Labor held us back in government: Rattenbury wants better deal for Greens

A more experienced ACT Greens will go into governing negotiations with Labor with a tougher mindset after coming off worse for wear from portfolio arrangements in 2020.

The calling of the last seat in Yerrabi for the Greens’ Andrew Braddock settled the issue of whether Labor would again govern with the support of the Greens in some shape or form, but it won’t be straightforward.

Leader Shane Rattenbury is talking tough ahead of talks with Labor, blaming the senior party for the Greens not being able to deliver on its 2020 platform.

Mr Rattenbury said the Greens were still deliberating whether to be in cabinet or support the government from outside, but it certainly won’t be accepting arrangements that he said helped to take some skin off the party last weekend.

“The administrative arrangements in the 2020 term were complicated, unnecessarily complicated, and they dissected portfolios in ways that were unhelpful,” Mr Rattenbury told Region.

He said that in government, the Greens’ successes could be invisible, but the party was publicly linked to the disappointments.

“That is a strategic challenge for us. As a smaller partner in a government like that, you have influence, you certainly don’t have control, and you are bound to a series of outcomes for which you may or may not have a say,” he said.

“We’d certainly be looking for some changes if we were to enter into a new agreement. Part of it will be the numbers this week as well.”

The fifth seat in Brindabella is still to be decided, but the Greens may yet pick up another one by coming over the top of Liberal James Daniels. But even that old Labor warhorse Mick Gentlemen could still be in with a chance.

If Laura Nuttall can prevail, that will give the Greens four seats, a much better result than what was feared on Saturday night.

Mr Rattenbury accused Labor of deliberately holding the party back from being as successful as it could have been last term.

“Rachel Stephen-Smith had a crack at us on the panel the other night about how we took a slogan into the 2020 election about wanting to build a better normal,” he said.

“She said part of the reason for the Greens’ underperformance is they haven’t delivered that this term to which, if I’d had a chance, my reply to the panel would have been, that’s because the Labor Party hasn’t allowed us to.”

Asked whether he’d rather stay in Cabinet, Mr Rattenbury said it was not about him but the most strategic thing for the party to do in light of both the election result and the experience of trying to govern with the Labor Party.

“We’ve learned some lessons from that,” he said.

The Greens are currently surveying members and holding meetings, as well as canvassing different models of government participation from other parliaments, so it may not be a binary choice of in or out.

“We’ve been talking to a range of Green parties in other jurisdictions through our global network, including ones that have been in power-sharing or balance of power situations,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“We’re having a look around at other models just to make sure we’ve really thought through the range of scenarios.”

Mr Rattenbury said the Greens’ vote did not collapse, falling only 1 per cent, and would provide a solid platform in the Assembly.

“So if we are able to secure that fourth [seat], it will be the equal second-best result, and if it’s three, it’ll be our third-best,” he said.

“We’ll maintain a good critical mass in the Assembly, and we just have to think about how we most effectively use those seats to advocate for the people who voted for us and deliver as many of our policies as we can through the course of the term.”

Mr Rattenbury rejected the idea that the Greens overpromised, saying the policies were achievable, but the party found it hard to compete with the Independents for Canberra, who captured whatever spirit for change was present in this election.

He said previously “unachievable” policies, such as climate goals, had become realities once the public service geared up and applied itself.

“I think our policies were high quality, based on good research, good costing approach and the like … one of the things we need to reflect on was, did we tell our story well enough?” Mr Rattenbury said.

“And I think that is a question both through the whole of the last term and through the election period.

“I think what the independents effectively did was make a case for change and we clearly didn’t make a strong enough case for the sort of change we were trying to make. It clearly did not resonate with voters as well.”

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said Labor could work with whatever model the Greens may propose but that Canberrans would want certainty and for this not to drag on for too long.

“But I think there’s a comfortable pathway,” he said.

At the close of counting today (22 October), Labor has 10 seats, Canberra Liberals 9, Greens 3, Independents 2 and Undecided 1.