Greens preference deals lashed

FORMER deputy Victorian premier Pat McNamara has said it made little sense to give preferences to Adam Bandt without anything in return.

FORMER deputy Victorian premier Pat McNamara has said it made little sense to give preferences to Adam Bandt without anything in return.

The criticism from Mr McNamara, who was Jeff Kennett's deputy and leader of the Nationals in the 1990s, follows angry allegations by defeated federal MP Jason Wood that his seat of La Trobe could have been saved if the party had struck a broader bargain with the Greens.

It also comes just two months before a state election in which both parties are nutting out preferences with the third party, as the Greens could take four seats from Labor in the inner city with the help of Liberal preferences.

Mr McNamara said he had to speak up after seeing Mr Bandt gloating about his victory in the seat of Melbourne - when he had only secured his win due to Coalition preferences.

"The Coalition gave the Greens their first seat in the House of Representatives and they seem to have got little for it," he said yesterday.

He had no problem with a deal with the Greens, but "in my experience . . . they (preference deals) are also supposed to be of some mutual benefit".

Mr McNamara said the Coalition's policies were closer to those of Labor than the Greens.

Concern over a deal in the November poll is shared by Liberal figures, who fear a war fought with Greens preferences would divide the party.

"The Greens are a much more left-wing party than the modern ALP," a parliamentary powerbroker said.

Labor sources fear the Greens would capture the seats of Melbourne, Richmond, Brunswick and Northcote if they had Liberal preferences.

They are warning of retaliation, saying they will direct preferences to the Greens to threaten the Liberal hold on Kew and Hawthorn.

But election analyst Charles Richardson said the threat to the Liberals was less immediate.

"Kew and Hawthorn are for next time round," he said. "The Greens are not really in a position to overtake Labor yet, but they've got two-thirds of the Labor vote.

"In Kew and Hawthorn at this election they are going to be in very much the sort of position they were in Melbourne and Richmond a couple of elections ago."

Mr Wood said last week it was the "dumbest political strategy ever" for the Coalition to give its preferences in Melbourne to the Greens without getting any back in return."