What a big year!: Giz Watson and Penny Allman-Payne
2016 was a big year — many wins, a number of near-misses and a few losses — in particular the loss of Rob Simms as a Senator for South Australia and the death of the much-loved NSW MP John Kaye.
The last 12 months have basically been at the pace of an election; we tried our best to speak to issues that matter to the community, particularly around reducing inequality, defending vulnerable Australians and protecting our climate.
2016 has seen the transition to the new national structure proceed apace, the beginning of the strategic planning process and a set of grants for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to attend National Conference.
What a massive year it has been for our team and the Greens! Thanks to the people of Melbourne, hundreds of volunteers across the city and the support of many more across Australia, I have been re-elected to represent Melbourne.
Despite the challenges that 2016 brought us, the Greens made the case for a more caring future and we’re getting results, blocking the worst of the government's extreme agenda and with hope on the horizon.
From State Greens efforts to end domestic violence, fierce community campaigns to stop dangerous fracking and national efforts to defend the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, it's more important than ever that we work together.
Positive news in 2016 included the senate reform passed in March, a ban on greyhound racing in NSW and progress in banning cosmetics tested on animals. Our next focus is to increase the aid budget and establish a national anti-corruption body.
It's been a hectic year — straight into the campaign trail, then hard work on schools, justice, small business and now immigration while Tasmania has struggled with the effects of climate change.
Plastic pollution, parks and plutocracy: Peter Whish-Wilson
The first election in Tasmania in decades without Christine Milne or Bob Brown on the ticket saw the Greens scrape through with both Senators. A good thing, too, as this round-up of the year's hard work shows.
The lens of history: Catherine Garner and Rod Swift
Our member-driven policy platform is one of the foundations of the participatory democracy within our party. This year has been bedding down the nearly 700 amendments recommended by last year's policy review.
In 2016, we shored up our support and positioned ourselves for the next challenge: connecting with mainstream voters who share our progressive values of generosity, fairness and integrity.
A year of ups and downs — the loss of Robert Simms as Senator for South Australia was a hard one, but the mood in the community is turning on asylum seekers and there are challenges ahead.
We must not let ourselves be distracted by the far-right's attempts to have us lay the ills of the world on those who are already doing it tough. Instead, we must join with them to create a better world.
With a study tour bringing 22 people to Australia from around the world, formalising the Asia-Pacific Greens from an informal network to a registered Federation and running international booths for our own election, it's been a busy year.
A whirlwind six months in which the party has improved the professionalism of its approach to the management of financial issues with regular treasurers' calls between states and a Governance and Finance Committee.
We couldn't achieve as much as we do without the dedication and commitment of a cast of thousands — in particular our fantastic national office bearers and staff I share the load with in our 'virtual' national office.
