2016-12-19
Rob Delves
Along with many others (including dozens of Greens members), several of my pre-Christmas mornings have been spent keeping watch and maintaining a peaceful protest as contractors destroy the bush in the Beeliar Wetlands, preparing the way for the ridiculously expensive road of many names: Roe 8, Perth Freight Link, Road to Nowhere, Carbon Bomb. The sound of trees being felled is heartbreaking and yet Im inspired by the large numbers of those keeping vigil.
And by their sheer diversity – of age, social and ethnic background, dress styles, ways of getting there and reasons for being there. Conversations flow easily. Although some will vote Labor, they all say they strongly endorse Green values and salute our initiative and commitment to the Rethink the Link campaign. For me this confirms Richard Di Natales belief that The Greens are the progressive mainstream of Australian politics.
In issues such as Roe 8, many voters see The Greens as sharing that progressive mainstream with Labor. How to make good use of that common ground while making clear our strong distinction from Labor is a huge challenge. One of the best books Ive read on this issue is edited by Latrobe Universitys Dennis Altman. Its called How to Vote Progressive in Australia: Labor or Green? The contributors debate what they see as the key differences and the extent to which the two parties should collaborate. It contains a brilliant chapter by Scott Ludlam in which he acknowledges several issues where The Greens are very happy to work closely with Labor, but then nails a devastating list of examples where Green values have demanded a NO WAY response.
However, in important state election areas such as energy, education and transport, we need to make a strong appeal to voters outside the 'progressive mainstream – however broadly that is interpreted. We have great polices that arise directly from our four pillars. For example, you shouldnt have to trawl through our Transport Policy website to know that a party driven by ecological sustainability and social justice opposes the monoculture of King Car and wants public transport, cycling and walking in urban areas to become the dominant modes of transport, by both provision of infrastructure and by developing urban areas where activities are in close proximity to home.
Common sense to us, but what about outer suburban families whose combined mortgage and car costs are wrecking their budget? The Right have a story with strong superficial appeal: “we understand the needs of motorists” – cars are freedom and independence, so we want more roads to speed journey times, keep fuel cheap (carbon pricing – never) and cheaper parking everywhere. Recently the Fremantle-Tangney Greens invited Annie Matan from CUSP to share her knowledge about how to communicate the virtues of the greener city. While acknowledging that anti-car stories around the urgency of reducing emissions and the failure of cars to meet the transport needs of the poor made sense to us, her research suggested the narrative of “giving people more transport choices” resonated much better with the broader public.
Its difficult to construct our campaign in ways that are ruthlessly honest about our values (integrity should be a major campaign theme) and also attractive to a public fed on a narrow “whats in it for me?” diet. We are committed to a strong evidence base to all our policies and the importance of balancing the public good with personal needs and wants. Should we talk that talk? Maybe, at times, but “its the story, stupid!” We have become increasingly committed to campaigning by telling our story. The editors hope that the articles in this December Green Issue provide a rich diet of food for thought on this matter.
Enjoy the read, enjoy a refreshing break, and most of all enjoy the road to March 11th!
Photo: Protesting destruction of the Beeliar Wetlands. As the election approaches, voting allegiances become a problem. For some of our most committed Greens, Rethink the Link is so important that we want the broadest of churches onside and therefore are wary of it being seen as a Greens political cause. Amen to that – and everyone is welcome to sing Stop Roe 8 together. Rob Delves