Democracy
Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume One
Greens in Government in the ACT – reflections on successes and challenges from a former MLA
I have had the privilege of being a member of the ACT Legislative Assembly twice. These are some personal observations about being a small part of the ACT government. There are many ways to look at the success of the Greens party in government. Did it work for the Greens as a party? Did we improve the government and did... Read More
Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume One
Revitalising the public sector is key to preparing for the future
In his landmark review of the Australian Public Service, David Thodey AO forensically laid out the role of the APS and described a well-functioning public sector as “essential to the future prosperity and security of all Australians.”[1] This is because the public sector is critical to providing robust advice to government, implementing government policy, and keeping government in check. If... Read More
Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume One
One ring to rule them all: Unpacking the centralisation of power within the Queensland Greens
No matter how noble its intentions, any political movement that seeks to win power through electioneering is gradually going to be co-opted by the process. In imagining how a Greens government might one day operate in practice, we can find clues in the ways important decisions are currently made within our party. Unfortunately, real-world experience suggests we risk falling into... Read More
Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume One
In the anti-political era, the Greens need to be wary of Government
In the years that I was heavily involved in the Greens (around 2007 – 2013 or so), one debate dominated internally: should we be a party of protest or a party of Government? At the time, while there were some stalwarts who were committed to the former option, the latter was really becoming the dominant mode of operating. Particularly, with... Read More
Democracy, Economics, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume One
Degrowth economy: The pathway to human survival
Why do we need to transform government? We need to transform government because neither the needs of people, nor the needs of the planet are being met under this current government. The ‘people crisis’ can be summed up by the following statistics: 13.6% of Australians (including 17.7% of children) live in poverty. Wages have been stagnant for 20 years. Welfare... Read More
Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume One
Should European Green Parties Go Into Government?
On 28 August 2021, 7500 people had the power to decide who would be in the Scottish government. This decision – on whether the Green Party should enter a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish National Party (SNP) – surfaced a series of philosophical and strategic debates within the party. One of these was a question of electoral strategy. In simple... Read More
Democracy
Greens and Government: 2022 Volume 1 Edition call for contributions
As an Australian federal election approaches, there’s more talk of Greens in government, so it’s time we discuss what, why and how. What have we achieved so far, and what can we do next? How can we do it differently and better? How can we transform government itself, and how do we risk being changed by it? Please pitch your... Read More
Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Quarterly Journal Winter 2021, Social Justice
Green Agenda Winter 2021: On Dissent
I will never forget the first protest I attended. It was 2002 and George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard were gearing up to go to war in Iraq. So was the movement of people around the world to oppose the invasion. I was still in high school, but a few friends and I organised to get leave from school... Read More
Culture, Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Quarterly Journal Winter 2021, Social Justice
Show up and make noise: We must reject all attacks on our right to dissent
I’ve relayed this story many times over the years: the first rally I remember going to was in May 1988 when I was ten years old. At that time, my family lived in Canberra. My family attended the rally under the guise of attending something else – the day marked the official opening of the “new Parliament House” and government-planned... Read More
Culture, Democracy, Featured, Green Agenda Quarterly Journal Winter 2021, Peace, Social Justice, Uncategorised
Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud: An interview with Mehreen Faruqi
Dr Mehreen Faruqi is the Greens Senator for New South Wales (2018 – present). Green Agenda’s co-editor Simon Copland spoke with Mehreen about her recently published memoir, Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud, and what it means to be an ‘unapologetically Brown, Muslim, migrant, feminist woman‘ in Australian politics. The transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity. Simon Copland: Thank... Read More
