Ministers may be losers as Greens send votes elsewhere
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday February 18, 2011
THE government's chance of holding on to two key inner-city seats has been dealt a blow by a decision from local Greens candidates not to direct preferences to Labor.Local Greens groups have voted unanimously not to allocate preferences to the MP for Balmain, Verity Firth, the Education Minister, or the MP for Marrickville, Carmel Tebbutt, the Deputy Premier and Health Minister.The ABC election analyst Antony Green has predicted Labor will lose the seats.Marrickville will be contested by the mayor of Marrickville, Fiona Byrne, and Balmain by the mayor of Leichhardt, Jamie Parker. Both are prominent Greens.Balmain is held by Labor by a margin of 3.7 per cent. Labor holds Marrickville by 7.5 per cent over the Greens.Cr Byrne said: "It will be difficult, up against a formidable Labor machine, but we want to win these seats without the support of ... Labor or the Coalition."Last night Cr Byrne and Ms Tebbutt met for a debate at Marrickville Town Hall.Ms Tebbutt faced hostile questions about the state's planning system, electricity privatisation and funding for private schools.She said a vote for a Green MP in Marrickville would "help deliver a Coalition government" and that if the Coalition did win, she would be a more effective voice in opposition than the Greens could be."A single voice or two single [Green] voices will not be able to have the same impact," she said.In the federal election last year there was a 7.3 per cent swing to the Greens in the seat of Grayndler, which takes in much of the same territory as Marrickville.A similar swing to the Greens at the state election would put the parties neck and neck.Ms Tebbutt has held Marrickville since 2005, when she was elected on the departure of Andrew Refshauge.Ms Firth has indicated she will direct her preferences to progressive candidates rather than the Coalition.
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald
