Bandt loses his seat

The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, lost his seat when Sarah Witty was declared the new ALP MP of the Melbourne electorate.

The vitriolic critic of Israel has been Melbourne’s MP since 2010.

The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) says it is clear voter repudiation of the Greens’ extreme and divisive politics has played a role in the Party’s election results.

ZFA President, Jeremy Leibler, said: “For 18 months, Australians have witnessed the Greens, led by Adam Bandt and Mehreen Faruqi, peddle dangerous antisemitic conspiracy theories, spew anti-Israel rhetoric, fail to call out terrorism, and demonise the Jewish community. This result reflects a message from fair-minded Australians; extremism has no place in our democracy.”

The Greens’ federal election results follow a consistent pattern of voter rejection of the Party since October 7, with poor performances in the Queensland state election, the Prahran by-election, and local council elections in New South Wales and Victoria. Across the board, Australians appear to be rejecting the Greens’ extreme politics.

Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, commented: “This is the most shattering defeat the Greens have suffered since the fiasco that ended their attempt to force Marrickville Council to boycott Israel in 2011.  Under the failed leadership of Adam Bandt and his potential successor Max Chandler-Mather the Greens embraced ever more radical causes that were remote from the central concerns of mainstream Australians, and alien to their values.  The electoral backlash against the Greens presents them with an historic opportunity to change course.  They now have the chance to re-orient themselves away from the pet causes of the far left and move towards the political centre. Most importantly they need to change the way they operate. The pig-ignorant moralising arrogance, the ludicrous oversimplification of complex issues, and the ferocious demonisation of those with different views all need to stop.  The Greens could learn from the words of the Prime Minister: ‘In Australia we treat each other with respect.’”

ZFA CEO, Alon Cassuto, said: “On the streets and in Parliament, the Greens have allowed extremist voices to dominate their platform. We call on all parties and leaders to reaffirm their commitment to constructive dialogue, a restoration of social cohesion, and principled foreign policy.”

Zionism Victoria executive director Zeddy Lawrence, told J-Wire: “Tomorrow is VE Day. Today is VM Day. Tomorrow we hang out the bunting. Today we hang out the Bandt-ing.”

Dr. Colin Rubenstein, executive director of AIJAC said: “The Greens’ dismal results -including it would now seem the defeat of leader Adam Bandt, show that Australia has largely rejected its hatred and inflammatory, divisive rhetoric.

In recent years, the Greens have shifted from primarily focusing on the environment to a preoccupation with hard-left politics. Its obsession with Israel is just one facet of this transformation. The Greens thus create distance between themselves and most mainstream Australians. They might consider themselves the third force in Australian politics, but the election results prove that the main contest of ideas remains primarily between Labor and the Coalition.

Because of their poor record in dealing with antisemitism and their increasing divisiveness, it is certainly   positive for the prospects of restoring Australian social and political cohesion that they have been dealt a substantial blow at this election.”

The Greens no longer have a voice in the lower house.