Looking back on 2015

Grahame Bowland and Giz Watson (Greens WA Co-Convenors)

Its been a huge privilege co-convening the party this past year. The role of co-convenors is, roughly put, to facilitate the development and well-being of the party and the furtherance of our objectives — from the promotion of our principles and the four pillars, through to achieving electoral success and representation at all levels of government. 

The strength of the Greens has always been its active membership, grassroots participation in decision making, and the agency given to members to make proposals and drive campaigns. In celebration of that, here is a quick snapshot of the work done this year by our Representatives Council, building upon the efforts of every group, especially our working groups.

Together, we:

• passed a Voluntary Euthanasia Policy after a thorough discussion of this sensitive and complex issue
• created a Membership Engagement Working Group, which started strongly with two successful events welcoming new members
• engaged with a major revision of the Greens (WA) Constitution, which we hope will be adopted at the 2015 Annual General Meeting
• drafted a new Media Bylaw, clarifying who can speak for the Party, and opening things up so we can make better use of social media
• embraced the changes to the structure of the Australian Greens, and helped shape the rapidly developing National Council
• put together phonebanking in support of our comrades in Victoria and New South Wales, and ran our first ever international phonebank in support of a Green party overseas
• defined an ethical investment framework for the Greens (WA) Future Fund
• created a Culturally Diverse Working Group, recognising the diversity of our membership and engaging with members from all backgrounds
• adopted a long overdue Access and Equity Policy, setting down rules requiring that all Greens meetings and events be accessible to people with disabilities, and giving guidance on how to deliver upon that
• assisted the new West Kimberley Local Group to get up and running
• passed a party budget, and an election budget
• passed a new Small Business Policy, after a huge amount of work by members from many different backgrounds
• assisted the Election Campaign Committee to run two terrific by-election campaigns, in Vasse and Canning
• constructively engaged in the redistributions of state and federal electorate boundaries
• ran a number of training and skill-sharing workshops
• held numerous stalls at university Open Days and other community events
• we celebrated 30 years since the election of former Senator Jo Vallentine, Senator Rachel Siewerts 10 years in the senate, hosted Greens parliamentary leader Senator Richard Di Natale and we cryptopartied like it was 1984!

None of the above would have been possible without the people who jump in and make the party a vibrant and effective organisation. Much of the work listed above isnt glamorous, but all of it builds the party as we move towards the coming federal election, when we will seek to re-elect Senator Rachel Siewert.

The Greens (WA) is one state party in the confederation of parties which make up the Australian Greens. The 2014 WA senate by-election created a unique moment and brought talented campaigners and organisers to WA. That campaign threw people from all around the country together in a few cramped rooms, and delivered an outstanding result.

The bonds of friendship forged during the campaign have rolled on, and can be seen in the ever increasing cooperation between all bodies of the Australian Greens. Providing assistance to our fellow Greens is the new normal, and we are sure that when the 2017 state election comes around we will have significant assistance from Greens 'over east.

Our new, more national and cohesive outlook is aided by the new constitution of the Australian Greens, and particularly the new National Council. National decision making is now quicker, more responsive, and more transparent. WA has had terrific representation on the council by Jess McColl and Adam Duncan, and we should also acknowledge the representatives from other states and the party room who have made the body such a success.

At the conclusion of this year the Greens WA is on a solid financial footing, with its assets soundly and ethically invested. The credit for that goes to Mark Siford, the party treasurer. Our sincere thanks to Mark.

Patrick Hyslop has done an outstanding job as party secretary. Making sure our decisions are well recorded, and that everything is on the agenda, isnt glamorous but it is vital. Thanks Patrick.

While much of the work of the party is done by volunteers, the party couldnt function at all without its dedicated staff. To everyone in the office, and in particular to our office manager, Rowena Skinner, and David Letham, state membership secretary — thank you.

Some of the most visible work of the Greens occurs in the parliament. The West Australian public have been given outstanding representation in those places by Senator Rachel Siewert, Lynn MacLaren MLC, Senator Scott Ludlam, and Robin Chapple MLC. If you have ever been in an MPs office on a sitting day youll know the high pressure environment the MPs and their staff face too often. Somehow they still find the time to work with the party on policy, and provide support in a multitude of other ways. Our thanks to our MPs and their staff.

The 2015 Greens (WA) State Conference was a fantastic round up for the year, and perhaps marked the beginning of the effort to re-elect Senator Rachel Siewert. With the ever growing membership of the party, our continual innovation in the conduct of our campaigns, and our inexorably increasing energy its certain that 2016 will be a year to behold.