‘Comprehensively rejected’: Penny Wong lashes out at Greens’ Adam Bandt with brutal comparison
Penny Wong has unleashed on Greens leader Adam Bandt, who is clinging on to his seat in Melbourne as the vote count continues into its fourth day.
Mr Bandt is currently battling it out with Labor candidate Sarah Witty, with a preferential re-throw putting the leader in danger of losing the seat of Melbourne, which he has held since 2010.
Going into the election with four seats, the Greens suffered a significant blow by losing two of them in Queensland, Griffith and Brisbane.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Counting is also still underway in Ryan, where MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is fighting to cling on to her seat, with just a few votes between her and Liberal candidate Maggie Forrest.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said during an appearance on breakfast television that the election results may be a sign that the Australian people “rejected the politics of conflict and … grievance”.
With a core focus on the housing crisis, climate change and the Israel-Hamas conflict, Ms Wong argued that some of the Greens’ messaging may not have resonated with the general public, and becoming sucked into culture-war politics.
She then struck a stark comparison between the Greens leader and the former leader of the Coalition.
“Unfortunately, Adam Bandt, you know, in some ways is quite like Peter Dutton,” she said.
“It’s the same conflict. It’s the same … frankly, sometimes quite aggressive and the same politics of protest and grievance.
“I think Australians have comprehensively rejected that.”
In the wake of the election result Ms Wong argued Mr Bandt should regroup and reflect on the party’s messaging, and how it impacts the Australian people.
“My suggestion to Adam Bandt is perhaps he should consider what the message (that) Australians sent to all of us in parliament,” she said.
When the Today host asked if Ms Wong had made a “mistake” when comments about reviving the Voice during the election campaign, she skirted the topic and doubled-down on the country’s rejection of “culture-war politics”.
“People were concerned about Medicare. People were concerned about cost of living. People were concerned about tax cuts. People were concerned about schools and hospitals and bulk billing and fee free TAFE,” she said.
“That’s what Australians wanted to see.
“They weren’t interested in the Peter Dutton Liberal Party culture wars.”
