Drew Hutton says Greens have ‘lost their way’ after party votes to expel co-founder

Drew Hutton, who founded the Queensland Greens and has now been expelled from the party over comments made by others on a social media post he made about free speech and issues around gender and trans people. Photograph: Krystle Wright/The Guardian

The co-founder of the Australian Greens is considering both his legal and political options after being officially expelled from the party over what it considers his pursuit of debate harmful to trans people but that he frames as an issue of free speech.

The decision to terminate Drew Hutton’s life membership of the Greens was upheld by delegates of the state branches on Sunday, who voted to back the findings of the party’s Constitution and Arbitration Committee (CAC) and reject Hutton’s appeal.