New-look ‘leafy’ Greens woo disillusioned Libs

The Greens will target disillusioned Liberal voters in some of Melbourne’s wealthiest electorates.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale.

• Federal Election 2019 Full Coverage

The Greens have diverted from their 20-year pursuit of “dead red’’ seats and are coming after the doctors’ wives of Melbourne, as they target Liberal voters disillusioned by the government’s stance on climate change and asylum-seekers.

Party leader Richard Di Natale yesterday made clear the new strategy in his first campaign ­appearance in the beachside suburb of St Kilda.

With him were his star candidates: high-profile human rights lawyer Julian Burnside, former football player and LGBT activist Jason Ball, former environmental and planning lawyer Steph Hodgins-May and ex-Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission media officer Adam Pullford.

Mr Di Natale said prized ­Liberal seats such as Kooyong, the former electorate of Robert Menzies, were within reach of the Greens, while Cooper, the traditionally safe Labor electorate previously known as Batman, was no longer in the Greens’ sights.

“We’re here with the team of people we think can really shake up politics in Victoria and Australia,” he said. “Can you imagine a seat that belongs to prime ministers and treasurers, seats like Kooyong and Higgins, being won by the Greens?’’

Mr Burnside is running to unseat Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong. The Treasurer holds the seat by a margin of 12.8 per cent but is fending off high-profile independent Oliver Yates as well as Mr Burnside. Mr Frydenberg’s opponents are campaigning primarily on the issue of climate change in the ­affluent electorate.

Mr Ball is contesting Higgins against Liberal Katie Allen, with Fiona McLeod running for Labor. In 2016 Mr Ball got 42 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote compared to Kelly O’Dwyer’s 58 per cent. Ms O’Dwyer quit politics earlier this year.