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Lee Rhiannon
MLC
Photograph of Lee Rhiannon at a press briefing in 2007
Lee Rhiannon at a press briefing in 2007
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 March, 1999
Personal details
Born (1951-05-30) 30 May 1951 (age 73)
NationalityAustralian Australia
Political partyThe Greens NSW,
Australian Greens
WebsiteLee Rhiannon MLC

Lee Rhiannon is an Australian politician. She joined The Greens NSW in 1991[1] and was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1999. She was re-elected to the Legislative Council at the 2007 state election.

In June 2009 she won preselection to run in first position on The Greens NSW ticket for the Senate at the next federal election. She will resign from the Legislative Council when that federal election is called.[2] A ballot of Greens members in late 2009 selected Cate Faehrmann to fill the resulting casual vacancy.[3] [4]

Rhiannon holds a strong personal belief that social change comes from social movements, not politicians.[5] In her inaugural speech to NSW Parliament she said, “This parliament makes the law, but it is the people who make history".[6]

She has three adult children[1] and lives with her partner in Sydney.

Early Years

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Rhiannon is the daughter of Freda Yetta Brown who was a prominent Australian women's rights activist, and Bill Brown. Both were former Communist Party of Australia members. Her parents activism led to documentation of Rhiannon's life by ASIO from as early as the age of seven.[7]

She went to primary school in Newtown, Kangaroo Valley and Bronte.[citation needed] She attended Sydney Girls High School, completing her Higher School Certificate in 1969.[8] [1]

Early Activism

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Rhiannon was active as a school student against the war in Vietnam as a member of High School Students Against The Vietnam War (1968),[1] travelling to Canberra to protest at the US Embassy and Australian Parliament.[citation needed]

As a teenager in the late 1960s, Rhiannon worked as a zoo-keeper at Taronga Zoo, and then at the Regent Park Zoo in London.[citation needed] She later graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in botany and zoology with Honours in Botany (1975).[1] She was later a tutor in botany practicals at UNSW (1975) and worked at Macquarie University as a research assistant in population ecology (1976-77) and as a tutor in general ecology.[citation needed] In the 1970s Lee was arrested whilst involved in anti-apartheid protests.[citation needed]

During the 1980s Rhiannon was a member of NSW Women’s Advisory Council to the Wran Government (1980-82)[1] and an organiser of the Pine Gap women’s peace camp, where 700 women camped outside the US military base in central Australia.[citation needed] During this decade she was Secretary of the Union of Australian Women (NSW Branch) (1980-83)[1] and an organiser for Women Against Global Violence and Women for Survival (1983-85).[1] Rhiannon also worked as a journalist for trade unions including the Seamens Union (now Maritime Union of Australia) and the Printers Union (now Australian Manufacturing Workers Union).[citation needed] She founded and became convenor of the National Coalition for Gun Control (1988-92),[1] regularly debating gun lobbyists in the media and championing the call for removing all guns from urban areas.[citation needed]

In the 1990s, Rhiannon’s attention moved towards overseas aid. In this period, she was public relations officer with the Ideas Centre, a resource centre on low income countries (1989-90).[citation needed] She initiated 'Pactok', a program designed to provide people from low-income countries with information technologies (1990-91) and AWARE (Action for the World and Renewable Environment) a schools and community education program highlighting inequity between the first and third worlds (1990).[citation needed] Rhiannon worked for the Rainforest Information Centre (1991-1992),[1] where she helped develop a campaign for the banning of imports of rainforest timbers.[citation needed] One of Rhiannon’s most significant achievements was founding and directing AID/WATCH, an international monitoring body of Australia’s overseas aid programs (1993-98).[1]

State Politics

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Overview

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During her time as a Greens MLC in NSW Parliament Rhiannon has campaigned on a broad range of issues. These include reforming the funding of public education, advocating for more sustainable public transport and no new motorways, protecting workers’ rights, opposing over-development, creating a fairer justice system, protecting native forests, working for gay and lesbian rights, promoting animal welfare and cleaning up politicians’ pay and entitlements.

