The Activist Book Club is for Greens Party members and volunteers to learn more about activism, organising, and how to make political change.
Book is decided by attendees of the most recent meeting. Recommended books should be engaging, not too dense or long, and connected to progressive politics and organising. None of these books are an endorsement of our views.
Bring a Book!: Bring a book you're happy to loan out to someone over the summer, and we can come back in our January meeting and report back on our reads!
Have fun!: It's our last book club for the year, so bring a bottle of wine or some snacks and get ready to chill out with the crew!
November Book: Mean Streak by Rick Morton | Buy it here
About the book: Robodebt was a new debt-creation system that was used to illegally pursue close to half a million Australian welfare recipients for fake debts generated by the thousands. It was described by the Royal Commission's report as a 'massive failure of public administration' caused by 'venality, incompetence and cowardice'. Essentially, Australians were gaslit by their own government, which doggedly and knowingly concocted a program that was both mathematically wrong and illegal, just to shake down innocent people for money, then lied about it for four and a half years. Robodebt is a historic and appalling political tragedy, a scheme created deliberately and sustained by institutional cowardice, clearly displaying the systematic contempt that a government had for its own citizens.
Powerfully moving, deeply compelling and utterly enraging, Mean Streak reveals disturbing truths about the country we have become and the government that was. In the mode of a corporate thriller, this is a scouring cautionary tale of morality in public life gone badly awry - a story that is bigger than robodebt, and far from over.
Accessibility: There is one small step into the venue, and two ground floor bathrooms. Please flag any extra accessibility needs in your RSVP form
Public Transport: Route 11 & 86 Trams, and the 200 & 207 bus both drop very close to the venue.
In-person only: This is currently only an in-person event. If you'd like to participate in or facilitate an online version of the book club, please email jon.kowski@vic.greens.org.au
Join the discussion: On our WhatsApp chat here
Date & Time
Nov 30th, 2025 03:00 PM through toNov 30th, 2025 07:00 PM
Location
47 Greeves Street
FITZROY 3065