Labor–Greens coalition | |
|---|---|
| Labor leader | Andrew Barr |
| Greens leader | Shane Rattenbury |
| Founded | 2012; 13 years ago (2012) |
| Dissolved | 6 November 2024; 12 months ago (6 November 2024) |
| Member parties | ACT Labor ACT Greens |
| Legislative Assembly | 16 / 25 (2020−2024) |
TheLabor–Greens coalition was apolitical alliance between theLabor Party and theGreens in theAustralian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly.[1][2] The coalition was founded in 2012 but was dissolved after the2024 election, with the Greens moving to thecrossbench.
Unlike what generally happens with theLiberal–National Coalition, Labor and the Greens contest ACT elections on separate tickets. From 2020 until 2024, three Greens MLAs were members of theBarr ministry, while the other three effectively sat on thebackbench.[3]
Following the2001 election, Labor was supported by the Greens andDemocrats in a minority government. Labor won a majority in2004, but after losing it in2008 they were again supported by the Greens.[4][5]
At the2012 election,Shane Rattenbury was the only Greens MLA to retain his seat in the Legislative Assembly, and entered into a power sharing arrangement to allow the Labor Party to once again form minority government.[6] The Labor Caucus agreed to appoint Rattenbury as a minister inKaty Gallagher's five-member cabinet, and to support various Greens policies.[7]
Rattenbury was re-elected at the2016 election and joined by party colleagueCaroline Le Couteur, taking the Greens tally to 2 out of 25 total seats. As a result, Rattenbury joined thesecond Barr ministry, although he reserved the right to withdraw from Cabinet discussions on divisive issues and vote independently in the Assembly.[8]
Labor was re-elected with 10 seats of their own in2020, while the Greens won a record six seats. On the night of the election,Andrew Barr confirmed Labor would again seek to enter into an arrangement with the Greens. Since November 2020, Rattenbury,Rebecca Vassarotti andEmma Davidson have served as Greens ministers, making up a third of theBarr ministry.[9]
The coalition dissolved after the2024 election, where the Greens lost two seats to Independents. Rattenbury announced on 6 November 2024 that the Greens would be sitting on the crossbench, while continuing to guarantee supply in exchange for Labor adopting Greens policies.[10]
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 109,764 | 49.58 | 9 / 17 |  1st | Coalition | |
| 2016 | 118,920 | 48.73 | 14 / 25 |  5 | 1st | Coalition |
| 2020 | 138,133 | 51.32 | 16 / 25 | 2 | 1st | Coalition |
| 2024 | 113,281 | 46.45 | 14 / 25 |  2 | 1st | Confidence and supply |
4) Commitment to a Policy Program ACT Labor agrees to support or deliver the initiatives as they are described in Appendix 1 of this agreement unless a written agreement to vary the initiatives is signed by both parties (see clause 9).