2022-11-28
A year of achievements and Foundations for our work ahead.
By Matt Roberts and Willisa Osburn
This time in 2021, we all knew that 2022 was going to involve a Federal Election. It was difficult to imagine the horrendously unpopular Morrison government not holding on until the very last available moments, but we couldn’t be sure exactly when we would need to ramp up our campaign. With this uncertainty, our campaign teams, volunteers and sitting MPs did an amazing job to keep the Greens policies on the political agenda. Through all the preparation we had done for the election, we saw the Morrison government indeed delay the election until May in the hope of a changing narrative and a redeeming event. It never came. Instead we saw the coalition go low as they attacked their political rivals and protected their own ranks.
Despite vulnerable people being more marginilsed by the desperation of the Liberal/National coalition, we saw a very bland strategy from Labor. It’s not a difficult assumption to think that the factor that pulled them over the line and into government was a case of people seemingly being very anti-Morrison rather than very ‘pro-anything-Labor-might-be-offering’.
We were so proud to see our community campaigns ensure the public noticed the Greens fill the massive gap left by the major parties. The work of our members, campaign teams and volunteers increased the Greens media attention, social media support and even meant a few celebrities name dropping us on TikTok, lead in Greens votes across the country – with the biggest field campaign in Greens history leading to a victory in Griffith and two more lower house seats to boot.
The senate vote was strong across the country and saw us take our representation to two senators for each state – a significant move to ensure there is some accountability for this new Labor government. We saw a huge swing in the ACT after a very strong campaign there, as well as increases across the Northern Territory.
We also saw a return to in-person meetings across the country – with a late conference in June being the first time we met as a full party in person in over two years. National council also met face-to-face a couple of times and it was noted that it really does make a difference to the outcomes and the relationships we build. We are working to ensure a balance between online meetings, with face-to-face still being a regular part of the agenda.
The atmosphere at the Melbourne Conference was excited, especially so soon off the back of such a significant victory. It also reminded us of the challenges we face in ensuring inclusion when we are in-person. There is always work to do to make sure we live our political ideology. Not everything we’ve tried to accommodate has worked, and not everything we’ve done has been as inclusive as we’d have liked. For those who felt excluded or directly impacted by these actions, we want to sincerely apologise. We commit to all our members to continue working on increasing the safe inclusivity of members as we continue to navigate our growth and party needs moving forward.
Broadly the pandemic has changed the way the party works, and we should be sure to continue to embrace these new outcomes and practices, and balance these with traditional meeting structures. Consensus and negotiation is the core of our values, and we recognise that these are often improved with in-person opportunities. And so, the challenge we face is how we can keep our volunteers, supporters and members safe whilst still providing professional and productive working spaces. Much of our focus in the last three months has been around this consideration. Some of the ways we have conducted meetings and conferences will be adjusted permanently, but equally we have to concede that some aspects are just out of our control with the limited budget and reliance we have on outside organisations for the spaces we use.
We continue to be exceptionally grateful for the ongoing work of our office staff and our volunteers who have helped us grapple and work on these challenges.
We also continue to work with our incredible First Nations Network on their growth and development as a Member Body within the party. Their work to support our First Nations senators and candidates in the election was invaluable, and we know we are going to see amazing things in this space because of the dedication of these members. Thank you.
In 2023 we are hoping to see National Council continue to work on our new Strategic Plan project, with the help of the Governance and Finance committee and sub-groups. We know that the clear goal setting and direction of our previous strategic plan has helped our National Office team to prioritise and set their work plan with great success. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the new planning process, and we hope to see more of our members get involved and help steer the party into the future. If you would like to be involved in this process, please contact your National Council delegate for more details.
As always, deepest recognition must go to the National Office staff. This year we began the habitual meeting between office bearers and staff, and it has been fantastic to work more inclusively with the people who make our movement look so good and run so smoothly. We have more work to do to continue to support our employees and provide them with the recognition they deserve. We hope to continue to build the relationship between AG staff and National Council in 2023.
2022 has been a productive, exciting year in the National Co-Convenor space. We are proud of what we have been able to achieve, and we are excited about the growth and improvement yet to come.
Thank you for all you do for our movement.
In solidarity,
Matt and Willisa.