Lee Rhiannon
Lee Rhiannon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senator-elect for New South Wales | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2011 | |
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council | |
| In office 27 March 1999 – 19 July 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 May 1951 |
| Nationality | Australian  |
| Political party | The Greens NSW |
| Website | LeeRhiannon.org.au |
Lee Rhiannon is an Australian politician and member of the Australian Greens. She was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council at the 1999 state election, and re-elected at the 2007 state election. She was successfully elected as a Greens Senator in New South Wales at the 2010 federal election.
Early life
She is the daughter of Freda Brown who was a prominent Australian women's rights activist and a former Communist Party of Australia member. Her mothers activism led to documentation of Rhiannon's life by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) from as early as the age of seven.[1]
The New South Wales Parliament website lists Rhiannon's early life, community activity, qualifications, occupations and interests as:
Higher School Certificate, Sydney Girls High, 1969. Bachelor of Science, majoring in botany and zoology, with honours in botany. University of New South Wales. 1975. Occupations - Zoo keeper, freelance journalist, lecturer in environment and development issues, social justice and environment campaigner. Director of AID/WATCH. Interests include surfing, bush walking and being with family. High School Students Against Vietnam War 1968. Organiser with Low Cost Housing for Glebe Estate from 1971-1976. Secretary, Waverley International Year of the Child Committee 1978-1980. Organiser for Bondi Junction Residents Action Group from 1974-1978. Member of Women's Advisory Council to the NSW Government, 1980-82. Secretary, Union of Australian Women (NSW Branch), 1980-83. Organiser for Women Against Global Violence and Women for Survival, 1983-85. Member of the Woollahra P&C, 1984-89. Organiser for Parents Support Public Education, 1998. Convenor, Coalition for Gun Control 1988-92. Director, Rainforest Information Centre, 1990-1992. Director, AID/WATCH 1993-98. Member of the Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club and Australian Journalists Association from 1984 - 1991. Currently a member of the Jessie Street National Women's Library, Australia Anti Bases Campaign Coalition, Workers Radio Sydney, the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society, the Vegan Society, Aid/Watch, STEP Inc and a member of the Public Service Association. Has three children.[2]
Parliament
New South Wales
Rhiannon contested the New South Wales Legislative Council at the 1999 state election for the Australian Greens. She was elected with three percent of the statewide vote (more than 100,000 votes), joining fellow Green Ian Cohen in the state's upper house of parliament.[3] She was re-elected with over nine percent of the vote (more than 300,000 votes) at the 2007 state election, taking her seat with three other Greens MLCs.[4]
Rhiannon served on the following Committees in state parliament: General Purpose Standing Committees, Joint Select Committees on the Cross City Tunnel, a Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, a Standing Committee on Law and Justice, a Select Committee on the NSW Taxi Industry, a Select Committee on the Increase in Prisoner Population, and a Committee on the Office of the Ombudsman and Police Integrity Commission.[2]
Federal parliament
Rhiannon contested and won a seat in the Australian Senate for New South Wales at the 2010 federal election for the Australian Greens. She resigned from the New South Wales Legislative Council when the federal election was called,[5] with a ballot of party members selecting Cate Faehrmann to fill the casual vacancy.[6][7]
Rhiannon was elected with 10.7 percent of the statewide vote (more than 400,000 votes), a swing to the Greens in New South Wales of 2.3 percent since the previous federal election.[8] She will share the balance of power with eight other Greens Senators from July 2011.[9]
References
- ^ "ASIO spooks spied on little girls". The Daily Telegraph (Australia). 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Ms Lee RHIANNON, MLC". Parliament of New South Wales. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ NSW 1999 state election upper house results: NSWEC
- ^ NSW 2007 state election upper house results: NSWEC
- ^ "Greens' Rhiannon quits for federal bid". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Greens announce new team for NSW Parliament". 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ^ "NSW Greens plot political merry-go-round". 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ 2010 NSW Senate results: AEC
- ^ Greens' Rhiannon gets Senate spot: SMH 15 September 2010