Changes

Giz Watson and Penny Allman-Payne (Australian Greens Co-Convenors)

Farewell to Penny Wright

One of our South Australian Senators, Penny Wright, has announced her intention to resign, due to ill health in her family. On behalf of the party we want to acknowledge the very difficult decision this has been. Penny has contributed greatly to our party, Australian politics and the community and will be sadly missed.

Like all of you, we were saddened by this news and want to thank Penny for everything she has given us over the last four years.

We want to thank her for introducing the concept of Justice Reinvestment to South Australia and, in no small part due to her hard work, the government has now committed to two Justice Reinvestment pilot programs.

To thank her, also, for being a tireless advocate for mental health services for rural people throughout Australia and for standing with the Kangaroo Island community to protect their environment and economy against oil and gas exploration. She has defended human rights and liberties in the face of relentless attacks from both Labor and Coalition governments in the name of so-called 'border protection' and national security. 

Penny remains a Senator until a new Senate candidate is pre-selected by the SA Greens and this pre-selection process is currently underway.

We wish Penny and her family much strength during this time and thank her for her enormous contribution to the Greens and to Australian politics.

Farewell to Christine Milne and congratulations Nick McKim

The Co-Convenors would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank retiring Australian Greens Leader and Tasmanian Senator Christine Milne for her 25 years of outstanding dedication and service to our party, and congratulate her on being named the first Global Greens Ambassador.

Congratulations and welcome to Nick McKim on his election by the Tasmanian Greens members to take up Senator Milne's seat in the Senate in the very near future.

We are confident that the new Senators will settle in quickly and build on Christine and Penny's extraordinary work. 

And on the International front...

The Asia Pacific Greens Federation

Co-convenor, Penny Allman-Payne, was recently part of the Australian Greens delegation to the Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APFG) congress in Wellington, New Zealand. Since the meeting she has been working with the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand's immediate past Co-convenor, Georgina Morrison, on the development of the APGF Women's Network. This Women's Network is a key part of the mechanism built into the new APGF Constitution for achieving gender balance on the new APGF Council. It is also hoped that the project will provide a template for the formation of women's networks in the other Greens federations and assist in the reinvigoration of the Global Greens Women's Network in time for the Global Greens Congress in 2017. Read more about the Congress in the International Secretary's report »