2014-04-29
This month I am embracing the title of Australia's luckiest politician; not because of the reasons put forward by the journalist who originally bestowed it, but because I am the leader of the Australian Greens.
With Scott Ludlam's resounding win, our party now has a record high representation in federal parliament with 10 senators and a Member in the House of Representatives.
The strength of the Greens' voice is not just a side-effect of voters protesting against the old parties; it reflects our clear articulation of a set of values that aligns with millions of Australians.
Similarly Scott Ludlam's resounding victory in WA is a vote for the Greens delivered through hard work by our members and elected representatives who did all they could to support Scott's relection. But bouquets to the magnificent campaign driven by Jess McColl and the efforts of the fantastic volunteers who made over 50,000 phone calls and knocked on more than 20,000 doors.
What the Greens represent, through actions as well as words, is a real set of values that we have the courage to stand up for and which are clear to voters. We are true to what we stand for and with your support we are in the Parliament to deliver for communities, to protect the environment, and to create a more caring nation.
There's no better demonstration of that than the agreement by consensus at the recent Australian Greens National Council of 10 key policy priorities for the Australian Greens, developed by our members. The priorities, including climate change, set out a clear range of key issues for members and MPs to campaign on.
I was also very pleased to take part in a special summit of members on the review of the Australian Greens constitution organised by the Victorian Greens. It's clear there are a range of views on what constitutional reform should take place and what retaining our grassroots strength should mean in practice. An important debate will be around the empowerment of members as individuals with the option to engage with the party in a range of ways beyond traditional local groups. I am proud to lead a party where this debate has been initiated by members. I want to grow the party and increase members' participation and ownership of the Greens.
Our constitution written in 1992 was futuristic for its time. The Internet age now allows for a much more immediate and comprehensive engagement of members and I think that's exciting. Our structure needs to reflect what our members and supporters want, to engage with us so that we are the best placed party in Australia to advance the transformative change so essential in the face of the global climate crisis and Tony Abbott's destructive agenda. — Christine Milne