Dorinda Cox

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Senator
Dorinda Cox
Dorinda Cox (2022) (Cropped).jpg
Senator for Western Australia
Assumed office
14 September 2021
Preceded byRachel Siewert
Personal details
Born1976/1977 (age 44–45)
Kojonup, Western Australia, Australia
Political partyGreens
OccupationPolice officer
Public servant
Activist

Dorinda Rose Cox (born c. 1976) is an Australian politician and a Yamatji-Noongar woman with a strong record of working for social justice in her community.[1] She is the first Indigenous woman to represent Western Australia in the Senate.[2] In 2020 she won preselection as the Australian Greens' lead Senate candidate in Western Australia, and the following year she was appointed to fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Rachel Siewert.

Early life[]

Cox was born in Kojonup, Western Australia, to Yamatji and Noongar (Kaniyang and Yued)[3] parents. Her family has experienced "five generations of child removal in her matriarchal line".[4] Her grandfather was taken from his family and country in the Gascoyne as an infant to be raised at the New Norcia mission, where his name was changed.[5]

Cox grew up in Perth, leaving school in 1994 at the age of 17 to become a cadet with the Western Australia Police. She left the force at the age of 27 to work for Centrelink.[4] In 2008, Cox was appointed to the Rudd Government's National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women.[6] She has also served on the board of anti-violence organisation Our Watch, on the WA Ombudsman's Advisory Committee on Child Death Reviews and Family Violence Homicides, and on the Indigenous working group for the Every Woman Treaty campaign.[4] Cox has produced extensive research outlining strategies for working closely with First Nations survivors of sexual assault.[7] As of 2019, Cox was the acting executive officer of the Noongar Family Safety and Wellbeing Council.[8] She is a former non-executive director of the Kooraminning Aboriginal Corporation based in Narrogin.[9]

Politics[]

Cox stood for the Greens at the 2017 Western Australian state election in the seat of Jandakot.[10] She was also the party's candidate at the 2018 Fremantle federal by-election.[11]

In October 2020, Cox won preselection as the lead candidate on the Greens' Senate ticket in Western Australia at the next federal election, following the decision of incumbent senator Rachel Siewert not to re-contest. She defeated former state MP Lynn MacLaren and incumbent state director Sophie Greer in the preselection ballot.[2] Siewert chose to resign from the Senate prior to the end of her term, creating a casual vacancy to be filled by Cox in September 2021.[12] She would be the first Indigenous woman to represent Western Australia in the Senate[2] and the fifth in federal Parliament.[13]

Cox was sworn in to the Senate on 18 October 2021.[13] Senator Cox took her maiden speech as an opportunity to shine a light on First Nations issues, including cultural heritage, rates of homelessness, deaths in custody, Treaty and family violence.[14]

In her first speech to the Senate, Cox also called for a national inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women.[14] In November 2021, Cox secured the support of the Senate to establish a parliamentary inquiry which will examine the policing processes used in First Nations murder and missing persons investigations.[15]

Cox is the Australian Greens Spokesperson on Mining and Resources, Trade, Science, Research and Innovation.[16]

Political positions[]

In 2020, Cox stated that her priorities if elected to the Senate would be to work for treaties with Indigenous Australians and to establish a national family violence strategy.[2][13] Cox has also advocated for the use of Indigenous Australian customary law as a complement to the Australian legal system, as a way of improving criminal justice outcomes for Indigenous people.[8] Following the 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations, she stated that the women's rights movement in Australia suffered from a lack of diversity.[17]

Cox pursued the Morrison Government on its approval the Scarborough gas project - a project that will is expected to cause significant environmental harm, and generate 1.6 billion tonnes of emissions.[18] In November 2021, Cox spoke out against the Morrison Government providing grants to frack the Beetaloo Basin.[19] In 2022, Cox joined her Australian Greens colleagues in calling for a moratorium on all new coal and gas projects.[20] Cox moved amendments on behalf of the Australian Greens to prohibit Export Finance Australia from investing in fossil fuel projects[21]

Personal life[]

Cox has two daughters Ailish and Ciara with her ex-husband.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Dorinda Cox". Greens WA. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  2. ^ a b c d Wellington, Shahni (21 October 2020). "Yamatji Noongar woman, Dorinda Cox, wins pre-selection Senate race". NITV. SBS. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  3. ^ Stringfellow, Rachel (23 October 2020). "Dorinda Cox holds lead for WA Greens Senate spot". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Knowles, Rachael (8 September 2021). "Motivated to make change". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  5. ^ Cox, Dorinda (5 April 2018). "Perth woman tells why 'changing the date' is one step on a long road". WAToday. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  6. ^ Nicholson, Brendan (26 May 2008). "Campaign hopes to reduce violence against women". The Age. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  7. ^ Cox, Dorinda (2008). "ACSSA Wrap 5 - Working with Indigenous survivors of sexual assault" (PDF). AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. eISSN 1834-0148.
  8. ^ a b c "Dorinda Cox". 16 Days, 16 Stories. Centre For Stories. 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Kooraminning Aboriginal Corporation". Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  10. ^ Green, Antony. "WA Election 2017: Jandakot". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  11. ^ Green, Antony. "2018 Fremantle by-election". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  12. ^ Dennett, Harley (25 August 2021). "Rachel Siewert's final climate call to Senate: 'History will judge us very harshly'". Canberra Times. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Brennan, Bridget (19 October 2021). "New Greens senator Dorinda Cox becomes fifth Indigenous woman in parliament - and she wants to be a 'beacon' for others". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  14. ^ a b Knowles, Rachael (2021-10-20). "Senator Cox delivers her maiden speech". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  15. ^ "Senate to investigate deaths and disappearances of First Nations women and children". ABC News. 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  16. ^ "Parliamentary Profile: Senator Dorinda Cox". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia.
  17. ^ Knowles, Rachael (10 April 2021). "Time to create space for all types of women". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  18. ^ "ParlInfo - QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS : Western Australia: Gas Industry". parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  19. ^ "ParlInfo - REGULATIONS AND DETERMINATIONS : Industry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021 : Disallowance". parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  20. ^ "Greens seek coal & gas pause during climate negotiations". adam-bandt.greensmps.org.au. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  21. ^ "ParlInfo - BILLS : Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Equity Investments and Other Measures) Bill 2021 : Second Reading". parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
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