Rachel Siewert
Rachel Siewert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Co-Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens | |
| In office 21 July 2017 – 4 December 2018 Serving withAdam Bandt(Acting) | |
| Leader | Richard Di Natale |
| Preceded by | Scott Ludlamand Larissa Waters |
| Succeeded by | Larissa Waters |
| SenatorforWestern Australia | |
| In office 1 July 2005 – 6 September 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Brian Greig |
| Succeeded by | Dorinda Cox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 November 1961 Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Greens |
| Occupation | Conservationist |
| Website | Official website |
Rachel Mary Siewert(born 4 November 1961) is an Australian politician. She was asenatorforWestern Australiafrom 2005 to 2021, representing theAustralian Greens,and served as the party's co-deputy leader from 2017 to 2018. She previously worked as coordinator of theConservation Council of Western Australia.
Early life
[edit]Siewert was born inSydneyon 4 November 1961.[1]Her family moved toPerthwhen she was 13.[2]She completed aBachelor of Sciencein agriculture at theUniversity of Western Australia.[1]At university she became involved in theanti-nuclear movement.[3]She subsequently worked as a research officer with the stateDepartment of Agriculturefrom 1984 to 1987,[1]studying salinity and soil conservation inJerramungup.[4]
Siewert was the coordinator of theConservation Council of Western Australiafrom 1987 to 2004, initially as the organisation's only paid staff member.[3]In 2003 she was awarded the Bessie Rischbieth Conservation Award.[1]
Siewert was co-convener of The Greens (WA) from 2002 to 2004.[5]
Political career
[edit]Siewert was first elected to theSenateat the2004 federal election,to a term beginning on 1 July 2005. She was re-elected to a second term at the2010 election.[1]She was placed second on her party's Senate ticket in Western Australia at the2016 election,which followed adouble dissolution,and was originally elected to a three-year term.[6]However, followingScott Ludlam's disqualification during theparliamentary eligibility crisisshe was declared elected to his six-year term expiring in 2022.[citation needed]
Siewert is the Australian Greens Whip, chairs the Senate Community Affairs References Committee and is a member of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians.[7][8]She served as co-deputy leader of the parliamentary Greens from November 2017 to December 2018, alongsideAdam Bandt.[1]
As of 2020, Siewert acts as the Greens' spokeswoman for the portfolios of health; mental health; family, ageing and community services; and gambling.[9]
Siewart has served on the "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at theJuukan Gorgein the Pilbara region of Western Australia ", which delivered its interim report in December 2020.[10]
In July 2020, Siewert announced that she would not recontest her seat at the2022 federal election.[11]In August 2021, she announced she would resign from the Senate in September 2021, creating a casual vacancy.[12]In September 2021, Siewart formally resigned from the Senate.[13]A joint sitting of the Parliament of Western Australia appointedDorinda Coxto fill the vacancy on 14 September 2021.[14]
Personal life
[edit]Siewert is divorced and has one son.[3]
References
[edit]- ^abcdef"Senator Rachel Siewert".Parliament of Australia.Retrieved16 May2021.
- ^"Senator Rachel Siewert".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^abcLambert, Judy."Siewert, Rachel Mary".The Encyclopedia of Women & Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.Retrieved16 May2021.
- ^"Maiden speech".Hansard.Parliament of Australia. 11 August 2005.Retrieved16 May2021.
- ^"Senator Rachel Siewert".
- ^Burrell, Andrew (1 August 2016)."Greens' Rachel Siewert wins final WA Senate seat".The Australian.Retrieved1 August2016.
- ^"Senator Rachel Siewert".Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2013.
- ^Graham, Chris."A poor man's treaty".Chris Graham at Large.Archived fromthe originalon 22 December 2015.Retrieved11 December2015.
- ^"Greens announce new party room lineup to push for Green New Deal and compassionate pandemic recovery".adam-bandt.greensmps.org.au.Retrieved9 September2020.
- ^Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia (December 2020).Never again: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia - Interim Report.Commonwealth of Australia.ISBN978-1-76092-197-2.Archived fromthe originalon 24 June 2021.Retrieved23 June2021.PDF
- ^Curtis, Katina (28 August 2020)."Greens WA senator announces retirement at next election".WAToday.Retrieved16 May2021.
- ^Siewert, Rachel."I will be speaking in the Senate for the final time at the beginning of September. I'll be posting a link very soon so you can watch it live once we have a time and date confirmed by the Senate".Twitter.Retrieved11 August2021.
- ^Ryan, Scott (6 September 2021).""I have received a letter of resignation from Rachel Siewart as a senator for Western Australia. The resignation takes effect immediately."".Twitter.Archivedfrom the original on 14 September 2021.Retrieved6 September2021.
- ^Cloos, Teisha (14 September 2021)."Dorinda Cox becomes WA Green's first female Aboriginal Senator".National Indigenous Times.Retrieved14 September2021.
External links
[edit]- "Greens MPs Homepage".Australian Greens.
- Rachel Siewert."Facebook".Facebook.Retrieved31 August2010.
- Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Rachel Siewert on TheyVoteForYou.org.au
- Siewert, Rachel MaryatThe Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia
- Women members of the Australian Senate
- Members of the Australian Senate
- University of Western Australia alumni
- 21st-century Australian politicians
- 21st-century Australian women politicians