QLD election 2020: Why state’s future lies in hands of the Greens
A Greens MP has revealed how his party will negotiate any balance of power agreement if neither Labor nor the LNP win a majority, and it could give an unknown group of his party a significant say on the future of the state.
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An unknown group of Queensland Greens could hold the state’s future in their hands, if Annastacia Palaszczuk is forced to break her promise and rely on the minor party to prop up a government.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the Greens will give the 94 delegates on its state council a vote on any agreement to support a government in a hung parliament, in a move that would give them a major say on the state’s future.
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Greens MP Michael Berkman has rubbished claims from the Premier that she won’t do any deals if Labor falls short of a majority at the October 31 poll, branding it a “bald-faced lie”.
The minor party says it will put all of its election commitments on the table in a balance of power negotiation, including plans to jack up mining royalties, slapping a levy on the banks and making public transport free for everyone.
“It’s the same kind of chest beating that we see before every election,” Mr Berkman said of Ms Palaszczuk’s claim that she will do no deals.
“Of course they will do whatever they need to try and form government and I think for her to suggest otherwise is completely disingenuous.
“We’ve got fixed four year terms now, so there simply will be a government after the election, a government will form.”
Mr Berkman, who made history in 2017 as the first Greens MP elected to the State Parliament, said any agreement to support a minority government would be signed off by the party’s state council.
The council is made up of 94 delegates who are elected by more than 2,000 members of the Queensland Greens – with two thirds support required to get a deal approved by the council.
“This is grassroots democracy in play and I would suggest that each and every one of the political parties in Queensland would benefit from having better engagement with their memberships and actually genuinely devolving that power and having an interest in what every day people want and think,” Mr Berkman said.
“I think it’s the way politics and democracy should be done.”
On the Greens’ election agenda are plans to fork out $25 billion on building publicly owned renewable energy to reach a 100 per cent renewables by 2030.
They also want to spend an extra $7 billion over four years on public education to “fully fund” it, give out free lunches and breakfasts to the more than half a million state school students and build 100,000 new public homes to create 20,000 jobs.
“It is a question for Labor whether they’re prepared to actually make some reasonable agreements about getting a fair share out of our resource sector, out of the banks and developers to provide what Queenslanders need,” Mr Berkman said.
The Greens say their mining royalties plan would raise a massive $55 billion over four years, and they also want to introduce a 0.05 per cent bank levy.
The party believes it is within reach of winning up to seven key seats at the election, including former deputy premier Jackie Trad’s South Brisbane electorate and Education Minister Grace Grace’s McConnel electorate.
Asked if he would like a seat at the Cabinet table if the party manages to win as many as seven seats, Mr Berkman said: “Those are all questions for the party to consider and address collectively.”
While the LNP is preferencing the Greens above Labor in every seat, Mr Berkman said his party would be preferencing the LNP, along with One Nation, last on all of their how to vote cards.
They have also ruled out doing a deal with the LNP, meaning Labor is the only party they can realistically support in a hung parliament.
“They are the one party that more than Labor wants to undermine the provision of quality essential services,” Mr Berkman claimed.
“We don’t know exactly what the make-up of parliament is going to look like, but what we’ve said really explicitly is that we won’t support an LNP government in minority.”
Originally published as QLD election 2020: Why state’s future lies in hands of the Greens