Greens’ Indigenous faction faces overhaul following ‘failures’

The Greens faction representing Indigenous members - also known as the Blak Greens - is facing a major overhaul after being found to have ‘failed’ First Nations members of the party.

Greens leader Adam Bandt. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Greens faction representing Indigenous members — known as the Blak Greens - is facing a major overhaul after being found to have “failed” First Nations members of the party, with an external review recommending the group’s leaders be stood down and a new governance structure be put in place.

The review, conducted by an Indigenous-owned organisation called MurriMatters, found the faction provided “inconsistent and contradictory advice provided to partyroom on the voice referendum”.

The review also concluded that the Blak Greens had not been “set up for success” and fell short of elements in its charter stating the group must “provide safe and productive spaces to support policy design and guide decision making within the Party”.

“The concerns identified in the report, largely raised by First Nations members, have been long standing and do not relate to the behaviour of any one individual,” a Greens spokeswoman said.

“Issues precipitating the commissioning of MurriMatters Collapse of the Australian Greens First Nations’ Network internal governance processes... (Including) concerns over the breadth of consultation wvoiith State and Territory First Nations networks and membership undertaken by the AG-FNN throughout the Voice process.”

The Indigenous voice to parliament unearthed major schisms within the Greens and resulted in senator Lidia Thorpe quitting the party over her opposition to the proposal, in a move which was vocally supported by the conveners of the Blak Greens at the time.

Senator Lidia Thorpe holds a doorstop press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The report noted various flash points that had resulted in “relationship breakdowns across the party”, including the provisions of “inconsistent and contradictory” advice to party room on the voice, the distribution of material “purporting to be a statement from a parliamentary representative without their knowledge or consent” and concerns that the national party room had campaigned for the voice referendum.

Alarm was also raised over the Blak Greens “not responding to concerns about the behaviour or conduct of members”.

“First Nations members feeling excluded ...if they disagreed with existing members on policy,” the report stated.

“Members (are) criticising other members of the First Nations Network in the press, without regard for internal dispute resolution processes.”

The recommendations — which will be considered by the Greens and its national council — follow The Australian revealing last month that the Blak Greens had actively opposed Greens Indigenous spokeswoman Dorinda Cox being given her portfolio and lobbied for Mehreen Faruqi “or anyone else” to take the role.

And, at the Greens national conference earlier this month, the group called for Senator Cox to be stripped of her portfolio and be the subject of an inquiry into her conduct, following allegations she bullied her staff.

Senator Cox issued an apology following the allegations being made public, but also said the lack of context around the incidents was “disappointing”.