Australian Greens

[[File:Australian Greens.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The Australian Greens, posing as a traffic sign/warning label since 1992.]]{{politics}}
'''The Greens''' are a left-wing [[Australia]]n political party founded in 1992. Currently led by MP Adam Bandt,<ref name=abcbandt>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-05/adam-bandt-won-greens-leadership-where-to-next/11928178 Adam Bandt has won leadership of the Greens so where are they heading?] ABC News, February 5, 2020.</ref> the party was led from its inception until 2012 by founder Senator Bob Brown, whose homosexuality (which Brown pretty much never makes a note of) is renowned for its ability to draw rage from the bile-ducts of Tony Abbott and the [[Liberal Party of Australia]].{{citation needed}}

After gradually building up 9 Senate seats throughout a little over a decade, the Greens acquired one lower-house seat in the House of Representatives in the 2010 Federal election, with Adam Bandt elected to the Division of Melbourne.<ref group=note>This was their first seat to be won in a Federal election; they had previously held the Division of Cunningham from 2002 to 2004 as a result of a by-election.</ref> As of March 2021, the party holds 6 seats in the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory, 3 in the state of Victoria, 3 in New South Wales, 2 in Tasmania, and 2 in Queensland. Within the Australian Capital Territory, the party is currently in a coalition government with the [[Australian Labor Party]]. With 10.40% of Australian votes in the 2019 Federal election,<ref>[https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-24310-NAT.htm First preferences by party]. AEC Tally Room.</ref> the Greens are the third-largest Australian political party, after [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] and [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]. 

In the 2022 Federal election, the Greens achieved their best result to date, winning four seats in the House of Representatives (with a gain of three seats in inner Brisbane in addition to their Melbourne seat)<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2022/results/party-totals Party Totals — ABC News].</ref> and gaining three seats in the Senate to hold a total of 12.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2022/results/senate Senate Results — ABC News].</ref>

==Political stance==

The Greens were practically the only party in Australia to support [[same-sex marriage]] until well into the 2010s,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151222212423/http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1516/Quick_Guides/SSMarriageBills Chronology of same-sex marriage bills introduced into the federal parliament: a quick guide]. Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library, August 25, 2015. (archived)</ref><ref>[https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/senate/committee/legcon_ctte/marriage_equality/report/report.pdf Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 (see page 7 of the report)]. Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, November 24, 2009.</ref> and have a more comprehensive plan to deal with [[global warming]]<ref>[https://greens.org.au/platform/renewables Renewable economy & climate change]. Australian Greens.</ref><ref>[https://greens.org.au/platform/environment Protecting our environment]. Australian Greens.</ref> than the two major parties, with even Labor being wishy-washy on the crucial topic of [[coal]] and [[fossil fuel]]s.<ref>McKenzie, Amanda. [https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/alp-climate-policy-what-you-need-to-know/ ALP climate policy: What you need to know]. Climate Council, April 2, 2019.</ref>

The Greens policies are said to align with the values of European-style social democracy,<ref>Fredman, Nick. [http://links.org.au/node/3180 Watermelons or tomatoes? Social democracy, class and the Australian Greens]. Links: International Journal of Socialist Renewal, January 2013.</ref> planting them firmly within Labor's old territory before the latter's shift to the Right in the 1980s and 90s. They support expanding publicly-funded universal health care,<ref name=services>[https://greens.org.au/platform/services World-class health, education & social services]. Australian Greens.</ref> better funding for public education and free higher education,<ref name=services/> public ownership of important services,<ref name=public>[https://greens.org.au/platform/public-ownership Public ownership, not privatisation]. Australian Greens.</ref> the rights of First Nations people and of refugees,<ref>[https://greens.org.au/platform/equality A fairer, more equal community]. Australian Greens.</ref> closing the gap between the rich and the poor<ref>[https://greens.org.au/platform/homes A home for all]. Australian Greens.</ref> and ending political donations from large corporations<ref>[https://greens.org.au/platform/democracy Clean up politics]. Australian Greens.</ref>

