The Greens today revealed the parliamentary party’s new portfolios for the 48th Parliament of Australia, under their new leader Senator Larissa Waters.
In addition to her leadership duties, Senator Waters will continue as the spokesperson for women, saying she will prioritise women’s safety and needs across health, housing, workplace relations and a range of policy areas.
Following the shock defection of WA senator Dorinda Cox, Waters will also take on the First Nations portfolio, reiterating The Greens’ commitment to First Nations justice and support for the full implementation of recommendations in the Deaths in Custody and Bringing Them Home reports, alongside their mission for Truth, Treaty and Justice.
“This parliament could achieve real progress: climate and environment action, dental into Medicare, free childcare, and meaningful action on the housing crisis,” Waters said of the announcement.
“With the Greens being in sole balance of power, there is no excuse now for Labor to resist real reform to help people and nature.
“Women’s safety and equality will be a priority of my leadership, as will acting on the climate and environment crisis plus the housing and cost of living crises people are facing.
“We are in an epidemic of violence against women, and yet frontline support services are still not fully funded to support everyone who seeks help. The Government could readily fix that.”
Other key portfolios include Anti-racism and International Aid & Global Justice (Mehreen Faruqi); Arts & Communications (Sarah Hanson-Young); Social Services and Older People (Penny Allman-Payne); Health & Mental Health, Disability Inclusion and the NDIS, Youth (Jordon Steele-John); Housing & Homelessness (Barbara Pocock); Digital Rights & IT (David Shoebridge).
Tasmania’s Senator Nick McKim will now hold the LGBTQIA+ portfolio, after the former spokesperson Stephen Bates lost the seat of Brisbane at the May election.
Advocates welcome McKim as LGBTQIA+ spokesperson
Rodney Croome, national spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia and a veteran LGBTQIA+ advocate based in Tasmania, has welcomed the senator’s appointment.
Croome has lauded Senator McKim’s more than twenty years experience as an advocate for LGBTIQA+ equality, as the Tasmanian Greens’ party leader, state Cabinet Minister and as the Justice spokesperson for the Australian Greens.
“He helped lead the campaign for state same-sex marriage laws when the Commonwealth refused to act, he oversaw LGBTIQA-inclusive school programs as Tasmanian Minister for Education, he has been a vocal opponent of exemptions that allow discrimination in schools and services, and he has been a strong defender of trans and gender diverse inclusion and equality,” Croome said.
“I have no doubt Nick will move LGBTIQA+ equality forward at a national level at a time when there is a danger it might stall.”
Croome adds that Just.Equal Australia will liaise with Senator McKim about existing exemptions in federal law that allow discrimination by faith-based schools and services.
“This unjustifiable exemption must be removed, not only because it allows discrimination in states without their own protections like NSW, but also because Catholic school authorities have invoked the federal exemption to override existing discrimination protections in states like Tasmania,” Croome continued.
“Federal discrimination law does not override state discrimination law, but so long as Catholic school authorities wrongly defend discrimination by citing federal exemptions all LGBTIQA+ students and staff are at risk across the nation.”
Senator McKim is the step-father of prominent Tasmanian transgender advocate, Jasper Lees.
