Former Labor MP Michael Danby slams Anthony Albanese for Greens stance in Victoria’s most Jewish Federal seat

Two former senior Labor MPs have urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to use his party influence to ensure the Greens are preferenced last in Victoria’s most Jewish seat, which the Government is at risk of losing in the May 3 Federal election.

Macnamara is held by Michael Danby’s former staffer and Labor MP Josh Burns — the grandson of a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. Mr Danby, who was the Federal member for Melbourne Ports between 1998 and 2019, has joined forces with the former State Victorian Labor MP, ALP member and fellow Jew Tony Lupton to campaign for Labor to place the Greens last.

Mr Burns has won the seat twice and holds it with a margin of around 12 per cent.

But although that makes the inner-city seat notionally very safe for Labor, which has held it since Federation, it has been tied in a three-way contest between Labor, the Greens and the Liberals since 2016, making preference flows critical to the final outcome.

Asked by The Nightly if he had a moral obligation to ensure Labor preferenced the Greens last — a move that could put Labor victories that rely on Greens preferences elsewhere around the country at risk – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a matter for the party’s National Secretary Paul Erickson.

“Well, I don’t engage in preference negotiations as you’re aware,” he said at a campaign stop in the suburban Melbourne seat of Deakin.

“What I do is do my job, Paul Erickson will do his job and the organisational team.

The PM said the Greens political party had lost its way.

“They’re no longer a party that concentrates on environmental issues,” he said.

“What occurred in Josh Burns’ electorate office was just a disgrace.”

Last year, pro-Palestinian activists vandalised Mr Burns’ electorate office and spray-painted the words “zionism is fascism” over his image. Ripponlea’s Adass Israel synagogue, in the heart of the electorate, was fire bombed last December.

They are among a spate of attacks targeting Jews since the October 7 attacks in 2023, when Hamas launched its deadliest terrorist attack on Israel in the Jewish State’s history.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt has previously not endorsed a two-state solution, and without mentioning Hamas, has said Israel withdrawing from Gaza would end all killing, remarks that were perceived as blaming Israel for the terror attacks.

Former Victorian State Minister Philip Dalidakis said the party had no option.

“The Greens political party have gone so far to the left on so many issues that they are as extreme and divisive as any far-right politial party as I’ve seen in my political lifetime except they’re on the left,” Mr Dalidakis said.

Mr Danby said Mr Albanese could and should do more.

“Albo can ask the national executive and his close factional ally Paul Erickson to put the prime minister’s anti-Green Party rhetoric into practice,” Mr Danby told The Nightly.

“Of course Labor can issue how-to-vote cards which do not preference the Greens Party number two.

“In Macnamara, the prospect of giving the extremist Greens Party second preferences is deterring some voters from supporting Labor.

“Worse if Labor runs third, such a how-to-vote card risks electing the Green Party on Labor preferences.

Mr Burns won it in 2022 with a primary of 31.8 per cent, with the Greens running a close second at 29.7 per cent after a 5.5 per cent and the Liberals third on 29 per cent.

The Greens are expected to preference Labor above the Liberals.

“It would be astounding if Labor helped a Liberal get elected and brought Peter Dutton and his Trump-style politics closer to government,” a spokesman for Mr Bandt said.

“Preferences are a matter for the Labor Party, but the Greens are committed to keeping Dutton out,” the spokesman said.

“We are sure most Labor voters and supporters would be angry about Labor helping Dutton, and if it happens would defy the Party and put the Liberals last.”

While Labor has pulled ahead of the Coalition in Newspoll in the last week, the party brand remains on the nose in Victoria, partly due to the ageing State Government.

The ABC’s election analyst Antony Green said a change in Labor’s preferences would plunge the battle for Macnamara into uncharted territory.

“Labor recommending preferences for the Liberals before the Greens would only matter if Labor finished third,” he said.

“Less than half of voters strictly follow a How to Vote. Most voters make up their own preference sequence.

“I’d expect the majority of Labor voters would still preference the Greens even with a recommendation to Liberal.

“It is uncharted territory.”

Mr Burns has not made his position on preferences clear and the party will make its decision when nominations close on Friday.

Macnamara, south of the Yarra, takes in some of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs, including St Kilda and Elwood.

With just a three-seat majority and Labor’s polling badly in the state of Victoria, the Government will need to retain Macnamara in order to hold the majority.