===Internal divisions===

Internal tendencies within the Greens membership tend to revolve around the following:<ref>Miragliotta, Narelle. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10361140600959791 One Party, Two Traditions: Radicalism and Pragmatism in the Australian Greens]. Australian Journal of Political Science 41 (4), November 28, 2006.</ref>
*Those who argue that the party should negotiate with the government of the day over policy and act as a clean, credible, and responsible party of government (the pragmatists/centrists), and
*Those who argue that the party should remain a protest option, put forward bold policy initiatives and only support the legislation if it's near 100% of what is stipulated in the party platform, or to oppose policy no matter what (for example, if put forward by the Liberals or another right-wing party) on ideological grounds (the purists/radicals).

During the 2010s, the division between these two tendencies has become ever starker, exacerbated by the rise of the likes of [[Donald Trump]] and the emergence of other anti-establishment figures on the Left such as [[Bernie Sanders]] and [[Jeremy Corbyn]] who actively challenged the political consensus and gained considerable support. By contrast, the Greens, in being a sensible, pragmatic, establishment voice that doesn't challenge the political consensus as much as some on the Left would like, are seen as stagnating and allowing [[far right]] [[populism]] to flourish where it otherwise might not.<ref>Hillier, Ben. [https://redflag.org.au/node/6772 Into the mainstream: the Australian Greens]. Red Flag, May 2, 2019.</ref>

==Criticisms==

The Greens are accused of being the second coming of [[Stalin]] by various [[wingnut]]s within the Liberal Party and by parties, individuals and groups further to their Right.<ref>Bolt, Andrew. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100902120926/http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/greens_either_communists_or_fools_but_i_repeat_myself Greens either communists or fools. But I repeat myself]. Herald Sun, August 30, 2010. (archived)</ref><ref>Bacon, Wendy. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-04-27/the-character-assassination-of-lee-rhiannon/167382 The character assassination of Lee Rhiannon]. ABC News, April 27, 2011.</ref><ref>Fyfe, Melissa. [http://www.smh.com.au/national/power-at-last-but-have-the-greens-got-the-goods-to-deliver-20110611-1fyb1.html Power at last, but have the Greens got the goods to deliver?]. Sydney Morning Herald, June 12, 2011.</ref> They are also accused of being [[Christophobia|Christian haters]],<ref>Muehlenberg, Bill. [https://billmuehlenberg.com/2015/11/13/the-greens-war-on-christianity/ The Greens’ War on Christianity]. billmuehlenberg.com, November 13, 2015.</ref><ref>Maddox, Marion. [http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2013/08/27/3834302.htm The 'Godless Greens': Pernicious myth or political reality?] ABC Religion & Ethics, August 27, 2013.</ref> [[Moral panic|destroyers of morality]], [[antisemitism|antisemites]],<ref>Salusinszky, Imre. [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/greens-israel-ban-bid-is-anti-semitic/news-story/292eb398f585a16de83fed78df797c08 Greens' Israel ban bid 'is anti-Semitic']. The Australian, August 24, 2011.</ref> "appeasers of [[Islam]]", of wanting to drag Australia back into the Stone Age for their opposition to fossil fuels<ref>Bolt, Andrew. [http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/no-to-cheap-power-say-greens/news-story/d0172dd9d6296b7edf95c853557f9464 No to cheap power, say Greens]. Herald Sun, May 11, 2012.</ref> and last but not least, have also been accused of being the second coming of Hitler ([[Godwin's law|yes, really]]).<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/29/1067233222840.html Nazi Greens an enemy of democracy, government decrees]. Sydney Morning Herald, October 29, 2003.</ref> They are also panned for being "economically illiterate".<ref>[https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/greens-economic-vision-needs-sharp-reality-check/news-story/6e94e9ef5cb59b3b9f493086e390015c Greens' economic vision needs sharp reality check]. The Australian, April 16, 2012.</ref><ref>Hoggett, Jim. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110301182642/https://www.ipa.org.au/library/greenpolicies.pdf The Australian Greens' Election Promises]. [[Institute of Public Affairs]], September 2004. (archived)</ref> 

