Hanson-Young wins Greens ticket in spite of challenger

The Greens senate member Sarah Hanson-Young has won an internal Greens party challenge to lock in her place at the top spot of the party’s Senate ticket for the upcoming federal election.

The win comes after a strong internal push from Rob Simms who made a written plea to the party’s South Australian members to vote for him in the pre-selection process. The vote was apparently very close, with Ms Hanson-Young winning on a preferred candidate basis of 53-47.

In a statement Mr Simms congratulated Ms Hanson-Young on her pre-selection win. He said that it was a “lively contest” the brought in a “record number” of members and that he was proud to have played a part in it.

He went on to say that participatory democracy was one of the “four pillars” of the party and that the “democratic culture” of the party had been made stronger through the process. He went on to thank all of the Greens members who supported his bid.

Ms Hanson-Young said she is “delighted” to have been re-selected by state’s Greens members.

Ms Hanson-Young’s position in the Greens party has not always been seen as this secure, with her being stripped of her immigration portfolio in 2016 by party leader Richard Di Natale. Other sources reveal that she did not assist the party during the SA election campaign earlier in the year, being overseas at the time.

However, when she was asked if she ever thought she might lose the preselection ticket, she merely said “no”. She went on to say that she would fight alongside the “SA community” to protect the environment, “care for people” and to provide support for “local artists and creators”.

She also spoke about saving the Murray River and preventing any drilling into the Great Australian Bight.

Christian Woods
Christian Woods
Christian is a morning reporter and technology columnist for Best in Australia. Christian has worked in the media since 2000, in a range of locations. He joined Best in Australia in 2018, and began working in Melbourne in 2019.
Share this

PEOPLE ARE READING NOW