Greens leader Adam Bandt sent a heartfelt email to supporters grieving the loss of their dog, only to then repeatedly attach links urging them to donate to his party.
Daily Mail Australia obtained a cheeky fundraising email 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 children have never known life without him, and one of them said it was like losing an older brother.”
But after commemorating the death of his “career partner and chief groomer,” the tone of Bandt’s email suddenly changed.
Bandt said Max’s death made him “think about the world my children know… a world with pandemics and climate change, with children 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 the option to make monthly contributions.
“With your support, we will campaign to achieve historic growth in Parliament so we can protect everything we hold most dear,” Mr Bandt’s email said.
‘Change history…GIVE NOW.’
Greens leader Adam Bandt sent a heartfelt email to his subscribers about the sudden death of his family dog, only to attach a link urging them to donate to his campaign.
Bandt’s dog, Max, died last weekend after “14 years of friendship, love and fun.”
A political expert told Daily Mail Australia that the Greens have an elaborate and sophisticated email marketing system to target different voters.
The system allows them to generate different content to resonate with voters across the spectrum, from long-term committed voters who have subscribed to the mailing list for years to newly registered email addresses that may be on the fence.
This particular email, although signed by Mr. Bandt, was sent from a broader “federal deputies” address.
“As you may have heard me say, we are about to make history in the upcoming election,” he writes in the email.
‘So whatever you can give helps, every dollar makes a difference!
‘While some losses are a part of life, like losing our beloved Max, if we seize this moment we can stop climate losses on an unimaginable scale. “We can give our children the world they deserve.”
The email closes with a final message that says: ‘PS. If you make a donation 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 of your followers have even donated their new tax reduction to us!’
On the donation site itself, another message says: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight with you and then you win.”
The Greens have 15 MPs and senators in the current federal parliament after several setbacks in Queensland during the last election.
But they have ambitions to expand further, with up to seven seats with a high tenant population in their sights.
He said: “It’s not easy to say goodbye. Our young children have never known life without him, and one of them said it was like losing an older brother.
With the balance of power, the Greens will have more influence over their key interests – housing and climate change – at a time when parliament is rife with debates on both issues.
With the balance of power, the Greens will have more influence over their key interests – housing and climate change – at a time when parliament is rife with debates on both issues.
Despite his strong public stance against emissions and climate change, Bandt was criticized for racking up an expense bill of nearly $1 million a year, including hundreds of thousands in printing and two private jet flights.
The anti-fossil fuel campaigner also claimed $12,000 for a taxpayer-provided vehicle and a petrol subsidy, plus $29,000 for rides and taxis from the government COMCAR, according to Department of Finance figures.
Bandt recently received criticism for his social media marketing tactics.
He was ordered to remove a social media post he made directed at Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek over concerns it contained misinformation in March.
Bandt accused Plibersek of “accelerating” environmental crises and making “dubious deals” in a Facebook post.
The video suggested that Ms Plibersek was boasting in Parliament about the speed of approval of gas projects.
It then moved on to harrowing videos of the various bushfires and floods that have hit Australia in recent years, showing images of people and animals in danger as a result of the environmental disasters.
Daily Mail Australia obtained a cheeky fundraising email Bandt sent to party supporters on Thursday mourning the death of his dog Max last weekend after “14 years of friendship, love and fun”.
Under the media code, photographs and footage of parliamentary proceedings must represent those proceedings fairly and accurately and must not be digitally manipulated.
A spokesperson for Mr Bandt told Daily Mail Australia at the time that the Minister’s reference to “resource projects” was what sparked his anger and prompted the publication.
“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 accelerating new coal and gas projects,” they said.
“At the next election, the Greens will inform the people of Sydney about each and every coal and gas mine that Tanya Plibersek has approved as Environment Minister.”