They also draw a fair-share of critics from the political Centre for being too uncompromising, unwilling to negotiate, and not budging on their principles.<ref>Daley, Paul. [http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/labor-needs-detente-with-the-greens-20100515-v5bf.html Labor needs detente with the Greens]. Sydney Morning Herald, May 15, 2010.</ref> The irony here is that these same critics have been lashing the Greens for negotiating policy through the parliament in recent times.<ref>Wicks, Peter. [http://wixxyleaks.com/true-colors-the-greens-a-real-mix-of-yellow-and-blue/ True Colors – The Greens, a real mix of yellow and blue]. wixxyleaks.com, March 16, 2016.</ref><ref>Matthewson, Paula. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-27/matthewson-the-greens-have-become-the-very-thing-they-hate/6423420 Greens become the very thing they rebelled against]. ABC News, 27 Apr 2015</ref><ref>Hurst, Daniel. [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/dec/03/greens-accused-of-selling-out-over-deal-with-coalition-on-tax-transparency Greens accused of 'selling out' over deal with Coalition on tax transparency]. [[The Guardian]], December 3, 2015.</ref> 

A few [[moonbat]]s, both within and outside of the party, also criticise the party on its pro-vaccination stance (they have been known to staunchly call out anti-vaxxers in their ranks).<ref>Wilson, Lauren. [http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/the-greens-denounce-a-regional-branch-of-the-party-following-a-facebook-post-saying-vaccines-kill-children/news-story/fa6c9d6514bdab199fdcc699ddd4c5ac The Greens denounce a regional branch of the party following a Facebook post saying vaccines kill children]. News Corp Australia, April 9, 2015.</ref> Other moonbats even criticise the Greens for being too right-wing,<ref>O'Neill, Brendan. [http://www.spiked-online.com/spikedplus/article/14540#.WE1OaNZ-3IU Article 50: down with this legal coup against the masses]. Spiked Online, November 3, 2016.</ref><ref>Byrne, Liam. [https://overland.org.au/2016/08/a-good-hard-right-hook-at-the-greens/ A good hard right hook at the Greens]. Overland Literary Journal, August 18, 2016.</ref><ref>Hillier, Ben. [http://marxistleftreview.org/index.php/spring-2010/46-a-marxist-critique-of-the-australian-greens A Marxist critique of the Australian Greens]. Marxist Left Review 1, Spring 2010.</ref><ref>Head, Mike. [https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/17/gree-j17.html New Australian Greens platform marks further rightward shift]. World Socialist Web Site, January 17, 2013</ref> even though the party continues to vote most often against the neoconservative and right-wing agenda of the Coalition.

===Legitimate criticism===
The Greens are less moonbatty and more sensible and pragmatic than some of their international counterparts (helped largely due to the influence of [[Richard Di Natale]]'s leadership and an increasingly diversifying membership) and declare themselves proponents of evidence and science-based policy (which is true for much of the party's platform); thus, you won't find them supporting homeopathy or pandering to the anti-vaccination crowd or the anti-fluoridation proponents. Unfortunately, however, they still oppose [[GMO|genetically modified food]] based on its apparent adverse effects on human health and the environment, despite scientific evidence to the contrary,<ref>[http://greens.org.au/policies/genetically-modified-organisms Genetically Modified Organisms]. Australian Greens, November 2018.</ref> although there has been some pushback on this by some within the party.<ref>Anderson, Stephanie. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-07/di-natale-breaks-greens-policy-on-genetically-modified-crops/7073086 Richard Di Natale breaks with Greens' policy on genetically modified crops, says argument lacks evidence]. ABC News, January 7, 2016.</ref>

