The Australian Greens have set their sights on climate change action, positivity in politics and the balance of power
Flanked by six Victorian candidates, the party's leader Richard Di Natale made his day-one election campaign pitch at St Kilda on Thursday.
Senator Di Natale says the party is open to negotiate with a Bill Shorten-led Labor government if the Greens win the balance of power, similar to 2010, in order to affect action on climate change.
"The problem right now is the Labor Party are dragging their heels on climate change but the Liberal Party are dragging their knuckles," he told reporters.
Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale says the Greens would work with a Shorten government. Source: AAP
"We have one party that has set the bar so low that they've allowed the debate around climate change to ignore the central issue facing this country and that's how we transition away from
Alongside Senator Di Natale was Melbourne MP Adam Bandt, Senator Janet Rice and candidates Steph Hodgins-May (running for the seat of Macnamara), Jason Ball (Higgins), Julian Burnside (Kooyong) and Adam Pullford (Wills).
Absent from the bunch was David Risstrom, the candidate for Cooper - the seat once known as Batman - which repeat candidate Alex Bhathal spent years challenging.
She gave up the fight - and quit the party - blaming in part internal party bullying during a 2018 by-election.
The minor party was also hit hard by internal division and candidate scandals during the Victorian and NSW state elections.
Former Greens candidate Alex Bhathal hugs a Greens volunteer. She won't be running on a Greens ticket this election. Source: AAP
But Senator Di Natale said there was nothing untoward about Mr Risstrom's absence.
"It's a statement of the bleeding obvious: we're here with our team of people we think are the best chance of being elected to the federal parliament," he said.
Senator Di Natale also said the party would overcome the "muck" thrown at them during the previous elections and maintain internal discipline by "continuing to be positive".
Senator Di Natale said the party would overcome the "muck" thrown at them during the previous elections. Source: AAP
The Greens refuse donations from the coal industry and big polluters and are pitching for cash from the pockets of the public to fund their campaign.
