Tasmanian Greens State Election
Campaign
Summary Strategy Discussion Paper
THIS IS NOT THE FULL STRATEGY DISCUSSION PAPER.
Please see how to access the full document below.
Prepared by Josephine Maguire-Rosier
Tasmanian State Campaign Director
Important Information on Distribution & Content
We are currently in the process of developing a campaign strategy for the upcoming state election.
This means we have some tricky decisions to make. To do this well, we must understand
everyone’s concerns and perspectives to enable the membership to work together effectively over
the course of the next year.
Any campaign strategy has winners and losers, especially when we have a finite amount of
resources to share in a limited amount of time. Thus I ask you to engage with this consultation
process and submit your feedback in whichever way works for you. This will enable us to
understand how to best meet the challenges you identify and to do so in a way which maximises
the support we can give all members, branches and candidates over the course of this campaign.
However…
THIS IS NOT THE FULL DOCUMENT.
Please see how to access the full document below.
It is critical to note this document is a summary of the Tasmanian Greens confidential strategy
discussion paper. This summary is a version prepared for electronic distribution, and as such
excludes key pieces of information which are both media and politically sensitive. It is vital
however, that members from across Tasmania deeply and meaningfully engage with the full paper
(not simply the summary below).
To ensure your access to this document, despite being unable to send electronic copies of the full
paper, the Tasmanian Greens Executive has developed the following hard copy distribution
strategy.
HOW TO ACCESS THE FULL DOCUMENT
1. Each branch is to hold a special branch meeting in which the Campaign Director presents
the full paper, at which you will be able to:
a. Receive a summary of the content and purpose of the document.
b. Read the full paper in person.
c. Ask any questions you may have of the author.
2. Each branch has also identified between 3 and 6 members as ‘point people’, who any
member can call and book a mutually convenient time to review the paper in person.
a. There are also a number of people who are happy to ‘roam’ the state, as in drive to
a location, should geography or transport impede your ability to access the full
document through the regular ‘point people’.
3. Lastly, there is a ‘catch up’ presentation on the paper scheduled in Hobart, and the
campaign director is happy to visit any groups of five or more people who would like to
receive a similar presentation and are unable to attend either their local branch session or
the catch up session in Hobart.
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SPECIAL BRANCH MEETING SCHEDULE
The following events are so all members can receive a briefing on the discussion paper, and how
they are able to read the full paper, ask any questions of the author and provide feedback.
Please RSVP, as these events are subject to cancellation if not enough members attend.
Branch
Date
Braddon
Sunday May
14th
Franklin
Time
Location
Civi Event Link
Contact Person
2:00pm
Reseed, 30 King
Edward St Penguin
RSVP HERE.
Tom Kingston, 0400 642 999
[email protected]
Thursday
May 4th
6:00pm
Greens Shop, 208
Elizabeth St,
Hobart
RSVP HERE.
Holly Ewan, 0408 631 831
[email protected]
Denison
Wednesday
May 3rd
6:00pm
Greens Shop, 208
Elizabeth St,
Hobart
RSVP HERE.
Damien Irving, 0427 681 781
[email protected]
Bass
Sunday May
21st
10:00am
Alison's House
Welman St
Launceston
RSVP HERE.
Alison Jales
[email protected]
Lyons
Saturday
April 22nd
Further sessions happily provided on request.
(So please request them!)
For
Everyone
Wednesday
May 24th
6:00pm
TBC
RSVP HERE.
Josephine Maguire-Rosier,
0415 689 783
[email protected]
Josephine Maguire-Rosier,
0415 689 783
[email protected]
Further briefings can be scheduled on request.
Please contact Josephine Maguire-Rosier (0415 689 783, ​[email protected]​) to
organise this.
Should you be unable to attend the above meetings, or would simply like more time to review and
digest the discussion paper, please contact the following people to organise to view a copy of the
full paper.
Please note feedback is due by Monday May 29th.
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VIEWING A COPY OF THE FULL PAPER
The following people have generously agreed to facilitate access to a copy of the full paper in
various local areas across Tasmania.
The capacity for all members to meaningfully engage with the strategy development process is of
the utmost importance to us. ​Should you not be able to organise a mutually convenient time to
read the paper with the people closest to you, please contact Josephine Maguire-Rosier, State
Campaign Director, or Rosalie Gorton-Lee, State Party Convenor, and they will personally
organise a way for this to happen.
