Latest Articles
Democracy, Environment
The Climate Emergency As A Governance Emergency: A Bold Case For Democratic Reform
On the 20th of September, millions of protestors marched across 85 countries demanding climate action. The image of hundreds of thousands of young demonstrators taking to the streets send a message that time is running out, that an urgent response is needed from world leaders. Raising alarm, however, is only the first step. Equally important is forging a global consensus... Read More
Democracy, Economy, Social Justice
Jobs, Justice And A Liveable World: For A Job Guarantee
On August 29, 2019 the UQ Greens, alongside QLD Greens MP Michael Berkman hosted the forum ‘Jobs, Justice & a Liveable World: A Green New Deal for Australia’. Looking at the leadership being provided around the world on the issue, this panel asked the question what might a Green New Deal look like in Australia? With permission from the organisers Green... Read More
Democracy, Environment, Peace, Social Justice
Protecting Our Right To Peaceful Dissent In The Face Of Climate Breakdown
It is difficult to overstate the importance and influence of disruptive, peaceful protest and non-violent direct action in social change. On countless issues like women’s rights, LGBTIQ+ rights, justice for First Nations people, rights for workers, or campaigns against racism and xenophobia, large-scale protest, including disruption and direct action have been an essential ingredient of success. Globally, recent months have... Read More
Culture, Environment, Social Justice
Do Nuclear-Powered Electrons Have Balls? Hyper-Masculine Domination VS Ecological Politics
There’s been a flurry of stories recently about men apparently choosing not to recycle, or carry reusable shopping bags, because they’re worried people might question their sexuality. The reporting is based on research by Janet K. Swim, a professor of psychology at Penn State University, studying the perception of certain pro-environmental behaviours as having a particular gendered nature. She did... Read More
Democracy, Environment, Peace
Time To Rebel: Civil Disobedience For The Planet
The Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement has grabbed headlines since late 2018 with its repertoire of non-violent but disruptive tactics to raise climate awareness and protest government inaction on impending ecological collapse. The UK-born phenomenon has transformed into an international movement which continues to gather momentum. XR activist Jayne Forbes speaks here about her experiences in the London blockades and citizen’s... Read More
Economy, Environment, Social Justice
Lessons From The Election Part 2: Unions And The Environment Movement
There has been significant debate over both the role of unions and the environment movement in the 2019 Australian Federal Election. Godfrey Moase argues the two need to work more closely if we want to see action on climate change. This is the second part of a two part series on lessons for social movements following the 2019 Australian Federal... Read More
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
