Reporter Mia Armitage spoke with The Greens federal candidate for the seat of Richmond, Mandy Nolan, on day three of pre-polling at the Richmond Room pre-poll booth in Ballina. To follow is an edited transcript.
Mia’s interviews with the incumbent, Labor’s Justine Elliot, and The Nationals’ candidate Kimberly Hone are also available.
All three candidates have confirmed they’ll be at tonight’s free Richmond: Meet the Candidates forum in the Byron Theatre, brought to you by Echo Publications and Bay FM Community Radio.
Hugs in Byron, a state MP in Ballina and more interest in Tweed, says Nolan
It’s Thursday, which is day three of pre-polling, what’s the momentum been like for you, Mandy Nolan?
It’s actually been really good, we’re sort of noticing more and more people taking our flyers and having conversations around what we would say really matters at this election, which is, of course, housing, climate, the things that really impact people.
The Climate Council came out recently, I think it was last week, putting Richmond as the most climate risk area in all of Australia. I think it’s something like 31,000 homes that are at risk of not being able to be insured, or being unaffordable to insure, so those conversations are front of mind.
We’ve had heaps of volunteers out on our booths and what I really love is, it’s a positive atmosphere, people are lining up in the sun, it’s got a nice feeling on the booths of enjoying our fabulous democratic process of voting for our leadership in this country.
So we’ve been having that conversation around what matters.
What’s the response been like from people, in particular in the Tweed and in Ballina? I know that those are the two most challenging areas for The Greens, you’ve got strong support traditionally in the Byron area.
Yeah, look, Byron, I get a lot of hugs at the Byron booth, which is really lovely. so yeah, it’s very strong there.
But here in Ballina, we’ve had Tamara Smith as our state Green MP for three terms now and she’s increased her vote, so you’d be amazed who votes Green here in Ballina.
I guess the footprint of who votes Green has really changed over time, because they’ve seen what we do at local government level, at state level, and they’re looking towards Federal Parliament and expecting more on housing and climate there as well.
So it’s good here in Ballina and then up in Tweed…. and often in Tweed, it’s an older demographic, generally, that votes first at pre-poll and while many of those would be voting sometimes more conservatively, I did pre-poll last time and I would say I am speaking to a lot more people up there this time than I was last time and giving out the how-to-vote.
So it it feels really good. I mean, it’s really hard to tell when you’re out there pre-polling because at the end of the day, what matters is what happens when people go inside and actually cast their vote.
The Greens’ pitch: nothing changes if nothing changes
That’s right and I’ll just jump in, Mandy Nolan, so you got very close last time in 2022 on first preferences to overtaking Labor’s incumbent, Justine Elliot. What’s your pitch to voters who maybe have been putting Labor number one and Greens number two?
Our pitch is that nothing changes if nothing changes. One of the seats that could change everything for this country is here in Richmond. We only need a 1.8% swing to put The Greens in not only here in Richmond but possibly put The Greens in balance of power with Labor. That means we keep Dutton out. There’s no way we would ever form government with Dutton but we work with Labor and we push them to act.
We push them to act on ending native forest logging, getting dental and mental into Medicare, and on truly addressing our housing crisis. So that’s the pitch.
We’ve always been a little bit of a.region that’s a little bit ahead, where we’re out-of-the-box thinkers, where we care about the environment, we care about what happens to people. We don’t want to see people living in tents in our community. So, in our community, we have the chance to change that.
I would say of your vote, you’ve had the same incumbent for 20 years, and in that time we have the most unaffordable housing in the country and we’ve become the most climate-impacted region, while Labor continues to approve new coal and gas projects.
Vote Green in Richmond and we can make a change.
What about those conservative voters that you mentioned earlier? You’ve still actually got quite a tough battle. Traditionally, they’ve won nearly 50% sometimes on first preferences in the Richmond seat.
I would say the same message because those things matter when it comes to looking at not being able to insure your home, we need a party that isn’t putting fuel on the fire when it comes to the climate by opening and approving new coal and gas mines.
So it’s really thinking also about the future, like, what kind of future are we offering for the next generation? I really hope those conservative voters don’t just think about themselves but we do have great policies for them as well, like raising the rate of income support for pensioners and people on income support across the board.
But it’s also about thinking about your children and your grandchildren. Will they ever be able to live here? Not right now, we have such unaffordable housing. So think about what comes next. Think about what this planet is going to be like if we don’t stop approving new coal and gas. We’ve got to stop a system where fossil fuel companies pay for the lobbyists that push politicians to make the policy that allows them to create this horrendous situation that we find ourselves in, in our region, where one minute we’re drowning, the next minute we’re burning, the next minute we’re being blown around with that completely out-of-the-box cyclone that’s hit us, and we’re the ones that can’t afford our insurance. We didn’t do this. So that’s what I’d say to conservative voters.
But it’s also good to remember this is a three party preferred race here. We need to come first here, in The Greens, with Labor preferences. We just need to come second, basically. That is possible because with a preferential voting system, that progressive vote will push us through here in Richmond.
Aiming for a minority government
So Justine Elliot said to me, I think it was last week, that a vote for The Greens, or any other candidate besides her in that number one position, will put Peter Dutton in power as the Prime Minister of Australia. What do you say to that?
That’s ludicrous and very misleading. It’s not true. We would never, ever work with Dutton. If you vote for The Greens here and if I don’t get through, the worst thing that will happen is my vote will go to Justine Elliot. So just saying that alone is ludicrous and doesn’t make make sense.
You know that their vote is strong across the country. You know The Greens are able to work with them. We’re looking towards minority.