Branch
Person
Phone
Email
Location
State
Josephine
Campaig
Maguire-Rosier
n Director
0415 689 783
[email protected]
Launceston & roaming
across the state
State
Rosalie
Convenor Gorton-Lee
0400 044 478
[email protected]
Hobart & roaming
across the state
Franklin
Holly Ewin
0408 631 831
[email protected]
Blackmans Bay, Hobart
& roaming across
Franklin
Franklin
Rosalie
Gorton-Lee
0400 044 478
[email protected]
Hobart & roaming
across the state
Franklin
Richard Atkinson
0407 209 129
[email protected]
Kingston and city
Franklin
Jen
Van-Achteren
0401 054 003
[email protected]
Clarence Area &
Eastern Shore
Franklin
Martine Delaney
0417 530 621
[email protected]
Clarence Area &
Eastern Shore
Franklin
Rosalie Woodruff
0458 123 478
[email protected]
ov.au
Cygnet Area
Denison
Damien Irving
0427 681 781
[email protected]
Hobart
Denison
Rosalie
Gorton-Lee
0400 044 478
[email protected]
Hobart & roaming
across the state
Denison
Grant Finlay
0417 340 050
[email protected]
Montrose
Denison
Bill Harvey
0428 243 964
[email protected]
Hobart
Lyons
Fraser Brindley
0417 557 477
[email protected]
Evandale & Roaming
Lyons
Gary Whisson
0439 522 479
[email protected]
Orford, occasionally
Derwent Vallley area
Lyons
Glenn Millar
0457 604 631
(text only)
[email protected]
Forcett Sorell Area
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Lyons
Peter Taylor
0406 155 487
[email protected]
Midway Point Area
Lyons
Hannah
Rubenach-Quinn
0417 528 088
[email protected]
St Marys area and
roaming
Lyons
Helen Preston
0458 536 090
[email protected]
Bicheno area
Lyons
Helen Hutchinson 0438 233 576
[email protected]
Deloraine area
Lyons
Stephanie Taylor
0419 180 461
[email protected]
Rowella West Tamar
(until 8 May only)
Lyons
Paul Wright
0427 444 008
[email protected]
St Helens area
Bass
Alison Jales
0488 000 602
[email protected]
Launceston
Bass
Josephine
Maguire-Rosier
0415 689 783
[email protected]
Launceston & roaming
across the state
Bass
Christine Booth
0407 501 137
[email protected]
Branxholm
Bass
Anne
Layton-Bennett
0429 221 243
[email protected]
Swan Bay
Bass
Irene Macfarlane
0417 721 840
[email protected]
Bridport
Bass
TBC
Patersonia
Bass
TBC
Hillwood
Bass
TBC
Flinders Island
Braddon
Tom Kingston
0400 642 999
[email protected]
Burnie
Braddon
Carol Donaghy
0448 451 000
[email protected]
Myalla, Wynyard
Braddon
Patrick Johnson
0429 002 341
[email protected]
Melrose
Braddon
Sally O'Wheel
0419 243 579
[email protected]
Ulverstone
Braddon
Tammy Milne
0488 385 971
[email protected]
Devonport
Braddon
Scott Jordan
0428 300 324
[email protected]
Burnie & Roaming
around Smithton,
Stanley etc.
Braddon
Helen
Ryan-Skyes
0476 609 413
[email protected]
Roseberry
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Table of Contents
Background
7
Consultation & Strategy Development Process
7
Key Topic Areas:
Targets & Win Numbers
8
Campaign Strategies, Tactics and Methodology
10
Budget and Resourcing
11
Key Campaign Issues
12
Roles of Branches and Central Campaign Team
13
Campaign Phases & Timeline
15
How to Submit Feedback
15
References
16
Appendices
1: Details on Consultation and Strategy Development Process.
17
​2: Changing Minds, Research on politics and implications for action
19
​ : A Brief Literature Review of the Research examining the efficacy of Organising
3
and Field Campaigning
22
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Background
In the next two years, five different elections are
scheduled:
1.​ ​May 2017: State Legislative Council
(Launceston, Rumney & Murchison).
2.​ ​March 2018: State House of Assembly.
3.​ ​May 2018: State Legislative Council (Hobart &
Western Tiers)
4.​ ​From August 2018: Federal Parliament
5.​ ​September & October 2018: Local Councils.
