Labor MP defends preferencing Liberal party

Labor MP defends preferencing Liberal party

LABOR MP Michael Danby has defended his position as a supporter of marriage equality after he was criticised for handing out how to vote cards that preference the Liberal candidate for his Melbourne Ports electorate over the Greens’ candidate.

The move caused the Greens to worry this may increase the chances of a plebiscite on marriage equality after the federal election on July 2.

But Danby dismissed the concerns as he has been “one of the most vigorous supporters of marriage equality” for many years and helped get opposition leader Bill Shorten to agree to reintroduce a Marriage Equality Bill last year.

He has also campaigned for marriage equality at pride marches in St Kilda, hosted a marriage equality forum a few months ago with Senator Penny Wong and Carl Katter, and moved and seconded the removal of discriminatory legislation against the LGBTI community.

“Voters in Melbourne Ports are a highly intelligent lot, and have always shown me that they exercise their own choice as to who they vote for and how they allocate their preferences,” Danby said in a statement.

“My mission in this election is to maximise the vote in Melbourne Ports for the Labor Party – with the aim of electing a Bill Shorten Labor Government. A Labor Government is the only way Marriage Equality will be passed in law without a plebiscite ­ and we will do it, within 100 days.

“And with the support of the very diverse community of voters in Melbourne Ports, I will be there to proudly vote in favour it.”

However, Melbourne Ports Greens candidate Steph Hodgins-May believes Danby’s decision to preference the Liberal Party ahead of the Greens would cer setbacks for marriage equality.

“Melbourne Ports is a tight three-way contest,” she said.

“Labor MP Michael Danby’s preferences decision could hand the seat to the Liberals, who want a plebiscite on marriage equality.

“The Greens oppose the plebiscite and won’t do anything to risk the re-election of a Liberal government.”

The official how to vote card authorised by Victorian Labor preferences the Greens at five, and the Liberals at seven.

However, a card with Danby’s authorisation on it places Liberal candidate Owen Guest at five and Hodgins-May at seven.

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6 responses to “Labor MP defends preferencing Liberal party”

  1. How can we possibly trust the Greens?
    This is the mob who in Sydney, for purely political opportunistic reasons, decided to Preference the most Homophobic, Bigoted political party in Australia: The (Not-so) Christian Democrats led by that arch-homophobe Fred Nile – he still believes that being G,L,B,T I or Q is a Choice we make and is also a Mental Illness.
    OK, so the Greens quickly reversed their decision – not because they wanted to but because of the outcry by our Community.
    That they would have even considered this move in the first place gives the Lie (we’re getting used to those from our pollies aren’t we?) to the ad at the top of today’s Star Observer email.
    We shall be voting for those who support our Community. If our local Lib or ALP candidate supports Our Rights, Marriage etc. then we will Preference them. The nGreens will go down to the bottom along with their mates the Un-Christian Democrats

    • 1. Yes is was a bad initial decision that sent a terrible message, but …
      2. It was a local Greens decision – probably not very well though through but not with malevolent intent – in the Sydney electorate …
      3. … which, after considerable media coverage, was reverse by them. It was not a central decision.

      4. In reality, the CDP candidiate will be eliminated from the count long before Greens preferences are distributed.

      5. In the last round of counting most Greens preferences will be distributed to Tanya Plibersek, if she isn’t already, and the remainder the the Lib candidate.

      6. Storm in a tea-cup.

  2. I will be placing Labor last, not only because of it’s anti-Green nonsense but also because of it’s vile ads against the Nick Xenophon Team here in South Australia,. What double standards when the Labor Party is full of Vatican worshipping homophobes and transphobes! And yes, dear Penny, I remember when you voted against your OWN people against Marriage Equality! Nasty, hypocritical Labor!

  3. This sounds like a beat up and both the greens candidate and the previous commenter are quite hysterical as well as disrespecting the smarts of local voters. The current MP says he would vote marriage equality into a law whilst the liberal candidate supports a plebiscite but he hasn’t said if he would vote for equality in parliament. Despite this the previous commenter in some sort of confected outrage would happily preference this dinosaur (!). As a local resident I have never seen this vile “ant-green propaganda” (sic). In fact it has been years since we have seen a newsletter at all which makes me wonder about the previous commenter’s bona fides. When i went to vote early the other day the how to vote card i got from Danby preferences the greens … either he changed it or someone is telling porkies. The green vote in ports hasn’t risen in years and even with this latest beat up their own polls say it stays static (according to crikey). So now the greens candidate and her trolls are making a lot of noise about this bloke’s preferences that haven’t needed to be distributed … ever. Perhaps she should try to win votes by being a better candidate (maybe try living here for more than a year) rather than rubbishing others. And perhaps the previous commenter after “40 years” might have learned how to fill out his own preferences like the rest of us. PS. IMHO I think “odious” when I hear this sort of guff coming from someone so self-entitled, so where is the sex party candidate this year?

  4. The headline should read “Danby defies ALP headquarters to preference Libs over Greens.” As a voter in Melbourne Ports I have been appalled over the last three years by the newsletters that Michael regularly sends to constituents. Vile ant-Greens and anti-Palestinian propaganda using, I presume, his Parliamentary allowance. Danby is closer to losing his seat than ever before. Notwithstanding all other reasons not to do it, for the first time in 40 years I am strongly considering preferencing the Libs over the ALP in the Reps with the express purpose of getting rid of this odious man.

    • Sadly Michaeld Danby is one of the bad seeds in the Labour Party

      He should have left politics years ago..

      Good riddance to factional hardliners

      Cheers