JENI O’DOWD: True nature of Greens’ party policies hidden behind their cuddly exterior

Have you ever been verbally abused by a koala? I have. Not an actual koala, of course, but a human decked out in a koala suit, campaigning for the Greens during a State election.

It happened on my way to yoga at Balmain, an inner-west Sydney suburb. The koala stopped me and enthusiastically urged me to vote Green. I declined, explaining that I didn’t support their drug policy.

That’s when things took a wild turn. The koala launched into a tirade, accusing me of ignorance, yelling I didn’t care about the environment, and loudly telling me to “F..k off!” — all in front of children, no less.

Of course, they didn’t win my vote and probably lost a few others from anyone watching.

I’m not suggesting all Green volunteers are like this woman — she was clearly an exception.

But much like some Green policies, her true nature was hidden behind a cute and cuddly koala exterior.

Why do some people think voting Green only means helping the environment? There is such a disconnect between the Greens’ cuddly image and their more radical policies.

The truth is that this minority party has a socialist agenda cleverly wrapped in a green façade.

I remembered the koala tirade after Green leader Adam Bandt’s recent push for a $514 billion “Robin Hood” tax grab — taking money from miners, gas companies, supermarkets and banks to fund cost-of-living relief such as free dental care.

This policy makes zero economic sense, undermining investment, jobs, and growth across Australia’s critical industries.

Although both major political parties saw this policy for what it is — popularised economic stupidity — the real worry is that Australia is heading towards a hung Parliament, with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor warning that the Greens would “wreak havoc” if this happened.

Do Australians really want to give such a minority political party so much power?

If there is a hung Parliament, the major party (and it’s looking like it will be Labor) will need to work with the Greens in what Mr Bandt described as “a shared power Parliament”.

A shared power Parliament. God help us all. The Greens won four seats in the 2022 Federal election (declaring it a “greenslide”), Labor won 77 and the Coalition 58.

Back to the screaming koala. The Greens want to legalise the production, sale and use of cannabis and cannabis products for recreational use. That’s probably acceptable to many Australians — although not the ones who become clinically depressed after a long time of marijuana use. Or the kids who start showing symptoms of schizophrenia.

More significantly, the Greens want to decriminalise the personal use, possessional and non-commercial sale of all drugs.

This means anyone caught with cocaine, ice, heroin — any drug of their choice — would face no criminal charges. Instead, they may receive a fine or be directed towards a treatment program.

According to Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2023, produced by the Penington Institute, an independent health and social policy think tank, six Australians lose their lives to overdose every day — one person every four hours.

Since 2001, Australia has seen more than 37,000 drug-induced deaths. Drug overdose is one of the top three causes of death for Australian adults under the age of 50.

The report also revealed Indigenous Australians continue to be overrepresented in overdose deaths, with the rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths being drastically higher than for non-Indigenous Australians.

Several studies, both in Australia and internationally, show that decriminalisation does not increase drug use among existing users and reduces demand on, and the cost of, the criminal justice system.

However, young adults — those aged between 18 and 25 — are the age group most likely to use illicit drugs, according to the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

And experts say the decriminalisation of drugs could encourage young people to try them, as they would be seen as less dangerous if the use is normalised and without criminal sanctions. As well drugs would also be easier to get.

It’s such a slippery slope.

I wish I could have told the screaming koala all of this, and we could have had a healthy debate, like adults (albeit one dressed as a koala).

Why do some volunteers, driven by a passion for their cause, think they can bully and berate those who disagree?

You see it in all walks of life — the mum who volunteers to coach the school netball team and is so brutal at training that none of the girls enjoys playing anymore; the woman at your local Little Athletics who can never, ever say a kind word; or the overzealous PTA parent who hijacks meetings and dismisses others’ opinions.

The Greens’ cuddly koalas may seem harmless, but the reality behind many of their policies is anything but. As we approach the next Federal election, it’s crucial to look beyond the feel-good image and critically examine their agenda before casting a vote.