Oh, you're an embarrassment, I wish you were Kiwi Pete instead. You're one of those rednecks, who I bet voted Apauline Hanson back into the Senate. Glad you said "socialist greenies" - your kind usually say "Commos" instead.
Well, here's a definition your teachers should have told you:
mate 1 (māt)
n.
1. One of a matched pair: the mate to this glove.
2. A spouse or romantic partner.
3.
a. Either of a pair of birds or other animals that associate in order to propagate.
b. Either of a pair of animals brought together for breeding.
c. Either of a pair of plants, fungi, or other organisms that engage in sexual reproduction or conjugation with each other.
4.
a. A person with whom one is in close association; an associate.
b. Chiefly British A good friend or companion.
c. A person with whom one shares living quarters. Often used in combination: advertised for a new flatmate.
5. A deck officer on a merchant ship ranking next below the master.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/mate
There you go, even far more tolerant Aussie men than you, don't like to be told THAT meaning...that mate means more than just good friends. It was not unusual in the old Colonial days, when there was a shortage of women here, especially for the male convicts. Enjoy...