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Adam Bandt

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Adam Bandt
MP
Bandt in 2021
Bandt in 2021
Leader of the Australian Greens
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 February 2020
DeputyMehreen Faruqi
Larissa Waters
Nick McKim
Preceded byRichard Di Natale
Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens
In office
21 July 2017 – 4 February 2020
Serving withLarissa Waters
LeaderRichard Di Natale
Preceded byScott Ludlamand
Larissa Waters
Succeeded byNick McKimand
Larissa Waters
In office
13 April 2012 – 6 May 2015
LeaderChristine Milne
Preceded byChristine Milne
Succeeded byScott Ludlamand
Larissa Waters
Member of the Australian Parliament
forMelbourne
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 August 2010
Preceded byLindsay Tanner
Personal details
Born
Adam Paul Bandt

(1972-03-11)11 March 1972(age 52)
Adelaide,South Australia,Australia
Political partyGreens(since 2004)
Other political
affiliations		Labor(1987–1989)
Left Alliance(1990s)
Spouse
Claudia Perkins
​
(m.2013)​
Children2
Residence(s)Flemington,Victoria, Australia
EducationHollywood Senior High School
Alma materMurdoch University(BA Hons)
Monash University(PhD)[1]
OccupationIndustriallawyer
(Slater & Gordon)
Profession
Signature
Websiteadambandt.com

Adam Paul Bandt(born 11 March 1972) is an Australian politician and former industrial lawyer who is the leader of theAustralian Greensand federal MP forMelbourne.Previously, he served as co-deputy leader of the Greens from 2012 to 2015 and 2017 to 2020. He was elected leader following the resignation ofRichard Di Natalein February 2020.[2]

Bandt won his seat in the2010 federal election,becoming the first member of the Greens elected to theHouse of Representativesat a federal election, and the second overall afterMichael Organ,who was elected at a by-election. Bandt first contested the seat in 2007, narrowly losing to theLabor Party'sLindsay Tanner.Following his success in the 2010 election, Bandt retained the seat in the2013,2016,2019,and2022elections.[3]

Early life and education

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Childhood and education

[edit]

Bandt was born inAdelaideon 11 March 1972.[1]He is the son of Allan and Moira Bandt. His mother, a teacher and school principal, was born in England and arrived in Australia as aTen Pound Pom.His father was a social worker who later ran a human resources consultancy.[4]He is ofBarossa Germandescent on his father's side.[5]

Bandt moved toPerthat about the age of 10 and attendedHollywood Senior High School.[4]He graduated fromMurdoch Universityin 1996 withBachelor of ArtsandBachelor of Lawsdegrees, and was awarded the Sir Ronald Wilson Prize for Academic Achievement, "which is given to the graduate who best combines distinguished academic performance in law units with qualities of character, leadership and all-round contribution to the life of the university".[6]

Early political activity

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While in high school, Bandt went to his first demonstration, protesting against a visit of a nuclear-powered ship toFremantle.[7]In his mid-teens, from 1987 to 1989, he was a member of theAustralian Labor Party(ALP).[8]Bandt later stated he had left the party because of the removal of free university under Hawke and Keating, and blamed theHigher Education Contributions Scheme.[9]Bandt stated the change "started making education so expensive and putting people in debt".[10]

At Murdoch University, Bandt was a student activist and member of theLeft Alliance.[11]During university, he stated he was inspired by the thought ofLeon Trotsky.[12]He was president of the student union and an active campaigner for higher living allowances for students, and for free education.[13]While he was a student in 1995, Bandt described the Greens as a "bourgeois"party, but that supporting them might be the most effective strategy, saying that" Communists can’t fetishise alternative political parties, but should always make some kind of materially based assessment about the effectiveness of any given strategy come election time ". Writing for theABC,former Liberal MP and MinisterKevin Andrewssaid that this made it clear "Bandt views the Greens as a vehicle for his ideological pursuits".[11][14]

Pre-parliamentary career

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After finishing university, Bandt worked for student unions.[15]During the period before his election to parliament in 2010, he lived inParkville, Victoriaand worked as an industrial andpublic interestlawyer, becoming a partner atSlater & Gordon,with unions for clients.[15]He decided to join the Greens in 2004.[15]He had articles published on links between anti-terror legislation and labour laws[16]and worked on issues facingoutworkersin the textiles industry.[17]Bandt said he also represented firefighters and coal workers "dealing with privatisation."[10]

In 2006, Bandt published a paper entitled "The Wages of Fear: Labour Laws and Terror".[18]

