About the Green Institute
Building the movement
The official research institute for the Australian Greens, The Green Institute is a new kind of movement building organisation, one that offers the education, policy, research, strategy, and ideas necessary to win a better future.
We lead debates on critical policy issues, provide deep strategic analysis, and train and educate a new generation of Greens organisers, intellectuals and leaders.
Donations to support The Green Institute’s work are tax deductible for Australian citizens. Support the Green Institute with a donation, or sign up to follow our work and find out how you can be involved.
Our team
Max Chandler-Mather
Executive director
As the former Greens MP for Griffith and party spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness, Max transformed housing politics in Australia through a national campaign to fight for renters, and secured billions in additional federal funding along the way for public housing. Prior to entering Federal Parliament, Max was the party strategist for the Queensland Greens from 2017-2022 during the party’s most successful period to date, spearheading the strategy that won Greens seats in Queensland Parliament for the first time, and a historic three federal lower house seats in 2022. Now Max brings his wealth of experience as a strategist and campaigner to the Green Institute, and the task of helping build the Greens movement across Australia.
Mel McAuliffe
Operations Director
James Cummins
Communications Director
Hannah Wright
Visual Director
Green Institute Board
Clint Uink, Ballardong country, WA (Co-chair).
Clint Uink is a Koreng Noongar man, unionist and campaigner residing on Ballardong country in Western Australia. Having worked for over a decade in land management and handing country back to First Nations people, Clint now works for Western Australia’s peak housing body Shelter WA running their Aboriginal Community Housing Organisation project. He has run as a Greens candidate for State and Federal Parliament, running the biggest field campaign ever for the seat of Swan, and has been involved in grassroots activism across the state for over a decade. He comes from a family of activists and unionists, with his aunties and uncles being involved in the land rights, cultural heritage and industrial action movements. Clint lives in the WA Wheatbelt on a small farm with his partner, growing vegetables, raising chooks and writing music when he isn’t campaigning.
Indra Esguerra, Canberra (Co-chair).
Indra has 3 decades of experience in campaigns, community organising and activism, starting with forest, uranium mine and anti-globalisation campaigning, then running a community radio station. Indra has run a small business and was an advisor and Chief of Staff to ACT Greens MLAs and ministers for 16 years.
Michael Honey, Launceston, (Treasurer).
Michael is the founder of Icelab, a digital design studio with a focus on cultural, literary and environmental projects. He has a background in interactive design, creative direction, and data visualisation, and has written and spoken on the future of work. Michael has degrees in philosophy and his political interests are focused around degrowth, energy, and climate change./
Nikil Paul, Brisbane (Secretary).
Nikil is a software engineer with experience in A/V and medical software, holding a Master’s in the fields of Electronics, Computers, and Energy. He has been active in environmental and political advocacy, previously leading the northern suburbs volunteer group for the Wilderness Society and working on Greens campaigns since 2023. A dedicated musician, he plays with Ambition Road & Friends and has led music clubs at both Griffith University and Delhi Technological University. As a migrant who has lived in India, Oman, and Australia, he is passionate about participatory decision-making and using technology to strengthen governance and democracy. In 2025, he is running as the Greens candidate for Petrie in the federal election.
Josh Andrews, Sydney.
Josh is an industrial relations professional, and a member of the Greens NSW. He specialises in casual worker entitlements, industrial relations in the tertiary education sector, and workplace health and safety, having worked as a union organiser, industrial officer, and senior workplace relations advisor. He has been an active member of the Greens NSW for 8 years, and has held multiple internal Convenor roles, including of the Hornsby Greens, the Greens NSW Industrial Relations Working Group, and the Greens NSW Standing Campaign Committee. His main political interest is in promoting workers’ rights, social justice, and environmentally sustainable public housing.
Dr Justin Bowra, Sydney.
Justin is a senior emergency physician based on Gadigal Country. He was brought up to believe it’s not just that one can, but that one should, make a difference. He is passionate about climate and social justice and believes that participating in a democracy is not a privilege, it’s a duty. A democracy is like a garden, it needs constant attention – and there are far too many weeds in our democracy right now. He is a member of Greens NSW, Doctors for the Environment, and a founding executive member of the Sustainable EM and Climate Action Network of the Australasian College for EM.
Kym Chapple, Sydney.
Kym is a lawyer, former deputy mayor of Randwick City Council and has worked in politics for 12 years including most recently as Chief of Staff to a Greens Senator. She has a background with the UN and in the public service in Australia in education, justice and environmental policy and qualifications in law, international relations and science.
Julie Lyford OAM, Gloucester NSW.
Julie is a former registered nurse, local councillor and mayor who founded Gloucester Sustainable Futures Convention and co-founded Gloucester Environment Group. She is currently chair of Groundswell Gloucester which was instrumental in halting AGL’s Gloucester coal seam gas project in 2016 and the Rocky Hill coal mine proposal in the Gloucester Basin in 2019.
Zaina Shahnawaz, Sydney.
Zaina is a barrister specialising in environmental criminal law. She holds a Masters of Environmental Law from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts / Law (Hons) from Sydney University. She has worked in legal policy and litigation for nearly 20 years. Zaina is interested in projects that play a role in promoting access to justice, and considers the role of organisations the Green Institute as foundational for securing a healthy democracy.
Founding director (retired)
Margaret Blakers OAM, Canberra. Experienced organiser, researcher and environmental activist. Margaret organised the first Atlas of Australian Birds, co-founded the Victorian Greens, organised the first Global Greens conference, and was formerly adviser to Senator Bob Brown. She was also formerly Convener of the Global Greens, the network of the world’s Green parties and political movements.
