Greens Western Australia - Further Developments

Further Developments

The Greens (WA) was thus "established in 1990 following the merger of the W.A Green Party and the Green Earth Alliance, which was itself the product of an earlier merger between the Alternative Coalition, the Vallentine Peace Group and Green Development. All these groups drew inspiration from the West German Greens (as they then were) as well as the many successful community campaigns in WA and throughout Australia". Jo Valentine retired from parliamentary politics in 1992, and her place was taken by Christabel Chamarette with the election of a second Green Senator in Dee Margetts. The election of Jim Scott to the state Legislative Council for the South Metropolitan Region in the next state election in 1993 gave it its first state representative, which as grown over successive years.

"The Greens (WA) have worked closely with the Australian Greens but had not become formal members. In September 2003 The Greens (WA) held a ballot of all the membership on the question of formally joining the Australian Greens confederation. There was a 80% vote in favour. On 11 October 2003 at the Australian Greens National Conference the Greens (WA) were formally accepted as members of the Australian Greens."

With the collapse of the Australian Democrats, Green votes have continued to grow. In the 2009 State Election for the Seat of Fremantle Adele Carles received 45 percent of the primary vote (first preferences) to Labor's 38 percent, and 54 percent to Labor's 46 percent, after the transfer of other preferences, giving the Greens their first lower house seat and became the first Green to be elected as a state lower house member of parliament in Australia. A later scandal involving Liberal member Troy Buswell, saw Carles leaving the Greens to take the seat as an independent.