Drew Hutton
Drew Hutton (born 1947) is an Australian activist, academic, campaigner and past political candidate. Hutton co-founded the Queensland Greens (in 1990) and Australian Greens (in 1991) and ran in elections in Queensland and Australia at all three levels of government.
Hutton has been a social activist all his adult life. "Since 1984 I have been part of the process that has moved green politics from the margins to the mainstream of Australian political life. Along the way I have been privileged to represent the Party as a spokesperson and as a candidate. The Greens are now poised to enter that mainstream as a powerful force, representing the hopes and aspirations of many, many Australians."
Partner of Libby Connors.
SEARCH National Forum
The first ever SEARCH National Forum held over the weekend of 16th and 17th September 2017 brought together nearly 100 members from around Australia to discuss the current major challenges facing the Left and to chart future directions for our Foundation. The Forum was a great success, meeting a longstanding need to provide members with the opportunity to hear presentations on current national and global politics, discuss issues at length in workshops, and meet other members.
Highlights included inspiring keynote addresses by Indigenous leader, Thomas Mayor, about the Uluru Statement from the Heart issued by the May meeting of Indigenous people at Uluru and Lock the Gate environmental leader and SEARCH member, Drew Hutton, about grassroots campaigning and building broad alliances. Members and invited guests spoke on plenary panels and at workshops on a wide range of current issues and campaigns.
The Forum was marked by an overwhelming sense of unity with constructive dialogue amongst members whether they were from the Labor Left, Greens, other parties or no party, and progressive movements. It was also great to see the enthusiastic participation of a new generation of activists from our Young Members Committee.[1]
SEARCH Environmental Forum
SEARCH Foundation November 5 2015.
SEARCH is holding an environmental forum in Sydney this Sunday, at 1pm in Rm 470, Level 2, Building 10 of UTS. We have a number of excellent speakers for the day and hopefully we can come together to discuss the next steps in SEARCH supporting issues of environmental justice. Agenda:
‘Climate and the Environment – perspectives from the Left
1.10 Drew Hutton How to organise a social change movement that brings people from diverse backgrounds together around a consensual program and shared set of values. Lock the Gate as an example of militant, community-based campaigning. Contributions from audience
1. 40 - Bob Makinson – Bio diversity Contributions from audience
2 pm - Natalie Lowrey - 'The Importance of Global Solidarity in Challenging the Current Model of Economic and Corporate Globalisation' Contributions from audience
2. 20 Geoff Evans Question: 'what would a democratic, ecological socialist economy look like, and what we, through SEARCH, can do to campaign for such an economy?'
Brought to you by the SEARCH Environment Sub-Committee
SEARCH Environmental Justice working group
Drew Hutton contributed an article "Lock the Gate: A community based movement against climate change" to a September 2016 discussion bulletin for the SEARCH Foundation' s Environmental Justice working group.
Drew Hutton is a SEARCH member and was in 2011 elected president of the Lock the Gate Alliance, a national grassroots organisation made up of over 70,000 supporters and more than 250 local groups. He was one of the founders of the Australian Greens and has written widely on green politics and social movements.[2]
SEARCH Environment Committee
SEARCH News September 2015 Sam Altman, Steve Bolt, Drew Hutton, Bob Makinson, David McKnight, Paul Norton, Jacqueline Widin, Brian Aarons, Vicki Findlay, Sally Trevena, Chris Elenor, and Adrian Graves.
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2008 @ AEU CONFERENCE ROOM
1.00pm – 1.10pm – Welcome and Introduction by Richard Walsham.
- I acknowledge the people of the Kaurna nation on whose land we meet today and pay respect to their elders past and present for their custodianship of the land.
- On behalf of the SEARCH Foundation, I welcome you here today. This is one of a number of what we’re calling “Roundtables” being held in different cities around Australia. I want to particularly thank John Wishart, Don Jarrett and others who may have assisted in what I can see is a terrific roll up to this Roundtable.[3]
1.10pm – 1.25pm – Drew Hutton
Drew Hutton comes from a background of over 30 years in social movements and green politics. He was a founding member of both the Queensland Greens in 1991 and the Australian Greens in 1992 and has served both organisations in various capacities since then, most notably as the spokesperson for the Queensland Greens. Drew has published widely on environmental and green political themes including his edited work, Green Politics in Australia, in 1987 and A History of the Australian Environment Movement in 1999, written with Libby Connors.
