SYDNEY, May 17 — Australian Greens candidate Hannah Thomas said voter frustration was growing due to governments failing to address poverty, rising inequality and global conflicts.
Thomas, who contested against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the recent federal election, told Malaysiakini that both major parties were out of touch with how Australians felt about key issues, including the war in Gaza.
“I think the Australian government is extremely out of touch with how people actually feel about what’s going on in Gaza, especially in progressive areas like Grayndler, where I live and where I ran,” she said.
“People can see that bombing schools and hospitals, and refugee camps, is wrong, and slaughtering children is wrong, and targeting journalists is wrong.”
Thomas, who is the daughter of former Malaysian attorney general Tommy Thomas, ran on a progressive platform focused on Palestine solidarity, refugee rights and the environment.
She secured about one-third of the constituency’s preferences in Grayndler, a multicultural seat in inner Sydney.
Speaking about her experience as a woman of colour and a migrant candidate, Thomas said Parliament did not reflect the diversity of the Australian population.
“Parliament’s full of mostly white, rich people, and I think people responded well to having a fresh face,” she said.
Commenting on the global rise in extremism and right-wing sentiment, Thomas said liberal centrist governments had failed to protect working-class interests.
“People have gotten poorer, lives have gotten harder, and in those conditions, the far right and extremism thrive,” she said.
She added that Donald Trump’s presidency in the United States served as a warning.
“I think what could be a turning point and a circuit breaker is Trump’s presidency, because people are seeing in real time what a disaster those extreme right-wing politics are,” she said.
Thomas said she admired Malaysia’s political engagement, particularly among youth, but noted that Australia had a stronger focus on policy debates.
She praised politicians such as Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman and movements like Muda for encouraging youth participation.
Asked about the greatest failure a government could make, Thomas pointed to child poverty and housing inequality.
“This is an extremely wealthy country, and I think something like one in six children lives in poverty. That’s an absolute failure,” she said, as quoted by Malaysiakini.
She also cited the climate crisis and Australia’s unresolved relationship with its Indigenous peoples as major shortcomings.
