Greens deny problem with Indigenous representation after senators leave

The Age

2 days ago

Greens Leader Larissa Waters has denied Senator Dorinda Cox's defection to Labor means the party has an issue with First Nations representation after fellow Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe quit in 2023.
Cox announced on Monday she had joined the Labor Party as it aligned better with her values, delivering another blow to the Greens as the party reels from the loss of three of its four lower house seats at the election.
Waters claimed on ABC News Breakfast she felt 'no animosity' towards Cox despite hearing of her defection just before it was publicly announced.
'Dorinda called me an hour before her press conference with the prime minister,' Waters said. 'And we had a very calm and measured conversation about it.'
She defended the Greens' representation of Indigenous Australians. 'We certainly have a bevvy of grassroots First Nations members of our party,' Waters said.
'We're really proud of that and our policies have been crafted by those folk and our broader membership and they're strong on truth telling and treaties and justice.'
Cox's departure means the federal Greens have no Indigenous Australian politicians in parliament.
After Bandt's loss of the leadership, Cox ran for deputy leader in May, but senator Mehreen Faruqi won the vote of 9 to 3. Cox was the first party member to leave the meeting, appearing to be consoled by a Greens staff member.