Latest news with #YamatjiNoongar
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Black cladding': Lidia Thorpe erupts over Dorinda Cox's defection to Labor
Ex-Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has slammed the defection of Senator Dorinda Cox to the Labor Party as 'black cladding' to promote the illusion that the ALP cares. The controversial term has been compared to 'corporate blackface', with the concept describing companies that have little to no diversity in their leadership or ownership ranks, but trade off African American culture or the reputation of a few. For example, the term has been used to describe the world's biggest brands frequently using African American athletes in their campaigns, despite the fact diversity at the executive and board level remains woeful. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the shock move of Senator Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman, on Monday, revealing she had 'sat down and thought a lot about this, and her values are more aligned with Labor than the Greens'. But now the last woman to defect from the Greens has weighed in on the big move and she's not impressed. 'It's disappointing to see Senator Cox move from the left to the right by joining the Labor Party,'' Senator Thorpe told 'We know that once you join Labor, you're shut down. 'You're not allowed to cross the floor. You're not allowed to speak freely. You're expected to fall in line. 'If changing Labor from within was possible, Senator Fatima Payman wouldn't have been forced to leave the party over Labor's support for the genocide in Palestine. 'Backbenchers in the Labor Party have no real power to drive change. They must vote with the party, even when it goes against their own conscience or community. 'Labor already has several First Nations MPs. Labor already knows what needs to be done to deliver justice. Yet still, the party continues to fail our people. Adding another black face won't change that. 'This looks like more black cladding from a party that wants to appear committed to justice for our people without doing the work.' Greens leader Larissa Waters has told that she was 'not entirely surprised' by the shock defection. 'Dorinda called me about an hour or so before she stood up at the PM so that was when I knew,'' she told 'I wasn't entirely surprised. It still came as a shock, if that makes sense, 'I mean, she said that her values lie more with the Labor Party. And that's, that's, you know, I think she's spoken truthfully there, right? 'I mean, there's been, there's been some fractiousness over the years. I won't speculate on her motives. I'm prepared to accept the explanation she gave, which was that it was better values-aligned.' Senator Thorpe suggested that Senator Cox would have less power, not more, by joining Labor. 'The idea that Labor can be changed from within — especially as a backbencher — is, to me, a hopeless ambition. I wish Senator Cox luck, but I won't be holding my breath,'' Senator Thorpe said. 'Labor has become a centre-right party. That means I remain the only First Nations federal politician who isn't sitting on the right side of politics. I'll keep using my voice to fight for justice, truth, and Sovereignty — without fear or compromise. 'It's also deeply disappointing that the Greens now have no First Nations representation in the federal parliament. I urge the Greens to listen to grassroots First Nations voices, and their members in the Blak Greens, and rebuild trust with our communities. he Prime Minister said this week he was approached by Senator Cox, who was previously a Labor Party member, to represent Labor in the Senate. 'She had come to a view that the differences 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,'' he said. Her defection will lower the minor party's Senate representation to 10 members, but increase the government's numbers to 29. 'We know that the Greens have lost their way,' Mr Albanese told the ABC. 'That's one of the reasons why they lost three of their four seats in the House of Representatives, and the domination of issues that certainly aren't environmental have been their concerns. 'I think having to sit in the Senate while the Greens blocked funding for public housing would grade against anyone who regards themselves as progressive.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
How the Greens' Dorinda Cox was slammed as a 'bully rat' for defecting to Anthony Albanese's Labor - but her past is coming back to haunt her
She's the Greens senator who defected to Labor in a move that sent a jolt through Canberra and now Dorinda Cox's past attacks on the ALP have come back to haunt her. Cox surprised the minor party, which holds the balance of power in the Senate, by announcing on Monday that she was jumping ship to Labor - revealing that she approached the PM to join the party in the wake of its landslide election win. Cox had only recently missed out on a leadership role in the Greens and was at the centre of controversy in her party over allegations surrounding her treatment of her staff. At one point, she was so divisive in the Greens that she was labelled a 'bully rat' by some fellow members. And now her past comments about Labor have come back to haunt her, with Cox - who is Indigenous - having previously slammed the ALP as having 'dropped our people like a hot potato after the Voice referendum', and described Labor as a 'puppet' of the fossil fuel industry and liars. Senator Cox only informed party leader Larissa Waters of her decision about an hour prior to the announcement. The Yamatji-Noongar woman was elected to the upper house in 2021 to fill a Greens vacancy and had been the party's Indigenous affairs spokesperson. Despite having last year suggested the Albanese government was 'not interested' in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, Cox said she felt her values and priorities were better aligned with Labor than the Greens. 