Labour attack campaign in Oz fails to stop Greens

The Australian Greens' historic first win of a seat in the federal House of Representatives in the face of an attack campaign by Labour was cause for celebration, New Zealand Green Co-Leader Rod Donald said today.

Australian Green Michael Organ won the seat of Cunningham, Wollongong in New South Wales in the House of Representatives by-election on Saturday, despite a dirty tricks campaign by Australia's Labour party.

Labour had claimed the Greens' commitment to the Kyoto Protocol would cost jobs. But Mr Organ told the electorate that cutting greenhouse gas emissions would actually generate long-term sustainable jobs. He won 52 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

"It's a fantastic victory in the face of an anti-Green campaign," Mr Donald said.

"The Green success in Australia was due to their strong humanitarian stance on refugees, their total opposition to military intervention in Iraq, and their position on Kyoto."

Mr Donald said the Green win was historic as it was the first time an MP from a third party had won a seat in the House of Representatives since World War II. And it was the first time Labour had lost the seat of Cunningham since the seat was formed in 1959.

ENDS

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