2016-01-12
Senator Richard Di Natale
The 2016 election year is here, and it's going to be a huge one, with Greens in every state having to recontest their seats: Larissa in Queensland, Lee in New South Wales, myself and Adam in Victoria, Nick in Tasmania, Rob in South Australia and Rachel in WA.
I'm hugely optimistic, thanks in large part to the amazing campaigns our states have run since the last federal election. We've learned a lot while doing things like securing Scott's seat in the Senate, snagging a seat off the Liberals in Victoria, taking one from the Nationals in NSW, and recording our best ever result in Queensland.
Our party has experienced incredible growth: we have more than 13,000 members — 30 per cent more than we did a year ago — meaning thousands more hands on deck to help us knock on doors, make phone calls and hand out on election day. No contribution is too small — I started my own involvement with the party by handing out how to votes in Victoria 15 years ago, and you — our members and supporters — are crucial to winning this election! Unlike the other parties with their corporate donations, we rely on volunteers like you to help us promote the Greens when the media would rather lock us out. [Editor's note: want to change that? Add your name to call for Richard to be in the Federal election debates.]
Our policy review process is almost complete, locking in the platform we'll be taking to the election — on everything from climate change to refugees (and GMOs despite recent media reports!). Our approach to drugs is shaping up to be an important campaign this year, recognising that the current law and order approach isn't working and that we need to find new ways to minimise harm. You'll soon start to see reports about roundtables we're organising in cities and towns around the country, including a National Drug Summit at Parliament House on Tuesday 1 March.
It takes courage to start a conversation in a space deemed too controversial for the other parties, but that is one of the jobs of the Greens. Over the past three years, the Liberals have tested how far they can push the community, and the Labor Party, to the right. They've won capitulation from Labor — on issues like turning back refugees and cutting the Renewable Energy Target — while the Greens have stood firm. We will continue to do so.
We're on shifting ground, because Malcolm Turnbull could call the election any time, but I feel we're in good shape for the challenge. We've updated our policy platform — one of the most significant demonstrations of our philosophy of grassroots participation; we've updated our constitution — improving communication between the party and the party room; we've updated our skills in campaigning — with huge amounts of work being done by every state and territory to ensure we're election ready; and we're standing on the shoulders of giants — such as Bob Brown and Christine Milne.
This year will not be easy. The bigger we get, the more the media and the other parties will test us, but I welcome the scrutiny. It's an opportunity to show the community how we operate and why we are the party for a confident, prosperous and caring 21st century Australia.
Richard