In the October 18 ACT Legislative Assembly elections the ALP suffered a massive 9.4% swing against it. The Greens picked up more than 6% of that swing and have increased their seats in the 17-member assembly from one to at least three.
During 2006, the ALP majority government implemented very harsh cuts, including closing 39 schools. The ACT Greens opposed many of Labor's attacks, including school closures, its retreat on same-sex marriage rights, diminishing public transport and some large-scale infrastructure developments.
Meredith Hunter, one of the newly elected Green MLAs, said the Greens ran on a platform of "ensuring that Canberra is a city for the 21st century, with excellent public transport, water and energy efficient houses and a dynamic green economy".
Sixteen of the 17 seats have been decided, with seven going to the ALP and six to the Liberals. As Green Left Weekly goes to print, the final results confirmed that the Greens have won an unprecedented four seats
The Greens will hold the deciding votes in the new government.
The Greens are currently negotiating with the major parties about which one will form the next government. The Greens say they will offer their support to whichever party commits to better climate change strategies and public transport improvements.
In 1995, the ACT Greens won two seats and used them to enable the formation of a Liberal minority government in the ACT. That government went on to implement many neo-liberal attacks, including a wide range of cuts to public services (see GLW #213). The Greens voted for some of that government's privatisation legislation.
Reflecting on that history, ACT Socialist Alliance spokesperson Farida Iqbal told GLW: "In the past, the ACT Greens have tended not to see community mobilisation as the key to getting lasting progressive changes in place. They have preferred to do deals with the major parties, even though the ALP and the Liberals will do almost anything to avoid implementing progressive policies, such as same-sex marriage rights.
"We hope that in the new situation the Greens rely on their real allies and help to strengthen community campaigns to put maximum pressure on whichever party holds government. Another ALP government would be better than the Liberals, but as we have seen over the last four years, it would nevertheless not be one we can trust."
At a time of increasing public support for serious action to stop climate change, but also huge big-business pressure on governments to act to preserve capitalists' profits, a shift to the left by the Greens in parliament this time will result in a significant strengthening of their political future, and the future of us all.