The Western Australian Greens senator Dorinda Cox has quit the party and joined the Labor party, boosting Anthony Albanese’s numbers in the senate.
The senator appeared alongside the Prime Minister in Perth today and announced she was switching parties, saying her views were more closely aligned with Labor’s that The Greens.
Cox joined the senate in 2021 filling a casual vacancy caused by the retirement of Senator Rachel Siewert. She was The Greens lead senate candidate at the 2022 election winning the seat in her own right.
Cox is a Yamatji-Noongar woman who served as a police officer before moving into politics.
Just a few weeks ago she unsuccessfully ran to be The Greens Deputy leader, and has been a vocal critic of Labor’s approval of an extension of Woodside’s gas operations on the North West Shelf.
Speaking to the media on Monday Cox said she’d felt very welcomed by the Labor team.
“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.” she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Senator Cox wanted to be making a difference.
“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.
Greens leader Larissa Walters only found out about the defection 90 minutes before it was publicly announced and has described it as “disappointing”.
