Greens senator's bombshell defection
Western Australian Greens senator Dorinda Cox has made a bombshell defection to the Labor Party, revealing the surprise news in a joint press conference alongside Anthony Albanese.
Greens Leader Larissa Waters was told just an hour-and-a-half before Senator Cox and the Prime Minister stood uptogether in Perth on Monday afternoon.
The Prime Minister said he was approached by Senator Cox, who was previously a Labor Party member, to represent Labor in the Senate and confirmed he had not spoken to Greens Leader Larissa Waters.
'She had come to a view that the difference that she wanted to make in the Senate and as a West Australian, were better served by being a member of the Labor Party,' he said.
'Senator Cox didn't ask for anything, just asked for this to be considered.
'The National Executive Committee of the Labor Party met yesterday afternoon, and Senator Cox will be admitted to the Labor Party as a member tomorrow to the Western Australian branch.'
Senator Cox said she was driven to Labor in order to 'make change'.
'What you can't do from the crossbench is make change and being in the government and alongside the wonderful team that the Prime Minister has,' she said.
Her defection will lower the minor party's Senate representation to 10 members.
More to come
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