Palestinian-Australian Remah Naji has been announced as the Greens candidate for the Queensland federal seat of Moreton.
If elected, Naji, a first generation migrant, could be Australia’s first ever Palestinian MP.
The electorate of Moreton in Queensland’s south-east is currently held by Labor MP Graham Perrett, who has occupied the seat since 2007. But the division of Moreton has been described as “one of the most winnable seats” for the Greens ahead of the 2025 federal election.
Naji, a mum, education and community organiser, has lived in the Moreton Bay region for more than eight years. She launched her campaign over the weekend, telling voters, if elected, she is ready to “open closed doors” in Parliament.
“Growing up Palestinian among Palestinian refugees helped shape my sense of justice,” Naji said.
“For me, standing up for one another is a sacred act.
“I’m sick of Labor and the Liberals taking our communities for granted… let’s not wait decades to see justice prevail.”
The Moreton electorate is one of the most multicultural parts of Queensland. Almost half (49 per cent) of people living in the area are children of immigrants, according to 2021 ABS Census data, and 4.7 per cent of the population are Muslim.
Meanwhile, more than a third (35.5 per cent) of voters in Moreton are renters. The median weekly rent in Moreton is $395.
Posting his support of Naji’s candidacy on social media, Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather said Naji is “exactly the sort of brilliant, hard working community leader” to fight for the Moreton community on the Green’s key policy areas, including housing and the party’s position on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Moreton is one of the most winnable seats for the Greens at the next Federal election, and in fact The Greens need a smaller swing to win Moreton than we secured in Griffith in 2022,” Chandler-Mather said.
“Standing behind Remah will be one of the biggest people-powered campaigns this country has ever seen – a multicultural coalition of renters, mortgage holders and everyday working people, sick and tired of being taken for granted by a political class who far too often serve the interests of big corporations and billionaires.”
Very excited to help launch the incredible Remah Naji as the Greens candidate for Moreton at the next federal election. Remah would be the first Palestinian Australian elected to parliament. Want to help her win? https://t.co/P1rftik7NT pic.twitter.com/W4PkST4xwU
— Max Chandler-Mather (@MChandlerMather) August 16, 2024
Another Greens MP in Queensland, Amy McMahon, said she was “proud” to have Naji as the candidate for Moreton.
“Remah is a working mum and proud Palestinian Australian,” McMahon said.
“She will be a powerful advocate, fighting for a rent freeze, going after the supermarkets, genuinely free state schools and fighting alongside everyday people.”
Naji has played a key role in organising peaceful protests in Moreton against Israel’s war on Gaza. She has been vocal in calling out the government’s position on the conflict.
Politicians in the House of Representatives this past week have been debating a motion put forward by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to impose a “temporary” ban on issuing visas to people escaping the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
MPs and leaders across the political divide, including the Greens party, have condemned the move from the Coalition. Greens leader Adamn Bandt said Dutton’s latest move adds to “a long history of vilifying people of colour and the vulnerable for political gain”.
“We will not let him win,” Bandt said.