Richard Di Natale is a new type of Australian Greens leader. In a party often accused of being doctrinaire and extreme, he presents as reasonable and relatable - the type of guy you could imagine watching the footy at the pub with.

His two predecessors, Bob Brown and Christine Milne, were from Tasmania, the party's birthplace. And both came to prominence as environmental activists protesting against the Franklin Dam and the Wesley Vale pulp mill.

Di Natale, by contrast, is a sports nut from Melbourne. If he has ever been arrested for chaining himself to a tree, it hasn't made it onto his CV. While stressing the need to tackle climate change, he only used the word "environment" four times in his maiden speech. Health, multiculturalism and the economy all got more air time.

In his first speech, Di Natale, 44, said he was a testament to Australia's success as an immigrant nation.

"My mother and her parents left San Marco, a small village in southern Italy, to board a ship for Australia in the late 1950s," Di Natale said.

"They did not speak any English but they sailed off into the unknown armed with something far more important - the hope for a better life. My grandfather opened a grocery shop in Brunswick, took mum and her sisters out of school and put them to work in the shop."

His father left Sicily for Australia at 29, did an electrical apprenticeship and worked his life on building sites.

"Their story is a universal one," he said. "It is on their shoulders, and those of millions of families just like theirs, that this nation has been built."

A trained doctor like Bob Brown, Di Natale studied medicine at Monash University before graduating with a Master of Public Health and Health Science at La Trobe University.

He then worked on HIV prevention in India and in remote Aboriginal communities. A natural sportsman known for his soccer and cricket skills, he played in the Victorian Football league for six years.

It's a different background from the man seen as Di Natale's chief rival for the job, Adam Bandt - a former industrial relations lawyer and student Marxist who in his youth accused the Greens of being too "bourgeois".

Since entering Parliament in 2010 as a senator for Victoria, Di Natale has built on his background in medicine and sport. He's argued for a national dental scheme, for the legalisation of medical marijuana and for a ban on live betting odds during sporting broadcasts.

Late last year, when the government denied him support to travel to Ebola-affected areas in West Africa, he decided to do it himself.

Describing himself as a lapsed Catholic, he has also argued for Parliament to scrap readings of the Lord's Prayer, saying it is out of touch with modern Australia.

"We are here to represent everybody," he said. "We're here to represent people of all faiths."

After his elevation to the leadership on Wednesday, Di Natale stressed that he and Milne were "different people".

"I came at this through health. I came not from a political background. I spent a few years as a GP and a public health specialist working in places like Tennant Creek and north-east India. It became pretty clear to me that if you want to improve people's health, you've got to start looking at the things that make people sick. You've got to have a clean environment, clean air and clean water. You've got to make sure that people have got a roof over their head, that they've got a decent education, that they've got meaningful work and they've got a social safety net if they get into trouble."

His first task as leader will be to build a profile in the broader electorate, where he is not well known, and to develop authority within the Parliament.

Second will be to define the Greens' role under the Abbott government: is it just a party of protest or a party that gets things done? If it's the latter, then a deal with the government on reintroducing fuel indexation - controversially knocked back by Milne last year - could be the place to start.

www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/greens-leadership-change-who-is-the-new-greens-leader-richard-di-natale-20150506-ggv8ws.html

I predict he will be a success!

VOTE GREENS 1 !

I thought he spoke quite well when interviewed by the press after his election as party leader

In the fullness of time, the Slime Greens will go the way of the Democrats. Australia will and is waking up to the stupidity of their 'policies'. Of which there are none.

Cheers

Disco 2 wrote on May 10^th, 2015 at 5:22pm:

In the fullness of time, the Slime Greens will go the way of the Democrats. Australia will and is waking up to the stupidity of their 'policies'. Of which there are none. Cheers

Thanks dick!

the greens would actually be a good choice to vote for if they stuck to basic environmentalism and left the lunatic policies to the libs.

Mmmmmmm!

