09 Mar 2016 The Australian, Australia Author: Sid Maher • Section: General News • Article type : News Item Classification : National • Audience : 104,774 • Page: 4 • Printed Size: 269.00cm² Market: National • Country: Australia • ASR: AUD 5,436 • Words: 475 Item ID: 556680870 Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence. Page 1 of 2 Conservatives rail against Coalition deal with Di Natale SID MAHER Yesterday Senator Abetz NATIONAL AFFAIRS EDITOR renewed his warning: “I would be worried to learn that we Conservative Liberal MPs are would do a deal. I would trust warning party leaders not to do a that no such deal would be preference deal with the Greens, undertaken.’’ fearing it will spark a backlash South Australian senator among supporters. Cory Bernardi said: “As much as But moderate Liberals are I would like to get rid of Anthony more open to a deal, citing the Albanese, anytime you do a deal structural damage it could do to with the Greens you end up Labor if Liberal preferences catching gangrene.’’ unseated frontbenchers such as Andrew Nikolic, the Liberal Anthony Albanese. MP for Bass, attacked Mr Labor won a dozen seats Albanese who launched a media where its advantage on Green blitz claiming a deal between the preferences was greater than the Liberals and the Greens. He said ALP’s winning margin at the last he would not be lectured to by election: six in Victoria, three in the Labor Party, which had NSW and three in Queensland. formed government with the Greens leader Richard Di Greens in Canberra and Hobart’. Natale, in an interview and “Here in Braddon, I’ll be fashion shoot with GQ magazine recommending people put the published today, says that while Greens last,’’ Mr Nikolic said. it was more likely the Greens Mr Albanese claimed a deal would form government in the between the Liberals and the future with Labor he would Greens involved the Liberals “never say never’’ to an alliance giving the Greens preferences with the Liberal Party. However, before Labor in the seats of he believed it was “unlikely”. Grayndler, Sydney, Melbourne, Senator Di Natale, who took Batman and Wills. over the leadership last year, Giz Watson, co-convener of admitted some of the Greens’ the Australian Greens, insisted membership had found it no deal had been agreed. difficult to support deals the Liberals also denied an party had struck to support agreement had been struck Coalition policies. “It’s true that pointing to evidence Liberal there are some people who say federal director Tony Nutt gave we should never do anything to a Senate committee last week with the Liberal party, but it’s where he said he had not made a my view and the view of my decision on preferences. partyroom, and I don’t make any of these decisions without the support of my partyroom, that you have got to put the policy first and then the politics looks after itself,’’ he said. Senator Di Natale said negotiations about preference deals were “not my decision’’. Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz spoke out against a preference deal with the Greens after the 2010 election at which “Marxist’’ Green Lee Rhiannon beat right-wing Labor senator Steve Hutchins. 09 Mar 2016 The Australian, Australia Author: Sid Maher • Section: General News • Article type : News Item Classification : National • Audience : 104,774 • Page: 4 • Printed Size: 269.00cm² Market: National • Country: Australia • ASR: AUD 5,436 • Words: 475 Item ID: 556680870 Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence. Page 2 of 2 GQ Greens leader Richard Di Natale poses for a magazine.