Australian politics loses climate warrior as Greens leader Adam Bandt concedes “purple” defeat

The Australian Greens will start the process of appointing a new leader in the aftermath of a federal election that delivered the highest vote in the party’s history but ended up with the ousting of its leader, Adam Bandt, and two other MPs in close contests with Labor.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Bandt conceded defeat in the seat of Melbourne, after 15 years as the federal member (he was the first Greens MP to be elected in the lower house) and five years as leader of the Greens.

In a cruel twist to an election that delivered an unexpected majority to the returning Albanese government, the Greens obtained their highest vote in Melbourne, but One Nation and Liberal preferences directed to the Labor candidate, Sarah Witty, gave that party the win. 

“To win in Melbourne we needed to overcome Liberal, Labor and One Nation combined, and it’s an Everest we’ve climbed a few times now, but this time we fell just short,” Bandt said on Thursday.

“We know about the Greens, the Teals, and now there’s the Purples. Mix red and blue together and you get purple. There are now a swathe of seats where Labor MPs owe their political life to the Liberals’ preferences, and the Greens are the real opposition to the two party system.” 

As a key member of the Greens team that supported the Gillard minority Labor government, Bandt pushed for world leading climate laws and has since campaigned to deliver billions of dollars to drive Australia’s shift to renewable energy.

He most recently called for the Labor government to stop approving any new coal or gas mines, and has consistently urged the government to aim for 100 per cent renewables, by 2035 at the very latest.

“Fighting the climate crisis is the reason I got into politics, and I want to thank you for helping us make a difference,” Bandt said.

“The price on pollution worked. It really worked. It was the only thing that has actually cut climate pollution in this country. In the middle of a climate crisis, we actually turned the corner. 

“I hope that the media start to hold this new Labor majority government to account on climate especially, because the government is saying they care but are approving more coal and gas projects and putting a safer climate out of reach. 

“If the government doesn’t use its big majority to start actually cutting climate pollution and tackling Australia’s massive inequality crisis, watch for a big swing at the next election and see those purple seats go Green.

“When you’re taking on the combined might of both major parties, big corporations, the coal and gas lobby, and challenging a system that puts their profit before people, there will be obstacles. But I know we are on the right path and we won’t stop now.

“We’ve achieved the highest vote in Greens history and our biggest ever representation in parliament.”

The Greens say they are confident in holding the seat of Ryan and will hold sole balance of power in the Senate, putting the party in potentially its most powerful position since the 2010 minority government – unless of course Labor does what it did before then and try and negotiate climate deals with the Coalition.

The Greens leadership will be determined by a meeting of the party room next week. Senator Nick McKim as whip will act in the role of caretaker in the interim.

In the meantime, in the nearby electorate of Goldstein, former depute energy minister under the Coalition Tim Wilson has claimed victory over independent MP Zoe Daniel, who pushed him out of parliament three years ago.

Wilson, a former policy director for the right-wing Institute of Public Affairs, says he will continue to push the nuclear power policy rejected by the electorate at last weekend’s election, and will seek a prominent role in the new Coalition front bench.