Whilst this paper is only concerned with the upcoming
State election, due in early 2018, it is important to
note, any work done during this campaign period will
directly feed into the strategy for, and impact on, these
upcoming campaigns. Thus it is important that any
work done in this state election campaign also be
viewed as part of (and hopefully integrated into) the
foundation building process for these upcoming
campaigns.
Consultation & Strategy Development
Process
The consultation and strategy development process is
not perfect – we are working with an inflexible deadline
– namely an election. However, the Tasmanian
Greens’ foresight to hire a State Campaign Director
with a year to go has likely facilitated the most
consultation the state party has ever seen.
The process is outlined below:
1. Consult with as many highly involved members
as possible.
2. Develop strategy discussion paper, based on
these initial conversations and the research
available.
3. Distribution and collect feedback on the
discussion paper.
4. Strategy Development & Approval
For more information please see appendix 1: Details
on Consultation and Strategy Development Process.
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Targets & Win Numbers
This section of the full discussion paper includes the following information:
1. Which seats should we target?
2. Recommended Overarching Goals for Goals for this State Election Campaign &
Qualifications
3. An explanation of what do these goals mean in reality
4. Recommended Goals for State Election, by Seat
5. Alternate Goals
The first section “​Which seats should we target”​ of “Targets and Win Numbers” in the full
discussion paper, ​ ​is a summary of the electoral statistics, supporter statistics and the feedback
from the consultation period. The table below is included, with projections for how many new votes
we need to hold or win each seat, plus branch membership, supporter and volunteer numbers.
Previous Results
Seat
2014 Votes*
2014 Votes
Bass
6661
10.33%
Braddon
3294
5.12%
Denison Lead
9694
15.16%
1614*
2.52%
Franklin
9013
13.43%
Lyons
5140
7.75%
Denison Second
*Primary votes for ‘Lead’ Candidates
It then goes on to outline some of the specific factors which have influenced the recommended
goals, looking at both state and electorate specific issues.
The next section outlines the goals recommended by the Campaign Director, along with
qualifications required to understand how they may change in specific circumstances. The full
paper then goes on to explain how these strategic goals would shape any campaign plan and
relevant decisions - providing the framework upon which we as a party would have to evaluate any
strategic decisions. This is why it is vital that all members fully back these goals, as each branch
will need to be able to justify how their campaigning is supporting them.
Then, this section of the full discussion paper follows up with recommended goals for each branch
in the upcoming state election. This includes the number of new votes to win, and branch growth
goals.
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The Executive have then proposed an alternate goal for the membership’s consideration. Lastly,
this section is capped off with a series of feedback questions for the membership, who are
requested to submit their personal, and branch based, responses.
These questions include, but are not limited to:
Background assumptions:
● In this analysis, it has been assumed that within a state election it is better to target fewer
seats, and thus run better resourced, more effective campaigns in those one or two
‘targeted’ seats. (And thus, run less well resourced campaigns in non-target seats, and not
spread our resources too thinly).
○ Do you agree with this assumption? Why? / Why not?
Mechanics of Targeting:
● What are the minimum expected resources you would expect from the central campaign
team?
○ For both targeted and non-targeted seats?
○ Who should be responsible for these resources?
Suggested Goals - Overarching:
● What do you think of the recommended overarching goals?
○ Do you agree with them? Why? / Why not? How would you alter or refine them?
● What do you think of the proposed alternate goals?
○ Do you agree with them? Why? / Why not? How would you alter or refine them?
● Which of the two goals above do you prefer?
○ Why? Would you refine them or propose an alternative?
Suggested Goals - by Branch:
● What do you think of the suggested goals?
○ What are the positives and negatives about having these goals?
○ How would you alter / refine them?
○ How would you define any branch or base growth goals?
● Should the overarching goals suggested above be accepted, how would you factor in any
support needed from you (or your group) to reach those goals, especially those goals
considered a higher priority?
○ Would they take priority over your local primary or tertiary goals? Why? / Why not?
Flexibility of Goals:
● Political campaigns must be flexible and dynamic, as we must always respond to our ever
changing political environment. Thus, under what circumstances should we review or alter
any of the above goals?
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Campaign Strategies, Tactics and Methodology
For the past decade the Australian Greens have become increasingly more focused on building
personal relationships with voters, through one-on-one personal conversations through things like
door knocking, phone calling and other tactics. This has been, to a certain extent, to replace media
focused campaign methods, and has some reasonably positive results across the country.
