Greens leader Adam Bandt has lost his seat to Labor’s Sarah Witty after 15 years as MP for Melbourne. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenGreens leader Adam Bandt has lost his seat to Labor’s Sarah Witty after 15 years as MP for Melbourne. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty ImagesAdam BandtAdam Bandt concedes defeat in seat of Melbourne as Greens leadership talks loomGreens leader uses concession speech to urge media to treat climate crisis ‘as if our country is being invaded’
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Josh Butler and Sarah Basford CanalesThu 8 May 2025 07.06 BSTFirst published on Thu 8 May 2025 05.19 BSTShareThe Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has conceded defeat in his electorate of Melbourne, saying he “fell just short” of holding the seat.“A short time ago I called the Labor candidate for Melbourne, Sarah Witty, to concede, to congratulate her and to wish her all the best as the next member for Melbourne,” Bandt said in a statement.“The Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne, but One Nation and Liberal preferences will get Labor over the line. To win in Melbourne we needed to overcome Liberal, Labor and One Nation combined, and it’s an Everest we’ve climbed a few times now, but this time we fell just short.”In a press conference in Melbourne, Bandt took no questions from reporters, but implored media to report on climate change more seriously, and rebuffed criticisms that the Greens hadn’t spoken enough about environmental issues.The Greens’ identity crisis: where to now for a party built on protesting against the status quo? | Paul WilliamsRead more“We are in a climate crisis. I really want the media to stop reporting on climate as a political issue and start thinking about it as if our country is being invaded,” Bandt said.“You should treat the climate crisis as if there is a war on.”
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As of Thursday afternoon, the Australian Electoral Commission’s official online results put Labor’s Witty ahead with 53% of the two-party vote, compared to 47% for Bandt, with 80% of ballots counted. Witty leads Bandt by more than 3,800 votes, an 8.6% swing against the sitting member.While several media outlets and polling experts had called the seat for Labor on Wednesday afternoon, including the ABC’s Antony Green, the Greens had not conceded defeat. As late as Thursday morning, the deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, said the party was still waiting for absentee ballots and others to be counted.In a statement on social media, Witty thanked Bandt for his service and wished him well for the future.“There’s a lot to do including to strengthen Medicare, slash HECS, and build more renewable energy, and I can’t wait to be part of a Labor team that delivers for our community,” she said.View image in fullscreenAdam Bandt and wife Claudia Perkins leave the press conference in Melbourne on Thursday. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPBandt said in his statement that the Greens would meet next week to discuss the new party leadership. Greens MPs and senators had been reluctant to talk about a future leader, however Faruqi and the South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young are considered potential frontrunners.“I want to thank the Melbourne community for regularly giving me the highest vote, including this election, and to thank you for the last 15 years and the chance to do some amazing things together,” Bandt said.Bandt’s statement said there were now “a large number of ‘purple MPs’ across the country: seats where the Labor MP is only elected on Liberal preferences and the Greens are the opposition”.The Greens have conceded defeat in two other seats, Brisbane and Griffith, while the Ryan MP, Elizabeth Watson-Brown, looks likely to hang on to her Queensland seat.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Breaking News AustraliaFree newsletterGet the most important news as it breaksEnter your email address Sign upPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionBandt claimed media had not paid climate change enough attention, saying the Greens had regularly campaigned for no new coal and gas mines, and tried to draw focus to rising temperatures. Bandt noted that temperatures in Melbourne, where he was speaking from, were unseasonably warm. He added that he was optimistic about the future direction of the party, despite their electoral defeats.“The climate crisis is only going to get worse unless we tackle it,” he said.“This movement of ours, that I am so incredibly proud to have been a part of, is only going to get bigger and bigger and bigger as we make sure that everyone in this beautiful country and this beautiful planet of ours has a safe place to live and everything they need to live a good life.”Despite their numbers in the lower house being slashed, the party has pointed to its share of the national vote holding up against previous elections, and Senate results shifting that will likely deliver the Greens the sole balance of power in the upper house.Speaking to Sky News on Thursday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, dismissed the Greens’ spin, claiming “it’s pretty hard to see that they have a reason for any joy arising out of this election”.“The Greens political party, I think, lost their way during the last term. They held up important legislation,” he said.What happens when Greens get the blues? | Fiona KatauskasRead more“How do you hold up legislation to have more public housing, to have emergency accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence? That was held up for month after month after month. How do you hold up environmental protections as well?”Bandt had held the seat of Melbourne since 2010, winning five consecutive federal elections. He had achieved a high-water mark primary vote at the 2022 federal election on 49.6%, increasing his popularity from 2019 by 0.3 percentage points.Explore more on these topicsAdam BandtAustralian GreensAustralian election 2025Labor partyAustralian politicsnewsShareReuse this content
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