Latest Articles
Democracy, Peace, Social Justice
Politics Of Peace And Patience
Dr Frank Habineza is the President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, who in September 2018 was elected as one of two Greens MPs in the Rwandan national Parliament. In October 2018, former Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam caught up with him in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, to hear his extraordinary story of persecution, exile and electoral success. [...]
Democracy, Social Justice
Lessons For Social Movements From The Federal Election
This is the first in a two part essay on lessons for social movements arising from the 2019 federal Australian election. Read part two here. I felt empty on the night of May 18th when Labor lost the election. I had driven into Trades Hall for the Victorian union movement’s election night celebration. It was with bracing sobriety that I... Read More
Economy, Environment
Emancipation In The Anthropocene
In 1958 Hannah Arendt published, The Human Condition.(1) At the beginning of this wide-ranging work, Arendt proposes “a reconsideration of the human condition from the vantage point of our newest experiences and our most recent fears.”(2) The major historical event which motivated this study was the launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union and the prospect this technological advance... Read More
Economy, Social Justice
The Divine Right Of Capital In Australia Today: Corporations, Community Interests, The Body Politic And The Natural Environment
There is a long and distinguished list of academic contributors to a large body of literature which addresses the question—what makes capitalist democracies work better/best/optimally? Some of the preconditions established in that literature are: that taxes/subsidies address externalities (1); that property rights are respected, contracts are well understood and cheaply, honestly and easily enforced; and that ‘stewards’ (for example, elected... Read More
Culture, Environment, Social Justice
Balginjirr “A Special Place On Our Home River Country”!
We are pleased to share with you this incredible poem by Dr. Anne Poelina, part of the Green Institute Report ‘Rebalancing Rights: Communities, Corporatations and Nature’. I came home to our river country, our place… our space… today. I stood at your grave site and recall the first night when I came back to my mother’s land, and now I... Read More
Democracy, Economy
Reimagining The Future Of Corporate Governance In Australia
The events of the Financial Services (Banking) Royal Commission (FSRC) have brought the corporate governance practices of some of Australia’s largest public companies into plain view. The insights revealed have been shocking, and shown that directors have not listened to internal whistle-blowers exposing misconduct, not asked the hard questions internally to fulfil their directors’ duties, nor acted in public interest.... Read More
Peace, Social Justice
Suppression Of The Right To Protest
This paper formed part of the Green Institute Report ‘Rebalancing Rights: Communities, Corporatations and Nature’. 25 years jail for peaceful protest. That is the potential outcome from the Espionage and Foreign Interference Bill (EFI) that was introduced by the Liberals and rubber stamped by Labor in 2018. It was slammed through with such speed that the cross-benches had one hour... Read More
Economy, Social Justice
Property Rights, Corporate Personhood And Nature
This paper formed part of the Green Institute Report ‘Rebalancing Rights: Communities, Corporatations and Nature’. Property rights are a social construction, embodied in law and enforced by the coercive power of the state, represented by police, courts and prisons. This fact is so obvious that it ought to go without saying, but it is routinely denied by many on the... Read More
Democracy, Social Justice
The Right To Advocate And Protest Is At The Core Of Our Democracy
This paper formed part of the Green Institute Report ‘Rebalancing Rights: Communities, Corporations and Nature’. As an Australian, I am proud that my country was central to both the writing and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The head of the Australian delegation and later President of the UN General Assembly was Australia’s Dr H.... Read More
Democracy, Environment
Rights Of Nature, Earth Democracy And The Future Of Environmental Governance
This paper formed part of the Green Institute Report ‘Rebalancing Rights: Communities, Corporatations and Nature’. Around the world, people are working hard to protect their local communities and local ecosystems from the destructive impacts of excessive industrial developments. One strategy that is receiving growing attention is changing the legal status of nature from being human property or, at best, a... Read More
