How much does Shane Rattenbury want to be Chief Minister? Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Extraordinary claims of a Greens and Canberra Liberals plot to bring down the Barr Government have refused to die, with new details emerging of continuing talks and the involvement of a right-wing media strategist with close links to former senator Zed Seselja.
Despite both the Greens and the Liberals denying that they were discussing joining in the Legislative Assembly to force a vote of no confidence in Labor, sources insist that they are still open to the possibility.
This is also despite reports that the Greens management committee had knocked the idea on the head.
“It’s not dead yet”, one source said.
The Greens told Region the two parties were still talking about policy matters and labelled Labor as out of touch.
The sources say the price of any such deal to take government for the Liberals would still be Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury becoming Chief Minister.
In a bizarre twist, right-wing organisation Advance’s Stephen Doyle, a former chief of staff to Mr Seselja and his brother-in-law, is alleged to be “pulling the strings” on the Liberal side, although Mr Rattenbury is believed to have first made overtures to the Opposition.
Challenged that this was a far-fetched scenario, sources said there was nothing rational about what was happening and self-interest was driving both parties, although it could be disastrous when they have to face the people at the next election.
The Greens are deeply angry about their treatment at the hands of Labor in the last Government and Mr Rattenbury is “desperate” to be the first Greens leader of a government in Australia.
The Liberals believe handing Mr Rattenbury the top job despite their superior numbers in the Assembly would be worth getting rid of Labor and being in government, although it is understood that former leader Leanne Castley is not on side.
Other scenarios include Mr Seselja returning as a chief of staff to a minister or he and former leader Alistair Coe heading directorates under a Greens-Liberal government.
There is even talk of Mr Seselja running for the Assembly in 2028 in a bid to resurrect his political career.
Mr Seselja is close to frontbencher Deborah Morris and her husband Adam, now party president.
It is understood the two parties are looking at possible triggers for a vote of no confidence, with the ACT Integrity Commission’s Operation Kingfisher report on the Campbell Primary School Modernisation Project due this year seen as a potential one.
While nothing has actually been agreed on, both sides are staying open to possibilities and continuing to talk.
A Greens statement made clear that it had serious issues with the Labor Government and was still keen to sound out alternatives.
It said recent discussions with Liberal Leader Mark Parton were open ended and there was no agreement on any fixed outcome.
“We were simply canvassing whether there was any shared policy ground for us to work together and the range of possible pathways to do that,” the spokesperson said.
But the statement said many Canberrans were frustrated with the Labor Government, saying it seemed complacent and out of touch.
“These concerns, on top of the very real issues that emerged last year around the state of the budget, the health and education overspends, the ongoing investigation into the Campbell Primary contract and the mismanagement of the public transport system have cast serious doubts over this Government,” the spokesperson said.
The party was obliged to consider if there are “different and potentially better ways” for their elected representatives to work for the community.
“We will always be open to considering any options that benefit our community and improve democracy,” the statement said.
Mark Parton and Zed Seselja. Would a deal mean a comeback for the former Senator. Photo: Cassandra Choake.
But there had been no engagement with Stephen Doyle, only Liberal MLAs and their staff.
The Greens vehemently disagreed with the agenda of Advance, and would not entertain the sort of divisive and mean influence they try to inflict on Australians, the spokesperson said.
The Canberra Liberals did not respond to questions.
A Labor spokesperson said the government had not been advised of any change in the Greens’ position that a no-confidence motion was not being contemplated.
“The Supply and Confidence Agreement the ACT Greens signed with Labor sets out a shared commitment to a progressive agenda for the Assembly and for the Government, reflecting the result of the 2024 election,” the spokesperson said.
“Labor remains committed to our obligations in this agreement and the agreement with Mr Emerson and to ensure a stable government for the ACT.
“It’s difficult to see how this agenda, which was consulted upon across the Greens membership, could be achieved through a coalition with the conservative Liberal Party.”
The spokesperson said the right-wing Advance organisation had a track-record of hyper-conservative political activism that is born out of the ‘MAGA’ style of politics seen in the United States.
“Their involvement in ACT politics would be deeply troubling for most progressive Canberrans,” the spokesperson said.
There is genuine concern in the government but some Labor figures relish the prospect of a campaign depicting the Greens as rats to the progressive cause and the strong possibility of attaining a majority at their expense.
But the sticking point for the Greens is their member base, who would find a pact with the Liberals unpalatable, especially if the likes of Stephen Doyle and Zed Seselja were involved.
One source said the coalition talks reflected a lack of faith by the Liberal leadership in the party’s ability to win at the ballot box, and such a deal would drive some party members toward One Nation.
