Are the Greens the most democratic political party in Australia?
If you were to ask the three south west candidates named by the Greens for the coming federal election, you’d get a resounding “yes!’’
The three Greens candidates are Bill Cashman in Fowler, Signe Westerberg in Werriwa and Ben Moroney in Macarthur.
Their conviction that the Greens may be showing the way of the future in Australian politics is certainly backed by the party’s constitution.
“The Greens NSW policies shall be formulated with the maximum possible participation of the members,’’ it states.
And: “The actions, activities and public statements of all members of The Greens NSW who are elected to Public Office shall be consistent with the Charter, Constitutions, policies and decisions of the Party.’’
Which is not what Labor or Liberal/Nationals do when in office, according to the south west trio.
“Unlike the two major parties, who backflip, break promises or announce policies the voters didn’t know anything about, the Greens will always back policies that have the clear support of the grassroots,’’ says Signe Westerberg.
The 60 year old Liverpool resident joined the Greens in 2009 after considering the possibility of establishing her own party.
“What appealed to me about the party was that the decisions in the Greens are made by the membership, not the elected MPs, and that was very compelling,’’ Ms Westerberg said.
Macarthur candidate Ben Moroney, 27, of Campbelltown is a policy and media advisor and is also doing a PhD in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
He joined the Greens three years ago in 2012.
“I felt abandoned by the rightward slide of the Labor Party,’’ he says of why he opted for the Greens.
“I was seeking a party that shared my progressive values and my concern for a fair, democratic economy.
“The Greens were the natural choice,’’ Mr Moroney said.
HR manager Bill Cashman, 59, has been with the Greens the longest out of the three south west candidates – he signed up 12 years ago.
“I researched the policies of a number of groups, and the Greens ticked more boxes than any others,’’ Mr Cashman recalls.
“I was also attracted to the grassroots democratic processes of the party – they can be frustrating at times, but they are genuinely inclusive, and you don’t just have a “star chamber” running the show, everybody contributes.
“Australia needs new ideas – trying to address 21st century issues with 20th century politics is a recipe for failure, and we’re not that kind of nation,’’ Mr Cashman said.
• If you’d like to know more about the Greens, visit their website here.
