In a robust defense of his party’s parliamentary tactics, Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt is urging voters to understand the reasoning behind blocking the Labor government’s legislative agenda until the final sitting day of the year.
“Yes, we pushed hard this year, and pushing the government isn’t always pretty, so I accept that,” Bandt acknowledged in an exclusive interview. The Greens, in a loose alliance with independents, refused to pass dozens of key bills until a last-minute deal-making frenzy on Thursday.
Bandt argues the hardball approach, despite attracting accusations of obstructionism, was necessary to wrest policy concessions from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government. “We will now draw a line under this year. We’ve pushed as hard as we can. We’ve got what we can from this government,” he explained.
Defending the Greens’ Record
Looking ahead to the next election, likely in 2025, Bandt struck an optimistic tone. “For us now, our focus turns to keeping [opposition leader] Peter Dutton out and pushing on climate and housing in what may well be a minority parliament.”
He emphasized that the Greens’ stubbornness was not just political theater, but rather a means to secure tangible policy wins. “When we explain why we’re doing it and also we point to the real outcomes that we’ve got, my sense is: people get it,” Bandt said. “They understand we’re not just having a fight for its own sake.”
Among the concessions the Greens claim credit for are an extra $500 million for social housing upgrades and the exclusion of fossil fuel projects from key government financing initiatives. But Bandt refused to be drawn on the collapse of a major environmental protection deal his party had struck with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, which the Prime Minister personally intervened to scuttle.
“I’m just going to stick with what’s on the public record,” Bandt demurred. “I think it is abundantly clear, though, that the reason that we don’t have stronger environment laws at the end of this parliament doesn’t have anything to do with the Greens or the environment minister.”
Clashes with Labor Government
He pointed the finger instead at what he characterized as a concerted campaign by logging and mining interests to pressure the government. “It’s pretty clear what happened this week – the logging and mining corporations told Labor not to protect the environment and forests, and Labor did what they were told.”
Bandt also waved off suggestions that the Greens’ reversals on other contentious bills came in response to disappointing election results in state races in Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. “There comes a point where you realise you’ve pushed as far as you can and you just have to then decide what you’re going to do,” he explained.
The Greens leader argued his party has in fact been a constructive partner on many of the government’s initiatives since Labor took power in May 2022. But he accused the Albanese government of squandering the opportunity for more ambitious progressive reforms. “There was numbers there in the Senate to get a whole lot of progressive legislation passed, and we were urging the government to take that opportunity.”
Lessons for Next Election
As he looks ahead to the next federal election, Bandt expressed concern that Labor will emulate the tactics of their counterparts in Queensland, who he said “adopt Greens policies and take credit for them.”
“That’s one thing we’re reflecting on,” Bandt said of the challenge in differentiating the Greens’ platform.
But for now, with the parliamentary session complete, Bandt seems content to rest on his party’s record over the past several months. “I hope that now, at the end of the year, people can see we’ve actually got something that makes a difference.”
As the Greens and the government gear up for the next round of legislative sparring in 2025, Australians can expect the dance of negotiation and brinkmanship to continue. For Bandt and his colleagues, the game has just begun.
