Ebono: I can win Richmond

Joe (Giovanni) Ebono.

THE Greens Party candidate for the Federal seat of Richmond Joe Ebono has declared he has a ‘reasonable chance’ to pull off a surprise win and take the seat from sitting Labor MP Justine Elliot.

Mr Ebono is confident of getting at least 20 per cent of preferences in the poll – a move that could put him ahead of either the Liberal or National Party candidates and make preferences vital in deciding the Richmond election.

It is Mr Ebono’s second attempt at the seat as the Greens’ candidate.

In 2007 he won 14.93pc of the vote. In that election Mrs Elliot won 43.81pc of the primary vote and the then National Party candidate Sue Page won 36.98pc.

This time, however, the inclusion of a Liberal Party candidate, Tweed Shire councillor Joan van Lieshout, could split the conservative vote.

“If you look at the base numbers we ran 15pc last time,” Mr Ebono said yesterday.

“Nationally the swing to the Greens is between eight and 14pc.

“Add eight to 15 and you get 23.

“In a four-way split we only need to get to 25 and things start to get interesting”.

“I’m meeting a lot of steady Labor supporters who are so upset by the events of the last two to three years they will be voting Green for the first time.”

Mr Ebono said feedback had convinced him the estimate of an 8pc swing was too low for the Richmond electorate.

Mr Ebono has refused to recommend his followers direct their preferences towards Ms Elliot but has hit out at the Coalition parties.

He said the Coalition was responsible for the foreign buy-up of Australian farms under former Prime Minister John Howard.

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