Greens Senator Dorinda Cox announces shocking defection to Labor |
Greens Senator Dorinda Cox shocked colleagues and added Anthony Albanese's figures in the federal parliament after rebelled against Labor.
Western Australia senator appeared in Perth with the Prime Minister on Monday, saying her views were closer to the workforce than the Greens.
Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman and former police officer, entered Parliament in 2021 in a leisure vacancy and was reelected in 2022. Her move means the Greens will have 10 senators and increase the total number of Labor in the House of Lords to 29.
Cox fought for deputy Greens leadership after the May 3 federal election, criticizing Labor and Environment Secretary Murray Watt a few days ago for approving Woodside’s expansion of Northwest Shelf Gas Project to 2070.
Leader Larissa Waters expressed disappointment when the Green Party quickly deleted her profile on the party’s official website on Monday night.
Cox said Monday that she was “very very, very grateful for the opportunity and I would like to thank the Labor Team for the welcome.”
“In deep thinking, my values represent Aboriginal women, as proud Western Australians, what I want to achieve in my political life and what you can’t do from the crossover is change,” she said.
“With a great team the Prime Minister has, you can make a difference, you can do something that will improve and represent the voices of Western Australia and Canberra, and that’s what they were elected to do.”
Albanis said Cox had a connection with the government to join the Labor Party, but “no demands” in exchange for defection. Labor's state executives approved the decision before it was made public.
The announcement comes a day before the federal cabinet met in Perth on Tuesday.
“She wants to be part of a government that can make a decision to make a difference, and to be part of a team that brings progress to this country,” Albanis said.
Last year, Albanese was asked in nine newspapers about reports that at least 20 employees have left the office since Cox entered the Senate to replace outgoing Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.
At the time, Cox said she was responsible for “any shortcomings” in the office and apologized for any trouble that could be caused.
He said Labour “checked everything that has been considered in the past” and people believed that “the problem was handled properly”.
Cox confirmed that she only sent a 90-minute notice to the water before announcing the move. Her Senate term lasted until the 2028 election.
Greens sources spoke on condition of anonymity that they were not surprised by Cox's resignation, but she was particularly shocked by her defection to labor. One source said they believe Cox may have been working to win the next election after losing some internal support within the party and she was disappointed that she did not win leadership in the Greens’ recent party room process.
Cox has released several news reports on Labor’s record on fossil fuels and Aboriginal issues in recent months, including a May 12 statement claiming that coal and gas companies “hold ransoms” and “do not commit to transitioning to renewable energy.”
She also claimed that “the Albanian Labour government dropped our people like hot potatoes after the voice referendum and abandoned the other two elements of the Uluru statement from his heart.”
“Dutton and Albany's main party leaders provide nothing but empty speech,” Cox said.
“When two of Australia’s most powerful people are able to stand on national television and lament that they are ‘heartbroken’ and ‘the failure of our political parties’, imagine the Aboriginals who are not able to make a difference to them.”
Cox named her Greens last week — along with Waters, Sarah Hanson-Young and Peter Whish-Wilson, claiming “the first test at work failed his first test after approval of the expansion of the Northwest Western shelf-style gas to a 2070 climate.”
Waters said Cox’s defection was wrong, citing the decision of the Northwest Shelf and damage to the Indigenous heritage. She said the Green Party will continue to work to promote Indigenous rights.
“Senator Cox will achieve a chance of change by continuing the only balance of power with the green green,” Waters said.