In 2008, having gone part-time at Slater & Gordon in order to do so,[15]Bandt completed a PhD atMonash University,supervised by cultural theoristAndrew Milner,with his thesis titled "Work to Rule: RethinkingPashukanis,Marxand Law ".[19]It states: "This thesis is an attempt to rethink Marxist legal theory." In 2012, he described his thesis as looking "at the connection betweenglobalisationand the trend of governments to take away peoples' rights by suspending the rule of law ", saying he" reviewed authors who write about the connection between the economy and the law from across the political spectrum ", ultimately arguing" that governments increasingly don't accept that people have inalienable rights ". His thesis was embargoed for three years in the hopes of having it published as a book.[20]

In 2009, Bandt published a paper arguing that emergencies, such as the2007–2008 financial crisisandwar on terror,have been used byneoliberal"strong states" to "undermine basic rights".[4][21]

Member of Parliament (2010–present)

[edit]
Apolling boothin thedivision of Melbourneduring the2007 electioncampaign.

Bandt was preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the federaldivision of Melbourneat the2007 electionagainst Labor'sLindsay Tanner,the incumbent Shadow Minister for Finance, who retained the seat. Bandt finished with 22.8 percent of the primary vote, an increase of 3.8 percent, and 45.3 percent of thetwo-candidate preferredvote after out-polling theLiberal party's Andrea Del Ciotto following the allocation of preferences. Nationally, he was the most successful candidate of any minor party contesting aHouse of Representativesseat.[22][23]

2010 federal election

[edit]
Bandt,Brian WaltersandBob Brown

Following the2007 federal electionMelbourne had become Australia's only Labor/Greens marginal seat.[24]Bandt was preselected as Greens candidate for the second time, and ran successfully[25]against a new Labor candidate, Cath Bowtell,[26]at the2010 federal electionfollowing Lindsay Tanner's retirement. Bandt received a primary vote of 36.2 percent and atwo-party-preferred voteof 56 percent against Labor, a swing to him of 13.4 and 10.8 points, respectively.[27]He was elected on the ninth count after over three-quarters of Liberal preferences flowed to him, enabling him to overtake Bowtell and become the first Green candidate to win a seat in a general election.[28]

His main policy interests are environmental and human rights issues, having "nominat[ed] pushing for aprice on carbon,the abolition ofmandatory detentionof asylum seekers and changing the law to recognisesame-sex marriageas his top priorities in parliament. "[29][30][31]

Deputy Leader of the Greens (2012–2015, 2017–2020)

[edit]

In 2012, Bandt waselected deputy leaderof the Greens following Bob Brown's retirement from politics and as leader of the Greens.

Bandt,Ellen Sandell,Janet Rice,andChristine Milnemarching at People's Climate March in Melbourne 2014

In the2013 federal electionBandt was re-elected to the seat of Melbourne, despite an overall decrease in the Greens' vote and Liberal Party directing preferences to Labor ahead of The Greens.[32]Bandt retained the seat with a 42.6% primary and 55.2% two-party-preferred vote, with his two-candidate majority almost untouched.[33]Bandt sat onChristine Milne's frontbench.

In 2015, upon thechange of Green leadershipfrom Christine Milne toRichard Di Natale,Bandt did not re-contest the deputy leadership saying he had a baby due in the upcoming weeks.Scott LudlamandLarissa Waterswere elected unopposed as co-deputies.[34]

Bandt was re-elected as Member for Melbourne for a third time at the2016 election,pushing Labor into third place, and the overwhelming preference for him over the Liberals from Labor voters allowed him to increase his two-candidate-preferred vote to 68.48%.[35]In 2017, the Party's co-deputy leadersLarissa WatersandScott Ludlamwere found to be ineligible to sit in Australia's Parliament owing to their status as dual citizens.[36]Rachel Siewertand Bandt were made temporary co-deputy leaders.[37]Bandt achieved national headlines in February 2018 for accusing new senatorJim Molanof war crimes after it was revealed that Molan had shared anti-Muslim content made by far-right partyBritain Firston theirFacebookaccount. Bandt later apologised.[38][39]

Bandt in March 2019

Bandt retained his seat of Melbourne at the2019 federal electionwith a primary vote of 49.3%, the highest primary vote for the Greens in the history of the electorate.[40]Bandt also received a 4.8% swing in his favour at the election, and his two-party preferred vote against the Liberals rose to 71.8%.[40]The Greens' primary vote in Melbourne (49.3%) was larger than the combined Liberal and Labor vote, of 21.5% and 19.7% respectively, and almost twice as high as their second-highest primary vote (inWills).[40]