(Re-electing Adam Bandt in 2013 & 2016, re-electing Scott Ludlam in 2014, electing Sam Hibbins
for Prahran Vic in 2014, electing Tamara Smith for Ballina NSW in 2015, and so on).
However, this form of campaigning has received a small amount of critical feedback. The full
discussion paper goes into this feedback in more depth, and then does a full cost benefit analysis
of each of the following campaign methodologies including, referencing international best
practices, relevant academic research and, of course, the results of our field campaign in the 2014
state election.
Summary of Field, Community and Media Campaign Styles
Goals
Tactics
Associa
ted
Data Driven Field
Campaigning
Community Visibility
Campaigning
Media and
Communications Style
Campaigning
To change votes through
personal interaction with
voters, in a recorded
methodical way.
To change votes through
visibly engaging with
communities.
To change votes through
utilising paid, owned and
earned media.
●
●
●
●
Doorknocking
Calling Voters
Hosting Kitchen
Table Conversations
Running Data
Parties
●
●
●
●
Market Stalls
Leafleting
Meeting with
Community Groups
Putting up posters
●
●
●
●
Sending out press
releases
Buying TV
advertisements
Sending letters
directly to voters
Using Social Media
For more information on effective campaigning methods, please see appendices 2 and 3, for brief
summaries of some of the relevant literature on how and why certain campaign methods work.
The full discussion paper then makes key recommendations on what methodologies might be more
effective for our current political circumstances, and reviews how this would impact key resourcing
and strategic decisions.
Lastly, the discussion paper seeks feedback on the above by asking these questions:
●
Do you support the recommendation above? Why / why not?
○ If not, how would you refine / alter it?
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●
●
Would you support trying to find methodical, recorded and personalised ways of changing
votes, which are customised to your local area?
Should the strategy recommended above be implemented, how would you prioritise the
various tactics available to your campaign team? With what qualifiers?
○ Tactics may include: Calling Voters, Doorknocking, Hosting Kitchen Table
Conversations, Leafleting, Market Stalls, Meeting with Community Groups,
Newspaper Advertisements, Putting up posters, Radio Commercials, Running Data
Parties, Sending letters directly to voters, Sending out press releases, Television
Commercials, Using Social Media, etc.
Budget and Resourcing
The full strategy discussion paper reviews the previous state election campaigns income and
expenditure, presenting them on pie charts. It does not review the 2016 campaign budget as it was
a very campaign different in a number of ways:
● It required a polling day effort, which we are not allowed to do in Tasmanian State Elections
● It was an extremely different time table, a few weeks compared to nearly a year.
● It had very different campaign method and goals due to the different time frame:
○ high impact visibility compared to main vote, compared to
○ personalised voter interactions to win new votes.
The full discussion paper then describes a few notable elements of this budget. Namely, the
distribution of resources and funding, compared to the stated strategy, the amounts allocated to
support staff, candidates and volunteers., the amount of money allocated to messaging research,
and the amount of money allocated to fundraising.
In the full discussion paper, we can then read three key recommendations, each with an
explanation as to why they are being made.
Finally, the following questions are posed to seek member feedback:
● Would you support key recommendation one?
○ If not, how would you alter / refine it?
○ If so, under what circumstances should the campaign budget deviate from the
member endorsed strategy?
● How would you prioritise the suggested budget lines noted above, and any expenses which
you would normally expect to have on an election campaign into three categories:
1. Core​ (Top priority - nothing should come before this)
2. Key​ (Very important - we should always aim to include this)
3. Complementary​ (Extremely helpful - we want this but it will not undermine
our campaign strategy if we do not have it).
● Would you support key recommendation two?
○ If not, how would you alter / refine it?
● Would you support key recommendation three?
○ If not, how would you alter / refine it?
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Key Campaign Issues
In this section of the discussion paper, we talk about the importance of messaging and how we
want different people to react differently depending on which audience they belong to. This is a
hard balance to find as it requires either guess work or expensive communications research.
However, we can start finding which issues and framing inspire our volunteers, and fortify our base
- with your help.
We then present a table which outlines issues we may want to talk about in the upcoming
campaign, they include:
● Climate Change / Global Warming
● Crown land grabs
● Development and Planning
● Fish Farming
● Forestry
● Jobs
● Pokies Reform
● Political Transparency & Accessibility
● Tourism
● Education & Early Years
● Health
This table then provides a brief summary of the issues, and a range of suggested ways we as a
political party could ‘frame’ them. That is, describe this issue as being an example of a broader
goal, idea or concern.