Some of their objectives are laudable, some of them are comical, and some of them are dangerous.

Didn't I read somewhere that their solution to saving Earth was to depopulate it?

Anyway:

" ... A TINY environmental organisation with 99c to its name and operating out of a South Brisbane flat has managed to delay more than $20 billion of potential investment in Queensland.

Coast and Country Qld has launched three legal cases, stalling the development of the $16.5 bill­ion Carmichael mine, port and rail project owned by Adani and the $10 billion GVK Hancock Alpha project in which Gina Rinehart has a 20 per cent stake.

Coast and Country, with Derec Davies as its mouthpiece, has been accused by the mining industry and other environmental groups of using legal action to thwart or delay government approvals by lodging a long list of appeals and reviews.

The group’s battle with billionaire mining magnates is playing out in Queensland courts and its actions have been described by the industry as an abuse of the state’s objection process.

Coast and Country filed a financial return in 2014 when it said its profit was 99c on revenue of $40, with cash in the bank of $2035.09 and liabilities of $2034.20.

Adani says it has 4000 jobs at the mine, port and rail project. Its first stage is worth $7 billion and it hopes to start as soon as it gets ­approval from the Federal Government for its Abbot Point dredging project.

GVK Hancock has similar job numbers at the $10 billion Alpha mine and rail project. ... " http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/green-activist-derec-davies-has-delayed-20-billion-worth-of-queensland-investment/story-fnn8dlfs-1227347634909

................


One wonders what the objections are, and what benefits the entire nation will gain, as opposed to losing, if such a project is thwarted.

My own thoughts on such big projects are that they should not pose a significant, permanent ecological risk, that such areas be rehabilitated at the end of their tenure, and that taxes should be proportionate to the profits gleaned from them.

The Greens are as loopy and dangerous as the Neo-Cons.

What arrogance is it to proclaim yourself as progressive, as the parties of the left do.

Greens should work on science not vote grabbing popular pseudoscience

Greens Party progressive - LOL  LOL

These idiots advocate that children are being sexually assaulted in detention centers by refugees and asylum seekers, and these are the same people the Greens want to allow into Australia.   ;D   ;D

Is that NOT an insane logic - only from the Greens.

culldav wrote on Jul 7^th, 2015 at 12:19pm:

Greens Party progressive - LOL  LOL These idiots advocate that children are being sexually assaulted in detention centers by refugees and asylum seekers, and these are the same people the Greens want to allow into Australia.   ;D   ;D Is that NOT an insane logic - only from the Greens.

What is international law?

John Smith wrote on May 10^th, 2015 at 6:11pm:

the greens would actually be a good choice to vote for if they stuck to basic environmentalism and left the lunatic policies to the libs.

It's how they stay a minor party!

Meaning: they don't want to be a major party!

Disco 2 wrote on May 10^th, 2015 at 5:22pm:

In the fullness of time, the Slime Greens will go the way of the Democrats. Australia will and is waking up to the stupidity of their 'policies'. Of which there are none. Cheers

Who does Richard vote for we all wonder!

for a good look at what the Greens are really like see: particularly page 5 middle paragraph.


Quote:

http://www.lawsociety.com.au/cs/groups/public/documents/internetyounglawyers/2007first.pdf

then read:

Quote:

50. Assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples to retain and or reclaim their cultural heritage, including language, items of cultural heritage, sites of cultural significance, traditional ecological knowledge and access to, and use of traditional fisheries and other natural resources in line with cultural practice

This exemplifies that they support extremely cruel hunting and in a racist manner.

Sir Eoin O Fada wrote on Nov 12^th, 2015 at 6:57pm:

for a good look at what the Greens are really like see: particularly page 5 middle paragraph. Quote: http://www.lawsociety.com.au/cs/groups/public/documents/internetyounglawyers/2007first.pdf then read: [quote]50. Assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples to retain and or reclaim their cultural heritage, including language, items of cultural heritage, sites of cultural significance, traditional ecological knowledge and access to, and use of traditional fisheries and other natural resources in line with cultural practice

This exemplifies that they support extremely cruel hunting and in a racist manner.

