Good votes for Brisbane Greens, socialists
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — The Labor Party under Lord Mayor Jim Soorley was swept back to office in council elections here on March 26, with a swing to it of up to 7%. Soorley won 52% to Liberal opponent Bob Ward's 38%, and 9% to independent Cecila McNally.
Labor has won a majority in council, with 14 seats confirmed, the Liberals 10, and two more likely to go to the ALP.
Soorley said the message for the Liberal Party was to stop mud-slinging and being negative in a campaign.
The independent, Green and socialist vote was very strong, with the Greens winning an average of 11% in the wards they contested.
Green preferences will decide the final council result in several key wards.
Greens convener Drew Hutton commented on election night that he was pleased with the ward results but that the party was handicapped by the absence of a mayoral candidate.
He said the final result was a vote for "sound environmental policies".
Democratic Socialist candidate for Brisbane Central Susan Price said the 7.6% vote she received was "a conscious vote for a socialist alternative".
Greens candidate Willy Bach gained 9.7% in the same ward, showing a substantial total support for green and alternative policies.
Ana Kailis, Democratic Socialist candidate for Dutton Park, received 4.5% of the vote, running in a ward with both an Australian Democrat and a Freight Rail Action Group candidate.
"People relate to what we have to say", Price told an election night party audience.
"We have shown that there is a considerable base of support for socialist policies in the Brisbane electorate. The challenge now before us is to mobilise this support and win them to active membership of the Democratic Socialist Party."