Macnamara voters deserve better than a scare campaign
If the Greens win in Macnamara, it will solely be the responsibility of Josh Burns and Labor.
In his recent piece (“Vote with your head, not with your heart”, April 11), former Labor Vice-President John Zeleznikow argues that Jewish voters in Macnamara should support Labor’s Josh Burns — not because he deserves their vote, but because, he claims, only Burns can stop the Greens from winning.
Let’s be very clear about this: if the Greens win in Macnamara, it will solely be the responsibility of Josh Burns and Labor.
A recent Insightfully poll published in the Herald Sun has Liberal candidate Benson Saulo leading on 38% primary vote, with the Greens on 28% and Labor on just 26%.
That’s a clear first-place position for the Liberals — and with Labor publicly promising to run an open ticket, the path to victory for Benson is highly plausible. This is because Labor’s preferences have never been distributed before and a reasonable preference flow to the Liberals will defeat the Greens.
It should be noted that the Greens primary vote will be slightly boosted by the absence of an Animal Justice Party candidate. In the 2022 election, AJP preferences went 50% to the Greens and only 20% to Labor. Another reason why Burns is likely to finish third.
If as is likely, Josh Burns finishes third on primary votes, the Greens can only be elected if they receive an overwhelming majority of preferences from Josh Burns. If this happens, it will be because of the cowardly decision by Burns in refusing to put the Greens last.
His decision to issue an “open how to vote ticket” should be morally repugnant to Jewish voters. He is effectively telling Jewish voters that Liberal policies on the Middle East are the equivalent to that of the Greens. This is not only outrageous, it is disgusting.
If Macnamara voters support Burns with their first preferences, they are effectively supporting Penny Wong.
If Josh Burns had any courage at all, he would demand that Labor preference the Greens last.
His failure to do so shows that he as an MP holds little to no influence in the Labor Party.
We know this already because he has been completely unable to stop the extremist policies of Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong. Apart from putting the Greens last, Josh Burns should also be campaigning in the electorate amongst Labor voters to put the Greens last. Nowhere in his materials, social media or his website, do I see any attempt by Burns to influence Labor voters to put these toxic Greens last.
By virtue of his own moral cowardice, it is Josh Burns and Josh Burns alone who may elect the Greens in Macnamara. This would be an appalling outcome for the Jewish community, Macnamara, and Australia.
The way forward for Jewish voters in Macnamara is to get the Liberal candidate, Benson Saulo, the highest possible primary vote and then enough preferences from Josh Burns and the Labor Party to defeat the Greens.
If Burns is unable to convince Labor voters to preference Liberals before the Greens, a Greens victory in Macnamara will solely be his responsibility and that of the Labor Party.
And make no mistake: a vote for Josh Burns is a vote for the Albanese–Wong government — a government that has:
Reversed Australia’s recognition of West Jerusalem;
- Shifted UN votes against Israel;
- Continued to fund UNRWA despite serious allegations of Hamas collusion;
- Demanded ceasefires without acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself;
- And is now flirting with recognising a Palestinian state with no viable peace partner in sight.
It was in January last year, when I stood amongst the ashes, at Kfar Aza. On that very day, Penny Wong was in Ramallah. As we all know, she refused to visit the sites of the October 7 massacre. That has left every Jewish voter shaken to their core. Make no mistake, a vote for Josh Burns is a vote for Penny Wong.
It is Josh Burns’ responsibility to spend the next three weeks campaigning within the Labor Party to change their appalling how to vote decision and to actively campaign amongst Labor voters in Macnamara to put the Greens last.
If he fails to do so, Jewish voters should not reward his moral cowardice and should understand that a vote for Josh Burns could help elect a Green.
This government has consistently failed to stand with the Jewish community and to stand up for Israel. Josh Burns has failed to speak out or hold his party to account.
In this election, Jewish voters have a choice – reward a party that has abandoned them – or back Benson Saulo, who will join a team superbly led on Middle East issues by Peter Dutton, and Victorian Senator James Paterson.
Vote Liberal and put the Greens last.
Michael Kroger is a former president of the Victorian Liberal Party and a prominent Australian businessman.
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