Max Chandler-Mather to Lead Greens Institute with Nationwide Survey Initiative
Max Chandler-Mather, the newly appointed executive director of The Greens Institute, the internal thinktank of the Greens party, plans to mobilise thousands of volunteers to conduct a comprehensive survey of economic and social life across Australia. This initiative follows the party's setbacks at the 2025 federal election, where Chandler-Mather and former leader Adam Bandt lost their seats to Labor candidates in unexpected results.
Chandler-Mather told Australia that the Greens could attract Australians abandoning the major parties for One Nation by adopting a strategy of “progressive economic populism.” He criticised the political establishment for ignoring the concerns of everyday voters.
“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.”
Learning from UK Greens’ Success and Policy Focus
Chandler-Mather highlighted the UK Greens’ recent surge in support, noting their victory in a traditionally safe Labour seat under leader Zack Polanski. He emphasized that progressive economic populism and dismantling key aspects of neoliberalism should be central to the Greens’ agenda, including scrutinizing Labor’s role in maintaining outdated systems in Australia.
Following his outspoken tenure as the party’s former housing spokesperson, which drew criticism from Labor and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Chandler-Mather intends to use his new position to develop broader Greens policies and to train volunteers and campaign operatives for upcoming state and federal elections.
Targeting Voters Shifting to One Nation
Chandler-Mather believes that voters migrating to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation are reachable by the Greens, as both Labor and the Coalition have lost connection with traditional voter bases amid challenges such as housing shortages, rising living costs, and stagnant wages.
“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.
“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.”
Recent polls show One Nation ahead of the Liberals and Nationals, with nearly 60% of Australians open to voting for the minor party, according to a February survey. Hanson’s party also secured four lower house seats in the South Australian state election held last month.
Critique of Economic and Political Systems
Chandler-Mather stated that voters are frustrated with an economic and political system that prioritizes corporate profits over the needs of vulnerable populations.
When asked to compare the Greens’ current leader to Adam Bandt, who led from 2020 to 2025, Chandler-Mather emphasized that leadership styles vary but policy development is key to expanding 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.”
