FED:Greens use 2010 campaign to branch out

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2010
FED:Greens use 2010 campaign to branch out

By Gabrielle Dunlevy

CANBERRA, Aug 19 AAP - The Australian Greens' ability to touch disparate groups of
voters who feel discarded by the major parties has seen them branch out and bloom in this
election campaign.

No longer just an environmental lobby, the Greens have promised to live up to their
rapidly-growing reputation as the "people's watchdog" no matter the winner of Saturday's
poll.

The party has focused on grabbing the balance of power in the Senate at this campaign,
which would give them control to amend or block legislation.

Recontesting senators Christine Milne (Tasmania) and Rachel Siewert (Western Australia)
are tipped to retain their seats, while Family First senator Steve Fielding is tipped
to lose his seat to a Green.

In his final campaign address on Wednesday, leader Bob Brown said his party's senators
would get outcomes the community wanted.

Their first move would be to adjust the proposed minerals resource rent tax to raise
an additional $2 billion annually, to be invested in the public schools system.

The party would also respond to community demand for action on climate change by pushing
for a carbon tax, proposing a carbon price of $23 per tonne.

The Greens also are committed to saving precious farming land from mining interests,
a subject on which the traditional rural party, The Nationals, have had little to say.

Victoria's rural newspaper, The Weekly Times, advised its readers that neither Labor
nor the coalition deserved their vote, and argued the Greens had trumped the Nats in some
areas, including rural mental health.

Beyond environmental issues, the Greens also pushing for a national dental healthcare
scheme, equal marriage laws, a new office to provide budgetary advice to parliament and
an international ban on asbestos mining and manufacturing.

The coalition repeatedly has used the Greens as a weapon against Labor in this campaign,
saying the preference deal between the two parties is a sign a "great big new" carbon
tax is in the wings.

While Brown failed to get a three-way election debate during the campaign, the party's
increasing relevance and record polling is hard to ignore.

Saturday could bring a double coup for the Greens if Adam Bandt wins the lower house
seat of Melbourne, vacated by outgoing finance minister Lindsay Tanner.

Bandt would be the second Greens candidate to win a seat in the House of Representatives,
but the first to be elected at a general election.

His election potentially could decide who forms the next government, along with three
independent MPs - Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott.

Helping Bandt's campaign is the Victorian branch of the Electrical Trades Union, which
made a record $325,000 donation to the Greens, after cutting ties with Labor over its
failure to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

The union is yet another group disillusioned with its traditional alliance who have
found a friend in the Greens.

AAP gd/rl/psm/jlw

KEYWORD: POLL10 GREENS (AAP BACKGROUNDER)

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