Abbie Chatfield’s post-election joy has rapidly turned to fear and loathing as her political hero – Greens leader Adam Bandt – faces losing his seat.
The media personality, 29, was crying tears of joy on Saturday night as it became apparent that not only were the Liberal Party facing a total wipeout, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was going to suffer the indignity of losing his seat.
‘This is just so relieving,’ she gushed to her followers.
‘This is so important for our mental health not living in a country where the majority of people are hateful.’
But that relief has turned sour as it becomes clear her favourite politician – Greens leader Adam Bandt – could also suffer the same fate as Mr Dutton.
A huge five per cent swing to Labor’s Sarah Witty saw Bandt’s primary vote drop to 41 per cent, as the Australian Electoral Commission currently re-throws preferences to find a winner.
His political future is a matter of fierce debate, with the ABC’s outgoing election analyst Antony Green suggesting he will hang on, while Daily Mail Australia’s Political Editor Peter Van Onselen says he’s a goner.
Joining Bandt in his anxious wait is Chatfield, who took to Instagram to share her fears.
Abbie Chatfield, 29, was crying tears of joy on Saturday night as it became apparent that not only were the Liberal Party facing a total wipeout, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was going to suffer the indignity of losing his seat
But that relief has turned sour as it becomes clear her favourite politician – Greens leader Adam Bandt – could also suffer the same fate as Mr Dutton
‘The Greens…It’s not looking good and I feel sick,’ she said, as she held her head in her hands.
‘if Adam Bandt loses his… ‘, she added trailing off, apparently unable to countenance the horror of the Greens leader being turfed out of parliament.
She added: ‘The high has worn off, guys, The joy has worn off. Now I want to cry out of sadness.’
‘Adam Bandt cannot lose his seat!’
The reality TV star turned podcaster is a huge fan of the Greens leader.
She visited him in his parliamentary office where she donned bright green slacks to show her support for the party.
Chatfield also performed a DJ set alongside Bandt, where she danced with his big red toothbrush – a prop that the Greens leader used throughout the campaign to promote the party’s dental policies.
Footage of Chatfield gyrating behind Bandt was used in official Greens’ political advertisements.
The reality TV star turned podcaster is a huge fan of the Greens leader. She visited him in his parliamentary office where she donned bright green slacks to show her support for the party (pictured)
After being deluged by critics who criticised her for their disastrous election result, Chatfield shared a video to explain why it really was a win for the Greens.
‘Of course in an ideal world the Greens would have won more seats in the House of Representatives, but it isn’t a Greens loss, it’s a loss from the coalition SO monumental that they handed Labor more power in a historic ment (sic) win,’ she said.
‘ALSO!! The Greens have 11 seats in the senate which means they hold the sol balance of power, which gives them HEAPS of bargaining power when it comes to legislation.’
‘Don’t be disheartened by these results, bene (sic) encouraged.
‘This is an incredible testament to Australian politics and our refusal to be pushed into a far right ideology based on hate, culture wars and dog whistles.’
The Greens had a national party vote of 11.8 per cent – down 0.4 per cent on their result in 2022.
They also lost their House seats of Brisbane and Griffith.
If Mr Bandt loses his seat of Melbourne, the party could end up with just one MP in the lower house: Elizabeth Watson-Brown who is expected to hold on in Ryan in Brisbane’s south west.
