Latest news with #TammyFranks
ABC News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Sarah Game MLC quits Pauline Hanson's One Nation to run as independent
South Australian One Nation MP Sarah Game has announced she is quitting the party and will serve out the remainder of her term as an independent. Ms Game became the first One Nation candidate elected to the South Australian parliament when she won her upper house seat in 2022. She said there were problems with the way the party's brand was perceived and her attempts to evolve the brand had not been successful. "I've been hindered, or there's been missed opportunities as a result of the brand, and I'm not necessarily saying I agree with that but it's just life," she told the ABC. Ms Game said despite her decision to quit the party, she would remain committed to her voters as an independent. "I'm completely committed to all the voters that voted in the 2022 election and gave me the great privilege of representing South Australian people … and that won't change," she said. "In terms of the decision that I've made, it's really about I ended up losing confidence that I could rebrand the party in the way that I wanted to." Her decision means she has become the second South Australian upper house member in a week to quit her party. Tammy Franks MLC resigned from the Greens on Tuesday to sit as a "progressive independent" in the upper house, leaving the party with just one MP in parliament. Ms Franks told ABC Radio Adelaide at the time that her decision was based on internal tensions within the party. "I have not done this very lightly, it's been a long time coming and it's a really difficult decision that's seen me grieve over many, many months," she said. A day after her resignation, the Greens said there were "complaints raised in relation to the behaviour of Ms Tammy Franks MLC". The minor party said its investigation into complaints against her found she had "engaged in misconduct". Ms Franks denies any wrongdoing, describing allegations against her as "unsubstantiated and false".
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Famous Kermit the frog sentiment resonates for Australian Greens after SA member quits
Kermit the Frog was famous for saying "it's not easy being green". This week, the Greens in South Australia are likely feeling the same. Already reeling from a federal election which saw the national leader turfed out and the party reduced to just one seat in the House of Representatives, now the Greens's dirty laundry is being aired publicly in South Australia. Tammy Franks, who made up one half of the Greens's partyroom at a state level, has left the party and now sits on the crossbench. But she didn't go quietly. Speaking to ABC Radio Adelaide's Morning program on Tuesday, Ms Franks said she made the difficult decision to leave the party about a month earlier. "I will share a full statement with them [party members] as well as hope they understand my reasonings as I take action against the Greens under the Associations and Corporations Act for unfair and oppressive behaviour," she said. "It has affected my mental health and I have decided not to put up with it any longer." Accusations have since flown back and forth between Ms Franks and the Greens, with the MP saying she has been attacked over "false" allegations and denied "procedural fairness". The party hit back, stating publicly that Ms Franks had been found to have "engaged in misconduct" and labelling her decision to "publicly criticise the complainants" as "deeply regretful and inappropriate". Ms Franks has strongly denied any wrongdoing. The man who had been the other half of the SA partyroom — Upper House MP Robert Simms — appeared to have been blindsided by Ms Franks's resignation. On Tuesday he faced a press pack, but didn't answer questions, while on Wednesday he told ABC Radio Adelaide's Breakfast program that he had "no idea" Ms Franks would be resigning the day before. Mr Simms admitted it wasn't ideal to have the situation play out in public, but he defended the party's processes and denied any culture issues. "Our party misconduct processes are confidential … it's not one that's run by MPs, it's run by the political party exec committee that's set up to run that," he said. "And so out of respect for the people who are involved in that process and their privacy, I don't want to comment on what might have been involved in that process." The move by Ms Franks means the party's representation in the state parliament has halved from one to two, just a couple of weeks after its numbers in Canberra also took a hit. But the party's line remains that it holds the balance of power in the federal senate, and despite losses in the lower house, the national vote has dropped by about 0.1 per cent, with the party still securing more than 1.8 million votes. But on a state level, what happens now for the Greens? Mr Simms isn't up for election in March 2026, while his chief of staff, Melanie Selwood, was preselected in December for the number one spot on the Greens' upper house ticket. Ms Franks announced in September she wouldn't run for election in 2026. While she has said she isn't currently planning to run as an independent in 2026, she also wouldn't "rule anything out". Ms Franks has been a member of the Legislative Council for 15 years, and it'll remain to be seen what impact her leaving the party will have on votes for the Greens at the next election. But the big question now for the party will be whether the airing of dirty laundry impacts voters' perception of the party — with just 10 months before the public heads back to the polls.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Greens defend internal complaints process after Tammy Franks's shock resignation
The South Australian Greens have hit back at former party co-leader Tammy Franks, a day after the upper house MP walked out on the party, labelling her comments "deeply regrettable and inappropriate". A day after Greens internal tensions exploded into public view with Ms Franks's resignation, the party said its investigation into complaints against her found she had "engaged in misconduct". Ms Franks denies any wrongdoing, describing allegations against her as "unsubstantiated and false". She resigned from the Greens on Tuesday to sit as a "progressive independent" in the upper house, leaving the party with just one MP in parliament. The veteran Greens MP, who had already flagged she would not stand for re-election in 2026, also went public with a scathing critique of the party's internal procedures, claiming there were people in the party who "wanted me to move on". She claimed there were "some 100-plus pages" of allegations made against her that "weren't particularised into something that would fit anybody's definition of misconduct". "I joined a political party that should have had processes that when an allegation was made, it should have been investigated properly," she said on Tuesday. "The complaints included that I'd used voice-to-text to send emails and