GORENG GORENG, Tjanara
Australian Greens
“I’m tired of our Federal Government failing to listen to those who are marginalised in our communities, and I can no longer sit by and watch politicians who don’t care continue to destroy our Country. They are destroying our way of life, the future of our children and grandchildren, and the right we all have to clean air, water, and land.
I’m ready to bring my experience, passion and belief that change is possible into the halls of power, and stand up for the country, for people, and this planet.”
Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng is a senior First Nations women, academic, unionist, and whistleblower. She has worked in a range of frontline roles, including remote Aboriginal communities, women’s refuges and homeless and disability services. She believes this experience to be invaluable, and all too rare amongst our elected representatives.
“I’m really excited to represent Canberra’s progressive, caring community in the Senate. We deserve federal representatives with the independence and integrity to stand up for what we believe in.”
We also believe that people planning on voting for climate action this election will continue to vote Greens. Canberrans know we’ve been campaigning on this issue for over 30 years, and have seen what the Greens working with Labor can achieve in the ACT. We have also released the most detailed policy platform for climate action, of anyone campaigning for climate action in the ACT, and we know that Canberran’s love detail.
My experience from thousands of conversations with people across the ACT is that our focus on economic justice is especially popular amongst Canberrans, and will be a critical factor for people when deciding how to vote.
In particular, introducing a 6% Billionaire Tax and reversing stage three tax cuts, in order to add dental and mental health to medicare, building affordable housing, or abolish student debt and make childcare, uni and TAFE free, has been received with huge and almost unanimous support amongst the people we have spoken to.
Comment on issues of recent media interest
What is your position on Territory Rights (dying with Dignity)
The ACT Greens have always believed that at the end of their life, people should have the right to die with dignity, how and when they choose. We also believe that ACT citizens, just like all Australians, should have the same right to make choices about their own life and death as people in other states.
“Between 2006 and 2016, the Australian Greens have introduced 8 bills to Federal Parliament seeking to restore the rights of Territories to legislate on voluntary euthanasia.”
“Over 75% of people across the country, including myself and all ACT Greens candidates, support the principle that a person experiencing unrelievable suffering, who wants to die, should be able to seek doctors’ assistance to help them do so”.
What is your position on ACT Specific infrastructure funding, specifically the AIS, National Convention Centre, and more generally if the ACT is neglected
The ACT Greens support the maintenance of all commonwealth infrastructure to ensure safety and community amenity is met. Many pieces of nationally managed infrastructure in the ACT have been left to rot, and it’s really upsetting to see things like the AIS arena in Bruce close.
We know that the closure has caused significant community concern, both for our professional athletes, and members of the community who highlighted the connection between the staff and the clients who have been using the facilities for many years, or in some cases decades.
The Federal government has taken far too long to decide on the future of the AIS, and we know the ACT government has been waiting on them for a long time.
In September 2021 ACT Greens candidate for Canberra Tim Hollo joined Greens MLA Jo Clay in highlighting the contrast between the decision to permanently close the AIS Fitness Centre and the Morrison governments’ $500 million redevelopment of the War Memorial.
While we would of course like to see federal funding for all pieces of ACT infrastructure, we have committed to costing all policy and initiative announcements as part of the federal election campaign. We would welcome further costs on various options for the restoration and expansion of this and other facilities.
More fundamentally, the ACT is facing a housing affordability crisis, and a range of services are underfunded. To represent the needs of everyday Canberrans we would instead prioritise:
- Forgiving the $200 million housing debt, on the condition that the funds are invested in social and affordable housing
- Greater funding for
- public and active transport, including light rail
- Canberra’s healthcare system, including additional funding for hospital staff to reduce o reduce emergency wait times
- public and social housing
The independents and preferences.
The Greens are very happy that there are a range of independents talking about issues the Greens have been advocating for for decades, especially climate action and political integrity. It raises the number of people voting for these issues, and which is critical to achieving real action.
More broadly, for anyone to unseat the Liberals, their primary vote has to go down, so the more people running and appealing to different voters, the better for everyone
In terms of preferences, we do not have any formal agreement with any of the independents.
For anyone to unseat the Liberals, their primary vote has to go down, so the more people running and appealing to different voters, the better for everyone
We believe that around 15 000 people who voted Liberal in the 2019 voting for someone else (a 5.4 percent drop in primary vote) would be sufficient for the Liberals to loose their seat.
Under this scenario, we believe the Greens 2019 primary vote, even with a small reduction would allow progessive preferences to be distributed, and therefore allow the Greens to reach a full quota before Zed.
We are confident that the support for the Greens in the ACT has never been higher. The 2020 ACT Territory Election saw a 3.2% swing to the Greens, and our local party membership has subsequently grown by 42%. Our base has never been more engaged, as we have been running a volunteer driven field campaign for over 15 months, with over 500 volunteers having thousands of conversations directly with voters.
In comparison, for an independent to win the seat, they would have to take more than half of the Greens primary vote, at least 5% of the Liberal primary vote, and secure more Labor preferences than the Greens.
