- Adam Bandt loses Melbourne seat despite winning most primary votes
- Labor’s Sarah Witty declared winner after preference vote redistribution
- Bandt blames shift from Liberal to Labor for Greens’ loss
Adam Bandt, leader of Australia’s third-largest political party, the Greens, has conceded defeat in the seat of Melbourne after a prolonged vote count that followed Saturday’s federal election.
Bandt, who had held the seat since 2010, announced on Thursday that he had congratulated Labor candidate Sarah Witty on her victory. Despite securing the highest number of primary votes, Bandt was edged out due to Australia’s preferential voting system, which redistributed votes from the Liberal and One Nation parties in favor of Labor.
“To win Melbourne, we had to overcome the combined votes of Liberal, Labor, and One Nation. We’ve managed to do that before, but this time we fell just short,” Bandt said.
He attributed the Greens’ loss to what he called a “riptide” of voter sentiment shifting from the Liberal Party to Labor, driven largely by widespread opposition to the Coalition’s leader Peter Dutton, whose politics were likened to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“People in Melbourne strongly opposed Peter Dutton’s toxic brand of politics,” Bandt said. “And many voters saw Labor as the best path to stop him.”
Dutton himself lost his seat in the election, contributing to a resounding Labor landslide under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while both the Coalition and Greens saw major setbacks.
Despite the loss, Bandt expressed deep gratitude to Melbourne voters, noting their consistent support throughout his 15-year tenure. He highlighted several achievements during his leadership, including progress on marriage equality, Indigenous representation, and significant climate legislation.
“The climate crisis is why I entered politics,” he said. “And I’m proud of the impact we’ve had thanks to the people of Melbourne.”
Bandt also thanked the African and Muslim communities, supporters of Palestinian rights, his party colleagues, and his wife Claudia, saying, “We did this together.”
He closed with a message to the media, urging them to treat climate change not as a political topic, but as a national emergency:
“Report on climate like our country is under attack. Please take it seriously and hold all governments accountable.”