messages. "I used voice-to-text for a short period of time because I was going through menopause and had extreme joint pain and couldn't hold pieces of paper or pens. "I find it ludicrous that that was one of the charges against me." Ms Franks said another misconduct charge she faced was that she had "disrupted meetings" she was chairing with her staff. "I challenge anyone to explain how I'm meant to chair a meeting and give my staff direction and run a functional office without taking lead in that situation," she said. Ms Franks said she intended to "take action" against the Greens for "unfair and oppressive behaviour" under the Associations and Corporations Act. After only releasing a brief statement on Tuesday that did not address Ms Franks's claims, the SA Greens on Wednesday defended its internal party processes. The minor party said there were "complaints raised in relation to the behaviour of Ms Tammy Franks MLC". "The party acted on these complaints and undertook a process where it was found that Ms Franks had engaged in misconduct," the Greens said in a statement. "That finding was upheld by the party's state council. "The process was carried out in accordance with Greens SA by-laws and constitution. "The party acted on, and implemented, the recommendations resulting from that process." The Greens added that Ms Franks's decision to "publicly criticise the complainants" was "deeply regretful and inappropriate". Ms Franks told the ABC on Wednesday the misconduct findings against her were upheld by the party but "were not investigated by an independent body and no procedural fairness was followed". Greens MLC Robert Simms, now the only Green in South Australia's parliament, said he had "no idea" his co-leader was going to resign on Tuesday. "I did know though … that she had been frustrated or feeling unhappy for some time," he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Wednesday. "I did think there was a chance that something like this could happen at some point, but I had hoped that that wasn't going to be the case." Mr Simms, a former senator who has been in state parliament since 2021, said it had been "a difficult 24 hours" and he "tried to support Tammy as best as I can". "But these things do happen in political parties from time to time." He also denied there was a culture problem within the Greens and defended the party's internal processes, saying: "I respect our party processes and our procedures — I think they're pretty robust." "But of course there's always an opportunity to do things differently and the party regularly reviews our internal policies and procedures," he said. Asked about the voice-to-text complaint Ms Franks said was raised against her, Mr Simms said he did not have "any details of the specifics of the complaint". "Our party misconduct processes are confidential … it's not one that's run by MPs, it's run by the political party exec committee that's set up to run that," he said. "And so out of respect for the people who are involved in that process and their privacy, I don't want to comment on what might have been involved in that process." Mr Simms's chief of staff, Melanie Selwood, was preselected in December for the number one spot on the Greens' upper house ticket, after Ms Franks announced in September she would not stand again. Ms Franks said she has "no current plans" to run as an independent in 2026 but "I don't rule anything out".
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Greens leader dramatically QUITS party with blistering letter about 'scheming' colleagues: 'I certainly will not be silent'
The co-leader of the South Australian Greens has dramatically quit the party. Tammy Franks announced she was leaving the Greens and shared a damning letter against her 'scheming' former colleagues on Tuesday afternoon. Franks, who has been apart of the state Greens Party for 15, said her decision came with 'immense sadness'. 'I've made so many strong friendships and have comrades across the nation within the Greens family,' she wrote. 'I have also taken counsel from some of them about this decision and discovered in those conversations that sadly too many times this has happened before. 'I still believe in a Greens' vision for a better world and know there are many, many wonderful, committed, and well-intentioned people within the Party. 'But not all have such noble motivations, and they and their scheming are being too often enabled.' Franks alluded to unfairness within the party and said she would no longer 'reward bad behaviour'. 'I leave the Greens today having hoped that those with thwarted ambitions, grudges and grievances would have focused on building up not tearing down,' she said. 'Especially once I moved aside for those with ambition and self-interest. 'Unfortunately, they have not relented. A small coterie colluded against me hoping to sabotage my work, to wear me down and dissuade me from continuing. 'They also acted as a clique to the detriment of not just me, but others working around them.'
Perth Now
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Greens MP quits over party 'scheming and sabotage'
One state's Greens co-leader has quit the party, saying she could no longer tolerate "scheming", mercenary tactics and sabotage bids against her. South Australian co-leader Tammy Franks - a Greens MP for 15 years - said she would sit on the crossbench from Tuesday as a "progressive independent" until the 2026 state election. "I still believe in a Greens' vision for a better world and know there are many, many wonderful, committed and well intentioned people within the party," she said. "But not all have such noble motivations and they and their scheming are being too often enabled." Ms Franks had announced in 2024 she would retire at the next election, but on Tuesday she said she "wouldn't rule anything out". "I cannot properly do the job I was elected to do until March 2026 … when trust has been broken, and I spend more time watching my back than thinking ahead," she said. "A small coterie colluded against me hoping to sabotage my work, to wear me down and dissuade me from continuing." She said she had been accused of misconduct by this group and "gaslit and subjected to a kangaroo court, all masterminded by a staffer I am now meant to work with". "The Greens' processes should recognise the often mercenary tactics used by those who seek control, power and promotion," she said. She said the "ringleader" was employed in the office of the Greens' other upper house MP, Robert Simms, "and I do not feel safe in the situation where we are meant to work together". In a statement, Mr Simms did not address Ms Franks' allegations but said he was "deeply saddened" by her decision. "Tammy has been rightly lauded for her work on a range of important portfolio areas and been a strong voice for the Greens over the last 15 years," he said. "We have worked very closely together during this time. "I know many members will share my sadness at this outcome, but our movement is bigger than any one person or individual."
