Australian Greens

It's hard to escape the conclusion that disenchantment with the old parties is reaching stratospheric levels. Greens candidates encounter this every day on the campaign trail when complete strangers approach and pour out their frustrations. It also shows in the polls, which show The Greens' support rising solidly and consistently. Is this, then, a "protest vote" as some commentators would have it? I don't think so.

There's no question that the sheer awfulness of the old parties, while being bad for the country, is good for The Greens. But their race to the bottom on asylum seekers and their appalling climate change policies, cannot by themselves account for the enthusiastic support for The Greens. Clearly when people take a look at us they like what they find, and they now realise that The Greens have mature alternative policies in almost all policy areas. Indeed, The Greens have undertaken to never block legislation without putting forward a constructive alternative.

The misconception that The Greens are a "single issue party" is now falling away. Citizens concerned with a variety of issues, from the general (health, education, the economy) to the specific (sex education, electric cars, irrigation) are finding policies that they can identify with. Our opponents have recognised this, and have instead taken to attacking us for having policies that might be desirable or even visionary, but not practical. It's almost a compliment, but is it true?

Today, the Greens announced a plan to endorse and expand the "Empty Spaces" program, turning disused buildings into hubs for arts and entrepreneurship. Marcus Westbury, the founder of the program, explains how it can revitalise urban centers.

Stopped by today - between two campaign launches - to see Richmond battle the Demons. Given both Abbott and Gillard have been seen handling a footy in this campaign, I thought it's high time they had a lesson on how to do a proper handball (though they are already experts at spin).

With analysts predicting The Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate in 2011, there has been some discussion about how The Greens will handle that responsibility. An editorial in The Age this week addressed that very issue: "Greens must choose what kind of party they wish to be”. 

The good news is, The Greens know exactly what kind of party we are. We stand for compassion, courage and common sense. Over several terms in the federal parliament, we have also shown that we are a constructive presence in the Senate.

The Greens have no illusions about our role in the balance of power. We know that we cannot expect to implement  all of our policies and we respect the fact that the Government of the day has a duty to govern. 

The Senate however is the house of review and The Greens take that responsibility very seriously. Australians have shown that they value the checks and balances that the senate provides. 

The Green have already demonstrated that we can act constructively without compromising our principles. When Labor proposed the Stimulus Package, which kept Australia from recession, it passed with the support of The Greens. While The Liberals said no, The Greens worked to improve the package by negotiating a $500 million package of community initiatives and green jobs. Similarly, The Greens passed the youth allowance bill which lessened the financial burden on our nation's students.  We also negotiated for $50 million for preventive alcohol programs when we passed the alcopops legislation.