It’s almost two weeks since Senator Lee Rhiannon has been excluded from party room discussions and decisions on contentious legislation.
Ms Rhiannon tells SBS Tamil that she is not a quitter. “Well, I certainly don’t pack up while I have a job to do and I will continue to do that," she says.
"I am committed to working with my colleagues on the range of critical issues that face the country and indeed the world.
"Like the inequality is growing the threat from climate change is sadly becoming more real and needs urgent attention.
"Job growth, fair housing for people – there are so many issues that we need to be united on and that is what I will continue to do."
"The support inside the party and outside the party is enormous."
Ms Rhiannon also categorically denies the option of leaving the party and working as an independent senator.
“This weekend at our State Conference, a proposal – a motion was passed that supported my position and also requests that I am reinstated fully to the Federal Party Room," she says.
"So, the support inside the party and outside the party is enormous.
"I will continue my job as a Greens MP and work with my colleagues in a collaborative constructive way."
Other Greens senators have accused Senator Rhiannon of undermining the work of the federal Greens party, during their negotiations with the Coalition government.
Speaking to SBS Tamil, Ms Rhiannon says that after an outstanding innovative campaign undertaken by people from all walks of life committed to public education, the Greens went to the polls in 2016 very strongly supporting the full Gonski reform.
Gonski funding is designed to ensure all children are educated in properly resourced schools. This needs-based funding model started in 2014, after the independent Gonski Review warned that too many children were missing out due to a lack of resources.
"As might with families and political parties there is often differences of opinions."
The Commonwealth funding for schools is set to grow from $17.5 billion in 2017 to $30.6 billion by 2027, but the Federal Government's proposed needs-based system will benefit some schools more than others.
The proposal gained the support of some Labor party members as well, including the NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes, who had said that he is happy with the Commonwealth's embrace of needs-based funding.
However, the New South Wales branch of the Greens party and Senator Rhiannon decided to vote and campaign against the Federal Government's Gonski 2.0 schools funding proposal, while her colleagues were still negotiating with the Coalition, trying to reach concessions on the package in exchange for the Greens support.
"I certainly didn’t go against Greens’ policy at all all stages."
"I was very consistent with the Greens principles, policy, processes and worked with many of our members to highlight that a school funding bill that the Liberal-National party government were putting through the Federal Parliament needed to bring greater funding to our Public Schools and not just favour the private schools," says Ms Rhiannon.
“I certainly didn’t go against Greens’ policy at all all stages.
"Now, with regards to what Prime Minister Turnbull and the Education Minister Simon Birmingham said, it was often quite deceptive.
"They made out they were doing the right thing for Public Schools but in fact that was not the case.
"What we ended up with, the bill that went through the Parliament is not a ‘needs-based’ funding system, but very much favoured Private Schools and that is why we couldn’t support it.”
When Ms Rhiannon was suspended from the party room, senior members of the party had said Senator Rhiannon was undermining their work. At that time, Senator Rhiannon had argued that she was feeling "bullied and harassed" by anonymous sources.
As to whether the dispute within the party was still on, Ms Rhiannon tells SBS Tamil, “Well, as might with families and political parties there is often differences of opinions."
"But, it’s certainly my endeavour and I believe by far the majority of our members and MPs is to work constructively together and that is what I will continue to do.”
Listen to Senator Lee Rhiannon's full interview (in English) with SBS Tamil in the player above. Listen to the Tamil-language version below:
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