Coalition preference deal with Greens is key

THE Liberal Party at all levels of government has something to think about when considering whether to preference the Greens over Labor.

Can Liberals get something meaningful out of the Greens if they direct preferences towards the minor party, like return preferences in key seats?

If the Greens represent the ideological risk Liberals claim, should they be preferenced last to stop them winning seats?

Or is preferencing the Greens a worthwhile exercise simply because it makes life more difficult for the Labor Party?

This issue is red-hot in Victoria as the state election later this month closes in. It will soon be an issue in NSW ahead of next year's March election. And the federal Liberal Party will also have to decide what to do soon enough.

Federal opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt, a Victorian, told Australian Agenda on Sky News "we will make tactical decisions. It's not an ideological issue as far as I'm concerned."

He said a decision on what to do in Victoria was imminent, but it was for the administrative wing of the party to make that announcement.

"Our goal is to defeat the Labor Party under every circumstance. The question then is how you can best do that. If they have to allocate more resources to fighting the Greens in their heartland seats, that means that they have less resources to fighting us in the marginal seats," Mr Hunt said.

That sounds like while the Liberal Party would like to get something back for preferencing the Greens, when push comes to shove, Liberals are bluffing when they claim the Greens shouldn't assume they will get Liberal preferences. The chances are, deal or no deal, that they will.

But don't think that the brinkmanship on this issue doesn't matter. While Green voters aren't easily led by how-to-vote cards, the statistics suggest that if the Liberals can do a preference deal with the Greens a campaign to draw out that vote could add as much as 1 per cent to the Liberal Party's support in certain seats.

In a close election that could be the difference between another narrow loss and a Tony Abbott prime ministership.