‘Authoritarian’: Greens rank and file demand free speech inside party

The Greens rank and file in Victoria rebelled after the division’s newly-elected convener was sacked in 2022, with hundreds of disgruntled members demanding free speech inside the party.

Greens leader Larissa Waters revealed on Tuesday that she had not read the complaint against Greens co-founder Drew Hutton that was upheld by the Queensland Greens’ state council last Sunday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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The Greens rank and file in Victoria rebelled after the division’s newly elected convener was sacked in 2022 for urging a rethink of its pro-transgender rights policies, with hundreds of disgruntled members demanding free speech inside the party.

The so-called Docklands Dec­laration, affirming that “no issue” should be off-limits for debate, has been endorsed by 373 Greens members since it was uploaded, a credible response given they were required to put their names down.

The woman at the centre of that row, Linda Gale, on Wednesday called on new federal leader ­Larissa Waters to intervene in the widening row over the purging of party members and office bearers who don’t toe the line on trans rights.

Tensions that flared over Ms Gale’s dismissal came to a head this week when Greens co-founder Drew Hutton was expelled by the Queensland division for standing up to the “transgender and queer cult” that, he said, had seized control of the party.

Ms Gale said Senator Waters should “have taken an interest” in Mr Hutton’s fate, given his stature as a founding father of the Greens.

The 78-year-old set up the party in 1992 alongside his friend, Bob Brown, the inaugural leader.

“I don’t think the elected representatives of parliament or in local government should use those positions to interfere with or override the internal decision-making processes of the party,” she told The Australian.

“(But) I think that Larissa, like any other member, should have taken an interest and expressed a view but not as party leader.”

Dr Brown and another former federal Greens leader, Christine Milne, have called for Mr Hutton’s life membership to be re­instated but Senator Waters has refused to buy in, saying his expulsion was an independent decision of the party and “no one is above the rules”.

She told ABC television, however, that she had not read the complaint against him that was upheld by the Queensland Greens’ state council last Sunday.

Mr Hutton has said the case, which he insists is about his right to free speech, represents an early test of Senator Waters’ leadership. The former Brisbane lawyer succeeded Adam Bandt after he lost his house seat at the federal election in May.

“I considered Larissa as a friend but her refusal to even talk with me about this issue reminded me that, in politics, even green politics which is supposed to be different, there is no such thing as permanent friendships,” Mr Hutton said on Wednesday.

“Given I founded the party and was its most prominent figure for so many years, I find it difficult to believe Larissa’s claim she hadn’t read the complaint against me.

“It seems to have been one of the main topics of conversation among Greens leadership for three years. She seems remarkably lacking in political awareness not to realise the significance of the action against me and the purge of so many good, hard-working members.

“This is not good leadership.”

Senator Waters’ office declined to comment.

Mr Hutton has said that she snubbed him when he phoned to ask for her support, a claim she disputes.

Linda Gale says Senator Waters should ‘have taken an interest’ in Mr Hutton’s fate given his stature as a founding father of the Greens. Picture: The Age

Ms Gale said: “Larissa should have been across the issue more than she apparently was.”

Queensland Greens state MP Michael Berkman has revealed that he spoke to Mr Hutton, soon after the row erupted, urging him to reach a compromise over the disputed posts he made on Facebook about the party’s “authoritarian” handling of the transgender rights debate, including Ms Gale’s 2022 sacking.

Mr Hutton was subsequently breached for refusing to delete comments made by others about his posts. He said this was purely a question of free speech.

Mr Berkman rejected Mr Hutton’s argument.

“It seems clear now that Drew disagrees with the Greens’ policy on transgender rights,” he said in a post.

“That policy only exists because members from across the country spent hours developing, discussing and refining it, and ultimately adopted it as a consensus position.

“It’s fine to disagree with that policy, and anyone who’s engaged with the Greens’ policymaking processes would know that these positions are regularly contested, debated and discussed – often for many, many hours – but this can be done, and is routinely done, without breaching the code of ethics.”

The Docklands Declaration, uploaded after a meeting of Victorian Greens members two years ago, calls for an open airing in the party of differences of opinion on policy, strategy and tactics.

“We make this declaration because our party’s success relies on its membership being able to practise politics democratically, without being dictated to by the loudest voices or by members who hold public office,” the document reads.

Melbourne computer programmer Yuchen Pei put his name to the declaration after lasting only two months with the Victorian Greens. He described the division as “authoritarian” and “quasi-religious”, where dissenters were bullied.