national conference recap from tassie 

By Your Greens Team 

This month Greens members returned to Tassie for the first Greens National Conference since 2017.

As we gear up for the next Federal election, it was our opportunity to prepare and build momentum together as we head into the final months of the campaign.

There were workshops and briefings on the election & deeper discussions around key issues we are facing as a party and in Australia as a whole. Like a breath of fresh lutruwita air, it was a weekend of connection from people all across the country and in case you missed it here’s a recap of some of the highlights.

Membership diversity panel

With dual goals to make people aware of the national work on improving our supporter data so that we can better measure diversity, and have a meaningful and thought-provoking conversation between panellists, the session opened with a short presentation, and then moved to a panel discussion to explore ways to retain diverse members, identify the individual ways that allies can show solidarity and activism, and what structural changes are needed.

The panel provided a platform for those in our party whose voices are not heard enough: First Nations members, members of colour, trans and gender diverse members and disabled members from across Australia. 

Themes that ran through the discussion were a need for party members to be “comfortable with being uncomfortable” and to take an approach of listening and self-reflection. Inclusion and diversity programs and mentorship programs were proposed as some of the ways forward.

The takeaway was that there is a clear will and desire from Australian Greens members to improve the experiences of diverse members in our party, but follow through on work in every part of the Greens, internally and in campaigns, is critical. 

A live Padlet link was circulated which allowed audience members both in the room and attending online to contribute anonymously. The Padlet and video recording of the session will be distributed to the Australian Greens to assist in taking action to retain our diverse membership and encourage solidarity and structural changes across Australia.

Presenter: Jess Parker (she/her), Moderator (and panellist): Rowena Specht-Whyte (she/her), Panellists: Ash Brown (they/she/her), Quintessa Denniz (she/her), Apsara Sabaratnam (she/her), Taylor Tran (she/they)

A History of Queer Lived Experience

 
With National Conference held in Tasmania, the Australian Greens LGBTIQA+ Working Group wanted to shine a spotlight on the long journey Tasmania has faced to go from one of the worst places for LGBTIQA+ equality in Australia, to one of the best. Politics impacts the rights of LGBTIQA+ people tremendously, and this in turn leads many queer people to get involved in politics.

Our panel featured Bob Brown, the first openly gay member of Australian Parliament, Ash Brown, a First Nations trans person and experienced grassroots campaigner, and Jade Darko, the first trans person elected to public office in Tasmania. They were facilitated by Tara Burnett, Greens candidate for Cooper in 2025, who will be the first trans person elected to Australian Parliament if successful.

This event was a fantastic opportunity to bring together queer Greens members from across the country, commiserate in how difficult life still is for many queer people and share joy in how far we've come nonetheless. We had great audience questions about how to be a good ally and uplift others, and it was beautiful to hear so many personal stories from both the panel and the audience.

Organisers: Tracey Smallwood and River Clarke, Facilitator: Tara Burnett, Speakers: Bob Brown, Jade Darko and Ash Brown

Gene Technology (GT) 

Our GT policy needs updating so this session began a conversation on the review process, with the panel featuring some of the world's best in their fields. Interested members, including Peter Whish-Wilson and Jordon Steele-John from the party room, attended.

All presenters stressed the need for vigilant watchdogs to exercise precaution, objectivity, and tough GT regulation on citizens’ behalf. All supported the need for far-sighted, principled, and incisive GT policies.

Claire Robinson, Co-Editor of GMWatch UK, said patents drive the GT industry, with the traits of animals, plants, microbes, and insects being engineered. GT products now include fake meat, mock milk, synthetic seafood, fatter fish, and infant formula with synthetic human milk proteins (in Australia).

Professor Jack Heinemann, a biosafety expert at Canterbury University NZ, advocated strict regulation of all GT outside laboratories. He asserted there is no case for de-regulation as all GT methods pose similar risks. Regulations must question assumptions and bias, and regulators must act with caution.

Professor Michael Antoniou, a genetic engineer at the Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, spoke on Gene Tech myths and truths. He challenged industry claims on GT crop safety and efficacy, like ‘feeding the world’ and pesticide-use reduction.

GeneEthics Director Bob Phelps said GT’s environmental and health costs, risks, and hazards demand strict regulation. CropLife lobbies governments in 91 countries, including Australia, for deregulation on industry's behalf.

All the panellists were willing to engage with and inform us, to move towards a consensus on an updated GT policy, for as long as it takes.

Catherine Moore, GT session facilitator, Braidwood Greens (NSW)

NT Greens: Northern Territory Election Recap

The NT Greens are in our strongest position yet. We ran our largest and most strategic campaign to date in the 2024 Northern Territory Election, powered by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers. 

We’ve quadrupled our membership since December 2022 and ran an unprecedented field campaign, knocking on over 11,000 doors and having thousands of meaningful interactions with voters.

We elected our first member of the NT Legislative Assembly, Kat McNamara in the seat of Nightcliff, and achieved extraordinary results in our other target seats. 

In Braitling in Mparntwe Alice Springs, Asta Hill received almost 40% of the primary vote and achieved a 30% swing, the largest swing to Green in history. In Fannie Bay in Darwin, Suki Dorras-Walker fell short by just 37 votes, outperforming the Labor Police Minister in an election fought in an environment of widespread crime panic.

A major factor in our success was that we listened to the electorate and offered them a credible alternative.

It was clear that voters were worried about crime and community safety, not traditional Greens issues like climate and fracking. 

We shifted our focus to justice and created a policy platform grounded in evidence and First Nations rights. We demonstrated that the Greens are the only party committed to listening and responding to community needs and received resounding support from voters.

Panellists: Harriet Scandol - NT Greens Party Manager, Suki Dorras-Walker - Candidate for Fannie Bay, Kat McNamara - Member for Nightcliff, Asta Hill - Candidate for Braitling