MIKE SMITHSON: The Greens score a massive F for profane message splashed across flyers, t-shirts

Just when we thought politics couldn’t get any tackier, along come the Greens.

A campaign slogan which has been lurking in the political shadows since 2019 has now resurfaced causing considerable consternation between the party’s head office and the South Australian branch.

It reignited over the weekend when flyers were handed out at a community event in Adelaide and immediately raised angry eyebrows.

The flyer was spelt out in full, but the abbreviated version conveys the blunt message “Unf--k The Future”.

The sheet, featuring smiling faces of Australians from various backgrounds, also asked punters to use their vote to tackle the climate crisis and fix inequality.

The overall message from the Greens may be full of merit, but the language was totally inappropriate and uses the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a peanut, which was unwise and unnecessary.

Clearly people at the event, many with their young children in tow, were left aghast at the bluntness of the flyer being handed out freely to anyone who would take one.

SA Greens co-leader Robert Simms put an immediate stop to the brochure when he was made aware of it.

He was quick to apologise and promise the offensive document would be removed from circulation.

In noble but predictable Greens rhetoric, he declared any remaining flyers would be sent straight to the recycling bin.

He had a mea culpa day of trying to explain the inexplicable but did it with grace and some humour.

In essence, he maintained the message was totally appropriate if not for the foul f-word.

Are we being too precious and sanctimonious with the howls of complaint?

Such words are now used in everyday language and increasingly at just about every playground across the country.

That doesn’t give a green light, so to speak, to use it in political advertising which at the very least should be setting an example.

The issue became even more awkward after I quizzed Simms on the full extent of the Greens’ messaging.

He was unaware and embarrassed when informed the Greens were also selling t-shirts online with similar but slightly toned-down language.

Even worse, the clothing sizes catered for two-year olds and upwards.

That “gotcha” moment saw him fumble for an excuse, namely, he wasn’t aware of that issue so, therefore, he wasn’t prepared to comment.

You can bet Simms was on the phone to his national leader soon after the issue flared in SA.

But he may have been left underwhelmed, as was I, making contact with Adam Bandt’s media adviser.

The issue was brushed off as old news and it had dealt with in the past, despite flyers still being handed out last weekend and the grubby t-shirts still being available on their website.

When I asked for a comment from the Federal leader, I didn’t even receive the courtesy of a return phone call.

But, as they say, that’s showbiz.

A potential winner from this fiasco, or storm in a teacup however you view it, is the Federal Liberal MP for Sturt.

James Stevens vented his outrage at the inappropriate material and called for national intervention.

He quickly pointed out the endorsed Greens candidate for Sturt, Katie McCusker, was at the community event and close to those people handling out the flyers.

It’s no coincidence that Stevens was delighted to buy into the row.

Sturt is the most marginal seat in SA and the Greens have already sounded a loud warning.

In the recent State by-election in Dunstan, which is within Sturt’s Federal boundary, McCusker dramatically improved the Greens vote and the same could occur when we go to the Federal polls.

The leafy eastern suburbs seat, formerly held by Liberal Christopher Pyne, is ripe for the picking if the Greens get their act together, and they know that.

Spoiling their party as often as possible must be high on Stevens’ daily agenda.

But the Greens also know that not being talked about is even worse than being on the receiving end of Liberal lip and they’ll suck up any political oxygen they can.

Even so, gratuitous advertising material designed to shock rather than inform scores an F for epic failure.

Mike Smithson is chief reporter and presenter for 7News Adelaide