Sadly, after an enormous four years, a big campaign, and a long wait, we have narrowly lost the seat of South Brisbane. This is not the result we had hoped for, or the result that our volunteers worked so hard for.
While we won the highest primary vote, it is now clear that Labor will win the seat from second place, on preferences from the LNP and One Nation. At the crucial point, Labor were ahead of the LNP by just 104 votes, meaning that those LNP preferences will come into play.
Across the city, the Greens have fallen well short of what we set out to achieve, and we have many lessons to learn.
As the climate crisis worsens, the divide between ordinary people and the very rich grows, as big corporations and billionaires gather more and more power over our lives and communities, we need to listen and understand why our politics didn’t resonate with our neighbours how we thought it would.
I’m not going to say that I’m not feeling disappointed in the results – but the reason I joined the Greens and the reason we all give so much, is because we want to improve people’s lives, not just win seats. I’m taking heart in the fact that our movement has changed political common sense in Queensland. People all over our city and state voted for a more progressive politics. People voted for caps on grocery prices. For caps on rent increases. For free school meals. For fully funded schools. For climate action. For more parkland. For free GP clinics. And on all of these fronts, the fight continues.
In dissecting this incredibly close election result, we’ll be looking hard at the campaign, and what we could have done to better connect with people. We were buoyed by the fact that Labor adopted so many of our policies in the last few months — cheaper public transport fares, free GP clinics, a public electricity company, free school meals, all policies lifted straight from the Greens. We were also buoyed by the positive feedback that we were hearing from people on the ground.
But in this case, that wasn’t enough. We know that many people, including in South Brisbane, voted for Labor thanks to their more progressive platform. Queenslanders will expect that Labor sticks with those progressive policies. We also know that many people voted for Labor in the hopes of keeping out the LNP, and out of fear that the LNP would roll back abortion rights. I know there were some people who decided not to vote Green in South Brisbane because they were unhappy that there are still so many people sleeping in tents across the neighbourhood. I understand this frustration. Despite our constant advocacy, our push for the State government to build more public and emergency housing, and our push to tackle the rental crisis, the housing crisis has only gotten worse.
In an election that saw a huge swing to the right, the Greens statewide vote held steady, in part because we ran our biggest and most organised campaigns here in Brisbane, in part because more and more people are feeling connected to the Greens, our movement, and what we are fighting for.
My biggest and most heartfelt thank you is to the people of South Brisbane. Four years ago I was given an incredible opportunity to represent my community and I feel so lucky that I got to do this. It has been the biggest privilege of my life to connect with so many people, to be part of your lives, your struggles and joys, to advocate on issues from housing, to healthcare, planning and education, and to share your passion for this special part of the world.
Thank you to everyone who I got to cross paths with, in our campaigns, at community meetings, at rallies, at school P&C meetings, or at the bus stop. It has been a real privilege to work with the incredible people in this neighbourhood and stand shoulder to shoulder with you. The support I got after the car crash from so many of you in this community was a core part in my recovery. I have learned so much. Thank you.
I’m so proud of everything we’ve worked for in the last four years. The campaigns that we’ve been able to mobilise — for renters, for public housing, for climate action, for Raymond Park and East Brisbane State School, for public transport and for school funding — have only been possible because this community has been so vocal, so active, and so ready to stand up for what is right, and what this community deserves. Some of the things I feel particularly proud that our community have done locally are:
- We stood shoulder to shoulder with the community in the fight to save Raymond Park and East Brisbane State School, against Labor’s $2.7 billion Gabba rebuild, and won (for now).
- We led the State pushing for cheaper public transport fares, and 50c fares are now locked in across Queensland. We helped secure the free 86 bus loop (which Cr Trina Massey is working hard to keep!)
- We mobilised hundreds of volunteers to help people clean up after the 2022 floods.
- We served over 2,000 free meals to locals doing it tough and gave out hundreds of grocery vouchers to households needing a hand.
- We gave out free school supplies to hundreds of local families to help their kids start the school semester right.
- We helped dozens of people to get out of tents and cars, and into emergency accommodation and social housing, despite the disastrous failure by the State government to build enough public and emergency housing.
- We secured more greenspace and affordable housing in the Woolloongabba PDA.
- We won state government action to address the neglect of the Dockside boardwalk and marina.
- We helped support the fight for Deebing Creek, standing alongside First Nations elders and community members to protect cultural and environmental heritage. This is one of the many issues I got expelled from the chamber for at one point. In the end, the property developers won, supported by a political system that puts the interests of developers and big corporations first.
- We helped hundreds of locals with challenges big and small – from access to healthcare, securing visas, navigating state government bureaucracy, to help with putting on community events, running community petitions and writing submissions.
- We helped secure funding and grants for vital community services, including First Nations support organisations, local sporting teams, local neighbourhood houses and some of our incredible community groups.
None of this would have been possible without your support: the countless hours of volunteer work, letter writing campaigns, leafleting, rally organising, and the advice, feedback and consultation offered to myself and team.
And importantly, as the only party in Queensland Parliament that doesn’t take corporate donations, the Greens have been fighting for a progressive policy agenda in the interest of all Queenslanders. We pushed for increased royalties on mining companies to pay for the services and infrastructure Queenslanders need. And while Labor did not go far enough, we saw an increase in royalties paid on coal sold at a super profit level — making multinational mining companies pay more is now political common sense. We introduced legislation to make state schools fully funded and genuinely free, instigating an inquiry into state school funding, the first of its kind in Queensland, which saw hundreds of parents, teachers, P&Cs, and other community members and stakeholders give evidence in support of fully funding schools – but both Labor and the LNP voted against fully funding schools. We introduced legislation and ran campaigns to improve renters’ rights and minimum standards, with some of our demands later adopted by the State government. Essential freedoms and rights that the Greens had been pushing for for years passed into law, including affirmative consent, reforms to allow birth certificates to reflect gender identity, and the decriminalisation of sex work.
