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Crikey
National
Paul Osborne

Greens to preference Labor at election

The Greens will recommend voters preference Labor ahead of the coalition across the country at the federal election.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said local and state branches had finalised their preference recommendations for how-to-vote cards ahead of early voting starting on May 9.

In the Senate, the Greens will also recommend preferences to progressive candidates and Labor.

Greens preferences will be critical in a number of election races, with candidates running in all 151 lower house seats as well as the Senate.

“At this election everyone should Vote 1 Greens to kick the Liberals out and put the Greens in the balance of power to push the next government to act on the climate crisis, get dental and mental health into Medicare and build affordable housing,” Mr Bandt said, ahead of doorknocking in Melbourne on Saturday.

“The Greens have put the coalition, Palmer’s United Australia Party, One Nation and other extreme right wing parties last across every seat in Australia.”

In a number of seats the Greens are recommending vote one for the minor party then preferencing an independent.

The Greens are expected to hold Mr Bandt’s seat of Melbourne, but there appears little chance of picking up any other lower house seats.

Target seats include Brisbane, Ryan and Griffith in Queensland, Macnamara in Victoria and Richmond in NSW.

However, the minor party is more hopeful of picking up extra Senate seats in Queensland, NSW and South Australia, taking its upper house numbers to 12.

The most recent Roy Morgan Poll has the Greens on 12 per cent of the national primary vote, up from 10.4 per cent at the 2019 election.

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