[/quote]

But in fairness, the Aborigines are already allowed to do it.

Greens are actually right wing and not progressive—have to play to their wealthy inner city professionals base. Under DiNatale they have moved a long way further to the right and as they did so have seen their support plummet from 16% (IPSOS) to 14% and now (Newspoll) 10% meaning a 7% vote at an election. By the time of the election late next year their support will be a lot lower.

Even the conservatives disagree with your opinion J.M.

And to boot, it appears you are spinning your opinion so to shield your labor party, considering how far right it has moved.

DiNatale has shifted the Greens even further right, Green support is now down to 10% and still falling.

You yourself may have your heart in the right place, but your politicians do not. They play to the wealthy inner city base and have forgotten why the Greens were started initially.

Marriage Equality is a figleaf to make the Greens look Progressive, but it is a mask. Greens are ever more right wing and conservative. You must know that, surely, unless you delude yourself.

I can see the Greens agreeing to raising and broadening the GST for the big tax cuts to their wealthy inner city base.

Do YOU agree with increasing regressive taxes? What is/when the Greens vote or abstain so the GST/tax cuts go ahead? They supported the abbott bbrainfart PPL wealthfare!

Greens ain’t greens.

Jovial Monk wrote on Nov 14^th, 2015 at 11:59pm:

I can see the Greens agreeing to raising and broadening the GST for the big tax cuts to their wealthy inner city base. Do YOU agree with increasing regressive taxes? What is/when the Greens vote or abstain so the GST/tax cuts go ahead? They supported the abbott bbrainfart PPL wealthfare! Greens ain’t greens.

Why don't you state in this here greens forum what the greens should be?

The first step for the greens is to get to the point where half their candidates are not unelectable nutters.

Till then they will continue to struggle.

Dnarever wrote on Nov 15^th, 2015 at 4:29pm:

The first step for the greens is to get to the point where half their candidates are not unelectable nutters. Till then they will continue to struggle.

They don't want to be in government...  :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Nov 15^th, 2015 at 11:22pm:

Dnarever wrote on Nov 15th, 2015 at 4:29pm: The first step for the greens is to get to the point where half their candidates are not unelectable nutters. Till then they will continue to struggle. They don't want to be in government...  :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

They never have clearly. All we get from them is FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP

greggorytosspottery wrote on Nov 15^th, 2015 at 11:26pm:

BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Nov 15th, 2015 at 11:22pm: Dnarever wrote on Nov 15th, 2015 at 4:29pm: The first step for the greens is to get to the point where half their candidates are not unelectable nutters. Till then they will continue to struggle. They don't want to be in government...  :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o They never have clearly. All we get from them is FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP

oh, now i get it: that is the sound your dynastys bullets make when you sell them to lost souls in many many countries that lose out to those special trade deals...

-->> "ca-ching, ca-ching!!", i think is more the words you're looking for!!!!: now now, don't say another word... we all know what your ilk mean  :-[

hey: let's all hear it for the lost souls of 'free-markets inc.' yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy  :o :o :o :o :o

::)

Greens the Party for all kinds of Fruits, Watermelons, Bob Browns, Penny DingDongs, Caitlins, Mothras, Peccarheads, John Shythes.

Dress Attire for the Peoples Climate Rally - November 27-29

is fancy dress. This years theme is Clowns, Fairies  and Farm Animals.

You may wear Clown Suits but must be accompanied with a Red Nose.

No Clown Suite will be accepted without a Red Nose.

Farm animal outfit MUST make the animal you are dressing up as very clear.

Fairy outfits MUST have wings, no Fairy outfit will be accepted without Wings.

Unless you are Male and dressing up as a Gay in that case your legs must be exposed and you MUST be wearing a Pink dress no other colors will be accepted.