Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Dorinda Cox should resign after Labor defection
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has suggested that former colleague Dorinda Cox should resign, following her shock defection the Labor Party.
Ms Cox said she chose to quit the minor party to join the Albanese government after some 'deep reflection' about her personal values.
However, Ms Hanson-Young has criticised the move, and Labor's embrace of it, saying the defection disrespects the voters who elected her as a Greens representative.
'I always think that it's not fair to the voters and indeed any of the parties involved that if somebody is elected to one party and then jumps ship later on,' she told reporters.
'I do think the honourable thing is to resign from the parliament, but that's not the rules, and so we're left where we are.'
The comments follow a spate of criticism surrounding Ms Cox's abrupt resignation.
Ms Cox only announced she would leave the party after she lost a deputy leadership ballot 9–3 to Senator Mehreen Faruqi.
She then claimed 'deep reflection' had led her to realise her values were more closely aligned with Labor's.
But her sudden transformation has met skepticism and accusations of political opportunism, particularly given her scathing past criticisms of the Labor Party.
In 2020, Ms Cox said she left Labor because it was 'patronising to women and people of colour' and accused the party of caring more about donors than members.
More recently, she accused Labor of having 'spectacularly failed' the public through its support for the North West Shelf gas project.
Also resurfacing was her support for the controversial slogan 'from the river to the sea' - a phrase Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly condemned.
Adding to the controversy was another leaked 2023 text message in which Ms Cox referred to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson as a 'f---ing retard'.
Labor's apparent willingness to accept Ms Cox, despite these incidents, has drawn comparisons to Mr Albanese's prior treatment of former Labor senator Fatima Payman.
Ms Payman was hounded by Mr Albanese after she quit the Labor Party last year to form her own party, Australia's Voice.
'There is a bit of hypocrisy, of course, about how Labor has responded to this,' Ms Hanson-Young said.
'It wasn't okay to jump ship for Fatima Payman, but apparently when it's people coming to them, it's all okay.'
Ms Payman herself chimed in on Tuesday, saying she was surprised Ms Cox had not suffered 'the smear campaign' that she endured after her exit from Labor.
Meanwhile, internal alleged complaints of staff bullying continue to hang over Ms Cox's legacy in the Greens.
More than 20 staff reportedly quit her office, prompting an internal investigation—but the probe was abandoned following her defection.
'There has been a process, and an internal process is hard to run if somebody's gone to another party,' Ms Hanson-Young said.
Former Labor minister Stephen Conroy added to criticism, calling for Ms Cox to 'resign from the Senate' and seek Labor preselection through the proper channels.
'She shouldn't steal something from the Greens; she should resign and ensure that it's passed back to the Greens,' Mr Conroy told Sky News.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Albanese to focus on health, childcare in second term
Prime Minister outlines priorities for coming years Los Angeles police probe rubber bullet fired at Australian journalist Italy defeat Moldova in race to 2026 World Cup In this bulletin, Prime Minister says affordable healthcare is among the top priorities in his second term, Los Angeles Police Department investigates how an Australian journalist was shot by a rubber bullet, And in football, Italy beat Moldovo as they fight for a place in the World Cup for the first time in a decade. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says expansion of Medicare urgent-care clinics, cheaper childcare, and affordable housing, are among key priorities for Labor's second term. Speaking at the National Press Club, Mr Albanese says the government is focused on its commitments to stronger healthcare, better education, and help with the cost of living. In the Prime Minister's first major address since his election win in May, he says his government is dedicated to implementing lasting and meaningful change. He says delivering on his election promise to improving access to free, urgent medical care is high on the agenda when Parliament resumes in July. "I want to start opening the 50 new Medicare urgent care clinics we promised this year, and we want them all open by the middle of next year. Combined with the 87 we have already opened; this will mean four out of every five Australians will live within 20 minutes of a clinic." Mr Albanese has also announced a new productivity round table, to help lift Australia's lagging productivity. The Prime Minister told the National Press Club business and non-government organisation leaders will be among those invited to attend the planned summit, alongside industry and union representatives. The event is a response to concern from industry experts about Australia's lagging rate of productivity, which is considered a key economic measure of efficiency and improved standards of living. