Victorian Greens Leader Ellen Sandell has called on party leaders to stop squabbling over debate formats and get around the table for a free-to-air debate on the ABC.
The Greens were told yesterday the ABC debate would be cancelled.
The public broadcaster confirmed today that the Liberals declined its invitation, which Labor, the Greens and One Nation accepted.
A separate debate proposed by Nine also fell through after Premier Ben Carroll did not agree to the format.
As stated by Victorian Greens Leader Ellen Sandell
“I think the other leaders need to grow up. If you want to lead Victoria, if you want people to vote for you, you should be able to get through an hour of questions without weeks of negotiations about who’s allowed in the room – and you should be prepared to do that where everyone can watch for free. It’s no wonder people are fed up with the major parties.
“People are trying to work out how they’ll pay the rent, get through the supermarket checkout and afford to see a doctor. If you’ve actually got a vision for Victoria, you should be itching to get up there and make your case. The problem is that all these three corporate parties are completely devoid of any vision for Victoria.
While it’s disappointing that they won’t show up for Victorians, it’s not all that surprising because none of these parties have plans that pass the pub test. The Greens are ready to talk about how we’ll cap rents, make house affordable, groceries cheaper and sure everyone can afford what they need. We said yes to the ABC. There’s still time for all four leaders to show up, so I say grow up.”
