“Not long ago, I spoke with Sarah Witty, the Labor candidate for Melbourne, to admit defeat, congratulate her, and wish her success as the new representative for Melbourne,” said Bandt.
“The Greens got the highest vote in Melbourne but One Nation and Liberal preferences will get Labor over the line.”
Voting preferences and recent boundary changes in electorate contributed to an insurmountable “Everest” for the Greens, Bandt said.
“To secure victory in Melbourne, we had to defeat the combined efforts of the Liberal, Labor, and One Nation parties. We’ve managed to do so several times in the past, but this time we came up just short,” he explained.
Recent adjustments to the district boundaries resulted in the north losing voters who leaned left to Wills, while the south, in areas like South Yarra and Prahran, gained voters who typically support Labor.
The Greens leader since 2020 and Melbourne MP since 2010, Bandt thanked voters for conveying a “message of hope” during national issues including the marriage equality plebiscite and the Voice referendum, where the electorate recorded the highest votes of support in the country.
“I want to thank Melbourne voters for regularly giving me the highest vote including in this election and to thank you for the last 15 years and the chance to do some amazing things together,” he said.
The former lawyer was the first to turn an electorate Green in the lower house when he won the inner-northern Melbourne seat from Labor in 2010.
He was successfully re-elected at the next four elections, winning the 2022 vote count with a 6.5 per cent margin.
The unseating of Bandt has left the Australian Greens leaderless.
A new leader will be voted on in a party room meeting next week.
Until then, Greens senator Nick McKim will act as caretaker for the party.