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young welcomes the summit but supporting more women to participate in the workforce should be a top priority. "Well one of the first and best things the Prime minister could do to boost productivity is to help more women participate in the workforce, and that would be by making childcare genuinely free, so that mums and dads can participate in the workforce and know that their children will be cared for by good quality educators in an affordable manner." The Prime Minister has confirmed he has raised the issue of an Australian journalist being shot by a rubber bullet, with the United States. Channel 9 reporter, Lauren Tomasi was covering protests in Los Angeles, when a U-S police officer appeared to aim directly at her, before firing into her leg. Anthony Albanese says he called the journalist and said the incident was unacceptable, but he would not give details whether he would raise the case in talks with U-S President Donald Trump next week. Footage of the shot has made headlines around the world, with an investigation now underway by the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD Chief, Jim McDonnell, says the case is troubling. "I know the situation you're referring to with the member of the media. We saw that we're very concerned about that and we're looking into that." The White House has now deployed the Marines to escalating protests in L-A, which began as a response to raids by immigration officers and escalated after military troops were called to respond. The New South Wales Premier says if major changes aren't made to the state's workers' compensation scheme, it will not exist in five to 10 years. The Premier is proposing to limit insurance protections for workers with psychological injuries. In recent years, growing numbers of mental health claims, which have longer recovery times than physical injuries, have placed the New South Wales scheme under pressure. Mr Minns' bill has been delayed and referred to a second parliament inquiry. "Ultimately, if you're prepared to put enormous amounts of public money into the subsidy, it can continue, but the point the treasurer has made is that it's not sustainable. And that's the point we've made in relation to workers comp, yes we can keep putting in public money, but it will come at the expense of new schools, new hospitals, new public transport routes, ad also, crucially, an increase in pay for public sector workers in New South Wales." The EU Commission has announced a 1.5 billion-dollar plan to protect oceans and support coastal communities and fisheries. The pact follows the release of figures from nonprofit Marine Conservation Institute that says less than three percent of the ocean is effectively protected from destructive commercial activities. That's far below the target agreed under the COP28 Global Biodiversity Framework pledge to conserve 30 percent of land and sea by 2030. Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen has laid out some of the key elements of the 27 nation bloc's new Ocean Pact at a gathering in the southern French city of Nice. She says the agreement aims to reduce plastic pollution, restore maritime ecosystems, and fight against illegal fishing. "We will strive to cut plastic and nutrient pollution by half, within five years. This can be reached. We should make this effort, my friends." And in football, Italy have beaten Moldova 2-0 as the embattled Azzurri attempt to reach the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014. Ahead of Monday night's game in Reggio Emilia, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti received news he would be losing his job after the team's 3-0 loss in Norway last week. After a disappointing start to their campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, goals by Giacomo Raspadiro and Andrea Cambiaso meant Spalletti at least departed with a victory. But Azzurri remain in a precarious position in Group I, with Norway beating Estonia 1-0 — thanks to Erling Haaland's 62nd-minute goal.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly plots council revolt over Fire Services Levy, accuses Vic Premier of getting councils to ‘do her dirty work'
A local mayor from Melbourne's inner city is plotting a council revolt against the Allan government's controversial Emergency Services Levy. The new levy has sparked outrage in regional communities, with critics claiming it will see some property owners pay 150 per cent more than under the previous fire services levy. Property owners across the states will have to pay the levy through local council rates, and many regional councils are reluctant to collect the tax, worrying residents will simply refuse to pay. They have been joined by Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly, who is backing a motion for his inner city council to stand up to the state government. The motion, to be debated next week, seeks legal advice about whether the council can refuse to collect the tax or mount a legal challenge against it. It also calls for Yarra Council – which covers the inner city suburbs such as Richmond, Collingwood, and Fitzroy - to 'build a mass alliance' against the levy. 