Then, this sections seeks member feedback by asking:
● Did we miss any key issues? ​(How could we frame them?)
● Which issues do you find motivating? ​(Which ones would make you want to get up in the
morning and volunteer with us?)
○ Will those issues directly impact your undecided neighbours / friends / colleagues /
in-laws vote? Why / Why not?
○ Which framing of those issues do you prefer, and why?
● Of the framings prefered, do any ‘themes’ emerge? ​Eg. Transparent and Accountable
Government, Cronyism, Creating a Sustainable Economy, etc.
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Roles of Branches and Central Campaign Team
One of the four pillars of the Tasmanian Greens is ‘Grassroots Democracy’. We are a grassroots
political party. This means it is vital to understand and develop expectations of how the workload of
running a political campaign is divided up between branches and local members and volunteers,
and any ‘central’ campaign team.
The following is a direct extract from the full discussion paper on this topic.
Who is the ‘Central’ Campaign Team?
Currently, when talking about the ‘central’ campaign team we are referring to:
● The Campaign Director
● The State Campaign Coordinator (a volunteer who is working near full time hours, on top of
a full time job)
● One campaign coordinator from each branch (who you may know, and who is likely doing it
on top of any local branch responsibilities, and their own family and work responsibilities)
● The State Party Convenor (a volunteer who is working near full time hours despite being in
retirement)
It is important to understand that the ‘central’ campaign team is not an all-powerful body with
infinite resources. Rather, like every branch, we are working together, to the best of our abilities to
support our local branches to run the best campaigns they can.
The central team may evolve in the future to include other staff members, to provide more
thorough support, but this will depend on how we decide to allocate resources.
Division of Responsibilities
It is envisaged that campaign responsibilities will be divided up accordingly:
Top level
Examples
‘Central’ Campaign Team
Local Branches
To support and coordinate the roll out
of state wide campaign strategy
across all electorates.
To implement the campaign strategy
within the electorate.
●
Ensure data systems are in
place and functioning well.
●
Train key people in how to use
data systems and support
door knocking.
●
To find, recruit and motivate local
volunteers and supporters to do
regular door knocks.
●
To find, recruit and motivate local
volunteers and supporters to do
the requisite data entry to support
those door knocks.
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Other Key Roles
Branch Campaign Committee:
While each branch may choose to organise their campaign differently, in general, the campaign
committee are the people that the branch entrusts with the responsibility of the organisation and
implementation of the campaign.
These groups can meet as frequently, or infrequently, as they choose. However it is recommended
they meet fortnightly once a candidate is preselected, and potentially more frequently as the
campaign progresses.
Please note that in general it has been found that the optimum number of people in this group is
between 3 and 5. This is because the smaller the group, the easier it is to make quick decisions
which is a necessary part of any dynamic, responsive campaign.
Branch Campaign Coordinator:
The campaign coordinator is one of the most important roles in this campaign. They may or may
not also be the campaign manager. This is up to the campaign committee. Their key role is to
ensure the seamless communication between the three groups they interact with on a regular
basis:
1. SECC - the State Election Campaign Committee
2. The Branch Campaign Committee
3. The Branch Membership
While this role does not require that the person take on other direct responsibilities, the task of
ensuring seamless communication requires proactive and deliberate relationship building and a
high commitment to attending as many of the relevant group meetings as feasibly possible.
Feedback Questions
●
●
Is this a helpful way of understanding how local campaigns and any ‘central’ team can work
together?
Would you endorse the above division of campaign roles and responsibilities? If not, how
would to alter it?
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Campaign Phases & Timeline
In this section of the full discussion paper, a set of campaign phases, including dates, names and
primary goals are recommended.
These phases would be called:
1. Nail the basics
2. Build the base
3. Engage with our community
4. Change votes
5. Celebrate, commiserate, evaluate
Campaign phases give us and the volunteers we work with a quick and easy way to understand
the primary goals of our work at any given time. They help us to pace our work and give us an
opportunity to evaluate and celebrate our work at each milestone.
It should be noted that these phases do not dictate our work, but rather direct it.​ For
instance, any good branch should be regularly engaging with their community, it should not be
limited to this small time frame during a campaign. However, by naming a time period as “Engage
with our Community” within our campaign, it will make it easier to direct all potential volunteer
energy to that work in that critical time period.
The following questions are then asked:
● Would breaking up an election campaign into such phases help to pace work and create
focus for your campaign team?
