2014-10-08
Maiy Azize
2015 will be another big year for the Australian Greens – not only will we be gearing up for the next federal election, we will also be embarking on another review of our policy platform.
The Australian Greens has four pillars, which have been part of global Greens parties around the world. These are Peace and Non-Violence, Ecological Sustainability, Participatory Democracy and Economic and Social Justice and echo the heritage of the Greens from the four key social movements of the 20th century: the peace movement, the environment movement, the civil rights movement, and the labour movement.
From these principles, a policy platform is developed in consultation with members through the Australian Greens Policy Coordinating Committee (AGPCC) representatives in each State and Territory.
During each election, State and Federal MPs develop initiatives based on the policies — specific, costed plans to achieve one of the aims of the policy.
Reviewing the Policy Platform
The Australian Greens policy platform has generally been reviewed after each election. In November 2011, the Australian Greens agreed to change the structure of our policies.
As a result of this change, our last policy review, conducted in 2012, was a little different. The change of format meant that we needed more consultation with members. We also had to allow for policy initiatives to be pursued in the context of a new Parliamentary Budget Office.
The new platform includes five policy suites based on the party's four pillars. Each suite of policies includes a preamble and number of individual policies made up of principles and aims.
The principles are statements that describe what the Australian Greens believe. For example, “the Australian Greens believe that children and young people have a right to a loving and nurturing environment which is free of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination.” The principles are an expression of the party's values and provide the foundation for the party's work.
The aims state a goal of the Australian Greens. For example, “the Australian Greens want children and young people to be able to express their needs and aspirations at all levels of government, as well as in their own communities.” The aims are intended to describe the outcomes that the party would like to see. In this way, our aims form the basis of how we propose to enact change through other aspects of our policy work, such as the key priorities and the work of our parliamentarians.
There are also key priorities for each suite of policies. The key priorities for each policy category take the form of a sentence that has been agreed by the Greens annual National Conference. The key priorities will guide the party's parliamentarians in framing initiatives and other aspects of their work.
The Consultation Process
In 2013, all members were asked for comment on the policies through their state and territory AGPCC representatives under a formal member consultation plan. Under the plan, all AGPCC representatives were required to invite their state and territory members to input electronically, and to hold a minimum number of face-to-face consultative meetings. That feedback was incorporated into further revisions, before the revised policies appeared for a further round of discussion before final endorsement.
With ongoing policy development in mind, the AGPCC also drafted templates for ordinary members, local groups and other interested networks to submit proposals for policy initiatives for broader consultation and discussion. This helped to ensure a standard format for the development of policy ideas, and entrenched member involvement.
The policy review relied on the engagement and leadership of all AGPCC members. Members of the AGPCC include the Australian Greens Policy Coordinator, one representative from each state or territory (with an alternative delegate from each state), two representatives of the federal parliamentary policy team, and a representative of the Australian Greens Coordinating Group (AGCG). 44 policies were ratified by the party as part of the review.
Looking to the Future
With the next policy review around the corner, it's time to reflect on what worked well last time and what needs to change.
Our current platform is available online. Interested members should take a look at these policies and send through their feedback on how they'd like to get involved.
Members can also provide input on a list of possible key priorities associated with each of these policies, which are considered by the party's National Conferences and Special Policy Conferences.
If you would like more information about any aspect of how this process worked last time, copies of the 2013 Information Paper are available on request.
To get involved in the next policy review, contact current policy coordinator, Catherine Garner, or former policy coordinator Maiy Azize at policy@greens.org.au.
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