There is no risk of that happening in this seat. A vote for The Greens is a vote for The Greens, or it’ll go to Justine if I don’t get through.
That’s just a fear tactic that’s actually used and I think people need to know their vote is powerful and our preferential voting system means that you can use your vote in a powerful way.
We’ve had 7,500 conversations plus around this community, it’s the Labor voters who are the most disappointed. They wanted to see Labor act. They didn’t want to see Labor colluding with the coalition for more environmental damage, for not passing our stronger environmental laws. They want to see Labor moving towards the values that they’re nostalgic for and the only way you’re going to get that is in a minority government with The Greens and Labor.
Listen back to the full interview via Bay FM’s Community Newsroom, aired Friday 25thApril. Mia Armitage reports for both Echo Publications and Bay FM Community Radio, the latter with thanks to the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
In years gone by, when there were very few independents in the House of Reps, the Greens could honestly, in a tight election, push the line that they could form a coalition (or some other arrangement) with Labor to ensure a Labor government – as opposed to a coalition one.
THOSE DAYS ARE GONE!
There are 19 non Lab/Coalition MPs currently – the Greens are but 4 of these. That’s 20% of the mix. How on Earth do the Greens think they will be in any position to call the shots? It’s an electorally appealing pitch but delusional!
A hung parliament (no single party/formal coalition reaching 76 seats) and minority government is the strongest possibility. The question to ask yourself is DO I WANT A DUTTON MINORITY GOVERNMENT or an ALBANESE MINORITY GOVERNMENT?
Thinking that all those high minded Teals will defy their previous blue ribbon Liberal electors to deliver them a Labor government is wishful thinking. Already I have heard one saying she would have to look at the balance of seats won and where her electorates preferences went is ominous. Of course in those seats it will be mostly Teals 1, Liberal 2. There will be a lot of pressure on them to support Dutton, especially if they have a good number on the ledger of seats compared with Labor.
There will be no GreensLabor arrangement, no “forcing Labor to act” if Labor are not in power! Every lost seat to Labor makes that likely to happen. The throw away line “it’s time for a change” is scary in the context of that change being a return to a Coalition government.
Labor has done so much to turn around the direction the Coaltion took us on in gutting, health and education, stifling wages growth and industrial reforms and energy policy. There has been a greater expansion of renewables in our grid in Labor’s three years than the previous near decade of the Coalition.
Labor, and Justine Elliott – governing in extremely difficult times and still achieving so much – should not be tossed out!
To the best of my memory it was the Greens who voted with the Coalition against Labor legislation during the last Government. Different from what the Greens are saying.
Yes, over their deplorable, useless housing program. The Greens housing policy mirrors more closely the European model, which provides far more affordable housing than anything the duopoly proposes.
What that “ deplorable, useless housing program” for which the Greens keep boasting about greater investment?
Tell me is Hyphen Max’s scheme to give out first come best dressed, no means test houses? 🏘️
💚Liz Treasurer Jimbo and pm Ablo gave away the $’smillions and keep giving away the $’smillions in $300 energy bill helpers to people that don’t need it. Sigh.
And yes, Labor’s original HUFF proposition was deplorably useless, that needed the Greens to fixup and got an extra $’s3billions for housing in general. Thank you so much, 💚Greens💚!
If you want to know about 💚Greens🏠 Housing🏠 Policies 💚then look it up.
Thanks Comrade for confirming my point that the Greens gave a huge endorsement to the HAFF by insisting that Labor throw in an extra $3b. Go figure how that logic works. Perhaps Bref can tell us.
In your deference though it was only one extra billion. labor had tossed in an extra couple even before the Greens started grandstanding and stonewalling on meaningful housing action for near a year.
All over 1$b dollars out of a budgeted $32b multi-pronged program. Well done – that really helped the crisis along.
Thanks also Comrade for directing me to the latest iteration of the Greens’ housing policy. It’s as I expected – not one mention of Hyphen Max’s bold plan to nationalise housing. Wherever did it go?
Kept under witness protection like Max himself?
Liz, the shameless Greens Political Games Party will do or say anything to get a headline, you just had to observe Bandt on Q and A Monday on night to observe just what blatant exhibitionists they are, when he appeared wearing a T shirt with “Dental care on Medicare written on it, when everyone else was properly dressed. And didn’t Tanya Plibersek take him to task for blocking the recent environmental laws in the Senate along with all the other obstructionist behaviour the Greens have been guilty of in the past including the appalling blocking of Kevin Rudd’s CPRS all those years ago.
Tanya chewed him up and spat him out!
End the Lab and LibNat Duopoly that is leading the nation into decay and vote for New Administration to start the rescue the nation and that begins with, Vote 1 💚Magnificent Mandy Greens for Richmond💚.
End the puerile illusions of the Greens Political Games Party, of forming a “minority Govt” that would lead this nation into total decay, and vote for an administration that can continue rescuing this nation from the chaos and corruption of a decade of Coalition mismanagement. And that begins with Voting 1 Justine Elliott and Labor for Richmond.
Have you forgotten your lines Comrade. Read you above, the Greens are going to swap allegiances and become Labor’s new best friends. They’re going to form a Coaltion government. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
David I wish you lazy journalists would not rely on old fossil main stream media for your political journalism, if you could do a little more research and look into a political party that has been banned from any sort of corrupted media exposure for over 25 years you would be writing about them every day, leading up to the election. Vote No1 Jennifer Baker (Page) The Australian Citizens Party (ACP)
Reopen Mount Warning Mandy!!!
State issue, at least get your culture war factual.
What’s the greens CO2 output for this election? Flying, printing, tv ads non stop