They are also opposed to [[nuclear power]],<ref name=nuclear>[http://greens.org.au/policies/nuclear-uranium Nuclear and Uranium]. Australian Greens, May 2018.</ref> although a lot of this opposition largely centres around the costs and necessity of establishing a nuclear power industry in a sun-stricken country with a relatively small population (and thus less energy demand) compared to countries such as the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] with larger populations and less-favourable climates for [[solar energy]], rather than blanket opposition to it at all costs.<ref name=nuclear/> However, many within the party do remain opposed to nuclear power regardless of its benefits. The Western Australian branch of the Greens, in particular, was born partially out of the anti-nuclear movement.

==Current status==
The Greens currently hold the balance of power in the Australian Senate, giving Labor the majority they need for a coalitional government.  The Greens have been in a 1-2 year spar with the Labor Party over housing, accusing Labor of ignoring rent increases, including rent hikes of over 26% seen in private apartment complexes during 2022 for example.<ref>https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/19/slpr-s19.html</ref>  In response, the Greens asked Labor to support the following: rent hike caps, to stop using the stock market to fund subsidized housing,<ref>https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/19/slpr-s19.html</ref> double public housing funding, and use a government developer for new public housing.<ref>https://michaelwest.com.au/no-reset-for-greens-labor-deadlock-over-housing-crisis/</ref>  Labor has so far responded by refusing to compromise with the Greens on their demands, preferring market oriented tricks involving taxes and the stock market.  This conflict has led to a stall in housing reform in Australia.  Socialists in the past have criticized the Greens for co-signing Labor's neoliberal housing reform bills. However, Greens are no longer co-signing these bills without a fight, and so are now taking a hard-line approach.

==Notable members==
* '''Larissa Waters''', current Federal leader of the Australian Greens (2025-), Senator for Queensland.
* '''Adam Bandt''', former leader (2020-2025),<ref name=abcbandt/> former lower house MP for Melbourne. 
* '''Nick McKim''', current co-deputy leader, Senator for Tasmania.
* '''[[Richard Di Natale]]''', former leader (2015-2020), former Senator for Victoria. Good at taking down anti-vaxxers and other conspiracy cranks that the Greens seem to, unfortunately, attract into their ranks.
* '''Christine Milne''', former leader (2012-2015), former Senator for Tasmania. 
* '''Bob Brown''', party founder and former leader (1992-2012), former Senator for Tasmania. 
* '''[[Scott Ludlam]]''', former co-deputy leader, former Senator for Western Australia. Notable for his speech calling out Abbott for his callous attacks on society's most vulnerable and general wingnuttery.<ref>Knott, Matthew. [http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/greens-senator-scott-ludlams-blunt-speech-to-an-almost-empty-room-goes-viral-20140306-348zx.html Greens senator Scott Ludlam's blunt speech to an almost empty room goes viral]. Sydney Morning Herald, March 6, 2014.</ref>
* '''Mehreen Faruqi''', current deputy leader (2022-), Senator for New South Wales.
* '''Sarah Hanson-Young''', Senator for South Australia. Considered by many on the centre left as a "good progressive" by actually working with a Labor government to push through policies. She was one of the few members to actually campaign for the Voice to Parliament.
* '''Rachel Siewert''', Senator for Western Australia.
* '''Janet Rice''', Senator for Victoria.
* '''Jordon Steele-John''', Senator for Western Australia.
* '''Peter Whish-Wilson''', Senator for Tasmania.
* '''Lee Rhiannon''', former Senator for New South Wales. Often a whipping target for wingnuts because her parents were members of the Communist Party of Australia.

==See also==
*[[Green Party of the United States]]

==Notes==
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==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

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[[Category:Australian political parties]]
[[Category:Green political parties]]

Categories: Australian political parties, Green political parties