2024-10-04
By Gemmia Burden & Matthew Roberts
Australian Greens Co-Convenors
It’s a strange thing to write an annual report from the convenors. We say this because, while it has been a momentous year for the Greens in Australia, it does not come in a vacuum and part of our strength has been holding the government to account over its inaction on key issues we have been facing.
To start with, we have collectively witnessed a brutal genocide unfold on the Palestinian people. It has been harrowing, but the Greens have been steadfast and committed to reminding the government that their attempts to play diplomacy with innocent lives is not acceptable. While our MPs have done the public facing work, the Party has been doing what we always do in the background - working on consensus to make sure that we have strong positions to put forward.
On the domestic front, this year, more than ever, we’ve seen people turning to the Greens as the Party for real answers for a better life and a better society. We have seen more open attacks by the vested interests in this country played out in the political sphere. While they attack us, people are struggling to find stable homes to live in, supermarket prices are leaving people with no spare money in the bank, and the government continues to mouth sadness while it approves climate wrecking projects on a regular basis.
Again, the work we do as the grassroots members of the Greens collectively is giving our MPs the license and backing to keep pushing for a change in real political outcomes. We have seen wins on the housing front - with much more needed.
We have seen the government struggle with pleasing corporate mates while trying to appear to help folks.We have seen electoral wins across the country and swings to the Greens in numbers not seen before. Without a detailed list, we have won or seen swings in the Tasmanian state election, the Queensland Local Government election, the South Australian by-election, the NSW Council elections, and even won the first ever seat in the Northern Territory.
Through all of this, our policy team have done amazing work, led by Jason Kennedy as the Policy WG Convenor, to ensure we use consensus to build a strong and unified position on all these issues. Thanks to everyone who works in that space - it is a testament to our commitment to working together through difficult issues that sets us apart from other parties.
Thanks also to our Secretary team - Debbie and Caroline at the helm as Co-Secretaries, backed by Giz in the deputy role. Their work ensures we can be confident of the decisions we’ve made in the party.
The Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer - Sue and Matthew - always a calm and knowledgeable voice in a space of competing priorities. We know that the financial setup in our political system is stacked against us, but our Treasurer and Deputy work hard to ensure we’re informed and across where we are as an organisation, and what we need to agree on, to meet the strategic goals we’ve collectively agreed on.
We can’t forget the work of James as our Deputy Convenor. James is a solid presence and sounding board as a Deputy Convenor that keeps our Office Bearer meetings on track to do the business that we have to do as a team.
We have added in a team of International Co-Secretaries to the OB team - and thanks to Andrew and Dominic for their work in a space that has had a lot going on this year.
We couldn’t do all this without all the AG staff and their hard work - led by Brett as our National Manager. Brett is an excellent human that carries a deep institutional knowledge of the Australian Greens. More than that, Brett has worked to implement the new staffing structure we agreed to so that as we grow, we can empower our staff to take on more and grow with us.
Of course, it goes without saying, a thanks to members at all levels of our movement across the country. From the doorknockers, to the meetings goers, through to the financial members who believe in our movement but are just working to survive in world skewed to corporate greed. We couldn’t exist without you all.
Lastly, a thanks to the MPs and their staff. Often they hold the space in the public eye and can face any ire over decisions in the Party. They are folks who we need in the chamber to make the differences we all want, and are as human as any of us. It’s also the year we have had Janet step away from her role after so many years of excellent work and relationship building, and we’ve had Steph step into that space - Thanks Janet, you will be missed! And welcome Steph.
The bastards are scared that we’re starting to erode their power. Let’s keep it that way as we go out and connect with the Australian communities and change the future of this country - as a unified and collective movement that is built on four pillars that make us fundamentally different from self-interested politics the others play at.
- Gemmia & Matt