2014-12-12
Giz Watson and Penny Allman-Payne
Freshest in our minds is the recent election in Victoria where an outstanding election result has been delivered by an exceptionally well-run state election campaign. We have won two Lower House seats: huge congratulations to our two new lower house members Ellen Sandell in Melbourne and Sam Hibbins in Prahran, plus our two new upper house members Samantha Dunn for East Metro and Nina Springle for South East Metro, who join our three re-elected upper house members Greg Barber, Sue Pennicuik and Colleen Hartland.
The Victorian Election comes at the end of an extraordinary year for our party. Notwithstanding the fact that we ultimately increased our representation in the Federal Parliament at the 2013 election, there's no denying that many of us felt disappointed as we witnessed the overall vote for the Greens fall as the country took a step to the right.
This time last year
Cast your minds back to the end of 2013 in WA where the nail-biting three week re-count of more than a million Senate ballot papers started an extraordinary collaboration with Greens from many States joining with nearly two hundred WA members to give the other Parties a lesson in disciplined and effective scrutineering (and having fun while doing it!).
This teamwork ultimately produced a WA Senate by-election which created a watershed moment for our party, galvanising members and supporters from across state borders like never before to keep Scott Ludlam in the Senate. This also showed us what is possible, when we work collaboratively across States and call on our national capacity — we can win campaigns and at the same time build skills and trust — and it made us feel good!
Lessons learned
Winning Scott's seat back in an emphatic fashion (a full quota and more in our primary vote) demonstrated the power of directly approaching voters (on the phone and on their doorsteps) and working closely with a national team. It was the turning point and morale boost that resonated back to all Australian Greens. It has opened us up to more effective national campaigning and skill sharing and assisted us towards the sort of outcome we're now seeing in Victoria.
We are also demonstrating the power of good research and targeted campaigning which has enabled a rapid expansion of effective face-to-face campaigning. Of course the added bonus of face-to-face work such as doorknocking is the teamwork required — building our knowledge, capacity and comradery within the Greens too.
That the Greens have done so well this year in re-engaging our members and supporter base around the country is a testament to the hard work and commitment of so many in our party. This is the next wave rising.
This summer and next year will no doubt see many of us exercising our renewed enthusiasm for grass-roots campaigning; out there fighting to stop run away global warming and promoting a sustainable future!
On the horizon
Looking to the Australian Greens' future specifically, many of us have been working hard to develop a new, more effective way of working together. Two years of discussions and party consultation on our constitution and governance culminated at our National Conference in Canberra in November. Significantly, conference agreed by consensus to establish a new national organising body — a new National Council — that will meet each month to conduct Australian Greens' business of administering the party and running national campaigns as well as providing a stronger link with our Federal MPs. The new National Council is intended to provide us with capacity to make decisions more rapidly, allowing us to be a more effective national party and at the same time continue to engage with the strength and wisdom of our growing numbers of members.
The development of the new constitution and the lengthy discussions and negotiations to have these changes accepted by consensus has been a truly extraordinary task! A huge thank you to everyone who applied their hearts and minds to the job — the outcome is also testimony to good teamwork. Discussion was conducted in a spirt of co-operation and goodwill and with recognition of the different histories, cultures and priorities of each of our State parties. We now have some work to do to operationalise these changes. Fortunately the National Conference also elected some excellent office bearers and Coordinating Group members to take on this task and we're on to it!
Thank you to the thousands of you who make the Australian Greens such a magnificent force for good — with special recognition of our elected representatives in State and Federal Parliaments who do us proud. In fact as this is written, Christine Milne still hasn't stopped for a well-earned break — she's flown to Lima to continue the fight against global warming on the international stage!
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you the very best for the end-of-year holidays and family get-togethers and thank you for your energy and commitment to working together for a better world.
Penny Allman-Payne and Giz Watson, Australian Greens Co-convenors.