'I've worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled, but recently, I've lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this,' she told reporters. 'I feel reassured with my experience, my skills and my knowledge, I can continue to collaborate and build on the existing relationships with an already amazing team of Labor MPs across the country.' Waters said the party was disappointed but wished Cox well. 'Senator Cox has said that her values align with the Labor party. This is the same Labor party who this week approved the climate wrecking North West Shelf gas project, which UNESCO advises will destroy significant First Nations heritage and ancient rock art,' she said in a statement. 'Senator Cox would have had more chance of effecting change by continuing to work with the Greens in the sole balance of power.' Cox, who was a member of the Labor Party before joining the Greens, will be formally admitted into Labor on Tuesday. She was not required to run in this year's federal election as she was elected for a six-year term in 2022. Mr Albanese said Cox, the first Indigenous woman to represent WA in the upper house, had approached him about the switch and would be a welcome addition to the government benches. 'She wants to be part of a team that's delivering progress for this country by being a part of a government that can make decisions, to make a difference,' he said. 'Dorinda Cox is someone who's a former police officer. She's someone who has a lot to offer in terms of policy development.' Cox was accused of bullying Greens staffers in 2024, with as many as 20 employees leaving in three years and complaints made to parliament's workplace support service. The allegations surrounding Ms Cox, a former WA Police officer, were aired by the Sydney Morning Herald in October 2024. In one complaint sent to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS) in 2021, a former staffer claimed to have witnessed 'disturbing behaviour' from Ms Cox towards colleagues. 'These experiences made me concerned for my safety and for the safety of others in the office,' the staffer told the publication. 'I spent much of the time feeling like I was walking on eggshells just waiting for Dorinda to explode at me.' A draft complaint by another staffer, which was not formally lodged, claimed Ms Cox would apologise for her actions 'but the behaviour would continue'. Some of Dorinda Cox's past attacks on Labor... 'Often times becoming aggressive, persistently negative and sometimes vicious which ultimately resulted in my mental health declining to the point of having daily panic attacks, thoughts of suicide and an almost complete loss of self-esteem in my professional ability,' the former staffer wrote in the draft complaint. 'I felt at the time that if I didn't resign from my position that my mental health would deteriorate to such a state to require medical intervention in a hospital setting, something I articulated to the chief of staff in Adam Bandt's office.' It's understood four formal complaints were submitted to the PWSS and five referred to the office of Greens leader Adam Bandt. Mr Albanese said the allegations had been examined and dealt with. 'They were all dealt with in Senator Cox's case and dealt with appropriately,' he said. Cox said improvements for Indigenous people would be more achievable within the government than from the crossbench. 'I made that (decision) based on some deep reflection,' she said. 'It was one that I considered both at a professional level, but also at a personal level. So this wasn't a decision that I did on the hop or based on emotion.' Cox last week spoke out against the Albanese government's decision to allow fossil fuel giant Woodside to continue operating its North West Shelf gas project until 2070. Although her X page has been made private, several of her posts criticising Labor have resurfaced. 'Labor and the Coalition have shamefully declared their intention to pass the Sea Dumping Amendment Bill,' she wrote in one. 'Make no mistake, this will show Labor and the Coalition are puppets for the fossil fuel industry and enablers of continuing state capture and climate destruction.' In another post, Cox wrote: 'This Labor government needs to get serious. 'Stop lying and stop the 114 coal and gas projects in the pipeline. 'It's time to put your money where your mouth is.' Pressed on her previous opposition to the North West Shelf project, Cox said she did not want to comment on the issue as the extension was still being provisionally approved. Cox last year accused the Albanese government of being complicit in 'war crimes' carried out by Israel in Gaza. Labor still requires the support of either the Greens or the coalition to pass legislation despite gaining a 29th senator.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Greens senator Dorinda Cox announces shock defection to Labor party
