🗳️ MPs evicted

Party leader Adam Bandt, who you might’ve seen DJing with Abbie Chatfield, or with a big toothbrush during the campaign, has lost his seat to Labor’s Sarah Witty.

That means Anthony Albanese has dethroned not one but two political leaders in this result.

Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates have also lost their Brisbane seats.

At this stage of the count, Elizabeth Watson-Brown is clinging to her seat of Ryan and could end up being the Greens’ only representative in the House of Representatives.

Chandler-Mather’s defeat in Griffith will hit hard — particularly for students who were receiving free school meals, paid for out of his own salary.

📈 “Biggest Vote Ever!” (But Also… Not Really?)

The Greens have called the election a “success”, pointing to the highest national Greens vote in their history.

But the problem? That vote wasn’t concentrated in the right places. It didn’t deliver more seats in parliament — in fact, they lost ground. The party’s national first preference vote actually dipped by 0.3 percent.

So while the base might be growing, the Greens have failed to expand their power in the lower house.

🪑 At Least There’s the Senate?

The Greens retained all six of their Senate seats — including Tassie’s Nick McKim, who gained notoriety in 2024 for telling Woolies CEO Brad Banducci "I'm not interested in your spin or your bullshit”. It’s a clear bright spot. With the Coalition’s collapse, the Greens now hold the balance of power in the Senate.

But that assumes Labor and the Coalition won’t team up to pass legislation — which has happened plenty of times before.

 👑 Bandt de-throned

When the boundary map for the seat of Melbourne was redrawn, the news wasn’t great for Bandt, with the ABC’s Antony Green saying it had “notionally” cut his first preference vote by nearly five percent, from about 49 percent to 44 percent.

In 2022, he received 47,883 first preference votes. This time around, he’s down to just over 30,000. With the count still underway, projections show Labor’s candidate Sarah Witty will take the seat.

That means two of the Greens’ most visible figures — Bandt and Chandler-Mather — have been voted out.

🧠 Messaging missteps?

Some argue the Greens leaned too heavily on disillusioned inner-city renters — particularly young people who’ve given up on ever owning a home. That may have alienated sections of Gen Z and millennials who still aspire to get on the property ladder.

The Greens also ran on a strong pro-Palestine platform. Pollsters told SBS this likely boosted their national vote — but may have cost them in inner-city areas like Melbourne. Simon Welsh from Redbridge Group explained this stance may have left some older progressive voters feeling like the party was turning a tragedy into a political football.

One party source told Crikey the campaign felt “disjointed".

🥾 Boots on the ground — but an unclear pitch

It wasn’t for lack of effort. Max Chandler-Mather, in particular, ran a heavy grassroots campaign.

A major plank of their messaging focused on “keeping Dutton out” — suggesting the party was expecting, or hoping for, a minority government. That didn’t happen, though at least Peter Dutton won’t be Prime Minister.

The Greens claim the results came down to Liberal preferences flowing to Labor instead of them — something they’ve historically relied on, including in Bandt’s own seat.

🔮 What’s next?

This year is shaping up to be a bittersweet one for the Greens — especially if they lose Melbourne.

But with record national vote numbers, a Senate balance of power, and a deep youth base, the party’s future could still be compelling — if it can find a way to convert that energy into electoral wins.