Easy going Green

By Bridget Brady
GREEN power is alive and well in Casey.
Voters followed the national trend towards the Australian Greens at the polls on Saturday, and enjoyed particular success in Holt with a swing of about 4.54 per cent- exceeding the national average of about 3.62 per cent.
Holt’s Australian Greens candidate, Frank Di Mascolo, received more than 6800 votes and said the results reflected people’s awareness that the Greens were a “serious, mature force” and not just a single-issue party.
“That’s a very good result. I’m very happy,” he said.
Mr Di Mascolo said there was no doubt voters had taken the Greens more seriously this election, and attributed much of the national swing towards the fact that the two major parties failed to produce policies on climate change.
“It’s the biggest issue we’re facing in our time and neither of them had anything constructive to say on that issue at all.”
In La Trobe, the Greens received about a 3.27 per cent swing with candidate Jim Reiher.
Flinders candidate for the Greens, Bob Brown, received more than 8000 votes and a swing of about 2.78 per cent.
Mr Brown said he was pleased with anything above a two per cent swing, which he also achieved at the last election.
While the Greens emerged as the big winner on Saturday, Mr Brown said his celebrations were somewhat “melancholy” because at the end of the day little had been done about his passionate belief on climate change.
“I was really pleased with the way the Greens went, but I’m still disappointed because the real issues didn’t come out in the election and that was basically climate change, which I think is much worse than people are being told by the politicians or even the press,” Mr Brown said.
“To me that was a major issue and it was just ignored, basically.”
Mr Brown said voters were disenchanted with negative campaigns and were pleased to see compassionate policies from a progressive party.
Holding the balance of power in the Senate, the Greens would provide a “check and balance” and use the position responsibly, Mr Brown said.
“The major parties won’t be able to force things through. It will mean negotiation. The Greens have always wanted to negotiate. I think it’s a good thing.”