She has also campaigned for reform of NSW’s freedom of information laws and to remove abortion from the NSW Crimes Act.[9] [10]

In 2001 Rhiannon initiated an annual memorial lecture in honour of Juanita Nielsen, a community activist who organised against overdevelopment in Sydney's Kings Cross, activity that is believed to be the motive for her murder during the same period.

Two of Rhiannon’s most notable campaigns have been in the areas of political donations and coal mining across NSW.

Political Donations

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Rhiannon initiated the Greens Democracy 4 Sale project which indexes political donation records in Australia so that they are more easily searchable. The project has helped to drive electoral funding reform in NSW.[11] [12] [13] [14]

Rhiannon initiated a private members bill to ban donations from developers to the NSW government in 2003[15] and worked with Greens MP Sylvia Hale to move the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Restoration of Community Participation) Bill in 2008.[16] [17] [18]

Although these bills were defeated, these actions led to increased pressure on the NSW government initiate donation reform. In June 2008 this culminated in the government itself presenting two bills, the Election Funding Amendment (Political Donations Expenditure) Bill and the Local Government and Planning Legislation Amendment (Political Donations) Bill in 2008. Rhiannon moved a raft of amendments to close loopholes, which failed to gain the major parties’ support.[19] Donations from developers to political parties in NSW were finally banned in 2009.[citation needed]

Mining

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Working closely with coal communities, Rhiannon has campaigned against the expansion of the NSW coal industry, highlighting damage to the natural environment and water sources, prime agriculture and the quality of life of local people, including their health.[20] [21] In 2009 she moved a private members bill to safeguard prime agricultural land from mining.[22] [23] [24]

Education

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Rhiannon has campaigned for better funding of NSW public schools. She has introduced private members bills to reduce the financial assistance given to wealthy non-government schools and make education funding for public schools and TAFE more equitable.[25] [26]

Industrial Relations

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Rhiannon worked closely with the union movement when the Carr government moved in 2001 to dismantle the hard-won right to worker's compensation. Her ‘no job is worth dying for’ campaign called for the introduction of industrial manslaughter legislation.[citation needed]

Transport

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Rhiannon has worked for a better funded train network, restoring rural branchlines and CountryLink services, first class infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians, a robust light rail system for inner Sydney and an end to new motorways. She has also campaigned to keep Sydney ferries in public hands. Rhiannon helped expose the problems with the Cross City Tunnel project.[27] [28]

Her Peak Oil Response Plan Bill set out how the NSW government should plan for peak oil.[29]

Over-development

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Community pressure and Rhiannon’s Save Callan Park Bill in 2002 helped with the successful campaign to save Callan Park from development.[30] [31]

Justice

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Rhiannon has campaigned against the Liberal, Labor and National parties’ law and order agenda, including extending police powers, creating new offences and longer sentences, and eroding civil liberties. She has opposed the use of sniffer dogs for encouraging discriminatory policing and wasting resources, and the weakening of NSW’s gun control laws.[32]

Gay and Lesbian Rights

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Rhiannon campaigned to lower the age of consent for gay males to 16 years old.[33] She introduced bills to prevent discrimination by private schools and small businesses and legalise same sex marriage.[34] [35] [36] She has also campaigned to allow adoption by same sex couples.[37]

Animal Welfare

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High-profile campaigns have included opposing the import of Asian elephants to Australian zoos, exposing cruel practices at NSW's piggeries, and preventing moves to open up NSW state forests and national parks to hunting. [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

Politician's Pay and Entitlements

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Rhiannon has called for reform of the overly generous pay, superannuation and entitlements scheme for NSW members of parliament. She has also called for increased transparency in the area.[43] [44]

Committees

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Rhiannon currently serves on the following parliamentary committees:[1]

  • Select Committee on the NSW Taxi Industry
  • General Purpose Standing Committee No. 2
  • General Purpose Standing Committee No. 3
  • Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters

2010 Senate Campaign

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Rhiannon was announced as the lead Senate candidate in NSW for The Greens in March 2009.

