The ACT election is four months away, and leader Shane Rattenbury believes the ACT Greens are the party of choice for those seeking progressive policies. The Greens have emphasised building a better normal and a fresher, more inclusive, greener Canberra.

“We are committed to this city,” Mr Rattenbury said. “We want to build a future where Canberrans live a healthy, happy lifestyle, where they feel connected to their community. We think we’ve got the answers to many of the big questions. We’ve been listening carefully to what people have been telling us; we’ve been talking to experts; and we think we’ve got an agenda that can build an even better future for Canberra.”

The size of Canberra will be one of the key policy questions this election, Mr Rattenbury believes: will Canberra’s urban sprawl keep growing out, or will it develop into a more compact and human-friendly city?

“Canberra’s already the size of Sydney in terms of footprint with obviously a much smaller population,” Mr Rattenbury said. “We’re incredibly spread out. The further we spread, you need more expensive infrastructure to keep spreading out. Every new suburb eats into remnant bushland or valuable farmland. It’s why we’re talking about building a more compact city with city limits where you have a great quality of life, good urban infrastructure, good public transport. That’s what we think is a vision for Canberra’s future.”

The Greens are often seen as left-wing environmentalists – ecological sustainability is the first of their four key principles – but this election, they seem to be emphasising another of their principles: social justice. Many of the policies they have released since April seek to address the cost-of-living crisis.

“Cost-of-living is a significant pressure for a lot of people; we’re seeing that play out in a way that is much more about inequality,” Mr Rattenbury said. “People on lower incomes are feeling that cost-of-living pressure in a far greater way.”

The Greens have committed $2.2 billion to build and buy 10,000 public homes over the next decade to fix the housing crisis they argue is caused by private market commodification; to deliver light rail faster, and have more buses running often; to set up four bulk-billing GP clinics and a neurodiversity support centre; and to abolish the $1,000-plus fee for ambulance emergency call-outs. Another policy embodies their belief in grassroots democracy: lowering the voting age to 16 (not necessarily an automatic vote for the left, as the recent European Union elections showed), and giving permanent residents the right to vote.

There is, Mr Rattenbury explains, a sense of crisis around housing; and the provision of public transport means people who live further from the city, and for whom transport costs are higher, would not have to face issues of transport poverty. And, of course, climate change is “a big underlying issue” that makes many people anxious, and they want serious action.

“We are getting a positive reaction to [the policies] we’ve put out and the rôle that we’ve played in government over the last few years,” Mr Rattenbury said. “People really see the contribution we’ve been able to make. What we are hearing from the community is a sense that we need significant changes, that some of the big issues that we’re facing need bold and transformative policies in response; and so I’m confident the community is going to get behind the agenda we’re going to lay out for the election.”

ACT Greens achievements

At the last election, the ACT Greens tripled their number of MLAs, from two to six, and had three members in cabinet this term: himself as Attorney-General, Minister for Consumer Affairs, for Water, Energy and Emission Reduction, and for Water; Greens deputy leader Rebecca Vassarotti as Minister for the Environment, Parks and Land Management, for Heritage, for Homelessness and Housing Services, and for Sustainable Building and Construction; and Emma Davidson as Minister for Mental Health, for Population Health, for Corrections and Justice Health, and for Community Services, Seniors and Veterans. (Ms Davidson was Minister for Disability until a cabinet reshuffle last year.)

“The Greens are not just working on environmental issues, we’re working across a range of portfolios; we are delivering on big reforms, and they are having an impact in the community and shifting the long-term direction,” Mr Rattenbury said.

The Greens’ biggest achievements, according to Mr Rattenbury, include phasing out fossil fuel gas; the requirement to insulate rental properties; banning no-cause evictions and other renters’ rights improvements; raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility, which breaks the cycle of young people getting involved in the criminal justice system, gives them a better start in life, and makes the community safer; light rail (40 per cent of passengers used not to ride public transport); setting up the PACER (Police, Ambulance and Clinician Early Response) mental health response team and the Safe Haven peer-supported mental health service.

Internally, Mr Rattenbury remarks, the Greens have “a real sense of teamwork”.

