Brown declares 'Greenslide' with Senate balance of power


GREENS leader Bob Brown declared the election a ''Greenslide'', predicting the party's numbers in the Senate would grow from five to nine in addition to its victory in the lower-house seat of Melbourne.

The party is certain to achieve the historic feat of grabbing the balance of power in the Senate.

And Greens candidate Adam Bandt comprehensively snatched the seat of Melbourne from Labor, giving him power in the likely event of a hung parliament.

Tasmanian senator and Greens deputy leader Christine Milne and West Australian senator Rachel Siewert retained their seats. The other three Greens senators, including Senator Brown, were not up for re-election.

Joining them in the Senate will be Greens Victorian candidate Richard Di Natale, who first contested the Senate in 2007 and has twice come close to unseating Victorian Education Minister Bronwyn Pike in state elections in the seat of Melbourne. Dr Di Natale will bump off Family First senator Steve Fielding. Also almost a certainty were the party's Queensland Senate candidate Larissa Waters and South Australian candidate Penny Wright.

But in New South Wales, it was still too close to gauge whether Greens candidate Lee Rhiannon would win, although she was polling well. ACT candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds lost her fight to unseat Liberal Gary Humphries.

A delighted Senator Brown said last night that the Greens had become the ''undisputed third party'' in Australian politics.

''We will use this vote from the Australian people responsibly … We will use it to innovate,'' he said. ''I say to everybody who voted Green today: 'Thank you. You've really made your vote powerful.'''

Capitalising on a sense of disillusion with the major parties, the Greens late last night had achieved a 3.8 per cent overall swing, earning a primary vote of 11.5 per cent. In Victoria, the primary vote was up 4.3 per cent to 12.3 per cent.

The Greens also polled strongly in the lower-house Sydney seat of Grayndler, but it was difficult to call last night whether it was enough to secure a second lower-house seat. Greens candidate Sam Byrne polled second in the primary vote, putting pressure on Labor's Anthony Albanese.

The good result for the Greens in the Senate was in part aided by the Sex Party, which polled fifth in some states and directed its preferences to the Greens.

While much of the Greens' election campaign revolved on the Senate, the party also campaigned hard to pick up the lower-house seat of Melbourne, previously a safe Labor seat.

Mr Bandt went into the election needing a swing of 4.7 per cent to take the seat. Last night, he had recorded a swing of almost 11 per cent on a two-candidate preferred basis. He was on 56.1 per cent, compared to Labor's Cath Bowtell, who was at 43.9 per cent.

There were several factors in his favour: lack of an incumbent, with the retirement of Labor's Lindsay Tanner, an inner-city gay population angry at Prime Minister Julia Gillard's position on gay marriage, and disapproval of Ms Gillard's handling of climate change and asylum seekers.

And whoever forms government, (Which I think Labor will) better be prepared to start negotiating.  Oh yes, the the greens wont be the push over people hope they will.

stryder wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2010 at 10:05am:


Speaking of fruit loops have you libbos found any Weapons of Mass Deception in Iraq or are you still looking for them ??

Now that the libbos might be running the joint again you can go back to Iraq and keep looking for the Weapons of Mass Disappearance because one day you might find some and that will be worth every penny of the 20 billion you've already wasted on looking for them LOL

Quote:



Why do they have to start negoiating with the Greens??
There's only 1 Green in the House of Representatives that Gillard can negoiate with, but there are 4 independants...

Brandt isn't likely to hold the balance of power there...

gizmo_2655 wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2010 at 4:03pm:


Hello!? Governance of Oz is not confined to the Lower House - hence the LibLabs have Senators in their ministries...

Hint: what is the point, in a Govt passing legislation in the Lower House without consulting along the way with the Senators who hold the balance or power in the Senate and therefore have the right, responsibility and duty to review and pass or amend same!?

Of course, the Greens HAVE really been the 3rd Party since the Democrats crashed and burned....

Since 2007 the greens vote has had to be courted to pass labors legislation if the libs opposed it. IN that regard nothing has actually changed. neither major party will have a senate majority - just as the majority of govts have had to deal with - and wil have to court the greens. All it means is that the so-called 'balance of power' moves from 5 greens and 2 independants to 9 greens. the situation has not changed at all in any effective way.

Equitist wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2010 at 4:45pm:


Hmm based on that, yes it does look like it...
However, referring to the other list you posted...the AEC have only counted 'almost' 75% of the votes though...

Although it probably won't change ALL that much...
There's only 1 seat uncounted..