It’s not just the Liberals choosing a new leader – the Greens are expected do so too after Adam Bandt’s election defeat.
Yesterday afternoon, Greens leader Adam Bandt conceded his seat of Melbourne, one that he held for 15 years. He’s been in touch with Labor’s Sarah Witty to congratulate her on her win.
“The Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne but One Nation and Liberal preferences will get Labor over the line to win in Melbourne,” he said. “We needed to overcome Liberal, Labor and One Nation combined, and it’s an Everest that we’ve climbed a few times now – but this time we fell just short.”
On election night, Mr. Bandt was very upbeat about the election’s outcome; claiming the largest Greens vote in history and an expectation he would retain the seat of Melbourne. But now the party is facing the prospect of having no members in the House of Representatives, although the Greens say they are confident in retaining the seat of Ryan (Elizabeth Watson-Brown) – and will hold sole balance of power in the Senate. Final Senate results not expected to be known until at least next week.
Greens Election Home Electrification Policies
The Greens went into Federal Election 2025 with a broader platform than previously. Among their renewables-focused policies was the Renters Right To Solar scheme. This would have enabled tenants to demand a solar power system up to 8kW capacity be installed on their rental homes, with landlords in most cases compelled to play – and pay.
Given landlords have been generally been resistant to installing solar panels regardless of any incentives available, SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock commented at the time:
“Renters don’t need solar. They need plug and play batteries.”
Before Labor’s Cheaper Home Batteries program was announced in early April, the Greens unveiled a plan for households and small businesses to access financial assistance to ditch gas appliances and install electric alternatives. Under the plan, a grant of up to $10,000 and low-interest loan of up to $20,000 would have been available to households (more for small businesses) to install items such induction cooktops and heat pumps. Similar financial assistance would be available to install battery storage.
Bandt’s Parting Words For The Media
Mr. Bandt wound up his speech yesterday with some advice for the media pack gathered:
“We’re in a climate crisis. I really want the media to stop reporting on climate as a political issue, and start thinking about it as if our country was being invaded.”
Mr. Bandt lamented that when the Greens implored stopping new coal and gas projects in recent years there was a “kind of shrug” from the media. After all, it was the Greens.
“I just ask the media now every time you get a press release talking about a renewable energy project, or every time you get told that the climate crisis is being taken seriously, please don’t just treat this as a ‘well, we’re going to report what the different political parties say’. Look behind it and look at the science because your kids, our kids, everyone’s kids are in for a hellish future in their lifetimes if we don’t get the climate crisis under control.”
As for who might be the new Greens Leader after five years of Mr. Bandt at the party’s helm, Sarah Hanson-Young and Mehreen Faruqi are among potential successors. The Greens leadership will be determined by a meeting of the party room next week, with Senator Nick McKim acting in the role of caretaker in the meantime.
On a related note, find out what’s ahead for home electrification support in Australia under another round of Labor.
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