1.25pm – 1.40pm – Pam Simmons
Pam Simmons is the SA Guardian for Children and Young People, a statutory position advocating for children in and out of home care. Immediately prior to this she was the Executive Director of the SA Council of Social Service. Pam has 25 years experience, here and overseas as an advocate for social justice and change.
1.40pm – 1.55pm – Mark Butler
Mark represents the Electorate of Port Adelaide and has worked in the South Australian Branch of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU). Mark served as the youngest ever President of the ALP in South Australia and has recently served as a Member of the Premier’s Social Inclusion Board, Chair of the Gaming Care Advisory Committee and the University of South Australia’s Centre for Work and Life Advisory Committee.[4]
SEARCH Foundation AGM
Those submitting proxies to the SEARCH Foundation 2006 AGM included Drew Hutton .
SEARCH Foundation new members
During 2006, the SEARCH Foundation gained 16 new members: Connie Healy, Ted Riethmuller, Christine Quirk, Tim Thorne, Brian Dunnett, Pat Toms, Bruce Toms, Jodie Duffield, Anne Crawford, Jake Bugden, Pam Simmons, Crystell Halliday, Bill Fleming, Denis Fitzgerald, Graham Larcombe, and Drew Hutton.[5]
Green couple
Drew Hutton with Libby Connors 1998.
Supports "Revolutionary Marxism"
December 3, 1997, Green Left Weekly celebrated 300 issues. Drew Hutton, Spokesperson, Queensland Greens, sent a congratulatory message.
- I support Green Left Weekly because it keeps the best traditions of revolutionary Marxism alive in Australia.[6]
Gulf Action Coalition
Drew Hutton, Gulf Action Coalition. Cheryl Kernot.
Queensland Green Network
On Sunday, June 16 1991, the Queensland Green Network met to discuss the formation of the new national Green Party. Nearly 500 notices were sent throughout the state, and about 40 persons attended the meeting, with representatives from the Australian Democrats, Democratic Socialist Party, New Left Party, Socialist Party of Australia, Rainbow Alliance and various community and conservation groups.
Drew Hutton, deputy registered officer for the name "Green", outlined what had occurred so far in the process, and went a long way to answer many of the questions which have been raised over the months as to lack of consultation and secrecy.
He stressed that the process was never intended to be secret, that the August meeting was intended to be just a preliminary meeting which would lead to a much broader dissemination of information, that the meeting had to be kept to a manageable level, that any structure or party organisational documents which would have been presented at that meeting were not to be viewed as final, and that the "Melbourne Group" had a number of leading conservation movement representatives involved who at this stage did not wish to publicly announce support for a green party.[7]
Broadside Weekly board
An addition to the alternative media is due to appear this week with the first issue of a new paper, Broadside Weekly.
Described as "an independent, broadly based left and progressive weekly", Broadside will be formally launched in Sydney on June 5.
Proposals for the project were initiated in the second half of 1990. The new paper has a supporters' association headed by a board consisting of Brian Aarons, Anthony Albanese, Wendy Bacon, Peter Barrack, Meredith Burgmann, Wendy Caird, Patricia Caswell, Kerren Clark, Tony Cooke, Drew Hutton, Ron Knowles, Stuart MacIntyre, Tom McDonald, Peter Murphy, Carmel Shute, Suganthi Singarayar, John Sutton, Lindsay Tanner, Jo Vallentine and Roger Woock.[8]
Broadside Weekly sponsors
Sponsors of the the Broadside Weekly listed in issue number 3, June 17, 1992, page 15 included Drew Hutton.
"Why we need a Broad Left Weekly"
Dick Shearman Australian Labor Party, Sister Veronica Brady, University of WA, Drew Hutton Rainbow Alliance, Meredith Burgmann, Australian Labor Party.
New Left Party
Senator George Georges, Bob Leach, Drew Hutton.