Green Bans are strikes designed to protect the environment or key parts of a local community. They were mainly done in Australia in the 1970s, led by the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) and used to protect parkland, low-income housing and buildings with historical significance. The Green Bans have served as one of the main historical inspirations for Green Syndicalism.
Philosophy
Jack Mundey, a leading Green Ban organiser, summarised the philosophy of the Green Bans as such:
"Yes, we want to build. However, we prefer to build urgently-required hospitals, schools, other public utilities, high-quality flats, units and houses, provided they are designed with adequate concern for the environment, than to build ugly unimaginative architecturally-bankrupt blocks of concrete and glass offices... Though we want all our members employed, we will not just become robots directed by developer-builders who value the dollar at the expense of the environment. More and more, we are going to determine which buildings we will build... The environmental interests of three million people are at stake and cannot be left to developers and building employers whose main concern is making profit. Progressive unions, like ours, therefore have a very useful social role to play in the citizens' interest, and we intend to play it."
Notable green bans
Adelaide
- Highbury Park
- Norwood Velodrome
- Unley Road Shops
Brisbane
- Bellevue Hotel
- Queensland Club
- The Mansions
Canberra
- Black Mountain Tower
- Googong Dam
- Reid House
Melbourne
- 61 Spring Street/7 Collins Street
- Arthurs Seat
- ANZ Banking Museum
- Blanche Terrace
- Beaurepaire Pool
- Carlton
- CBA Bank Building/333 Collins Street
- City Baths
- Emerald Hill
- Flinders Street Station
- Gordon House
- Hardy-Gallagher Reserve
- Hotel Windsor
- Mac's Hotel
- Mordialloc Coles
- Newport Power Station
- Old Treasury Building
- Parkville
- Princess Theatre
- Queen Victoria Market
- Regent Theatre
- Royal Botanical Gardens
- Royal Parade
- St Patrick's Cathedral
- Tasma Terrace
Newcastle
- East End
- Newcastle Motorway
Perth
- Fremantle
- Palace Hotel
- Victoria Hall
Sydney
- ANZ Branch Martin Place
- Balmain
- Botany
- Burwood
- Centennial Park
- Centennial Parklands
- Colonial Mutual Building
- C.M.L. Building – Martin Place
- Darlinghurst
- Diethnes Greek Restaurant
- Eastern Freeway
- Eastern Hill
- Eastlakes
- Glebe
- Kellys Bush
- Kings Cross
- Lyndhurst
- Macquarie University
- Mascot
- Merrylands
- Mount Druitt
- National Mutual Building - Martin Place
- Newcastle Hotel
- New Doctors Dwellings
- North Newtown Education Complex
- North Western Expressway
- Pitt Street Uniting Church
- Pyrmont
- Redfern Aboriginal Centre
- Regent Theatre
- Rileys Island
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Royal Botanic Gardens
- Ryde
- Soldiers Garden Village
- South Sydney
- St George Area
- St. John’s Park
- Sydney University
- Theatre Royal
- The Rocks
- Ultimo
- Victoria Street
- Waimea House
- Waterloo
- Woolloomooloo
Woolongong
- Port Kembla
- East Woonona
Other cities
- Battery Point, Hobart
- Dr. Busby’s Cottage, Bathurst
- Port Macquarie
- Yallourn
Results
Green Bans saved many vital urban and green spaces and over 100 buildings were considered by the National Trust to be worthy of preservation. The bans led to new historical buildings and environmental legislations in the 1970s across several states and the Australian government. They also contributed the introduction of 'Green' as a political word after inspiring Petra Kelly.[1]