Climate-concerned Chisholm couple anxious to see the end of Coalition inaction

In this special series, Crikey teams up with the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism to delve into the heart of federal marginal seat Chisholm, in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne, to see what people are thinking about in the lead-up to the election. Read more in the series here.

At the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in suburban Ashwood lives a couple of voters who are raging against the machine.    

Peter Vadiveloo, 58, was previously a Labor voter, but switched to the Greens “because of their environment and their social justice policies”. He writes and performs his own music — often based on social justice themes — and teaches drums in and around the Monash area. He’s quick to point out that he is not a rusted-on Greens supporter: “I’m a rusted-on social justice person.”

His partner, Belinda Haydon, 44, works for a carbon credit organisation that oversees reforestation programs in Timor-Leste. Despite growing up in a family working in small businesses, Haydon says she began to vote for the Greens about 10 years ago after coming across health inequality during her studies: “I realised that … the privilege you have access to defines your health outcomes in life.”

She volunteers with Climate for Change, organising community discussions about environmental issues with local MPs, and helped establish the Glen Eira Emergency Climate Action network.

When it comes to what matters to them, they’re clear as a bell.

“We have to get a government in that will tackle climate change urgently,” says Vadiveloo.

Climate is the main issue for Haydon, too. She believes continued investments in fossil fuels amount to “climate vandalism” and wants political donation reform: “If our government didn’t receive vast amounts of money from fossil fuel companies, I’m certain there would have been more action on climate change.”

Beyond the climate, Vadiveloo looks for “a party that will address First Nations rights, a party that will address asylum seekers, a party that will address the disgraceful situation of housing in this country”.

They are happy renting in their quiet corner of Ashwood, but are also concerned that housing affordability is “just crazy”.

With the Greens winning less than 12% of the vote in Chisholm last election, Vadiveloo would be happy with just a swing to Labor. The best result, he thinks, would be a hung parliament in which the Greens or climate independents hold the balance of power.

In particular, they are angry about the so-called “gas-led recovery”, which has been pushed hard by the government as a path out of the pandemic. But more gas, the couple say, is a disaster for the planet and for individual health. “Gas is not the thing to lead us out of trouble,” says Haydon.

And the major parties’ carbon emission targets? “Appalling,” fumes Vadiveloo.

“I’m saying to friends in the climate movement who vote Labor, you can’t vote for Labor this time. You have to send them a message,” says Haydon. “The evidence tells us we need to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030.”

The Coalition’s handling of the pandemic has also done little to impress them. Haydon — who worked as a community development worker with Rohingya refugees at the start of the pandemic — witnessed first-hand how stressful the time was for that group, with many losing their jobs and not being able to access government support: “The federal government was just missing … people were literally going without food.”

It’s highly unlikely that either will vote anything other than Green. ”Unless an amazing independent came along that I felt was even stronger than the Greens on environment and social justice policies,” muses Vadiveloo. “But I can’t imagine it.”