Greens co-founder Drew Hutton slams party as 'authoritarian, aggressive, unlikeable'
In short:
Co-founder of the Greens, Drew Hutton, has been expelled from the party after refusing to delete transphobic comments made by others on his Facebook page.
Mr Hutton has accused the Greens of trying to stifle free speech.
What's next?
In an email, former Greens leaders Bob Brown and Christine Milne said they wanted Mr Hutton's membership restored.
Greens co-founder Drew Hutton has responded to his expulsion from the party, saying they have lost focus on environmental issues and become "authoritarian and aggressive".
He claimed the party had become "unlikeable" and there was evidence it was impacting their support amongst voters.
Mr Hutton was expelled from the party at the weekend for refusing to delete transphobic comments made by others commenting on a Facebook post he made in 2022.
In an interview with 7.30, Mr Hutton claimed the party refused to allow frank debate on its transgender policy, which stated people had "the right to their self-identified gender".
"What I disagree with vehemently is the way that anybody who actually voices any dissent with that policy and does so from a credible position, that there is such a thing as biological sex and there are two sexes, is forced out of the party," Mr Hutton said.
Drew Hutton, co-founder of the Greens, says the party has become "authoritarian" (Facebook: Drew Hutton)
"That's extremely authoritarian. And what I worry about is that there is a very doctrinaire mentality developing in the Greens, especially with regard to this issue."
Mr Hutton accused the Greens of being run by a "cult" intently focused on identity politics and showing a "disdain" for free speech.
"There is a clear need for a party like the Greens … But there is also this fairly authoritarian and aggressive and unlikeable element to the Greens that I think people in the community are responding to," he said.
According to an internal Greens party account of the events leading to the expulsion, the comments on Mr Hutton's Facebook page were brought to the Greens' attention by "distressed" party members.
Some of the comments seen by 7.30 used transphobic language, including claims that trans women posed a threat in women-only facilities.
Mr Hutton refused to remove the comments, claiming they were "free speech".
He told 7.30 he supports transgender rights but opposes what he calls an attempt to stifle debate.
Didn't read the document
Greens leader Larissa Waters said she understands Mr Hutton was expelled because he did not debate "respectfully". (ABC News: Jesse Thompson)
Greens leader Larissa Waters said she had not read the documentation about Mr Hutton's expulsion.
"I haven't read the documentation because here I am in parliament hoping to talk tomorrow about introducing a climate trigger into our environmental laws and fixing the gender inequalities in our tax system," Ms Waters told 7.30.
She rejected Mr Hutton's claim, however, that internal debate about transgender issues was stifled.
"Our members are involved in formulating those very policies and those debates happen on a regular basis … And we love involvement in the democratic process," she said.
Ms Waters said Mr Hutton did not debate "respectfully".
"I believe that's the basis for which the party upheld the decision."
Brown wants Hutton back in the party
Bob Brown wants his fellow co-founder, Mr Hutton, to have his membership restored. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Mr Hutton told 7.30 that former Greens leaders Bob Brown and Christine Milne had lent their support in an email. The email says:
"Bob and Christine say that any member may hold a view different from Greens' policy. Consensus decision-making is the hallmark of Greens policy-formulation making … We oppose Drew Hutton's expulsion … and advocate that his membership be restored."
Asked to comment on the request by the former leaders, Ms Waters said: "Like me, they respect his environmental achievements … But this was a decision that was reviewed by the party, taken by volunteer party members, many of whom uphold the code of conduct on a regular basis.
"It's not hard to uphold the code of conduct."
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