Alex Bhathal

Alex Bhathal
Bhathal in 2018
Personal details
Political partyAustralian Greens
Alma materRMIT University, La Trobe University, University of Melbourne
OccupationSocial worker, politician
Websitehttps://alexbhathal.com/

Alexandra Kaur Bhathal[1] (born 1964 or 1965)[2] is a social worker, lecturer and Australian politician. She is most known as a perennial candidate for the Australian Greens in the Division of Batman, having stood on six occasions; 2001, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016, and at the 2018 Batman by-election.[3] Bhathal was also the Greens candidate for the state Electoral district of Northcote in 2006, Greens candidate for the Northern Metro region at the 2010 and 2014 state elections, and independent local council candidate for Darebin (West Ward) in 2024.[4][5][6]

Early life

Bhathal's father was a Punjabi Sikh from a village near Verka Town, India.[1]

Federal political career

Bhathal (right) with Adam Bandt (left) and Samantha Ratnam (centre) in 2016.
Bhathal in 2010 as Greens candidate for the Northern Metro region

Bhathal ran as the Greens candidate for Batman on six occasions; 2001, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016, and the 2018 Batman by-election. At the 2001 Australian federal election, Bhathal received 11.58% of the first preference vote. Her primary vote grew at each subsequent election, reaching 36.23% at the 2016 federal election, higher than Labor candidate David Feeney's 35.27%. After preferences, Feeney defeated Bhathal 51-49%.[7]

2018 Batman by-election

Main article: 2018 Batman by-election
Posters for Bhathal in the front yard of a house owned by the Labor member for Batman, David Feeney. The house caused controversy during the 2016 election campaign as Feeney had not declared it in his list of MP interests.

Bhathal was selected as the Greens candidate for the 2018 Batman by-election. Bhathal's campaign was damaged when a 101-page document containing claims of bullying by Bhathal was leaked.[8][9][10] After the by-election, an internal Greens review dismissed the allegations against Bhathal, and apologised to her.[8]

A documentary was made about Bhathal's unsuccessful campaign in 2018, entitled The Candidate.[11] The screening of the film in July 2019 was sabotaged, with the fire alarm being set off as soon as the film started.[12] Bhathal was planned to be the candidate for the Division of Cooper[a] at the 2019 Australian federal election, but withdrew in August 2018, stating that her previous campaign had been "sabotaged" by individuals within the party.[13] In February 2019, Bhathal resigned from the Australian Greens, stating she had been the victim of "relentless organisational bullying" over several years.[14]

2024 local government elections

Bhathal was a candidate for election to West Ward at the Darebin City Council election to be held on 26 October 2024.[15] She ran against previous Darebin Mayor Sussane Newton who had been alleged to have had a role in the sabotage of Bhathal's 2018 by-election campaign.[10] Bhathal received 13.8% of the first-preference vote and was not elected.[6]

Outside politics

Bhathal is a lecturer at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.[16][17]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The division of Batman was abolished prior to the 2019 election, and the division of Cooper was created, with boundaries similar to Batman's.

References

  1. ^ a b "Alex Kaur Bhathal - Greens candidate for Batman, VIC". SBS Language. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ "20 Questions with Alex Bhathal". Australian Greens. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ Manning, Paddy (6 February 2018). "Sixth time lucky? Meet Alex Bhathal". The Monthly. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Curriculum Vitae". Alex Bhathal. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  5. ^ "VIC 2014 LC Preferences Northern Metropolitan" (PDF). ABC News. 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Results of the Darebin city council elections". Victorian Electoral Commission. November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  7. ^ Batman, VIC, Virtual Tally Room 2016, Australian Electoral Commission.
  8. ^ a b Preiss, Benjamin (7 August 2018). "Greens apologise to Alex Bhathal over handling of bullying complaint". The Age. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  9. ^ Towell, Noel; Carey, Adam (5 April 2018). "Green 'saboteurs' survive attempted purge for attacks on Batman loser". The Age. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b Carey, Adam; Towell, Noel (6 April 2018). "Greens councillors tried to take down their own Batman candidate". The Age. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  11. ^ Towell, Noel (8 July 2019). "Greens' candidate horror show comes to the big screen". The Age. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Chaos at Greens screening". The Australian. 29 July 2019.
  13. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 August 2018). "'Sabotage': perennial Greens candidate Alex Bhathal won't contest next election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  14. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (1 February 2019). "Former Greens candidate Alex Bhathal quits party, blaming 'organisational bullying'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Nominations". Victorian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Alex Bhathal". The Conversation. 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  17. ^ Grewal, Preetinder; McCarthy, Preeti (21 June 2016). "Alex Kaur Bhathal - Greens candidate for Batman, VIC". SBS. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.