Two Greens councillors have quit the party and publicly criticised the leadership of the Victorian branch over alleged governance failures and claims it had pursued a politics of surveillance, disinformation and intimidation, as a broader internal rift threatens to split the membership.
The resignation of Monash councillors Anjalee de Silva and Josh Fergeus further erodes the party’s presence on local councils, which has fallen more than 20 per cent since the previous round of elections in 2020.
Monash Greens councillor Josh Fergeus has quit the party, saying he was no longer proud to be a member of the Victorian Greens.Credit: Joe Armao
The Age has spoken to six other Greens councillors – on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party matters – who confirmed that up to five more councillors were expected to quit the party before the next local government elections in October.
Addressing Monash Council on Tuesday night, de Silva and Fergeus slammed the Victorian Greens, accusing the party of governance failures and fostering a culture in which members have faced abuse and harassment.
“Some members, particularly older women and their supporters, have endured months on end of invective, abuse, and harassment,” de Silva said in a scathing speech seen by The Age.
“Quite apart from the targeted attacks on women, this kind of politics that I have witnessed become ascendant in the Victorian Greens – a politics of surveillance, of disinformation, and of fear and intimidation – is an inherently, institutionally, and profoundly anti-feminist, chauvinistic politics.”
Green supporters celebrate on the night of the 2022 Victorian election.Credit: Justin McManus
In his speech, Fergeus said he was no longer proud to represent the party.
The latest departures are a fresh blow for the Victorian branch of the party, which has been riven by division in recent years.
Problems have been compounded by a bitter internal dispute over whether party members are permitted to debate trans rights policies. The dispute has alienated sections of the Greens’ membership who were traditionally attracted to tackling environmental issues and societal inequalities.
The resignations come after Yarra councillor Amanda Stone and Merri-bek councillor James Conlan both quit the Greens over governance and policy issues last year. In recent months, the once Greens-dominated City of Yarra council has been reduced to just two representatives after deputy mayor Anab Mohamud left the party.
One Greens councillor from another local government, who is also considering resigning, described the departures as “a microcosm of a broader issue facing the party”. “There will be more,” they said.
In the 2020 council elections, 36 Greens representatives were elected to local government. That number dropped to 28 following a string of resignations from the party, a death and some councillors who were elected to state parliament not being replaced by Greens on countbacks.
Addressing Monash Council on Tuesday night, de Silva – a postdoctoral fellow with the Melbourne Law School – said the party she joined no longer existed.
“Over the last couple of years I have become ever more dismayed at the standard of behaviour that is being demonstrated and fostered within the Victorian Greens,” de Silva said.
“Members who have been lifelong advocates for justice and inclusion for Indigenous Australians have been called racists for advocating for a Yes vote on the Voice referendum … New joiners installed in positions of significant responsibility have proclaimed that climate change is only a concern for the privileged.”
Fergeus – who has been a member of the Victorian Greens for 20 years and ran as a Greens candidate at three state and federal elections – said the party had “precious little humility, introspection or generosity of spirit”.
“For many years I have been exceptionally proud to contribute to a political culture which was, truly, different from everything else on offer in the Australian political landscape. No longer,” Fergeus told Monash Council on Tuesday night.
“The good it represents is best demonstrated in its pillars ... ecological sustainability, grassroots democracy, social justice, peace and non-violence … but that good has been eclipsed by a rapidly growing list of critical governance failures, an alarming lack of self-awareness, a growing anti-intellectual tendency, and a myopic preoccupation with faux-progressive conformity.”
A Victorian Greens spokesperson said on Tuesday evening that it was common for councillors to leave their roles or parties during a four-year term due to changes in life circumstances, new jobs or other reasons.
The Greens had been leading the way on many issues at a local level including climate action, LGBTQ and trans inclusion and more affordable housing, the spokesperson said.
“If councillors decide they don’t share the Greens values, it’s perfectly reasonable they would decide to move on.
“Unlike other parties, the Greens are also transparent about councillors who are members of the Greens.”
Other former high-profile Victorian Greens who have walked away from the party in recent years include senator Lidia Thorpe – who quit the party after failing to find common ground over a Voice to parliament – and former upper house MPs Samantha Dunn and Nina Springle, who quit in 2019 over party culture.
Nina Springle, a former Greens MP, left the party, accusing its members of being “fixated on identity politics”.Credit: Wayne Hawkins
Springle told The Age that council representation was the lifeblood of the party, and accused the Victorian Greens of spending more time talking about identity politics than environmental issues.
“Council is the reason the Greens are still around; it’s kept the party alive,” Springle said. “If they lose their councillors, it’s a blow. It’s where you get so much done and where you can implement those sustainable initiatives that make a difference.”
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