Greens could see 'big increase' in vote, like in Germany, Di Natale says   

August 4, 2019
Sydney Morning Herald
 

Greens leader Richard Di Natale says there is a "real possibility" his party could see a big increase in votes, like Germany's Greens party which recently saw its vote double in just two years.   

Senator Di Natale told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age he thinks there are "a lot of parallels" between the Australian and German situations. The Greens leader said both countries have witnessed a convergence between their two major parties alongside concern about climate change.


Greens leader Richard Di Natale says the election result was a "complete shock" to him.

"I can see that there's real possibility of the Greens seeing that big increase - a similar increase to the increase we saw in Germany," Senator Di Natale said.

The German Greens polled 9 per cent in the country's 2017 general election. In the recent European elections, they received a record 20.5 per cent, prompting headlines about a "Green wave". Political analysts say the German Greens' result can be explained by increasing concerns about climate change as well as the party's positioning as a "real alternative" to the parties of government.


Similarly, in Australia, the Greens are billing themselves as the "real opposition" in addition to their environmental campaigning. Senator Di Natale is scathing of Labor's recent support for the Coalition's tax package, which passed Parliament last month.

"Labor's approach at the moment is basically to give up on the position on opposition," Senator Di Natale said. "They are showing that they are closer to the Liberal Party than they are to the Greens."

While Labor wanted to make changes to the tax package, they did not get enough support in the Senate to pass their amendments.

At the 2019 election, the Greens captured 10.40 per cent of lower house first preferences, a slight increase on their 2016 result. In the Senate, it received 10.19 per cent of first preferences, with a swing of 1.57 per cent. It retained all six of its senators up for re-election. But despite hopes the party would increase its House of Representatives' count, it still only has one lower house MP.

In the wake of the election, the Greens have seen about a ten per cent spike in membership, adding more than 1700 new members. Senator Di Natale says this is "clearly a response to the election".

"For a lot of people the way to respond to what was for many of them a devastating result, was to actually take some action."

Labor sources say the party has also seen a post-election membership bounce of about six per cent. It is understood the ALP now has more than 60,000 members for the first time since the mid-1990s. The Liberal Party is also understood to have seen its membership grow by several thousand after the May 18 result.

Before the election, Senator Di Natale was preparing to negotiate with a Shorten Labor government to try to strengthen Australia's climate change response.

"The result was a complete shock to me, as I suspect it was as much to the Prime Minister."

Senator Di Natale said he had had an informal meeting with Scott Morrison since the election, but noted that "frankly, we don't see many areas of common ground".

"If at some point the Liberal Party recognise that they need to start acting on the breakdown of our climate, then we'd be very happy to begin a dialogue."

Asked what his party does from here on climate change, Senator Di Natale said: "We have to continue to work with the climate movement. And we will work outside the Parliament, as a party that is very connected to a number of groups [in the community]."

"This election was described as a 'climate election'. Every election from this point on will be a climate election. We're breaking record, on record, on record, [with] extreme weather, drought. And I think the community's only going to become increasingly concerned about the lack of action."

The Coalition plans to to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030, based on 2005 levels. Labor has a target of 45 per cent, while the Greens are calling for a 63 to 82 per cent target. Environmentalists say the Greens' target is the only one consistent with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees. Scientists say this level of warming must be met to avoid catastrophic impacts, including the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.Greens could see 'big increase' in vote, like in Germany, Di Natale says

Every now and again the Australian greens do come up with some good ideas.  They are also a alternative to labor Tweedledee, and liberal Tweedledum.    

Doc Dick is facing extinction and so he beckons to the moon.

The next move for the almost extinct Greenies is to merge with the almost extinct Labor Party.

It is so logical.

Both Labor and the Greenies are of no significance anymore and are surplus to requirements.

So why don't they amalgamate into one totally insignificant irrelevant nothing ?


and Shorty is getting ready to "lead" this seething rotting scungy brothel.

Swagman wrote on Aug 5^th, 2019 at 10:12am:


Nope.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Swagman wrote on Aug 5^th, 2019 at 10:30am:


That makes no sense whatsoever.

Swagman wrote on Aug 5^th, 2019 at 10:36am:


You were sooooo wrong about refugee numbers increasing, it's not funny.

And now you follow it up with absolute nonsense which makes no logical sense whatsoever.

You should have quit while you were behind.

juliar wrote on Aug 5^th, 2019 at 10:55am:


We're discussing Germany.