Labor Minority could lead to Greens in key posts
'There is a real possibility that Adam Bandt ends up as the Foreign Minister and that Mehreen Faruqi ends up as the Home Affairs Minister'
Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Julian Leeser has issued a dire warning that senior Greens could end up in key ministerial positions as the price of supporting a minority Labor government.
With an election likely to be called this week for May, the latest polling continues to suggest Labor will fall short of a majority needed to govern in its own right, and will need the support of Greens and teal independents.
But Leeser told The AJN this week that in the event of a Labor minority government that relies on the Greens, “There is a real possibility that Adam Bandt ends up as the Foreign Minister and that Mehreen Faruqi ends up as the Home Affairs Minister”.
“The Greens are going to be demanding things from the Labor Party as the price of government,” Leeser told The AJN. “If you think this is far fetched, Labor has been in government with the Greens in the ACT … and it’s been in government with the Greens in Tasmania.
“And there [have been] several Green ministers in both [governments].”
Leeser noted that the Prime Minister “likes to talk a big game when it comes to the antisemitic and extreme Greens”, but said the test would be whether Labor preferences them last “in every seat”.
“The Liberal Party is putting the Greens last we have been clear about that. Why does the Prime Minister and the Labor Party want to see Green extremists sitting in the Parliament on the back of Labor preferences?,” he asked.
“On every measure this Labor government has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do the right thing and deal with antisemitism.
“It’s well past time that the Prime Minister showed he was doing ‘everything he can’ about antisemitism by ensuring that the party of antisemitism goes last on Labor how to vote cards,” Leeser said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Liberal Party said it would place the three declared “Muslim Vote” candidates running in Blaxland, Calwell and Watson “below the Labor Party on our how-to-vote materials”.
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