The ACT Greens are set to have their first deputy leader and both leaders will be elected by the party membership under changes to the party's constitution.
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There will be a new parliamentary position of deputy leader whenever there are more than two Greens MLAs in the Legislative Assembly.
If the member-elected leader of the party is not a woman or gender-diverse person, the deputy must be unless it is not possible because of the genders of the elected members.
The current leadership arrangements will stay in place until the first party-wide vote on the ACT Greens leader and deputy leader after candidates are preselected for the October 2024 election in coming months.
Previously there was only one Greens leadership position which was selected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly.
Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said it was an exciting reform for the party.
"As a long-time member of the party, I'm proud we're demonstrating our values and empowering our members in more ways than ever,'' Mr Rattenbury said.
"We're a growing party with growing representation in the Legislative Assembly, so it will be great for whoever is leader of this party to have the support of a deputy leader.
"It will be my intention to nominate to continue the role of ACT Greens leader as part of this new process. It would be a real honour to have that position confirmed by the party membership."
ACT Greens convenor Michael Brewer said the Greens were the most democratic political party in the ACT.
"In the other parties, the power plays and lack of transparency in their preselection and leadership decisions flows through to the way they govern," Mr Brewer said.
"Forget factional dealings and parachute politics; in the ACT Greens every member gets a say."
In the 2020 election, the ACT Greens boosted their representation from two members in the Legislative Assembly to six.
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Sarah Lansdown
Sarah covers all stages of education in the capital, from early childhood to higher education. Previously she was a general news reporter at The Advocate in North West Tasmania. She was named Best New Journalist at the 2019 Tasmanian Media Awards for a series on paramedic shortages. Email: sarah.lansdown@canberratimes.com.au
Sarah covers all stages of education in the capital, from early childhood to higher education. Previously she was a general news reporter at The Advocate in North West Tasmania. She was named Best New Journalist at the 2019 Tasmanian Media Awards for a series on paramedic shortages. Email: sarah.lansdown@canberratimes.com.au