'We're trying to get a bit of a bandwagon here, so that the council to actually say to the government, no, we're not going to collect it,' Mr Jolly told 3AW on Tuesday, adding that he had recently spoken to the mayor of Hobsons Bay. "Because… somebody needs to stand up to this Premier, and if it has to be me, well, we'll do it.' The City of Yarra Mayor hit out at Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan over the levy, accusing the Labor leader of attempting to get local councils to 'do her dirty work for her'. 'I think this fire service levy is an absolute disgrace, but have some balls. If you're going to bring it in, collect it yourself,' he said. Mr Jolly was previously elected as a Socialist Party councillor and ran as the Victorian Socialists' lead candidate in the 2018 state election. However in 2024 the long-time Yarra councillor ran with a group of independents called 'Yarra for all' and has repeatedly taken aim at the woke policies of the previously Greens-dominated council. Speaking to 3AW's Russell Howcroft and Ross Stevenson, Mayor Jolly said the new Emergency Services Levy would undo the work the current Yarra Council had done to reduce the cost of living for ratepayers. 'We've done all this great work in the last six months cleaning up from the greens, fixing up the council area, fixing up the budget, and having a rate bill that people can afford to pay, and they're messing up this work because we've now got to add to our rate bill the fire services levy fund,' he said. 'It's nothing to do with us. We're collecting it for them, and if we don't collect it, they're telling us that we have to pay them anyway. 'Your average person on the street is going to pick that up and go, 'Oh, that Stephen Jolly is full of nonsense. He's on 3AW banging on about how they turned the ship around, and here we have a rate spill bigger than we've ever received. 'And they're not going to read the small print that it's not us that's collecting it, it's for Jacinta.' Mr Jolly added that combined with the government's other reforms, the Emergency Services Levy raised questions about what the Victorian Labor Party thought councils were for. 'They're making us collect their unpopular taxes. They're telling developers they don't have to pay developer contribution if the building build to rent,' he said. 'So what's the bloody point of councils at all? I mean, be done with it. Just cancel it if that's what you think.' The Allan government has defended its new Emergency Services Levy by pointing out that all funds raised will be used to pay for the state's emergency services. And on Monday, a government spokesperson told the Herald Sun that local councils had for years been collecting the previous fire services levy, which was introduced by the former Liberal government.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Tasmania likely to get another state election as Jeremy Rockliff heads to see governor
The Tasmanian government has passed an emergency budget supply bill to keep the public service funded, clearing the way for the premier to visit the governor this afternoon and call for an early election. The ABC understands a mistake in the emergency budget supply bill, which needs to pass both houses of parliament in order to keep the public service funded, had to be fixed because of a typo before it could be considered by the upper house. Last week Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in the lower house, 18 votes to 17. Labor Opposition Leader Dean Winter cited growing state debt in the yet-to-be-passed state budget, plans to sell off state assets and the bungled rollout of the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries as the reasons for the motion. The government has since ruled out the sale of state assets. Convention dictates that after losing a vote of no-confidence, the premier should resign. Mr Rockliff has instead pushed for an early election. His position was backed by his Liberal colleagues, who have not mounted a leadership challenge. The governor has options other than granting an early election, including asking another Liberal MP to try to form a minority government, or asking Labor — with just 10 seats — to try to govern in minority. Mr Winter has ruled out forming a minority government that requires the support of the Greens, despite the minor party pledging confidence and supply to Labor. Premier Jeremy Rockliff will meet Her Excellency Barbara Baker, Governor of Tasmania, to seek an election. But can she say, 'no'? There's only two scenarios where that could have happened. The first is if the Liberals replaced Mr Rockliff with a new leader, who could then be asked to test their support on the floor of the house. That didn't happen, so that's ruled out. The second is if Labor leader Dean Winter had made efforts to cobble together his own minority government, using the Greens and crossbench. He made no such moves, so that is also ruled out — the governor won't make that request of him. It leaves an election as the only option.