Greens senator Dorinda Cox has defected to the Labor party, in a move which shocked colleagues and boosts Anthony Albanese's numbers in federal parliament. The Western Australian senator appeared alongside the prime minister in Perth on Monday night, saying her views were more closely aligned with Labor than the Greens. Cox is a Yamatji-Noongar woman and former police officer who entered parliament in 2021 in a casual vacancy and was reelected in 2022. Her move means the Greens will have 10 senators, and brings Labor's total numbers in the upper house to 29. Cox ran unsuccessfully for the Greens deputy leadership in the wake of the 3 May federal election and just days ago criticised Labor environment minister, Murray Watt, for his approval of Woodside's expansion of the North West Shelf gas project out to 2070. The Greens quickly took down a profile of her on its official website on Monday night. 'I am very, very grateful for this opportunity and I want to thank the Labor team for welcoming me,' Cox said. 'During some deep reflection, what my values represent as a First Nations woman, as a proud West Australian, what it is that I would like to achieve in my political life and what you can't do from the crossbench is make change,' she said. 'Alongside the wonderful team that the prime minister has, you are able to make change, you are able to do the things that raise up and represent the voice of Western Australia and Canberra, and that's what they elected me to do.' Albanese said Cox approached the government about joining Labor, but 'didn't ask for anything' in return for the defection. Labor's national executive approved the decision before it became public. The announcement comes a day before the federal cabinet meets in Perth on Tuesday. 'She wants to be part of a team that is delivering progress for this country by being part of a government that can make decisions to make a difference,' Albanese said. 'I know she is looking forward to working in a united, cohesive team, building a better future, not just for the people of Western Australia but for the people of Australia.' Cox confirmed she gave Greens leader Larissa Waters just 90 minutes notice before announcing her move. Her Senate term runs until the 2028 election.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Greens senator Dorinda Cox to join Labor
Dorinda Cox will leave the Greens and join Labor's ranks in the federal Senate, citing a loss of confidence in the minor party. The WA senator made the announcement alongside Anthony Albanese in Perth on Monday, confirming she initiated the switch and had been contemplating it for some time. "I am very, very grateful for this opportunity and I want to thank the Labor team for welcoming me, and I've spoken to the prime minister about the work I would like to do in the future as a member of a party of government," she said. Senator Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman, had been the only Indigenous member of the Greens' federal parliamentary team since Lidia Thorpe quit the party in 2023, and was the party's Indigenous Affairs spokesperson. In that capacity, she signed onto a joint statement with colleagues last week accusing Labor's Environment Minister Murray Watt of having "spectacularly failed" after he provisionally approved an extended licence for WA's "climate-wrecking" North West Shelf gas facility. On Monday, she told reporters it wouldn't be appropriate to make public commentary on that decision. She told reporters she had informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her defection "about an hour and a half" before her public announcement. Mr Albanese said he had not spoken to Senator Waters. "The reason why Dorinda has made this decision is the same reason why all those years ago as a very young man I made the decision to join the Labor Party... That the way you make a difference is to be part of a party of government." Last year, Senator Cox issued an apology to staff for "distress" following bullying accusations reported by Nine papers. In the recent Greens party room meeting to elect leadership positions, Senator Cox was the only unsuccessful nominee, running against Mehreen Faruqi for deputy and Penny Allman-Payne for the deputy whip and receiving a handful of votes for each. She was first chosen as a senator in 2021 to replace retiring Greens senator Rachel Siewert, and was elected for a six-year term in 2022. "What I would like to achieve in my political life and 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, you are able to make change," she said. The extra number for Labor in the Senate does not materially change its ability to pass legislation, which could still be achieved only with the support of either the Greens or the Coalition. But Labor would have faced a more challenging Senate had Senator Cox gone to the crossbench instead, needing one extra vote to pass any bill with the Greens' support. It also means the Greens and the Coalition can no longer team up to block a bill, without the support of at least one crossbencher. Senator Cox is the second WA Senator elected in 2022 to switch parties, following Senator Fatima Payman who quit Labor's ranks to join the crossbench, after she crossed the floor to support a Greens motion on Palestinian statehood.
