Darleen Tana: Former Green MP on their decision to remain in Parliament, the situation with the migrant workers

Darleen Tana has made their choice to remain in Parliament. 

They have declined the Green Party’s request to resign, leaving the Party to deliberate over whether or not to enact the waka jumping legislation. 

Tana revealed to Mike Hosking that they’re surprised the report into the allegations of migrant exploitation in their husband’s business hasn’t already been leaked. 

They said that it’s very clear that they don’t recognize the findings of the report, and while others can read it and come to a conclusion, it doesn’t necessarily represent what actually happened.  

Tana told Mike Hosking that direct evidence was not taken into account in the full investigation, saying that they’ve heard the words “witch hunt” be used in relation to the situation.  

They said that it’s very clear upon looking back on how everything happened that the decision to get them to resign was premeditated. 

Tana says their husband's staff shouldn't have gone public with their allegations of exploitation. 

The now independent MP told Hosking the workers should be leaving it up to the Employment Relations Authority to resolve the dispute. 

Tana says the authority is the appropriate place to deal with that, rather than going public to the media because the owner of the business is married to an MP. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right. Perhaps not surprisingly, the agonizingly lengthy and fantastically tedious
Green's approach to Darlinge Tanner has reached another turning point.
She has officially declined their request to quit, and so
the party will now presumably enact the Wacker jumping law
and boot her out and Darling Tana as well as
very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning to you to Kilda.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Should the report be released in full? Do you think?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Because I resign myself to make you surprised that it
hasn't been leaked already, to be honest with you, but.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Should it be released in full so we can all
read it and all make up our minds once.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
And for all. Look, I think it's very clear for
me that I have I do not recognize the findings
of the report.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
I'm not asking it that, I'm just saying, should it
be released in full so we can all work out
for ourselves whether you're a good or not.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
You can read it and then you'll make a conclusion
that it doesn't necessarily represent what actually happened. Direct evidence
was not taken into account and investigation.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
So that was a stitch up, you think.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Look, I've heard the words which Hunt absolutely right.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
So a stitch up. So they played a lawyer God
knows how many tens of thousands of dollars to stitch
you up.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Look the whole process. For me, it's very clear when
I look back on how everything happened. The decision to
get me to resign was premidicated from the get go.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Why because they don't like you.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
I became uncomfortable, Because no, they had to become really uncomfortable.
I mean, we're on the back of how many very
very difficult situations with MPs in Parliament, and so you know,
you take a decision. You just want to be able
to get onto the job. And I just became a

(01:47):
fool on this side. And it was just easier and nice,
just so much easier if I would have moved on.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Do you think that if I read the report in total,
I would come to the conclusion that you abused in
some way migrants.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
No, the finding doesn't find any conclusion of migrant exploitation
at all. The investigation was into how much did I know?
Was I likely to have known that whatever it was
that my husband was up doing this business, And effectively
that's what the report found that I was more than
likely to have known on the basis that I'm married

(02:23):
to the guy and.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Other migrants liars.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
I would never suggest that.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Are they people who don't tell the truth in the
most fulsome of nature.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Listen, I don't even know the guys so well. Even
if I did, I would never accuse somebody of that
that is, that is not appropriate to do that at all.
They're quite within their rights. If they have concerns within
their employers, they're quite within their rights to raise those concerns.
And if they don't reach restitution, you know, directly with

(02:57):
their employer to go through the ERO process and that
that's what they've done. That is what is ongoing, and
it's the process to deal with that. It's not pulling
it into the media just because you know the owner
of the business is married to an MP.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
The Green for Darlene who came up with that, that's
quite clever.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
That was part of our Campaignting party Green darn yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
So as you sit here, as you sit here, you're
not representing anybody anymore and nobody voted you into Parliament
and so is there anything within that that sits uncomfortably
with you that you think maybe I should do the
right thing and just nap off.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
My decision to stay was extremely considered and taking into
account exactly you know, that was one of the key
points about mandate do I have that you don't and
had I not been inundated with you know, demands to stay, because.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
That's what we call in the industry and what we
call the industry, that's grand another research. See lots of
people every day tell me I'm wonderful. It doesn't necessarily
mean it's true. Oh look as nice as.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
The opposite as well. But when you when when the
messages are coming in threat one over the over, the
get lost, you have to sit back and you have
to think about.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
That, well do you Because I'm.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Always going to take I'm also always going to take
my cues from the environment. I'm going to go out
there and see what's going on. Just tune and that
is that is the MARII and me, and that's who
I listened to for much of the time.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
Okay, but that's what we call.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
It needs to be done, and the Greens drop the
ball on the.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
I'll give you that part. I'll give you that part.
Hope to obsessed about Philestine and they need to be
obsessed about the environment.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
But that connect it. It's all connect this. But somebody's
got to do that work, Mike fair enough to and
so it'll be so much easier for me to go
off the slope off and just think under the water.
But I'm I need to be in that place to move.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
But but you're not allowed to be in because let
me just come back and I'm allowed.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
I'm absolutely allowed to speak.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Is this how it works?

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like, how do you mean?

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Well, the reason is that messages don't get you elected.
Votes get you elected. You weren't elected, and that's the problem.
So having messages to say I've got a lot of
people ringing me saying what a cool person I am,
please stay is not the democratic process we operate in
this country. Therefore you you don't have a mandate. Therefore
we shouldn't be in the parliament.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Okay, I'm not going down at reductionist route at all.
I'm looking. I'm looking really at the coopap. I was elected.
People elected most of the Green Party MPs on the
basis of the policies and the values of their party.
And I still hold very much to those values and
to those policies. Okay, what are you doing here, I'm

(05:52):
doing the same thing. I'm voting in the same direction
as the guys. I'm talking on the issues that I
went into Parliament on.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
What do you reckon they're going to do now, the
Green Party? Will they enact the walker jumping legislation? What's
your hunch?

Speaker 2 (06:07):
You know? My hunch is just to leave it for
them at the board?

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah, I know, But what do you reckon? You know that,
what do you reckon?

Speaker 2 (06:12):
They'll they have not been the one in the control
of the sole process.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
I think. But what do you think? You know them?
What do you reckon they'll do? Do you reckon They'll blink?
Or do you reckon They'll try and get you out
of there?

Speaker 2 (06:23):
I reckon they're thinking about it.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Well, I know that, But but do you do if
I let's have a bet, do you deliver a dollar
dollar bet? I'll get a ten dollar bet to the
environmental cause of your choice? Do you think they will
try and enact the walker.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
Jumping only ten dollars.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Dollars to the environmental.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
Look, I've got to be straight up with you. I
probably don't even have ten dollars to run together. But
it's a matter of principle and I've taken a principal
decision to stand inside when I saw the party values
flown out the window and how I was handled, and
and and everything. I just said, Okay, I've been nuts
as a leader in that party myself to understand how

(07:05):
those values should do. So when I don't see it
acting out in prison, I'm going to take that principal
decision and to the side the agage from their own
values and principles as they will.

Speaker 1 (07:16):
But your sense of it, Darling, is what do you
think they will do? Do you think they'll pull the
trigger or do you think you actually will win? They
will blink and nothing will happen.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
We'll see. I'm serious. I'm sorry, Mike.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
I don't apologize.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
I'm serious. It's about Mama and Tapoo for me, non negostbles.
It's up to them. They'll decide what's right for them. Okay,
sorry for me for my final and we're moving ahead.

Speaker 1 (07:49):
Okay, good to talk to you, Darling Tana. For more
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