Re-elected Fenner MP Andrew Leigh has openly attacked the campaign strategy of the Greens in the recent federal election, saying they targeted progressive seats rather than those held by the Coalition in the ACT.
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While the Greens increased their vote in the Senate in the ACT, Dr Leigh criticised the party's tactics of going after safe Labor-held seats such as Canberra instead of trying to unseat Liberal senator Zed Seselja.
"They claim to attempt to pursue progressive ends but in fact they're not directing their attention to defeating conservatives," Dr Leigh said.
"The Liberals were vulnerable because they had one of the most right-wing senators in one of the most progressive jurisdictions in Australia, and to unseat Zed would have been in the interest of the campaign for stronger progressives.
"Their strategy is just misguided."
Labor comfortably won all three lower house seats in the ACT, with a 4 per cent swing to Alicia Payne in the seat of Canberra, while the Greens' Tim Hollo received a 4 per cent swing in the party's primary vote.
They claim to attempt to pursue progressive ends but in fact they're not directing their attention to defeating conservatives.
- Labor MP Andrew Leigh
The Greens recorded their biggest share of the primary vote in Canberra's inner north.
In the upper house, the Greens received 17.6 per cent of the primary vote - a swing of almost 1.5 per cent.
Dr Leigh said the Greens targeting safe Labor seats in inner-city areas was counterproductive.
"I want the Greens to look at the bigger picture," he said.
"They chose to have [lower house candidate] Tim Hollo in a more prominent position in campaigning than [lead Senate candidate] Penny Kyburz.
"This isn't a criticism of Penny or Tim, it's a criticism of the Greens organisation and the way they operate."
Ms Kyburz has hit back at the claims of a "misguided strategy", saying plenty of effort was made at targeting the Liberal-held Senate seat.
She said agreement between the two parties was critical going forward into the new Parliament.
"We all wanted a change of government and we were working towards that goal," Ms Kyburz said.
"We recommended preferences to Labor above the Liberals in all three house seats and we recommended that Greens voters give Labor their second preferences in the Senate.
"In future elections, Labor will need to work with the Greens to replace Zed and hold off the Canberra Liberals."
The Greens targeted several Liberal-held seats during the campaign, including Kooyong, held by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and Higgins in Victoria.
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
