Tasmanian Greens
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The Tasmanian Greens are a political party who developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the building of the Franklin Dam.
Although a member of the Australian Democrats, Norm Sanders was also a co-founder of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society and was closely affiliated with the Greens. In 1980 he became Australia's first elected "Green" member of parliament.
In 1982 Sanders quit to run for the Senate at the height of the Franklin River campaign.
Bob Brown who had also contested the previous election, was in jail at the time for obstructing workers at the Franklin River dam site. Following a countback on votes, Brown was released from prison and found himself as a member of parliament.
In 1989, a total of 5 Greens - Christine Milne, Gerry Bates, Lance Armstrong, Di Hollister and Brown - were elected after a community backlash against a proposed paper pulp mill at Wesley Vale, near Devonport.
The Greens held the balance of power in the government for three years, keeping Michael Field's minority Labor Party government in power.
In 1996, the Greens again held the balance of power, this time with a Liberal government.
After 7 years of minority governments, the Labor and Liberal parties passed a bill reducing the number of Lower House seats, thus greatly increasing the quota of votes needed under Tasmania's Hare Clark voting system.
In 1998 a majority Labour government was voted in, along with a sole Green Member - Peg Putt - who had little chance of exercising any influence, but would exhibit courage in offering principled, idealistic bills into Parliament knowing they would be voted against by both Liberal and Labor parties.
2002 saw a major resurgence of their popularity, with the party reclaiming 4 seats, and outpolling the Liberal party in the Hobart based seat of Denison. The swing was primarily against the Liberal Party, while the Labor party continued in the majority. The 18.2% vote in 2002 was the highest vote recorded for a Green party at a state or national level anywhere in the world.
At the 2004 federal election, former Tasmanian Greens leader Christine Milne and WA's Rachel Siewert join Bob Brown and NSW's Kerry Nettle in the Senate, doubling the Green representation.
On 23 July 2005 the Greens celebrated 33.3 years of political activity and achievements, with a large party entitled "33-and-a-third - Now we're Long Playing!"
See also
External links
- Tasmanian Greens (http://www.tas.greens.org.au)