2024-06-28
more greens in the house: An update from our field campaigns
By Mia Halse, Campaigns And Organising Lead
Campaigning is well underway for the next federal election, with hundreds of volunteers hitting the doors across the country. Last month we ran mega doorknock events in the electorates of Wills, Macnamara and Richmond, kicking off huge campaigns to elect Samantha Ratnam, Sonya Semmens and Mandy Nolan.
Right now, our movement is feeling more powerful than ever. We are on track to run one of the biggest campaigns in our Greens history.
The Greens are fighting hard in parliament and in public for the things our communities need to live a good life. With more Greens in Parliament we can fight for a safer climate, more public & affordable housing, and making big corporations pay their fair share. Only with more Greens in Parliament will we be able to stop Labor making the inequality, housing and climate crises worse.
Turning Wills Green
The crew in Wills are already out weekly talking to constituents, and meeting the community where they’re at. When volunteers are chatting to their neighbours, time and time again they are hearing that people are pissed off, devastated at the lack of action from their leaders, or disengaged completely because politicians aren’t working for us.
The campaign has already had almost 2000 meaningful conversations with locals. They are hearing that the community is behind us in our calls for peace and an end to the occupation of Palestine, and want us to keep up the fight on housing affordability, cost of living and climate action.
“I spoke to a young dad who couldn’t fathom why Government’s weren’t doing more to end the occupation of Gaza. We talked about the suffering we are seeing, of children especially, that is leaving all of us heartbroken. We talked about grief and how to maintain hope when confronting the denial and resistance of world leaders. We also spoke about how we can make change happen. We can vote to change who those decision makers and leaders are.”
- Samantha Ratnam
Turning Macnamara Green
The energy has been electric as the Macnamara campaign swung into gear in late May. The community in Melbourne’s inner south has a clear choice at the next election: a vote for the Greens and safe climate future, or to choose more of the same - a Labor backbencher who votes for more coal and gas.
On fossil fuels, on supermarket price gouging, on housing - the major parties have shown us that they will never abandon their corporate mates.
Sonya Semmens and her team of incredible vollies are consistently hearing from voters that they don’t believe the major parties have the courage to make the changes we needed. People know that the stakes of this election are high - on cost of living, rising mortgages and rents, and for our climate.
Through our conversations at the door, we’re able to connect with voters about the power of being represented by a Greens MP. A representative independent of the major parties and their dirty donors, who will truly fight for the Macnamara community.
Turning Richmond Green
In 2022 Mandy Nolan and hundreds of volunteers did something amazing - not only did they turn Richmond into one of the most winnable seats in the country for the Greens, but they built an incredible, community-driven movement that puts people first.
At the next federal election we are so close to turning Richmond Green. With just a 1.8% increase in the vote we can send Mandy to Parliament, where she’ll be one of the most powerful voices in Canberra.
From Ballina to Banora Point, the team is building. They’ve already knocked on hundreds of doors, and are honing their persuasive conversation skills.
There are so many people in the Northern Rivers who are still trying to piece their lives and their homes back together after the 2022 floods that devastated the region, and feel let down by Labor and their lack of support for the recovery.
They know that coal & gas are fueling the climate crisis. And they know that with a Greens MP representing them in parliament, we’re one step closer to a safe climate future.
Conversations are our superpower
At the next federal election we’re going to change Australian politics for good. The Greens could hold six, seven, (or more!!) seats, and politics will never be the same again. Every time the Government wants to do anything, they’ll have to talk to our team of Greens MPs. If they try to screw over renters, or line the pockets of mining companies we’ll be there fighting back.
But to get there, we need you. One to one conversations with our neighbours are our super power, so if you can, sign up for your local campaign to join the team of dedicated volunteers in your area. So far this year, we've knocked on more than 130,000 doors around the country already (HUGE!). By knocking on doors we are able to understand what matters most to our community, share our vision for a better future, and offer hope for what is possible
As Adam says, the best antidote to anger and despair is action - so I encourage you to get involved now!