Jeremy Buckingham, the man who wrested a NSW upper house seat away from Pauline Hanson, says his win is an important victory for the Greens and the state.
Ms Hanson on Tuesday lost her bid for a seat after the distribution of preferences, more than two weeks after the election.
"Defeating Pauline Hanson was a particularly important task for the Greens," Mr Buckingham said, after the Greens and Nationals nabbed the last two seats up for grabs.
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"It is a great honour to be elected."
Mr Buckingham, an Orange City Councillor, said Ms Hanson's politics focused on dividing the community and "blaming the most vulnerable for the ills of society".
"The last thing we need is an attack on social cohesion," he said.
There will be six Greens MPs in the new parliament, five of whom will sit in the upper house.
Mr Buckingham was elected to the upper house along with sitting Greens MP David Shoebridge and Byron Shire Mayor Jan Barham.
Fellow Greens in the upper house, John Kaye and Cate Faehrmann, were not up for election.
The Greens' Jamie Parker won the lower house seat of Balmain from Labor.
Mr Kaye welcomed Mr Buckingham and Ms Barham to the parliamentary team.
"Despite Labor's failure to recommend upper house preferences for the Greens in at least 30 seats, we were able to see off Ms Hanson and the damage she would have done to NSW politics," he said in a statement.
"The Greens have increased their parliamentary numbers by 50 per cent."
Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/greens-win-a-victory-for-nsw-20110412-1dc2j.html
Ms Hanson on Tuesday lost her bid for a seat after the distribution of preferences, more than two weeks after the election.
"Defeating Pauline Hanson was a particularly important task for the Greens," Mr Buckingham said, after the Greens and Nationals nabbed the last two seats up for grabs.
Advertisement: Story continues below
"It is a great honour to be elected."
Mr Buckingham, an Orange City Councillor, said Ms Hanson's politics focused on dividing the community and "blaming the most vulnerable for the ills of society".
"The last thing we need is an attack on social cohesion," he said.
There will be six Greens MPs in the new parliament, five of whom will sit in the upper house.
Mr Buckingham was elected to the upper house along with sitting Greens MP David Shoebridge and Byron Shire Mayor Jan Barham.
Fellow Greens in the upper house, John Kaye and Cate Faehrmann, were not up for election.
The Greens' Jamie Parker won the lower house seat of Balmain from Labor.
Mr Kaye welcomed Mr Buckingham and Ms Barham to the parliamentary team.
"Despite Labor's failure to recommend upper house preferences for the Greens in at least 30 seats, we were able to see off Ms Hanson and the damage she would have done to NSW politics," he said in a statement.
"The Greens have increased their parliamentary numbers by 50 per cent."
Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/greens-win-a-victory-for-nsw-20110412-1dc2j.html
