Long wait for Greens to decide on leader, demands

Based on early counting, the Greens could find themselves in a position to hold the balance of power in Queensland, potentially making this man one of the state’s biggest powerbrokers.

It could take days for the Greens’ State Council to decide on its first ever Queensland party leader and a list of priority demands.

The party looks, on early counting, to be in a position to hold the balance of power.

It also looks like winning at least three seats, the minimum required under its rules to elect a party leader.

Maiwar MP Michael Berkman, the first Greens state MP in Queensland history, would be the frontrunner but a decision is up to the 94 delegates on State Council.

In any potential balance of power situation, a committee of Greens members would act on behalf of State Council for the purpose of negotiations.

Any balance of power arrangement is subject to ratification by consensus, not a majority vote.

State Council is the decision-making body of the party, made up of delegates from each of the branches.

They take positions already discussed and agreed at the branch level to State Council, where delegates seek to reach a collective decision that they all find acceptable.

But a party leader will be elected by every Queensland Greens member, roughly 2000 people.

“The Greens have made very clear that we won’t support an LNP Government, so we’ll only work with Labor,’’ Mr Berkman said.

“New Zealand and the ACT prove that when Labor and the Greens work together you get stable governments that are incredibly popular because they improve working people’s lives, create jobs and tackle climate change.

“The fundamental question for Queensland Labor will be: whose side are they on?

“Are they on the side of mining billionaires, or ordinary Queenslanders who just want mining corporations to pay their fair share in royalties to fund things like health, education, jobs in public housing and publicly owned renewable energy, and tackling child poverty with free school meals?’’

Mr Berkman said the Greens’ priorities that they would negotiate as a balance-of-power party were “ultimately a decision for our members’’.

“But everything we’ve announced this election will be on the table,” he said.

Michael Berkman and Greens volunteers at the Toowong Uniting Church polling booth today.

The central policy was to raise royalties on mining corporations and introduce a 0.05 per cent bank levy to fund jobs, health and education.

Other key policies included building a solar panel factory in Townsville, a wind turbine factory in Rockhampton and a prototype green steel factory in Gladstone.

The Greens would also push for fully-funded public education, with $7 billion extra in spending over four years for smaller class sizes, plus no state school fees.

It wanted fully-funded public healthcare, 9500 more nurses and doctors and 200 new public health clinics.

Another key policy repeatedly flagged by Mr Berkman was to build 100,000 public homes, creating 20,000 construction jobs.

The Greens would negotiate with Labor to invest $25 billion over the next four years in publicly-owned renewable energy projects so the state could reach a target of 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

It has flagged a free breakfast and lunch program in every state school, free public transport and a fast rail network, an overhaul of the Planning Act to make building height limits and green space provisions binding , hiring 1400 more full time paid firefighters, one free season of club sport for every school student and free public hospital parking.

Originally published as Long wait for Greens to decide on leader, demands