2018-12-14
2018 is winding up – and what a year it’s been. But as we get into the new year, we’re going to need your help more than ever.
By Richard Di Natale
2018 is winding up – and what a year it’s been. Whether it’s been marching for climate action or running pill testing services, we’ve seen people – not politicians – leading the debate in Australia – leaving the old parties behind on the way.
We’re in a climate emergency – and have no time to waste in getting urgent action underway. While we’ve battled through another of the hottest years on record, the old parties are doing nothing to stop the Adani mine. We saw tens of thousands of schoolkids march upon parliaments across the country – and politicians refuse to meet with them in Canberra.
We’ve seen Malcolm Turnbull get knifed by his own party, because he tried to take modest action to reduce carbon emissions. While we dodged Peter Dutton as prime minister, Scott Morrison has shown himself to be nothing more than a cardboard cutout, devoid of any vision or plan for our country.
This year we continued to lead the way on drug reform – outlining our plan to legalise and regulate cannabis, bringing us into line with a host of countries that are starting to rethink the failed experiment of prohibition. We launched our model for a national pill testing service, using a compassionate harm minimisation approach to reduce drug related deaths. Already, we’re starting to see the discussion change, and pressure on conservative politicians is stronger than ever.
Thanks to the pressure the Greens are putting on the old parties, we’re starting to see both of the old parties take a more progressive approach to politics.
We’re starting to see kids get evacuated from Nauru, and next year we hope to have them all saved from those offshore hellholes. Then, we’ll go one step further – aiming to close the camps for good.
Just recently the Government announced its intention to build a national anti-corruption watchdog. It’s nowhere near tough enough – but after years of being written off by the Liberal and Labor parties, we’re now closer than ever.
We’re seeing action taken to protect schoolchildren from discrimination on the basis of sexuality or gender identity, and we’ll be pushing Labor to make sure teachers are protected, too.
It’s fair to say that this year has been a challenging one for the Greens, too. We’ve spent some time tightening up our internal processes, to make sure we can be the strongest we can be. There’s more work to do – but we won’t shy away from the task. We need to lead by example, and will continue to work with Greens members, MPs and volunteers to ensure our processes are up to scratch.
The chaotic and confusing final week of federal Parliament provides a perfect example of why we need the Greens to hold the old parties to account. We saw the Senate descend into farce as the Liberal and Labor Parties played chicken over the anti-encryption AA Bill, a standoff made worse by Bill Shorten holding sick kids on Nauru as a bargaining chip. In the end Labor blinked first – passing legislation they knew to be fatally flawed, simply because they didn’t have the guts to stand up to the government on national security.
In the end, Labor’s games meant we couldn’t get the kids off Nauru for Christmas, and the Senate passed the highly destructive AA bill that erodes our rights.
Bill Shorten has given up trying to be a genuine opposition leader. Only the Greens voted against the AA Bill in both houses of Parliament – fighting for our digital rights, privacy and local tech industry.
This shows why the start of next year is so important.
In the opening months of 2019, the stage is set for some of our most important battles yet. We have an election in NSW in March – with a federal election most likely to take place mid-May.
With Adani trying to start work on its climate destroying coal mine, we can’t waste any time in getting it stopped. We’ll be turning the screws on Bill Shorten to commit to blocking this terrible project – and need your support to get the message out there.
Labor are going to win the next election in a landslide, and that can’t come soon enough. But that just makes getting good Greens into Parliament all the more important: we know that Bill Shorten can’t be trusted, and we need to hold the ALP to account.
We have a bold vision for a future for all of us, and it’s built upon the passion you have shown on so many issues – on protecting our environment, on building world-class essential services, on stopping destructive climate change, and on getting big corporate money out of politics. We don’t have the big money that the old parties have – but we have something far better: you.
So, as we get into the new year, we’re going to need your help more than ever.
As the election rolls around next year, we’re going to be putting the call out to build an army of supporters to get your message out there. Whether you might be able to help out calling voters, knocking on doors, talking with friends about Greens issues or even helping on polling day – each action you take is powerful.
Thank you for all your help this year, I know how much work our members and supporters across the country have put into building our movement. I hope you enjoy a break across the festive season and look forward to getting to work with you in 2019 to build a future for all of us.