● Do these phases roughly reflect the key things we should be doing across the campaign?
● Are the names of the phases reflective of the goals? Would alternative names be prefered?
How to Submit Feedback
Feedback, that includes responses to any or all of the questions below, from any individual or
group within the Tasmanian Greens can be submitted via email.
It is requested that:
● All branches submit written feedback
● All MPs and Local Councillors submit written feedback (either as a group or individually)
All other groups and individuals are strongly and enthusiastically encouraged to provide feedback
in a way which suits them, whether written, oral in person, via skype or phone meeting etc. Please
contact Josephine, our Campaign Director, on ​[email protected]​ or 0415 689 783 to
organise this. Text messages prefered.
Feedback can be submitted to:​ ​[email protected]
Feedback is due by Monday May 29th.
Please note, ​submissions need not be anything other than a few dot points. The most important
thing is your voice is heard. (Not whether the document could win an essay writing competition).
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References
ALP (2016) “​Victorian ALP 2014 Victorian State Election Review”​, as found at:
https://www.viclabor.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Review.pdf​, ​accessed April 2017.
Arceneaux, Kevin & Nickerson, David 2010, ​“Comparing Negative and Positive Campaign
Messages”​, American Politics Research, Vol.38 (1), pp.54-83 [Peer Reviewed Journal]
Blodgett, J and Lofy, B (2008) “​Winning Your Election The Wellstone Way​”, University of
Minnesota Press: Minnesota, as found at:
http://www.wellstone.org/resources/winning-your-election-wellstone-way​ accessed April 2017
Han, Hahrie & Mckenna, Elizabeth (2016) ​“The Untilled Field of Field Campaigns”​, ​Perspectives on
Politics, Vol.14(3), pp.750-757 [Peer Reviewed Journal]
Liberal Party (2015) “​Victorian Liberal Party 2014 State Election review”,​ as found at​:
http://australianpolitics.com/2015/11/04/liberal-party-review-2014-state-election.html​, accessed
April 2017
McGowan (2015) ​“Indi Report - Kitchen Table Conversations 2015”​, as found at:
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/v4i/pages/1409/attachments/original/1438577295/KTC_Re
port_2015.pdf?1438577295​, accessed April 2017
Stickels, Luke (2014) “​Tas Greens 2013-14 State Election Field Campaign Report”, as found at:
https://members.greens.org.au/system/files/Tas%20Greens%202013-14%20State%20Election%2
0Field%20Campaign%20Report%20MERGED_1.pdf​ ​accessed April 2017
Wellstone (2017) ​“Rules and Tips for Creating and Managing Your Campaign Budget”​, as found at:
http://www.wellstone.org/resources/rules-and-tips-creating-and-managing-your-campaign-budget
accessed April 2017
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Appendix 1: Details on Consultation and Strategy Development
Process.
Step 1​: Consult with as many highly involved members as possible.
Over 60 one on one meetings have been held by the campaign director, to understand the state of
play within each electorate and the campaign as a whole.
The people consulted include:
● Executive Members
● All Branch Convenors
● All Branch Campaign Coordinators
● 3-5 branch members as nominated by the Convenors and Campaign Coordinators
● All current Tasmanian Members of State and Federal Parliaments
● All previous Party Leaders
● Some previous Members of Parliament
● Some parliamentary staff
● As many Local Councillors as possible
● Other staff member
● Some Staff of the Australian Greens
Please note some nominated people were unfortunately unable to be met with due to a number of
factors, namely time constraints, pragmatics of travel, lack of availability and misadventure.
Moreover – in this volunteer lead organisation – every member and supporter is key, and your
participation is highly valued. ​(This means I’m very sorry I couldn’t meet with you and I can’t wait to
hear your thoughts).
Step 2​: Develop strategy discussion paper, based on these initial conversations and
the research available.
The discussion paper, designed to facilitate deep and constructive conversations about our
upcoming campaign’s strategy, is what you are currently reading.
Step 3​: Distribution of, and feedback on the discussion paper.
One month has been dedicated to seeking feedback, both oral and written, on this discussion
paper from all stakeholders. Feedback is not only welcomed, but actively sought from Branches,
MPs offices, candidates, campaign coordinators, campaign committees, and any individual or
group of member(s) who would like to constructively add to the strategy development process.
