As the polls come in, as of right now it has become clear that Australians have a choice between a majority Labor government, or a minority Labor government forced to negotiate with these fringe groups.
 
Today's Greens have abandoned practical environmentalism, prioritising ideological purity over realistic solutions. Their lesser-known policies include legalising all hard drugs, including substances like crystal meth, and defunding the police as well as the Australian Defence Force. The Greens argue these controversial policies are about harm reduction and community solutions, and indeed their intentions may be positive, but they fail to address the immediate realities of rural Australians, whose limited public services and healthcare systems depend heavily on frontline police support. Many communities such as Richmond also depend on the ADF for frontline support in times of disaster, as we saw most recently with Cyclone Alfred. 
 
Advocates for minority governments suggest negotiation with smaller parties fosters accountability and broader representation. While these are commendable goals in theory, it's crucial to assess whether such arrangements lead to effective governance. Recent experience shows negotiation quickly turns to obstruction.
 
The Greens, holding the balance of power in the Senate, recently opposed the Nature Positive Environmental Protection Australia Act, contributing to delays and the eventual shelving of the bill by the government. This was a critical bill designed to establish an environmental enforcement agency. The Greens argued it didn't go far enough, though the initial goal was to first establish the agency. Instead of accepting incremental progress and working collaboratively to strengthen protections later, their obstruction has left Australia's biodiversity vulnerable and less protected.
 
Economically, the Greens propose removing vital tax concessions and introducing inheritance taxes, effectively double-taxing millions of Australians' assets. Their energy policies would raise electricity prices further, burdening small businesses, industries, and families already under financial pressure.
 
Already, Greens-aligned activists disrupt public life, vandalise property, target elected representatives, and intrude on places of worship. If these activists felt politically empowered by holding the balance of power in a minority government, it would further erode social cohesion.
 
History underscores the risks posed by minority governments dependent on the Greens. The Gillard government's alliance with the Greens between 2010-2013 resulted in legislative gridlock, diluted policies, and eventual repeal of essential reforms, contributing to a decade of climate policy stagnation.
 
Meanwhile, the Teals position themselves as a fresh alternative promoting transparency. Yet their resistance to bipartisan legislation to substantially lower the political donation disclosure threshold from $16,900 to $1000 seriously undermines their credibility. 

Their campaigns, frequently funded through opaque donations via Simon Holmes à Court’s Climate 200, often employ aggressive tactics such as push-polling. Push-polling is a manipulative strategy technique prevalent in America's deeply polarised politics, designed to subtly sway voters under the guise of neutral polling.
 
Despite claiming to be progressive, some Teal independents have taken positions that many Australians would find surprisingly conservative. For instance, Monique Ryan voted against criminalising wage theft, a move that would have protected low-paid and vulnerable workers. Allegra Spender voted against Labor's "Secure Jobs, Better Pay" bill which aimed to enhance workers' rights. These are positions that hurt average Australian workers.
 
Both the Greens and the Teals pursue political influence without true accountability, blocking legislation aligned with their stated goals while blaming the major parties for perceived shortcomings. The Greens, for instance, criticise Labor for inaction on climate and affordable housing but actively obstruct relevant legislation to enhance their own political leverage.
 
In practice, minority parties such as the Greens and Teal independents rarely pass legislation independently and frequently claim credit for achievements driven by larger parties.
 
Australians deserve better than political manoeuvring and governance detached from everyday realities. Most Australians are focused on practical concerns: housing affordability, cost-of-living pressures, and job security - not Canberra power-plays or foreign conflicts.
 
Better Australia isn't about left or right, progressive or conservative. We are solely issue-based rather than party-based. It's about stable, practical, and unified governance. On election day, number every box, ensuring the Greens are last and the Teal independents second-last.
 
Send a clear message: Australian politics must never again be held hostage by extremism or elitism.