brisbane seat of Maiwar, said “everything would be on the table” in any negotiations between the Greens and the ALP about forming government.
The Greens’ policies include a tripling of royalties paid by mining companies to the state, free carparking at hospitals, free milk for schoolchildren, free public transport, and far greater support for renewable energy. “Any final decision would come about by the membership through the state council,” he said.
“We’ve never done this before so I don’t know who from the Labor side we’d be meeting. But we’d have a group from state council to conduct those negotiations.”
He said that such a group would comprise all elected members, the party convener, Penny Allman-Payne, a teacher at Gladstone High School, and representatives of the other sub-committees of the Greens, such as the campaign committee.
“The party has already ruled out support for the LNP to form government as they are the most committed to privatisation,” Mr Berkman said.
Greens polling in McConnell shows the seat too close to call, with 30 per cent support for the party’s candidate, Kirsten Lovejoy, with Ms Grace on 29 per cent and the LNP’s Pinky Singh on 31 per cent.
While the LNP has a slightly higher number of primary votes, in practice the party which finished second would probably win on preferences.
Cooper was not originally seen as viable for the Greens, but party strategists say the retirement of Ms Jones has changed that.
The Greens performed strongly in the area in the Brisbane City Council elections held earlier this year, with swings of up to 40 per cent in some booths.
The Greens have not had the level of representation in Queensland that they have in other states.
Ms Grace said on Monday that the Greens “always talk themselves up”.
“But when I go doorknocking I get a terrific response. I’ve lived in this electorate all my life, and people want a strong leader like Annastacia Palaszczuk who’s kept us safe during Covid and will lead our recovery after Covid,” she said.
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