All branch meetings within this one month time frame will be attended by someone ​(likely the State
Campaign Director, State Campaign Coordinator, State Convenor or similar)​ to receive feedback in
person. They will also be available to have telephone and in person meetings where appropriate.
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However, it is deeply encouraged that members and branches, where possible, submit written
feedback. This is because written submissions can be easily referenced within our campaign
strategy.
Feedback can be submitted to:​ ​[email protected]
A note on submissions: ​Submissions need not be anything other than a few dot points. The most
important thing is your voice is heard. (Not whether the document could win an essay writing
competition.)
Step 4​: Strategy Development & Approval
Following the month long consultation period, the current plan is to amalgamate and review all
feedback collected and use this to inform and develop the final campaign strategy. This will then be
put to both the Executive and State Election Campaign Committee as soon as possible.
Were there more time (for instance in Victoria they are currently doing an 8 month consultation
process) this strategy would be put to the membership for direct feedback. Unfortunately we do not
have this luxury. Thus, should you have dire concerns about any strategic trade offs that may be
made in the final campaign strategy, please speak directly with your branch convenor or your state
campaign committee coordinator, as they (through their memberships of the Executive or the State
Election Campaign Committee respectively) will have the power to block consensus on any
campaign strategy which does not manage the required strategic trade-offs effectively.
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Appendix 2: Changing Minds, Research on politics and implications
for action
This is a brief summary of research on how to change political opinions, together with pointers for
further reading, as prepared by George Rosier, Academic and Greens Member, in September
2016.
Drew Westen
Psychologist at Amory University
Westen conducted brain scans while people were given factual information that tended to
undermine their political beliefs. What happened? The rational part of the brain shut down, so they
could not process the information. The emotional part of the brain became very active, finding
emotional arguments to support their original beliefs.
Key messages:
1. You cannot win a political argument using facts and logic. The only way to even influence
another person is to use an emotional hook (see “Public Narrative Theory” below).
2. Rational debate tends to reinforce pre-existing biases.
Drew Westen (2008) The Political Brain
Marshall Ganz
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Ganz developed “Public Narrative Theory”. This is a formula for presenting political messages,
used by Obama and others. Basically, it has three parts:
1. Story of self – a personal story with an emotional appeal which will lead to the message.
2. ​Story of us – what we can do about the issue if we act together.
3. Story of now – what each person must do now as a first step in dealing with the issue.
Key Messages:
1. Structure your presentation or conversation using emotion as a hook and lay out a clear
path for action.
2. Use the template for Public Narrative (story of self, story of us, story of now) in order to
change minds. This can be used in speeches, written articles, performances, film or video
or any form of presentation.
Marshall Ganz. Various short papers available on line. See especially
http://www.wholecommunities.org/pdf/Public%20Story%20Worksheet07Ganz.pdf
Jonathan Haidt
Stern School of Business, New York University
Haidt makes two key contributions:
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First, the brain has evolved for survival and the strongest reaction to any situation is based on
instinct rather than reason. “Rational thinking” is then used to justify what has been instinctively
decided. Rational thought does not generally guide action; it justifies actions or decisions already
taken.
Second, he researched the moral basis of political beliefs. His basic message is that progressives
and conservatives think differently because their “moral compasses” are different.
Progressives are guided by three basic moral “touchstones”:
1. Care/harm
2. Liberty/oppression
3. Fairness/cheating
Conservatives are guided by the same three, but also by another three:
1. Loyalty/betrayal
2. Authority/subversion
3. Sanctity/degradation
Generally progressives place less emphasis on the last three (will challenge authority if authority
causes harm or oppression etc.). Conservatives are prepared to balance the first three against the
last three. Thus they could accept doing harm to some if that reinforces authority; they might
accept limits on liberty in order to preserve institutions they regard as sacred.
Key messages:
1. Don’t rely on “rational argument” to change minds.
2. Understand and recognise patterns of moral thought to understand who you are dealing
with and what they respond to.
Jonathan Haidt (2012) The Righteous Mind. Pantheon Books (Random House) New York. See
also his videos on TED and YouTube, especially
http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind?language=en
Darren Schreiber
Department of Politics, University of Exeter
Schreiber and others have researched brain structures of people across the political spectrum. Key
finding is that the amygdala, the part of the brain that manages the response to fear and risk, is
generally larger in conservatives. This was found to correspond to an increased fear response
when confronted with an unfamiliar concept, person or situation.
Key message: ​Conservatives respond best to fear as a stimulus, and seek safety in familiarity.
