The Greens have preferenced the conservative Christian Democrats before the Liberals in the seat of Sydney, putting a gay Indigenous candidate last on their how to vote cards.
Liberal Geoffrey Winters, who is contesting the seat held by Labor’s deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, told Guardian Australia the decision was “surprising and disappointing” and showed the Greens were not above party politics.
Winters is a 27-year-old lawyer and gay Indigenous man, who supports both marriage equality and Indigenous constitutional recognition.
On Tuesday, Greens candidate Sylvie Ellsmore told Guardian Australia the local Greens branch had decided to preference the Liberals last, behind the Christian Democrats’ candidate Ula Falanga.
The Christian Democrats are led in New South Wales by Fred Nile, who has argued that homosexuality is a recognised “mental disorder” in submissions to that state’s parliament on same-sex marriage.
Nile has also argued same-sex marriage would lead to “a push to affirm (through marriage) child brides, bigamous and polygamous partners”.
He is also opposed to adoption by gay parents and wants to force women to view an ultrasound of the fetus they are carrying before accessing an abortion.
Ellsmore said the Christian Democrats are “a toxic conservative party” but the branch had put them ahead of the Liberals because “they’re hardly campaigning in the seat and we didn’t want to give them more oxygen”.
“In Sydney the contest is between the Greens, Labor and the Liberals and we wanted to be really clear. If there was any chance the Christian Democrats could get up we’d never do it.
“It’s much easier to say put the Liberals last, that’s a clear message.”
Winters said the Greens’ preference decision was “surprising and disappointing ... because it demonstrates that a party that has so historically held themselves above the argy bargy of party politics, has slipped into being a humdrum political machine that has lost its way”.
He said Liberal preferences were determined by the federal campaign director, and he was engaged “listening to local people and not getting into the business of preferences”.
Ellsmore said the Greens in Sydney were not swayed by Winters’ progressive personal beliefs because “it’s about the party rather than individual”.
She said the Liberals had gutted the Safe Schools program and noted the conservative views of Coalition members, including Nationals MP George Christensen who had accused an advocate for the anti-bullying program of advocating paedophilia.
Ellsmore said the Greens were fighting “misinformation about preferences and rumours about deals”.
Labor has run a campaign accusing the Greens of offering to run open tickets in suburban marginals in return for Liberal preferences in the inner city, a deal which did not eventuate.
“It’s important that people have faith that their preference won’t end up with a conservative party,” said Ellsmore.
When asked if that was exactly the impression they would have after the decision to preference the Christian Democrats before the Liberals, she blamed “mischievous” reporting of the Greens’ how to vote order.
The Greens have preferenced the Socialist Alliance second, Animal Justice third and then Labor.
Winters has previously backed the Liberals’ policy of holding a plebiscite on marriage equality because he expected it to pass.
“I have huge faith in the Australian people and I have no doubt that they’ll make the right decision, and that we’ll see marriage equality in the near future,” he said.
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