Greens Leader Confirms Talks with Liberals on Potential ACT Government Change
ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury has publicly acknowledged that his party engaged in discussions with the Canberra Liberals, which included exploring a possible change of government in the Australian Capital Territory. This confirmation moves beyond earlier characterisations of the conversations as mere policy discussions, revealing a more substantive political dialogue.
Risks and Opportunities in Unprecedented Alliance
In a radio interview, Mr Rattenbury framed the potential collaboration as a calculated risk. Something like this would not be risk free. There are lots of risks there. The question is, are the opportunities worth it? he stated. He emphasised that any such arrangement would need to deliver real, tangible differences for Canberra residents in their suburbs and government services.
The Greens leader pointed to European models where parties from different political spectrums have successfully formed shared power arrangements. In Europe, it is often parties that come from different parts of the political spectrum, come together and find a shared power arrangement, he explained, suggesting that such cooperation could focus on achieving necessary outcomes despite ideological differences.
Policy Overlaps and Divergences Highlighted
Mr Rattenbury detailed that the talks, which began after Canberra Liberals leader Mark Parton was elected in November, centred on community frustrations and governmental complacency. The focus has really been on the frustrations we hear from the Canberra community about the things that are not being fixed, he said.
The discussions identified several areas of policy alignment between the Greens and Liberals:
- Improvements in public transport systems
- Making it easier to operate small businesses
- Preserving the 50-metre swimming pool at Philip
- Increasing housing supply across the territory
However, Mr Rattenbury also acknowledged significant disagreements that would need to be managed. There's also areas where there's really obvious disagreement, he noted, citing examples such as:
- LGBTIQA rights, where the status quo would need to remain
- Light rail projects, which would continue as planned
- Climate targets, where the Greens would not accept any backward steps
Path Forward Requires Further Internal Consultation
The Greens leader indicated that no fixed outcomes have been reached and that further progress would require additional consultation with his party's membership. The Greens needed to talk more to its membership before further talks could proceed, he said, adding that there's not a really active discussion at the moment.
When questioned about whether personal ambition motivated his pursuit of the chief ministership, Mr Rattenbury dismissed such suggestions. I think people who know me ... would know that is not the thing that motivates me, he responded, attributing such criticisms to political detractors.
Revelations of Extensive Discussions
This confirmation follows earlier reports that the talks between the Liberals and Greens had been extensive, covering detailed policy positions and specifically focusing on installing Mr Rattenbury as chief minister in a power-sharing government. Mr Parton initially described rumours of detailed discussions as unfounded, though he later conceded that some extreme ideas had been discussed jokingly between the two parties.
The political landscape in Canberra remains fluid as these unprecedented cross-ideological conversations continue to unfold, potentially reshaping traditional government formations in the ACT.
