The Greens have escalated their preferencing war with Labor, moving to deny #Albanese the chance to win the ultra-marginal seat of #Deakin, held by Liberal frontbencher Michael Sukkar and #Menzies, held by #LNP MP Keith Wolahan.
The two seats are #ALP’s two key Liberal-held targets in Victoria.
The minor party has been seething about Labor’s decision to run a so-called open ticket in the Melbourne seat of Macnamara, robbing the Greens of a portion of Labor preferences.
This move was designed to send a message to the Greens for what #Jewish leaders have described as the party’s antisemitic remarks and stances over the war in Gaza. The Greens deny the charge.
The minor party, without giving Labor any warning, has now followed suit in Melbourne’s eastern-suburbs seat of Deakin, based around Ringwood.
Adam Bandt’s party is not instructing its voters in Deakin whom to preference after the Greens. The party is preferencing Labor ahead of Liberal candidates in all other key contests between the major parties.
Several Labor sources are viewing the move as retaliation.
The Greens’ primary vote in Deakin was 14 per cent at the last election. If it is similar this time and the contest is tight, a few hundred Greens votes failing to flow to Labor could cost Anthony Albanese a seat as he fights to maintain a majority government.
Albanese has visited the seat twice in this campaign, and has repeatedly made personal attacks towards Sukkar.