In July 2010 she came under fire for allegedly misusing her State Parliamentary resources for her campaign. NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos alleged that Ms Rhiannon's state parliamentary staff were potentially taking calls regarding her federal Senate campaign.[citation needed]

Ms Rhiannon acknowledged that she had made unintentional errors by putting her parliamentary phone number at the end of a small number of media releases, but denied that it had cost tax payers money. In a statement she labelled the claims against her as a Labor smear campaign.[45]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ms Lee RHIANNON, MLC". Parliament of New South Wales. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  2. ^ "Greens' Rhiannon quits for federal bid". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  3. ^ "Greens announce new team for NSW Parliament". The Greens NSW. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  4. ^ Australian Associated Press (2009-11-29). "NSW Greens plot political merry-go-round". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  5. ^ Lee Rhiannon (2009). "Social movements and political parties: conflicts and balance". Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal, Vol.1, No.2. Retrieved 2010-05-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Lee Rhiannon Inaugural Speech - NSW Legislative Council Hansard" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. 1999-05-26. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  7. ^ Liinda Silmalis (2010-03-21). "ASIO spooks spied on little girls". The Daily Telegraph (Australia). Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  8. ^ "The History of Sydney Girls High School". Sydney Girls High School. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  9. ^ Gareth Griffith (May 2007). "Freedom of Information – Issues and Recent Developments in NSW, Briefing Paper No 6/07" (PDF). New South Wales Parliamentary Library. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-05-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ Lisa Carty (2009-03-08). "Move to decriminalise abortion". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2010-05-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ Quentin Dempster (2009-09-18). "ICAC too Inscrutable for Public Good". New Matilda. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  12. ^ "Rees' developer donation ban gets bipartisan support". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-11-15. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  13. ^ David Humphries (2008-01-18). "Time to Take Cash Out of Politics". The Sydney Morning Herald. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Lee Rhiannon and Norman Thompson (2008-11-20). "Electoral Reform Could Be Rees's Best Friend". New Matilda. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Lee Rhiannon (2008-08-01). "Legislation Changes". The Greens NSW. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  16. ^ Sylvia Hale (2007-05-09). "Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Restoration of Community Participation) Bill 2008". Parliament of New South Wales. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  17. ^ "Greens push political donation reform". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-04-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  18. ^ "Speeches - Developer Donations (Anti-Corruption) Bill". The Greens NSW. 2004-03-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Louise Hall (2009-12-01). "Big Loopholes in Donations Ban Say Greens". The Sydney Morning Herald. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date_retrieved= ignored (help)
  20. ^ "No New Coal". The Greens NSW.
  21. ^ "Mining pollution protest at Jodi McKay's office".
  22. ^ "Mining Amendment (Safeguarding Agricultural Land and Water) Bill 2009".
  23. ^ "Safeguarding Agricultural Land and Water from mining".
  24. ^ "Mining in the wars" (PDF).
  25. ^ "Education Amendment (Reduction of Financial Assistance to Wealthy Non-government Schools) Bill 2000".
  26. ^ "Technical and Further Education Commission Amendment (Save TAFE) Bill 1999".
  27. ^ "Wheeling and Dealing". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  28. ^ "Cross city tunnel placed into receivership". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  29. ^ "Sydney must prepare now for peak oil".
  30. ^ "Save Callan Park Bill 2002".
  31. ^ "Housing plan axed in Callan Park backflip" (PDF).
  32. ^ "Bidding war has only fanned fears: Greens".
  33. ^ "NSW finally equalises age of consent".
  34. ^ "Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Equality in Education and Employment) Bill 2005".
  35. ^ "NSW Greens launch anti-discrimination law campaign".
  36. ^ "Rees told listen and legalise gay marriage".
  37. ^ "Nile deal dashes gay adoption plan".
  38. ^ "Zoo denies animal welfare problems".
  39. ^ "Hunter buys zoo's endangered antelope".
  40. ^ "Greens target 'dangerous' hunting in state forests". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  41. ^ "Government deal to open national parks to shooters".
  42. ^ "Call for RSPCA to lose prosecution power". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  43. ^ "Pollies' Pay". The Greens NSW.
  44. ^ "NSW MP's vote themselves a pay rise". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  45. ^ Rhiannon, Lee. "Statement by Lee Rhiannon". The Greens NSW. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
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