The Greens’ Max Chandler-Mather says the major parties are ‘completely disconnected from ordinary people’s lives’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPView image in fullscreenThe Greens’ Max Chandler-Mather says the major parties are ‘completely disconnected from ordinary people’s lives’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPMax Chandler-Mather says Greens can use ‘progressive populism’ to win voters deserting major parties for One NationThe new head of the Greens Institute will organise thousands of volunteers for a major survey of economic and social life around Australia
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
Max Chandler-Mather says the Greens can use “progressive economic populism” to win over Australians deserting the major parties for One Nation as the firebrand former MP accused the political class of thumbing its nose at the concerns of everyday voters.
Chandler-Mather has been named the new executive director of the party’s internal thinktank, The Greens Institute, charged with closing capacity gaps exposed at the federal election. One of the Greens’ highest profile losses at the 2025 poll, Chandler-Mather and the former leader Adam Bandt were both defeated by Labor candidates in shock results.
Chandler-Mather told Guardian Australia he would use the new full-time role to organise thousands of volunteers to conduct a major survey of economic and social life around the country, based on the success of his own door-knocking campaign in Queensland.
“All major political parties are completely disconnected from ordinary people and ordinary people’s lives, and this is because they heavily over-rely on corporate polling and focus groups,” Chandler-Mather said.
“If we want to build a mass movement, we need to reforge direct connection with ordinary people.
“It’s funny that it sounds radical, but … going to every corner of the country and speaking to enough people so that the party and the movement has a genuine organic connection is a fundamental precondition for developing a vision and a platform that actually speaks to a majority of people’s lives.”
Chandler-Mather pointed to polling showing the UK Greens surging in support, after the party, led by Zack Polanski, won the previously safe Labour stronghold seat of Gorton and Denton in a byelection in February.
He said progressive economic populism and undoing key pillars of neoliberalism should be major priorities, including exposing the role of Labor in creating outdated systems in Australia.
After infuriating Labor and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in parliament, the party’s former housing spokesperson said he planned to use the new role to help develop broader policies for the Greens and training up party volunteers and operatives for campaigning in state and federal elections.
Chandler-Mather said the same voters moving to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation were winnable for the Greens, because Labor and the Coalition had lost touch with traditional constituencies amid housing shortages, the high cost of living and limited wage growth.
“The reality is if the Greens don’t step up to the challenge, then the void left by Labor and the Liberals will be filled by One Nation, so the task this year is urgent,” he said.
Read more“There’s definitely a layer of people, and I have spoken to them many a time, who really do just want something substantial to change. I will never forget chatting to a grandparent in Griffith at one of our free breakfast events, who had switched from One Nation to the Greens because we were giving their grandchild a free meal.”
One Nation has been polling ahead of the Liberals and Nationals in recent surveys, with nearly 60% of Australians saying they were open to voting for the minor party in the February Guardian Essential poll. Hanson won four lower house seats in last month’s South Australian state election.
Chandler-Mather said voters were sick of an economic and political system that prioritised corporate profits over the needs of vulnerable people.
Asked to compare the Greens leader, Larissa Waters, to Bandt, who led the party from 2020 to 2025, Chandler-Mather said leaders bring their own approaches to the top job, but policy was the most important element of winning new support.
“That isn’t solved by one leader or another, that’s solved by the hard work of building out the infrastructure that the UK Greens have started working on, and we need to start building here in Australia.”
