Image: Australian politician Adam Bandt in 2021 – By Julian Meehan, CC BY-SA 2.5, (Wikipedia)
By Staff Writer with Agencies
Melbourne, Australia — In a dramatic political shake-up, Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt has conceded defeat in his long-held seat of Melbourne, marking a personal and party setback amid a sweeping Labor Party victory.
Bandt, who has led the Greens since 2020 and has represented Melbourne for 15 years, acknowledged the loss on Thursday, attributing it to a wave of strategic voting against right-wing opposition leader Peter Dutton. “Like me, many of them wanted him as far away from power as possible,” Bandt said. “My initial take is that some votes leapt away from us to Labor, as people saw Labor as the best option to stop Dutton.”
He called and congratulated Labor’s Sarah Witty, who won the seat, and wished her “all the best.”
Labor, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, secured re-election in a landslide during Saturday’s federal vote, with partial results projecting at least 92 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. The Greens, who previously held four lower house seats, have yet to secure a single seat in this election, though one contest remains too close to call.
Despite the disappointment in the lower house, Bandt expressed hope that his party could still play a crucial role in shaping national policy through the Senate. Early figures suggest the Greens may capture up to 13% of the vote in the upper house, potentially giving them the balance of power.
“Fighting the climate crisis is why I got into politics,” Bandt said, reaffirming his commitment to environmental action. He warned that if Labor, now with a strong majority, fails to reduce climate pollution and tackle inequality, the electorate could swing back in future polls.
Bandt criticized Dutton’s nuclear-heavy energy agenda and described the opposition leader as a “climate denier.” Dutton had proposed a $200 billion plan to build seven nuclear power plants by 2050, sidelining renewables. Ironically, Dutton also lost his seat, compounding the Liberal-National Coalition’s crushing defeat.
Prime Minister Albanese, who has heavily backed renewables with public investment, aims to have clean energy make up 82% of Australia’s electricity by 2030. Still, Bandt accused the government of hypocrisy for approving over 30 new coal and gas projects despite its green rhetoric.
“The government has been lucky to have a climate denier, Peter Dutton, for many years as their foil, because it made them look good,” Bandt said. “Please, please start taking the climate crisis seriously and holding this government and any future government to account.”
Adam Bandt, 53, a former industrial lawyer who once defended coal workers’ rights in privatised power stations, leaves behind a legacy of progressive advocacy. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and two daughters.
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