The Liberals have smashed the Greens' hopes of picking up new lower house seats at the July 2 federal election after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed preferences would flow to Labor ahead of the third party.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The move to put the Greens behind Labor in seat-by-seat contests across the country will potentially throw a lifeline to under-pressure Labor frontbencher David Feeney in the Melbourne seat of Batman, and assist senior frontbenchers Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek in the Sydney seats of Grayndler and Sydney.
A furious Greens leader Richard Di Natale condemned the Liberal decision, railed against the "Coles and Woolies" of Australian politics and said he personally had had no discussion with either the Liberals or Labor over preferences.
Despite railing against the "nasty" deal, the Greens had been hopeful as recently as last Wednesday of doing a deal with the Liberals – as they did in 2010 – to boost their chances in inner city seats in return for running open tickets that would help the Liberals in the outer suburbs.
In addition, the Greens and Labor are still likely to preference each other in the Senate.
"Ignore the nasty deal between the Liberal Party and the Labor Party. You preference according to your own desires," Senator Di Natale said.
In exchange for Liberal preferences, Labor agreed to put the Liberals ahead of the Nationals in three country seats – Victoria's Murray and Durack and O'Connor in Western Australia.
But with early voting to begin on Tuesday, Labor has not yet said whether it will throw a lifeline to South Australian Liberals, including Christopher Pyne and Jamie Briggs, who are facing a tough fight against a slate of candidates running for Nick Xenophon's NXT Party.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten sidestepped questions about the preference decision, arguing he was "chasing every first preference I can for the Labor Party. Australians today see the difference between Mr Turnbull and myself. He is talking about political deals and I am talking about reducing waiting lists for Australians sitting at home."
But the Liberal decision was welcomed by Labor, with frontbencher Brendan O'Connor noting "any opportunity for preferences to flow to your candidates you'll be happy with, of course".
The Prime Minister claimed on Sunday the decision was in the "national interest" and would ensure there would be no return to the "unstable, chaotic minority Labor, Greens, independent government as we have seen before".
"[Former independents] Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott are running. You have the Greens trying to pull Labor to the left. They are succeeding, with higher taxes, weaker border protection, a more anti-business agenda," he said.
Mr Turnbull brushed aside questions about whether Labor would now return the favour and put lower house candidates from senator Nick Xenophon's NXT Party in South Australia last.
"I leave the Labor Party to make its own announcements," he said.
Labor national secretary George Wright said his party had sought talks with Mr Xenophon about preferences in South Australia "but he has refused to come to any arrangement to achieve these outcomes. There is no deal from Labor to preference the Nick Xenophon Team or the Liberals.
"The approach Labor has taken to preferences is exactly the same approach that Nick Xenophon has. So I find it hard to understand why he would have a problem with it."
Greens lower house MP Adam Bandt said Labor had "sold its soul" in its deal with the Coalition.
He did not make clear whether the deal he did with the Liberals in 2010 to win the seat of Melbourne had involved him selling his soul.
Mr O'Connor acknowledged the decision was a boost for Mr Feeney, who is facing a serious challenge from the Greens' Alex Bhathal in his inner Melbourne seat of Batman.
Liberal party Victorian president Michael Kroger had advocated putting the Greens ahead of Labor in 2016 earlier in this campaign.
The federal director Tony Nutt was Victorian state director in 2010 when the decision to put Labor ahead of the Greens was credited with helping Ted Baillieu win the state election that year and cost the Greens up to four inner city seats.
