Put ‘extremist’ Greens last, John Howard urges

Former PM John Howard calls for Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese to ‘adopt a common purpose’ and agree for their parties to preference the Greens last on voting cards.

Former prime minister John Howard has backed Peter Dutton’s commitment to put the Greens last in Liberal preference votes. Picture: Jane Dempster

John Howard has called for Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese to adopt a “common purpose” and agree for the Liberal and Labor parties to put the Greens last on their how-to-vote cards at the next election because of their divisive policies.

The former prime minister, who decided to put One Nation last on Liberal Party how-to-vote cards before the 2001 election because of Pauline Hanson’s divisive policies, has backed the Opposition Leader’s commitment to put the Greens last in Liberal preference votes.

Mr Dutton has called on the Prime Minister to put the Greens last on ALP how-to-vote cards after condemning the Greens for encouraging extremists at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on university campuses and outs MPs office which have frightened staff and caused serious damage.

Mr Albanese has so far deflected Mr Dutton’s call and refused to make any commitment to how the ALP would direct preferences to the Greens, which are crucial to victory for Labor at elections.

According to analysis by The Weekend Australian, nine Labor seats would have been lost at the last election to the Coalition if only 60 per cent of Greens preferences flowed to ALP candidates, compared with the more normal 80 per cent-plus – and two Greens seats would have been retained by the Liberal Party if Labor preferences to the minor party had fallen from a similar normal level to 70 per cent.

Labor-Greens preference vote swaps are essential to the Labor government’s survival as they are to the Greens holding seats and expanding at the next election.

Mr Howard told The Weekend Australian that if the Liberal Party and Labor Party joined forces and put the Greens last at the next election they could reject an unacceptable element of Australian politics.

“The Greens are the real extremists in Australian politics,” Mr Howard said.

In parliament this week, Mr Dutton asked Mr Albanese to commit to putting the Greens last on how-to-vote cards and rule out forming a minority government with the Greens after the next election.

In an interview with The Weekend Australian on the second anniversary of his becoming Liberal leader, Mr Dutton said protesters chanting hateful slogans – including “from the river to the sea” and promoting “intifada” – had been “allowed to coexist on the Prime Minister’s watch”. He criticised the Greens, saying they were an anti-Semitic party and branded Mr Bandt a “radical” who was “unworthy of public office”.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has been branded by Peter Dutton as a ‘radical’ who was ‘unworthy of public office’. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA Newswire

“I think the Prime Minister should join our commitment to put the Greens last at this election,” he said. “Should the Greens be condemned for encouraging these extremists? Yes. And, it is absolutely appropriate to condemn them and I join the Prime Minister in doing that.”

In parliament Mr Albanese rounded on the Greens this week accusing the minor party of deliberately spreading misinformation about Australian government support for genocide and supplying arms to Israeli for killing people in Gaza.

Mr Albanese also condemned Greens for supporting protests outside MPs’ offices which have blockaded the offices, frightened staff and resulted in extensive damage including broken windows. The Australian revealed that Mr Albanese had been locked out of his Sydney electorate office by pro-Palestinian protesters since January.

On Friday Bill Shorten, whose Melbourne office has also been damaged, agreed with Mr Albanese that the allocation of preference votes was a “matter for the organisational wing” of the ALP.

The Australian’s analysis shows that at the last election if there had been only 70 per cent of Greens preferences to the ALP, the seats of Higgins, Lyons, Gilmore and Bennelong would have been won by the Coalition.

If there had been only 60 per cent Greens preferences flowing to Labor, another five seats – Boothby, Lingiari, McEwen, Robertson and Tangney – would have been lost to the Coalition.

The analysis on Labor preferences to the Greens shows that two seats the Greens won in Brisbane in 2022, Ryan and Brisbane, would have been won by the Coalition if there had only been 70 per cent of ALP preferences to the Greens.

Mr Albanese would see Labor move into minority government if he lost three of the 78 seats the ALP currently holds. Mr Dutton must win more than 20 seats to win a majority at the next election.