Greens leader Adam Bandt sent a heartfelt email to supporters mourning the loss of his dog – only to then repeatedly attach links urging them to donate to his party.
Daily Mail Australia has obtained a fundraising email Mr Bandt sent to party supporters on Thursday announcing the death of his family dog Max last weekend after ’14 years of friendship, love and fun’.
‘It’s not easy to say goodbye,’ the Melbourne MP wrote. ‘Our young kids have never known life without him, and one of them said it was like losing a big brother.’
But after memorialising the death of his ‘running buddy and chief hair shedder’, the tone of Mr Bandt’s email suddenly changed.
Mr Bandt said Max’s death got him ‘thinking about the world my children know… a world with pandemics and climate change, with kids living in tents and babies in rubble… and without Max.’
The email then linked four times to a donation page, where Greens supporters could choose to donate between $25 and $250, plus an option of making monthly contributions.
‘With your support, we’ll run a campaign to win historic growth in the parliament, so we can protect everything we hold most dear,’ Mr Bandt’s email said.
‘Change history… GIVE NOW.’
Greens leader Adam Bandt’s dog Max died last weekend after ’14 years of friendship, love and fun’ (together, above). He used the opportunity to send a fundraising email
Mr Bandt has sent a heartfelt email to subscribers about the sudden death of his family dog, only to attach a series of links urging them to donate to his campaign
One political insider told Daily Mail Australia the Greens have one of the most sophisticated email marketing systems in Australian politics.
This particular email, while signed off by Mr Bandt, was sent from a broader ‘federal MPs’ address.
‘As you’ve heard me say, we’re on the brink of making history at the next election,’ Mr Bandt wrote in the email.
‘So whatever you can give helps, every dollar makes a difference!
‘While some loss is a part of life, like losing our beloved Max, if we grasp this moment we can stop climate losses on an unimaginable scale. We can give our kids the world they deserve.’
The email is signed off with a final message, which read: ‘PS. If you give before June 30, you can claim your donation on your tax return this financial year – all donations up to $1,500 are tax deductible. Some supporters have even donated their new (Stage Three) tax cut to us!’
The Greens are a political force in the current Parliament – often proving the decisive vote in the Senate. Above, leader Mr Bandt MP and his partner Claudia Perkins at the 2022 Midwinter Ball
The Greens have 15 MPs and Senators in the current federal parliament after several upsets in Queensland during the last election.
But they have ambitions of expanding even further, with up to seven marginal seats with a large renter population in their sights.
Mr Bandt recently copped flak for his social media marketing tactics.
Parliamentary officials ordered him to delete a social media post he made targeting Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek in March, due to concerns it contained misinformation back.
Mr Bandt accused Ms Plibersek of ‘fast-tracking’ environmental crises and making ‘dodgy deals’ in a Facebook post.
The video falsely suggested that Ms Plibersek was boasting in Parliament about fast-tracking approvals for gas projects.
According to the media code, photographs and footage of parliamentary proceedings must fairly and accurately represent those proceedings and must not be digitally manipulated.
A spokesperson for Mr Bandt told Daily Mail Australia at the time the Minister’s reference to ‘resources projects’ are what drew his ire and prompted the post.
‘It is shameful that in a climate crisis, the Environment Minister boasted about approving new fossil fuel projects, and we will continue to hold her to account for her role in fast-tracking new coal and gas,’ they said.
‘At the next election, the Greens will be letting the people of Sydney know about every single coal and gas mine Tanya Plibersek has approved as Environment Minister.’