On the climate front, we know the LNP is ready to wind back what little progress we have made in Queensland. The LNP, like Labor before them, will be rolling out the red carpet for the coal and gas companies. Labor approved 38 new coal mines since 2015, and both Labor and LNP support opening up 37 more. Pollution from burning Queensland coal and gas keeps going up, even as the killer bushfires, floods and extreme weather get worse.
Land clearing is still out of control, and regulations to protect our waterways, reefs, and other habitats are still failing. We have an enormous fight ahead of us to preserve a safe future for all of us. On the weekend I joined the Rally for Native Forests on Sunday in Orleigh Park, and I know that the push for climate justice will continue. At every turn, when the fossil fuel corporations, their lobbyists, and their mates in the major political parties seek to profit at the expense of all people, we’ll be there.
The fight for a fair housing system continues. We have fought hard for a rent freeze and cap, for guaranteed lease renewals, for homes free from mould, protected from heat waves and cold snaps, and for changes to tax incentives that put home ownership out of reach for many. We negotiated with real estate agents for people facing unfair rent increases, and we advocated for individuals to get into social housing. This fight for secure homes for renters and first-home owners continues in earnest, because just like Labor, the LNP have zero interest in standing up for renters. The Greens will continue to push for an end to tax handouts for investors, capping rents, an empty homes levy, and a mass build of quality public housing.
I feel so proud of the solidarity that the Greens have shown with the Palestinian people. Just like the Labor, the LNP has zero interest in calling out the genocide, stopping Queensland public funds going to weapons companies here in Queensland, or stopping the export of weapons and parts from Queensland. The Greens position will not change. This fight continues, and we will keep the pressure up on the state and Federal governments to stop funding weapons companies, to stop exporting weapons, to sanction the Israeli government and military. I feel more determined than ever to push for an end to the genocide and a free Palestine.
First Nations justice sits at the heart of our movement. The LNP’s moves to scrap the Truth Telling Inquiry, is a shocking denial of the real history of Queensland. This sits alongside Labor and the LNP’s bipartisan support for appalling new laws that will lock up more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as young as ten.
The fight for Raymond Park and East Brisbane State School must also continue. We have no idea what the new LNP government have planned for the Gabba, but this I do know: the Greens have been proud to stand alongside the community to help fight for a state school, a park, people’s homes, and stand up against this terrible waste of public money. The fact we’re facing these threats because of the Olympics underlines how wasteful and damaging Olympic Games are. The Greens will continue to stand alongside the community, to fight for a state school, a park, and people’s homes.
The Greens are in this for the long haul, and we know that if we keep at it, we can win. Cheaper public transport fares are one example – in the 2017 election, we campaigned for $1 public transport fares, and we were told it was unrealistic. In the 2020 election, we pushed for free public transport fares, and we were told it was impossible. And yet in 2024, the government implemented cheaper public transport fares that are now benefitting tens of thousands of people. In 2017, we pushed for higher mining royalties. Labor at the time had frozen royalty levels, capitulating to the mining lobby, but we kept pushing. In 2022, Labor finally raised royalties on coal sold at a super profit level, and while these changes did not go far enough and haven’t earned much additional revenue since coal prices fell, higher royalties are now common sense and enshrined in law. In 2020, we pushed a policy for free school meals funded by higher royalties. One Labor Minister called this a “thought bubble” while others claimed there was no evidence that school kids would benefit from free meals. Free school meals are now Labor policy, and we’ll continue to push hard for school kids to get free school meals, as well as pushing for state schools to be fully funded and free. These fights don’t stop here.
I have loved working alongside Michael Berkman as we have pushed Queensland Parliament to work in favour of everyday people. These fights have not been easy, but I’ve been lucky to have Michael as an incredible mentor, comrade and friend. I know Michael and his team will be carrying on these fights in Parliament and in the community.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to say a huge thank you to the hundreds of Greens volunteers who came out in force for our campaign here in South Brisbane. Thank you for the thousands of doors knocked, the chats at the markets, the thousands of phone calls, the free BBQs you helped run. The fact that we scored the highest primary vote is down to you. This election result is hard to bear, but I know that all of you are now even more skilled and empathetic campaigners, who will be able to take these skills to other campaigns.
It is important that the Greens, and myself, bear responsibility for the election results. I know that our party, Cr Trina Massey, and Max Chandler-Mather will be working hard to hear from locals, to make sure that the Greens continue to listen to the community, and work out how the Greens are going to best advocate for this community in the face of an LNP government. Please make sure you connect with Max & Trina if you haven’t already, to get their local updates.
I truly wish the incoming member, Dr Barbara O’Shea, the best of luck. After a long week of counting, I called Dr O’Shea to congratulate her. I know that this community will be welcoming, and ready to work alongside all our local representatives, to make sure this community gets what it deserves.
For me, after a little break, the movement continues at pace. The housing crisis is getting worse. The housing crisis is getting worse. The climate crisis is getting worse. We still don’t know what the future is for East Brisbane State School and the Gabba. We are months away from a Federal election, and I’ll be our doorknocking for Max Chandler-Mather. I’ll be staying in the neighbourhood, and I hope to see many of you in the campaigns that lie ahead. If you see Buddy and me out for a walk, please come and say hi.
In hope,
Amy
Amy MacMahon Greens MP for South Brisbane
