Economy
Tasmanian Greens Deep In Limbo – Where To Now?
With the resignation of Kim Booth from politics, and the likely appointment of Nick McKim to fill the retiring Christine Milne senate seat, there suddenly appears a massive void in political leadership for the Greens Party within Tasmania’s House of Assembly.
The past state election witnessed a significant decline in the state Green vote. Did this electoral backlash result from the questionable coalition with Labor in cabinet, or was it a statement that the party may have reached its use-by date and therefore is in urgent need for transition?
The Tasmanian Greens (Independents) were initially founded on environmental issues, which progressed into a highly effective socio-political party that represented all electorates through a gamut of state-orientated issues. Their greatest achievements manifested when they held the balance of power in parliament’s lower house.
So what happened?
Fast-forward to the last four-year alliance between the Greens and Labor, which could be seen as nothing short of an experimental disaster beyond proving the point that Green members were capable of maintaining a cabinet position, albeit in a somewhat dysfunctional government.
This dispositional period was a great loss of opportunity for Tasmanians, as the Greens failed – in my view – to use their MHA numbers to influence progress within a broad range of social, environmental and economic advancements.
This scenario has been strongly rebutted by MHA Denison representative Cassy O’Connor who still believes, and has stated that, a cabinet coalition with a major party is the ideal formula for Green Party influence in parliament. Such an unconvincing claim could be the catalyst for a review regarding the endorsement of a new Greens leader?
Back on the rails …
As part of Labor’s cabinet solidarity, the Greens, on many issues, acquiesced to Labor’s policies and political persuasion to the point where they essentially undermined their own constituency and ultimately Green party ideology. Hence why Kim Booth, after the last state election, requested the Greens leadership position in an attempt to place the party back on the rails.
So who is to lead the Greens between now and the forthcoming state election?
Do the State Greens hope to regain confidence from the electorate through the risk of instating an incumbent representative as leader, or do they replace the leadership with new blood?
Of course the pertinent question is where is this new blood coming from? Most likely it will be drawn from elected local government members who are already a Green representative, or have a close alliance with the party’s general philosophy and ideology.
Time will tell, and that time is not far away!
In the national arena the Greens are still a minor party, though they are now widely accepted as an alternative influential party. The Greens nationally are in a very robust position in federal politics due to the founding strength and commitments of past Tasmanian senators Bob Brown and Christine Milne.
So it seems in Tasmania that we lose our most astute and articulate Green politicians to the federal arena as they migrate to become part of the senate team. The upbeat of this is the inspiration of seeing the national Green Party continue to grow from strength to strength.
Meanwhile back in Tasmania the State Greens are in a notable state of limbo.
*Ted Mead is primarily a conservationist, though became involved in Green politics when he campaigned for Bob Brown’s first election more than 30 years ago. He has always been a committed advocate for the Tasmania Greens until recent times.
• Karl Stevens, in Comments: Why does a state with half a million people have the same number of senators as a state with 7 million people? See what I mean? It really is a ‘pseudo democracy’. The Greens needed to know this. Now Tasmania has precisely the government it deserves – what I call a ‘universal fascist’ government. They don’t even represent anybody that lives here, they only represent foreign corporate interests, and their only function is as an employment agency for their offshore masters. And that’s all Tasmanians want from a government. Nobody spelled it out for the hapless Greens in its full brutish honesty.
• ABC: Cassy O’Connor to take Tasmanian Greens leadership
• Jane B, in Comments: As a very long time green supporter and member I really do not understand why Greens supporters/members have such a problem with the 2010 -14 years. I vote and for and support the Greens because I want to see them in a position to implement Greens policies. That doesn’t happen from opposition. The excess of Labor would have been much worse without 2 Greens sitting in Cabinet, and without Greens in Cabinet Labor would have done exactly what they wanted. The Greens could have thrown some rocks from the opposition benches but it would have had zero effect on the outcomes. Kim Booth was great at taking the high moral ground but Cassy O’Connor got a Climate Change Strategy, energy efficiency into public housing, Nick McKim increased buses in regional areas, got the prison overtime cost under control just to name a few things. I don’t want to be just a party of protest and I know a lot of Green members who feel the same. BTW #6 I don’t think I have come across you at a Branch meeting, State Conference or Policy Development meeting. I go to all of those things and there isn’t much”party machine” making the important decisions – its the members.
• Ben in Comments: If only the Tasmanian Greens had listened to the rude and abusive rants of the bitter ex-greens on Tasmaniantimes, things would have been so different, and oh so much better. All the Tas Greens had to do was completely shutdown forestry, ban plantation establishment, ban plantation management, ban pulp mills, ban chemical sprays, turn their backs on the major ENGOs, kick Bryan Green out of parliament, and support the Liberals because they’re not Labor. And all without doing any sort of deal with anyone, or taking any power themselves. Lol!
• Mercury: Cassy O’Connor confirmed as new Tasmanian Greens leader