2018-02-10
As members of the Victorian Greens, you have made an important commitment to be part of a movement for political change that delivers on our vision for environmental, social and economic justice.
And as your Party Convenors we want to acknowledge that commitment by providing you with as much accurate information as possible regarding the Victorian Greens processes and membership, particularly with relation to the Darebin branch, as we note that recent media reporting doesn't do the situation or the people involved justice.
Dispute Resolution
We remind you that the conflicts in Darebin don't concern differences in policy, but the interpersonal interactions of people in high pressure environments, and that these experiences are significant to all of those involved. These people have experienced genuine grief, and we acknowledge that the party’s processes did not adequately deal with these issues as they arose. Our internal processes for dispute resolution were not suited to deal adequately with the size of organisation we have become. As a result, we have had to be reactive to issues. But I want to reassure you that we are also working proactively to improve our processes. State Council, Conference, the Executive, and the Constitutional Review Panel are using the information gathered through a member survey and consultations, coupled with best practice in other member-based organisations, to continue to review and reform our dispute resolution processes to ensure that situations can be dealt with fairly and quickly into the future.
We, as a Victorian Party, have already done a number of things to forge a path forward, including:
- The development and roll-out of a revised policies on sexual harassment & bullying.
- Undertaking an independent healing process for Darebin Branch members
- Appointing external facilitators to assist the Darebin Branch in its day-to-day management.
- Reinforcing the importance of using our formal processes to resolve conflicts and providing clear pathways for people to raise issues when they need to.
- Providing complaints handling and conflict management training to staff and volunteer office-bearers at multiple levels of the party.
We are also currently doing the following:
- Implementing further improvements to our conflict and disputes resolution processes.
- Providing training for our Dispute Panel both when they are initially elected and on a continuous basis.
- Reviewing the new structural arrangements in the Darebin Branch.
- Updating the Party social media policy to ensure it reflects and reinforces our policies on bullying and harassment.
- Appointing safety officers at every event.
The Darebin Branch
The Party Body took the step of appointing an external facilitator to support the Darebin branch in 2018 after a comprehensive review found that the branch had significant, internal, non-policy differences that were continuing to escalate.
We have also delivered on our commitment to appoint an independent dispute resolution agency to run externally facilitated workshops to provide forums for hearing grievances and beginning the process of moving forward.
Most involved in the dispute have participated in good faith. The branch has our full support in completing this difficult work. Unfortunately, some involved in the branch did not want to take part in this strengthened grievance process or the conflict resolution sessions and have chosen to instead leave the Party. We wish them the very best.
Membership numbers
Media reports attributing any membership decline to any one issue is problematic. The 2018 election saw our biggest ever volunteer participation, and our issues of climate change and the phase out of coal are at the top of the political agenda. We don't focus on membership numbers as a metric. No branch has goals for membership recruitment nor do we focus on this as an indication of our strength.
Our commitment to our movement
We are part of this movement because we believe that we are stronger together. As a growing movement and a growing organisation, we are experiencing issues that other organisations have resolved through entrenched factions or power bases. The Greens formed as a rejection of that way of doing politics, and we are committed to forging a new way of doing politics. The reasons we are here remain the same. It’s more crucial than ever that we stand up for our environment and work toward a fairer, more equitable world.
And as you convenors we remain committed to maintaining a strong, diverse, inclusive and fair party that has a place for everyone.
If you wish to discuss any of these issues further, you can contact either of us at convenor@vic.greens.org.au
In solidarity,
Willisa Hogarth & Colleen Hartland
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A link to the Greens Victoria’s Volunteer Rights & Responsibilities can be found here.
A link to the Greens Anti-Sexual Harassment policy and resources for those needing assistance and support can be found here.
And of course, if you, or someone you know, needs support or advice you can contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Assault and Family Violence Counselling Service or Lifeline on 13 11 14.