Greens deliver body blow to Labor in by-election race
The Greens have dealt a savage blow to Labor in the upcoming state byelection, refusing to favor their traditional allies on how to vote in a move that puts the once-safe seat in play.
Early voting has opened for more than 41,000 voters in the May 16 byelection, sparked by the sudden death of MP Jimmy Sullivan in Stafford, Brisbane’s northern district, on April 9.
The Greens will not tell voters how to direct their preferences, they will advise voters to put Greens candidate Jess Lane first and then number each box.
Greens MP Michael Berkman, who holds the inner west seat of Maiwar, said Queenslanders were being left behind and accused both major parties of being in the pockets of corporate donors.
“If people want real change in Stafford they should vote 1 Green, then number each box,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter whether Stafford voters elect a Labor politician or an LNP politician, the cost of housing will continue to rise.
“Both Labor and the LNP receive the same dodgy corporate donations, so it should come as no surprise that Queenslanders’ lives have become harder as corporate profits have soared under both LNP and Labor governments.”
Sullivan, who has held the seat since 2020, had a margin of more than five per cent and is sitting on the bench after being expelled from Labor in 2025.
The seat has traditionally been safe for Labor and was held by Mr Sullivan’s father, Terry, from 2001 to 2006.
Opposition Leader Steven Miles was furious when he spoke to reporters about the issue on Monday.
“I think Greens supporters will certainly expect their political party to do everything they can to prevent the LNP from gaining additional seats,” he said.
He said an open ticket would be an effective endorsement of the LNP’s policies.
“It would be like the Greens political party endorsing a ban on pill testing, endorsing a ban on gender treatment of trans children, approving the government’s move to criminalize homelessness,” he said.
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