Green day: Richard Di Natale settles into Geelong.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
THE federal Labor party must “sort out its leadership mess” quickly, according to newly Geelong-based Greens Senator Richard Di Natale.
Mr Di Natale said the leadership turmoil was only helping opposition leader Tony Abbott.
Mr Di Natale spoke out on the federal tensions after opening the Greens’ first electoral office in the Geelong region this week.
“I don’t want to see Abbott in government, so the ALP has to sort it out, otherwise you can be bogged down by the sideshow,” he told the Independent.
“We need to focus on issues and outcomes.”
Mr Di Natale said he would work with either Prime Minister Julia Gillard or former PM Kevin Rudd if successfully challenged to resume leadership of Labor.
Mr Di Natale said he was a senator for Victoria but the party had decided on a regional presence, with federal Lower House MP Adam Bandt established in Melbourne.
“We received a vote in the high teens in the Surf Coast. Darren Cheeseman was elected on Greens preferences,” Mr Di Natale said.
“The biggest positive swing was toward the Greens in Corangamite. Some booths outpolled the Liberals and ALP.
“Geelong votes were in double figures and are growing. Having a Greens voice in Canberra will hopefully make a difference for this region.
“Geelong is the gateway to the southwest and it is a vibrant place. There’s a lot happening here.”
Mr Di Natale lives at Deans Marsh with his wife and two children.
A former GP, he worked at Geelong Drug and Alcohol Service and in the Northern Territory and India on public health work.
Mr Di Natale is the Greens’ spokesman for health, gambling, multiculturalism, sport and regional affairs.
