The radical potential of local councils: Lessons from Brisbane

Can we transform society from the bottom up? How does local participatory democracy help insulate against the corrupting influence of big business? And do the Greens risk turning off voters if we propose policies that are seen as too 'radical'?

With 850 000 enrolled voters, Brisbane City Council is the largest local government area in Australia, and in the recent March council election, the Queensland Greens have just achieved a whopping citywide swing of 5.3% while running on one of the boldest policy platforms in modern Australian political history.

In some of Brisbane's middle and outer-suburban areas, the swing from Labor to the Greens even exceeded 10%, with voters excited about Greens proposals to freeze rent increases, introduce vacancy levies on empty investment properties, push for free and frequent public transport, and convert horse racing tracks into public housing and green space.

So what lessons from the Greens' recent successes in Brisbane can be applied to the NSW local government elections later this year?

Join us for a conversation with musician, poet and activist Jonathan Sriranganathan, the Greens' recent candidate for Lord Mayor of Brisbane (and former city councillor for the Gabba Ward) about the radical potential of local government.

This event is not fully wheelchair accessible. The accessibility of this event is currently being confirmed.

You can also support our campaign by donating here https://greens.org.au/nsw/donateinnerwestcouncil

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