Adam Bandt claims that he wants to work with Labor to advance progressive policies. Yet the party he leads is preferencing the climate-denying Country Liberal Party ahead of Labor in the byelection for the Northern Territory seat of Johnston.
The deal smashes the Greens credibility to smithereens. As the CLP sits with the Nationals in Canberra, the Greens are effectively saying their values are more closely aligned to those of Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan than those of the Labor Party.
This deal means the Greens are backing the CLP that supported unregulated fracking, while NT Labor implemented a moratorium in order to conduct a scientific inquiry that provided 135 recommendations around fracking, all of which were accepted.
This is another example of the Greens putting their political interests ahead of delivering real action to stop climate change.
It is a real test for new leader Adam Bandt. He must step in and stop this preference deal.