The upcoming by-election in Brisbane’s Stafford electorate has taken an unexpected turn as the Greens have announced they will not direct preferences to the Australian Labor Party (ALP), diverging from their usual practice. Early voting began Tuesday ahead of the May 16 poll, which was called following the sudden death of former Labor MP Jimmy Sullivan last month.

Jess Lane, the Greens candidate and a schoolteacher who previously ran in the 2024 state election, confirmed that the party’s how-to-vote cards advise supporters to "vote one Greens and number every square," rather than placing Labor ahead of the Liberal National Party (LNP). Lane framed this approach as a strategy to challenge the political establishment and promote substantive change. She also criticized both major parties for relying on corporate donations, stating her refusal to accept such funding.

Sullivan had secured Stafford at the 2024 election with a 5 percent margin, largely aided by preferences from Greens voters. In that election, Sullivan and the LNP candidate Fiona Hammond each garnered nearly equal primary votes, 38.77 percent and 38.06 percent respectively. Hammond will again contest the seat for the LNP in the upcoming by-election.

Premier David Crisafulli of the LNP has framed the by-election as a test of Labor leader Steven Miles’s capacity to lead, emphasizing that failing to achieve a double-digit swing towards Labor would signal a setback for the opposition.

Miles criticized the Greens’ preference decision, interpreting it as an inadvertent endorsement of the LNP government. He accused Crisafulli's administration of dismantling renewable energy initiatives, curtailing drug diversion programs, and eliminating pill testing, asserting that Greens supporters are justifiably frustrated by the party’s choice.

Political science academic Paul Williams of Griffith University expressed surprise at the Greens’ move to run an open ticket, suggesting it reflects escalating tensions between the Greens and Labor.

As the by-election approaches, the altered preference flow may reshape the contest's dynamics, raising questions about the future relations between the Greens and Labor amid shifting political strategies.