Alternatively, an independent would need to take around half of Zed’s primary vote, rule him out of the contest at an earlier point in the count and then be elected on Zed’s preferences.
Note that even if every single Labor and Independent preference flowed to a leading independent candidate, they would still not surpass half a quota and be eliminated before the Greens.
Public Sector Democracy:
Senator Larissa Waters joined ACT Greens Senate candidate Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng to announce the Greens plan to protect the independence, integrity and democratic rights of Australian Public Servants. This announcement was driven by Dr Goreng Goreng’s experience as a whistleblower.
The policy contains protections for public interest whistleblowers, and legislation to protect the right of public servants to participate as citizens in the democratic process.
- We will legislate to protect the right of public servants in their private capacity to engage in political advocacy and activism, run for public office, participate in their union, and represent or be elected to activist organisations.
- The plan also includes stronger protections for public interest whistleblowers, including a Whistleblower Protection Commissioner, and legislation to ensure public servants can participate in the democratic process outside of work.
- Public servants need to be clear and confident that they can participate in public debate without this impinging on their job. Numerous cases have found that public servants have a right to freedom of political expression, despite departmental or ministerial advice to the contrary
- The Greens also support Constitutional reform to allow public servants to run for Federal parliament without the need to resign.
- The Greens’ Bill to establish a National Integrity Commission, which passed the Senate more than two years ago, includes a Whistleblower Protection Commissioner that will ensure appropriate support, advice, representation, and protection for people disclosing misconduct.
- This is about recognising that public servants can face considerable risks in revealing corruption or maladministration within their Departments.
Quotes attributable to Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng, ACT Greens candidate for the Senate
“I’m really pleased that with this announcement the Greens are recognising that public servants can face considerable risks for calling out corruption, lies and misuse of public money.
“In 2016, the Moss Review highlighted the need to strengthen the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 and improve protections for whistleblowers. More than five years later, the government has failed to act on most of the key recommendations. This has left whistleblowers vulnerable and reluctant to call out misconduct, which only benefits those who want their misconduct to remain hidden. “
“I have been in the position where I knew the government was lying, and had to weigh up the public interest in disclosing that against the risk of losing my job. My decision resulted in the government spending more than $3 million taking me through the courts, forcing me to sell my home and ultimately bankrupting me, and ending my 30-year career as a public servant.
“When I was making the decision to reveal government misconduct, there was nowhere to go for advice. It felt like the system was designed to isolate me, and make me doubt my decision to do what I knew was right.
“The Moss Review could not have been clearer – whistleblowers need more protection and support. But the government has failed to act on the Moss recommendations. In the Senate, I will be a proud champion of Public Interest Disclosure Act reform and a National Integrity Commission with whistleblower protections.”
“We need a frank and fearlessly independent public service. This does not mean that public servants have no right to political engagement outside their role.
“Public servants need to have confidence that they can participate in public debate outside of work without putting their job at risk. The Greens will legislate to ensure public servants in their private capacity can attend rallies, engage in political debate, run for public office, participate in their union, and get involved in civil society organisations.”
Further Information and quotes attributable to Dr Goreng Goreng about her experience as a whistleblower:
Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng was a dedicated public servant for over 30 years. During this time she fulfilled numerous roles in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Resources and Industry, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Defence, Trade and Aboriginal Affairs. Throughout this period she was also an active member of the CPSU, including as acting as a Union Delegate.
‘I have been in the position where I know the government was lying, and made the decision that it was in the public interest, in particular the people of Mutitjulu and others remote Aboriginal communities, to blow the whistle’
In my role as Director of National Community Engagement I advised Mal Brough, the Minister for Indigenous Affairs at the time to continue with our national consultation on the Little Children Are Sacred report, rather than send in the army. I made it clear that claims of widespread sexual abuse was not born out by evidence on the ground. The frank and fearless advice that the public service holds up was not appreciated.
Members of the department and Ministerial staff were also aware that I had been privy to further advice to the Minister that made it clear that there was not evidence of widespread sexual abuse in remote communities across the Norther Territory.
By this point, I could tell that the perception of widespread abuse was being used for political ends.
It also became obvious that the senior executives of the department were seeking to push me out of the job, under (at that time) false accusations that I had released classified information.
I then ultimetly made the decision to let the media know that claims about sexual abuse in Mutitjulu that were not based on evidence.
I was then immediately prevented from working in my role as Director of Community Recovery in the Community Engagement Branch, and isolated by the department, who sent me to an empty side of the building and refused to let me know what was going on
The government then proceeded to spend over $3 millions taking me through a three year court battle, which forced me to sell my home and ultimately bankrupting me, ending my 30 year career as a public servant.
The Moss Review highlighted the need to strengthen the Public Interest Disclosure Act and improve protections for whistleblowers. The government has so far failed to act on the Moss recommendations, and I would be a proud champion of this reform in the next government.
‘When I was making this decision there was no one I could go to to seek advice. It felt like the system was designed to isolate me, and make me doubt my decision to do what I knew was right’