Leader of the Greens (2020–present)

[edit]

On 3 February 2020, Richard Di Natale announced his resignation as leader of the Greens and imminent retirement from politics, citing family reasons. Bandt announced his candidacy for the leadership shortly after.[41]On 4 February, he waselected unopposed.Larissa Waters was elected unopposed as co-deputy, withNick McKimdefeatingSarah Hanson-YoungandMehreen Faruqito become the second co-deputy.[42]Bandt has been described by the political journalist Paddy Manning as the first Greens leader from the Left wing of the party.[15]

Since taking on the leadership of the Greens, Bandt has refocused the party's energy towards campaigning for an AustralianGreen New Deal,to address what he refers to as a "climate and environment emergency."[10]According to Bandt, it would involve the "government taking the lead to create new jobs and industries, and universal services to ensure no one is left behind."[10]Bandt has also focused on relations between his party and regional communities with the intent of visiting mining townships and farmers across Australia, arguing that his party is "the only one" trying to stop climate change from "devastating agriculture".[43]He has adopted a pro-mining message, but with a focus on expanding thelithium industryand other minerals necessary for a zero-carbon economy; rather than on coal.[44]Under Bandt's vision, the party aspired to develop a power-sharing situation with a Labor government at the 2022 election, similar to the Gillard era.[45]

Whilst serving as party leader, Bandt also acts as the Greens' spokesperson for: the Climate Emergency, Energy, Employment & Workplace Relations, and the Public Sector.[46]

In the2022 federal election,Bandt retained his seat in Melbourne with a primary vote of 49.6%, beating that of his previous election. However, there was a 12.4% swing against him in the two-candidate-preferred vote.[47]The Greens gained three further seats in the House of Representatives and three in the Senate, with an increase in popular vote by 1.9% to 12.3%.[3]

On 19 June 2022, Bandt had theAustralian flagremoved from behind the podium at a media conference of his, saying that it "represented lingering pain" for some Australians. His action received varied responses, including condemnation, with newly-elected Prime MinisterAnthony Albanesestating that Bandt should "reconsider his position and work to promote unity and reconciliation."[48]

On 9 September 2022, one day after thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II,Bandt tweeted "Rest In Peace Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with her family and all who loved her. Now Australia must move forward. We need Treaty with First Nations people, and we need to become a Republic." Former Liberal PartyMinister for ImmigrationAlex Hawkelabelled his words as "truly graceless and bereft of common decency".[49]

Political views

[edit]

Bandt is widely viewed as on the left of the Australian Greens. Political journalist Paddy Manning stated in 2020 that he viewed Bandt as ideologically on the "hard left",similar to former Greens SenatorLee Rhiannon.Manning however notes that Bandt is far more amenable to working within party structures than Rhiannon was, a trait which he credits with Bandt's rise in political influence.[50][51]

Bandt has been described as different to previous Greens leaders due to his emphasis on "public ownership, public wealth, and community-driven responses to the links between climate change and capitalism".[52]FollowingVirgin Airlines Australiaundergoing voluntary administration in 2020, Bandt called for the government to purchase the airline "at bargain basement prices".[53]These economic views form the crux of Bandt's opposition toneoliberalism,with Bandt viewing the rise ofright-wing populismsince theGreat Recessionas part of a backlash to neoliberal economics.[54]

Bandt believes that Australia should become arepublic.[55]

Bandt is a strong supporter of many progressive reforms, including theIndigenous Voice to Parliament,[56]a federal treaty withIndigenous Australians,[57]banningfossil fuels[58]andlegalisingrecreational cannabisusage.[59]

Personal life

[edit]

