Climate 200 convenor Simon Holmes a Court confident of stealing more Liberal seats at upcoming Victorian state election
Climate 200 convenor Simon Holmes a Court is looking to steal more Victorian seats away from the Liberals at the upcoming state election.
Climate 200 convenor Simon Holmes a Court is looking to steal more Liberal seats at the upcoming Victorian state election.
The Teals stole nine historically safe Liberal seats around the country at the Federal Election in May as voters moved to support candidates with more robust climate change policies.
Mr Holmes a Court told Sky News Australia host Kieran Gilbert Climate 200 was receiving positive polling in state electorates that overlap federal seats held by Teal MPs.
“We’ve done polling on those electorates that you’ve shown and found there is strong support for the community independent model in those electorates,” he said.
“When you ask people in those electorates would they support a candidate of the calibre of say Zoe Daniel or Monique Ryan then it’s a clear win.
“Their challenge in those campaigns is to get the name out, is for name recognition. If they can do that then they’ve got a really good chance of winning.”
Some of the Teal candidates running at the Victorian election are in seats that overlap the federal seats Kooyong and Goldstein which were held by former Liberal MPs Josh Frydenberg and Tim Wilson.
Climate 200 federal candidates defeated both Mr Wilson and Mr Frydenberg.
At the state election the seats of Caufield, Brighton and Sandringham which sit within Goldstein, Climate 200 have three candidates running.
Despite the Teal federal MP the Liberals hold Caufield, Brighton and Sandringham by slight two-party preferred margins.
The Teals also have two candidates running in the seats of Kew and Hawthorn which sit within Mr Frydenberg’s old federal electorate which is now held by Climate 200’s Monique Ryan.
Mr Holmes a Court said after the successful campaigns at the federal election the communities were “primed” and ready to move away from the Liberal Party in the state election.
“The communities are primed, a lot of the volunteers behind the campaigns are the same people that delivered such a thumping victory in those seats in Victoria in May,” he said.
“So they’ve got a good chance but it’s a pretty high bar in Victoria.”
The Teals campaign with candidates that support action on climate change, integrity in politics and the treatment and safety of women.
While the Teals have only targeted Liberal seats so far Mr Holmes a Court warned if the Labor Government fails to act on their three principles they could be “at risk”.
“They’re showing some early good signs but what the public that volunteered for these campaigns, that worked so hard for this incredible new wave of community initiatives that were so successful at the election,” he said.
“It was in response to a government that wasn’t listening to the electorate especially to what people in those electorates care about. It’s really up to Labor how much they respond to that.”