Australian Greens leader Larissa Waters has admitted she has not read the documentation outlining why party co-founder Drew Hutton was expelled, citing her busy schedule preparing for parliament. The decision to terminate Hutton's life membership was upheld by state branch delegates on Sunday, over what the party considers his pursuit of debate harmful to trans people, though Hutton frames it as a free speech issue.
Waters, a Queensland senator, backed the outcome, describing it as 'good governance' and sending a message that 'nobody is above the rules'. Speaking to the ABC's 7.30 program on Tuesday, Hutton doubled down, suggesting some Greens members had aimed to 'convert it into the sort of party one of whose main preoccupations is with transgender rights'. He claimed he had been contacted by 40 former party members, about half expelled and the others forced out by complaints, accusing a faction of 'weaponising the complaint system'.
Waters rejected Hutton's description of the party as 'authoritarian, aggressive and doctrinaire', insisting members are free to express opinions respectfully. When pressed on why Hutton was expelled, Waters said she was not part of that process and had not read the documentation because she was focused on parliamentary work, including introducing a climate trigger and fixing gender inequalities in the tax system.