Bandt's partner is former Labor staffer Claudia Perkins,[60]who now works as a part-time yoga teacher.[61]They have two daughters together.[62]Bandt lives inFlemingtoninVictoria.[63]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"Mr Adam Bandt MP".aph.gov.au.Retrieved5 July2020.
  2. ^Karp, Paul (4 February 2020)."Adam Bandt pledges to push for Australian Green New Deal after being elected Greens leader".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved4 February2020.
  3. ^ab"Australian Greens hail 'best result ever' with dramatic gains in lower house and Senate".the Guardian.21 May 2022.Retrieved22 May2022.
  4. ^abcSimons, Margaret (May 2020)."Adam Bandt, the personable hardliner".The Monthly.Retrieved25 August2021.
  5. ^Attard, Monica:Adam Bandt, Greens MP for MelbourneArchived6 March 2016 at theWayback Machine,Sunday Profile(ABC Local Radio), 27 August 2010.
  6. ^"Greens party appoint Murdoch alumnus as their leader".Murdoch University.Retrieved20 February2020.
  7. ^Ireland, Judith (9 February 2020)."'A leader for the times': Will voters get on the Bandtwagon? ".The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. ^Legge, Kate (6–7 November 2010). "Greener Pastures".The Weekend Australian Magazine.The Australian.p. 22.
  9. ^Crowe, Shaun (2018).Whitlam's Children: Labor and the Greens in Australia.Melbourne University Press.ISBN9780522874075.
  10. ^abcdBandt, Adam (4 February 2020)."Change is possible: Australia needs a Green New Deal | Adam Bandt".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved18 February2020.
  11. ^abWilson, Lauren (28 August 2010)."Greens too bourgeois for Adam Bandt when he was a uni student".The Australian.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2010.Retrieved28 August2010.
  12. ^Henderson, Gerard (13 May 2013)."Coalition must be smarter when it issues preferences".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved27 September2020.
  13. ^"Adam Bandt for Lord Mayor".Make Melbourne Green. Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2009.Retrieved14 October2016.
  14. ^"The ideological drive behind the Greens".ABC News.12 November 2010.Retrieved27 September2020.
  15. ^abcdeSimons, Margaret (1 May 2020)."Adam Bandt, the personable hardliner".The Monthly.Retrieved9 May2020.
  16. ^Bandt, Adam (4 April 2006)."State waxes, rights wane – Opinion".The Age.Retrieved19 August2010.
  17. ^"The Law Report: 15 April 2003 – Outworkers – Out in the Cold".Australia: ABC. 15 April 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2008.Retrieved21 June2010.
  18. ^Bandt, Adam (1 June 2006)."The Wages of Fear: Labour Laws and Terror".Australian Feminist Law Journal.24(1): 39–46.doi:10.1080/13200968.2006.10854351.ISSN1320-0968.S2CID144241331– via Taylor & Francis.
  19. ^"Work to rule: Rethinking Pashukanis, Marx and law".monash.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com.Archivedfrom the original on 1 November 2020.Retrieved15 June2021.
  20. ^Maiden, Samantha (23 September 2012)."How Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt hid his PhD thesis".Herald Sun.Retrieved17 April2021.
  21. ^Bandt, Adam (1 December 2009)."Had We But World Enough and Time (Reconsidering 'Emergency')".Australian Feminist Law Journal.31(1): 15–32.doi:10.1080/13200968.2009.10854425.ISSN1320-0968.S2CID143988780– via Taylor & Francis.
  22. ^"House of Representatives Division First Preferences".Results.aec.gov.au. 20 December 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 29 June 2010.Retrieved21 June2010.
  23. ^"Mr Adam Bandt MP".aph.gov.au.Retrieved4 June2018.
  24. ^Raue, Ben (July 2009)."Greens pick Adam Bandt for Melbourne".The Tally Room.Retrieved9 August2010.
  25. ^Le Grand, Chip (21 August 2010)."Greens celebrate historic lower house victory".The Australian.Retrieved21 August2010.
  26. ^Gordon, Josh (15 August 2010)."Bandt says he will 'side with Labor'".The Age.Archivedfrom the original on 16 August 2010.Retrieved15 August2010.
  27. ^"Division of Melbourne, 2010 federal election: AEC".Archived fromthe originalon 9 September 2010.Retrieved12 September2010.
  28. ^Carr, Adam (11 October 2021)."House of Representatives Voting By Division- Victoria".Psephos Adam Carr's Election Archive.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2012.
  29. ^Sharp, Ari; Arup, Tom (23 August 2010)."Profile: Adam Bandt".The Sydney Morning Herald.Archivedfrom the original on 26 August 2010.Retrieved29 August2010.
  30. ^Shaw, Andrew (12 July 2010)."Will Adam Bandt be the first Greens man?".Gay News Network.Evolution Publishing. Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2011.Retrieved18 August2010.
  31. ^Davis, Mark (14 November 2010)."The tricky political topography of same-sex marriage".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved15 October2016.