Darren Schreiber writes very technical academic papers, but his work was summarised neatly in
several articles. See especially:
http://www.livescience.com/27213-brain-scans-predict-political-party.html
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/brain-difference-democrats-republicans
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Further Reading
George Lakoff
University of California, Berkley
Lakoff is a linguist who explains the use of framing in political argument. EG: “tax relief”
frames tax as a burden from which we need relief, whereas tax could be portrayed as a
contribution we make to maintain and build a civilised, prosperous society.
Lakoff has written many books and papers, but he is best known for “Don’t Think of an
Elephant”.
Anat Shenker-Osorio
ASO Communications
Shenker-Osorio is also a linguist, but her research has focussed on identifying words that
resonate and are successful in conveying a message. She has identified ways of speaking
about economics (especially inequality) and asylum seekers and refugees.
See her book “Don’t Buy It”, or her short papers at:
http://www.communitychange.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CCC-Research-Brief.pdf
http://nsp.ssi.org.au/images/Resources/Other/ASRC_Taking_Refuge_from_Our_Rhetoric.p
df
Frank Luntz
Luntz Global Partners
Luntz is a conservative political consultant who publishes the conservative communications
manual “Words that Work” - worth reading to know how conservatives have learned to
frame their appeal to voters.
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Appendix 3: A Brief Literature Review of the Research examining
the efficacy of Organising and Field Campaigning
This is a brief literature review on the efficacy of community organising, and data-driven field
campaigning, as prepared by Polly Morgan, Greens Member in April of 2017.
Academic Research
Hahrie Han
University of California
A political scientist, Hahrie Han’s research has examined three different models of engagement:
Organising, Mobilising, and Lonewolf, and found that groups that use both organising and
mobilising (and in particular use organising to then build capacity to mobilise) are more effective at
transforming members and supporters motivations and capacities for taking action to achieve
goals. Using such organising methods to build capacity for mobilisation was successfully used in
the Obama campaign.
Examples of her research include:
Hahn, Hahrie (2014) “​How Organizations Develop Activists”, ​Oxford University Press, New
York
McKenna, E & Han, H (2015)​ ​“Groundbreakers: how Obama's 2.2 million volunteers
transformed campaigning in America”​ Oxford University Press, New York
Han, Hahrie & Mckenna, Elizabeth (2016) ​“The Untilled Field of Field Campaigns”​,
Perspectives on Politics, Vol.14(3), pp.750-757
More can be found at: http://www.hahriehan.com
Edward Deci & Richard Ryan
University of Rochester
Deci and Ryan are best known for their work on the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation. This
is where autonomy, competence and relatedness seen as three innate psychological needs in
someone’s motivation.
They argue people are best motivated when they can make some autonomous decisions or make
choices over ways to achieve specific goals, when they develop the skills need to meet these
goals, and when they are related and connected to other people (such as supporting each other as
part of a team, or when their actions/goals are helping other people).
Examples of their research includes:
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Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). ​Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human
behavior​. New York, NY: Plenum.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and
the self-determination of behavior. ​Psychological Inquiry, 11​, 227-268.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic
motivation, social development, and well-being. ​American Psychologist, 55​, 68-78.
A good summary of motivation and Self-Determination Theory can be found in Dan Pink’s 2010
TED talk, Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. This can be accessed at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Papers from other Political Parties
Both the Australian Labor Party and Liberal Party are shifting towards field campaigning and data
drive canvassing of voters. Below are a few of the documents outlining their rationales for doing so,
and the impact of their work.
1. Victorian ALP 2014 Victorian State Election Review​:
In Victoria, the ALP believes their localised field campaign was pivotal in them winning
several marginal outer-suburban “sandbelt” seats in Melbourne, and thus government in
2014
Full review here:
https://www.viclabor.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Review.pdf
2. Victorian Liberal Party 2014 State Election review:
The Victorian Liberal party also believes the ALP field campaign took seats from them, and
they recommended using data driven field campaigning data collection via canvassing of
voters and setting up a “community campaign network” (i.e. field campaigning)
Full review here:
http://australianpolitics.com/2015/11/04/liberal-party-review-2014-state-election.html
3. ACT Labor field campaign in 2016:
The ACT Labor Party also believes their field campaign enabled them to win in the ACT in
2016.
Reference to the ALP field campaign here:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-election-2016/inside-the-field-campa
ign-that-turned-labors-fortunes-around-20161020-gs7eus.html
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