Greens won't last long haul, says Brumby

JOHN Brumby says it is wrong to assume the Greens will increase their political influence

JOHN Brumby says it is wrong to assume the Greens will increase their political influence.

Mr  Brumby has compared the Greens to the short-lived Nuclear Disarmament Party.

Despite the latest Newspoll showing one in five Victorian voters intend to vote for the Greens and the party could win four seats at the November 27 election, the Premier believes history shows non-mainstream parties such as the Greens go through cycles and may not be around for the long haul.

"I've seen in my political life the ups and downs of minor parties," Mr Brumby told The Weekend Australian, citing the Nuclear Disarmament Party and the Australian Democrats as examples. "That's not to say the Greens won't continue to be a force in politics, but I think it would be wrong to assume they will continue to grow in stature or influence."

In an interview on the eve of the election campaign, Mr Brumby blamed the failure to legislate for an emissions trading scheme as one of the reasons Labor voters were shifting to the Greens at state and federal level. "Having failed to get the policy through the Senate, and being seen to walk away from it, that certainly cost us political support," he said. "This is an area we need to focus on as a party over the next couple of years to make sure we get it right. I think people . . . want to see action in this area.

"We need a national policy built around some kind of price for carbon to make sure all of the investment that is waiting in the wings is bought forward to make our economy cleaner."

Mr Brumby believes that although his government is in the political centre, he still has appeal to inner-city people who may think about voting green. He denied that tackling climate change was "moving Left", given the support of the business community. "I don't see it as a Left or Right issue."

The Premier says that if re-elected on November 27, the first time he will face the voters after taking over from Steve Bracks, he will push tax reform, preventive health and COAG reform, as well as action on climate change.

He said that under Kevin Rudd, there had been a "ferocious pace" at COAG and too many meetings.

There were "long-lasting and powerful reforms" in that time, he said, "but if we slowed that a little, and got an agreed agenda, we could get even better outcomes".

National water reform was an issue COAG could tackle better if the pace were less frenetic, he said.

The Premier said the coming election campaign would set Labor's agenda for its potential fourth term, with the focus on jobs and the state economy.

"We will have a very clear policy direction for Victoria. It will be about keeping jobs moving, about continuing Victoria's positions as the AAA state, budget surplus, the jobs engine-room of Australia, a diverse dynamic economy.

"It will be a big agenda in terms of health, especially preventive health . . . with a strong focus on education and regional Victoria."