“In our party room meetings, there’s a strong focus on the issues, on getting things done. With three members in cabinet this term, we’ve used our power to make important reforms and to contribute constructively. I think that is what people are looking for. They want people who are focused on the issues, not playing politics. We’re just getting on and getting the job done. That’s what our team does. I consistently get feedback that people see us playing that rôle and they value it.”

The resignation of rising star Johnathan Davis last year shocked and dismayed many, but Mr Rattenbury believes the Greens can hold onto their gains.

“Over the last four years, every person in Canberra has had a Green as a local representative. By having a seat in every electorate, Canberrans have got to know us better. They’ve had a chance to meet more Greens Members of the Legislative Assembly, and they really value that they see us out there all the time at community events, listening, developing policy ideas that reflect their aspirations. Part of my confidence comes from that sense of being better-known, and then also [from] presenting an ambitious agenda. I think people will really see that there is a drive there to solve some of these big questions that our community faces, and so I’m hopeful that people will respond well to that.”

Greens’ relationship with ACT Labor

The ACT Greens form a coalition with ACT Labor; despite occasional friction, Mr Rattenbury believes it has been a positive relationship overall.

“The two parties go into it with a focus on delivering for the community. Now, there are tensions there. They are visible at times, not always; sometimes the arguments happen behind the scenes. The positive side of it is that there is a focus on getting outcomes. There’s a pragmatism to it that says while we might have different views at times, we’ve got to get an outcome for the community… The frustrating side for us is that we want at times to have a greater level of ambition and want to get things done faster.”

Such as light rail, which Greens transport spokeswoman Jo Clay MLA believes can and must be built faster than the projected 2033. Light rail was a Greens commitment at the 2012 election; Mr Rattenbury believes it will lower greenhouse emissions, and is key both to good public transport and to building a more compact city. The Canberra Liberals have opposed the project, which they believe is prohibitively expensive, but Mr Rattenbury claims that the opposition is running “a deliberate scare campaign”. The tram, in his opinion, is the backbone of the transport network, while (electric) buses remain an important part. Light rail, he says, also increases the population density needed to support it: in Gungahlin and the inner north, people have moved into the light rail corridor.

“In a Liberal Party vision of the city, where cars continue to play a dominating rôle, that is not choice,” Mr Rattenbury said. “If you are required to have a car to get around the city, then you are not being given choice. We want to give people choice to walk, cycle, take light rail, take the bus, and use a car when they need it.”

ACT Labor and the Canberra Liberals sometimes complain that some Greens policies are too ambitious – criticism Mr Rattenbury categorically rejects.

“We can’t just sit back and keep tweaking around the edges, thinking business as usual is going to fix this,” Mr Rattenbury said. “The point of government is to step in and make a difference in crucial matters in people’s lives… We have to step in and provide ambitious policies in these areas that are the big issues of the day.”

And the Greens, Mr Rattenbury argues, have shown they can do so. “When we said we wanted to cut emissions by 40 per cent [on 1990 levels], people said it was too ambitious, we can’t do it. We not only did it, we’ve exceeded it.”

In 2019–20, emissions were 45.3 per cent below 1990 levels – a milestone, the government states.

“And it’s because we took the policy to an election; we said here’s what we want to do; we put it in place, we authorised it, and the public service got on and helped us deliver it. And I think if political parties and leaders lay out the level of ambition, we can get it done.”

Indeed, Mr Rattenbury remarks, the ACT is recognised as the most progressive jurisdiction in Australia, and, “it is no coincidence that the Greens have been part of this government for an extended period of time now; we’ve really helped drive that agenda”.

Canberra is a model for other progressive jurisdictions, Mr Rattenbury remarks: other states regularly call up the public service or the agencies he works with to inquire how the ACT implemented the minimum age of criminal responsibility legislation, the highest uptake of electric vehicles in the nation, insulating rental properties, or the gas phase-out.

“People are willing to copy things that we’ve done. For me, that’s an inspiring thing to know that not only are we building a better future for Canberra right now, but we’re helping other jurisdictions do it as well.”