  32. ^Milman, Oliver:"Adam Bandt wins re-election in Melbourne for Greens"inThe Guardian,7 September 2013
  33. ^Australian Electoral Commission:Virtual Tally Room.Retrieved 12 October 2013
  34. ^"Christine Milne resigns as Greens leader".news.com.au.Retrieved15 October2016.
  35. ^Election 2016: Greens MP Adam Bandt claims victory in Melbourne;Australian Broadcasting Corporation; 3 July 2016
  36. ^Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam: What do their resignations mean for the Senate?,Australian Broadcasting Corporation; 16 August 2017
  37. ^Richard Di Natale's monthus horribilis: where to now for the Greens?;The Sydney Morning Herald;22 July 2017
  38. ^Jim Molan responds to Adam Bandt's apology,Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 8 February 2018,retrieved28 February2018
  39. ^Remeikis, Amy; Karp, Paul (8 February 2018)."Jim Molan 'deeply disappointed' by Adam Bandt's apology – politics live".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved28 February2018.
  40. ^abc"Melbourne – Federal Election 2019 Electorate, Candidates, Results | Australia Votes".ABC News.Retrieved21 July2019.
  41. ^"Richard Di Natale resigns as Greens leader and plans to quit federal politics".ABC News.3 February 2020.
  42. ^Dalzell, Stephanie (4 February 2020)."Adam Bandt elected unopposed as federal Greens leader; Larissa Waters and Nick McKim as deputies".ABC News.
  43. ^Welburn, Alan (19 February 2020)."MP happy to guide Greens leader on mines tour".Queensland Country Life.Retrieved20 February2020.
  44. ^"The Greens leader spruiking new mines".Community News Group.25 February 2020.Retrieved27 February2020.
  45. ^Grattan, Michelle (10 February 2020)."Politics with Michelle Grattan: Adam Bandt on Greens' hopes for future power sharing".The Conversation.Retrieved20 February2020.
  46. ^"Greens announce new party room lineup to push for Green New Deal and compassionate pandemic recovery".adam-bandt.greensmps.org.au.Retrieved9 September2020.
  47. ^Foley, Mike (22 May 2022)."Teals, Greens push Labor to go further to combat climate change".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved22 May2022.
  48. ^"Adam Bandt told to 'reconsider his position' over Aussie flag stunt".news.com.au.22 June 2022.Retrieved22 June2022.
  49. ^"Greens leader Adam Bandt slammed over 'highly insensitive' tweet calling for a republic following the Queen's death".7news.com.au.9 September 2022.Retrieved9 September2022.
  50. ^Simons, Margaret (1 May 2020)."Adam Bandt, the personable hardliner".The Monthly.Retrieved30 September2020.
  51. ^Rundle, Guy (16 April 2012)."Greens will survive the Brown-out".Crikey.
  52. ^Holloway, Josh (4 February 2020)."Adam Bandt's biggest challenge as Greens leader might not be delivering on climate policy".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved6 October2020.
  53. ^McIlroy, Jim (23 April 2020)."Nationalise Virgin, Qantas next in line".Green Left.Retrieved6 October2020.
  54. ^Sakkal, Paul (25 June 2023)."White hot: The political brawl that has Albanese losing his cool".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved25 June2023.
  55. ^Butler, Josh (9 September 2022)."Australia 'needs to become a republic': Bandt calls for change in wake of Queen's death".The Guardian.Retrieved9 September2022.
  56. ^"Greens will back Voice to Parliament after Lidia Thorpe quits party".
  57. ^Ruben, Emma (6 February 2023)."Greens leader Adam Bandt 'truly sad' to see Lidia Thorpe leave party".National Indigenous Times.Retrieved12 February2024.
  58. ^"MPS and Climate Leaders to Speak at No New Coal and Gas Forum".10 July 2023.
  59. ^"Why it's time for legal cannabis: A chat with Senator Richard di Natale".8 January 2019.
  60. ^Le Grand, Chip (1 September 2010)."Bandt slept with the enemy in campaign".The Australian.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2010.Retrieved30 September2010.
  61. ^Ireland, Judith (8 February 2020)."'I'm doing it for them': Bandt says family inspired him to seek Greens leadership ".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved20 February2020.
  62. ^"Parliamentarian Adam Bandt Talks Family".thedesignfiles.net.31 August 2018.Retrieved11 September2018.
  63. ^"The private interests of Adam Bandt MP".openpolitics.au.Retrieved10 May2024.
[edit]
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Melbourne
2010–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Australian Greens
2020–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens
2017–2020
Served alongside:Larissa Waters 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens
2012–2015 		Succeeded by
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