Greens leader Shane Rattenbury is poised to confront significant internal dissent this week as he faces his party's membership for the first time since revelations emerged about detailed discussions to potentially oust Labor and form a government with the Canberra Liberals.
Party Briefing Scheduled Amid Growing Tensions
Party members have been summoned to a crucial briefing meeting scheduled for Thursday evening, where Mr Rattenbury is expected to encounter substantial backlash over the confidential negotiations that reportedly explored installing him as chief minister in a power-sharing arrangement with the Liberals.
The official notice to members stated: "This meeting will provide an opportunity for both the Assembly team and management committee to provide detailed information on what has happened so far, and where we now stand, regarding dialogue between the ACT Greens and Canberra Liberals."
Internal Shock and Anger Within Greens Ranks
Within Greens circles, members have privately expressed a potent mixture of shock and anger at the prospect of their party – which originated from Australia's environmental movement – potentially facilitating the rise to power of the right-wing Canberra Liberals.
Mr Rattenbury confirmed on Tuesday that his party's discussions with the Liberals had indeed considered "a possible change of government" and pointed to European political models as examples of cross-aisle cooperation between traditionally opposing parties.
Origins and Nature of the Discussions
The Greens leader revealed that he initiated conversations with Canberra Liberals leader Mark Parton shortly after Mr Parton's election to lead the opposition in November. "And those conversations have progressed to some degree," Mr Rattenbury acknowledged.
He elaborated: "The focus has really been on the frustrations we hear from the Canberra community about the things that are not being fixed, the complacency of the government in a range of areas and how you might approach them differently. So, it's very much been about how do we get better outcomes for the community."
Democratic Processes and Membership Consultation
Mr Rattenbury emphasized that the Greens needed to engage in more extensive consultation with its membership before any further negotiations could proceed, noting that "there's not a really active discussion at the moment" during an interview with ABC radio.
The ACT Greens operate on a distinctive bottom-up, consensus-building decision-making model, which explains why the revelation of parliamentary-led talks with the Liberals has generated such significant resistance among the broader membership.
Constitutional Powers of Party Members
The party's constitution grants substantial authority to special general meetings of members, including the power to determine whether the ACT Greens will enter into coalition arrangements or contest elections independently.
Furthermore, rank-and-file members possess the constitutional authority to initiate leadership spills "when a motion of loss of confidence petitioned by at least 20 members achieves at least two-thirds support of the voting members at a special general meeting."
Thursday's scheduled briefing does not qualify as a special general meeting under party rules, which mandate a 21-day notice period and advance disclosure of the meeting agenda.
Management Committee Opposition and Political Implications
Mr Rattenbury informed Mr Parton last week that he was unlikely to secure support from the Greens' management committee for their potential power-sharing arrangement.
The management committee reportedly convened during the weekend of January 16-17 to deliberate on the proposal and concluded that it could not endorse forming a government in partnership with the Liberals.
Greens convenor Susan Helyar previously commented: "It is routine business for Greens MLAs to update our management committee on emerging concerns and opportunities and the political landscape in the Assembly."
The upcoming meeting represents a critical juncture for the ACT Greens as they navigate internal democratic processes while confronting unprecedented political negotiations that challenge traditional party alignments in the territory's political landscape.
