Greens: no 'conscience' vote in NSW
The Greens NSW support repeal of all abortion laws in the state and do not allow a "conscience" vote on the question, says Leeza Dobbie, a member of the Greens' ticket for the Legislative Council.
An article in last week's 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly quoted Kamala Emanuel, the Democratic Socialist candidate for Newcastle, as saying that the Greens allowed a "conscience" vote on the question.
Contacted this week, a spokesperson for the Democratic Socialist campaign agreed that Dobbie was correct and apologised for the error. "The national Green Party does permit a 'conscience' vote, but the Greens NSW do not."
Dobbie said that the Greens NSW had advocated repeal of the abortion laws in last year's Parramatta by-election. "Women's Abortion Action Campaign sent a questionnaire to all candidates and publicised the results. They showed the Greens' support for a woman's right to choose abortion."