Dorinda Cox has been appointed as the Greens’ new First Nations spokesperson after Lidia Thorpe’s departure from the party.
Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman, has been handed the job as the party campaigns for a yes vote in the upcoming voice to parliament referendum.
Thorpe announced last Monday she was quitting the party to champion the Blak sovereignty movement. While the Victorian senator is yet to announce her final position on the voice to parliament, she has been critical of the process and is campaigning for progress on treaty and truth before the voice to parliament.
Cox, who became the first female Indigenous senator from Western Australia in 2021, has said she and Thorpe are “very different politicians” but that she will also work on treaty and truth telling, while supporting the Indigenous voice to parliament.
“As First Nations issues become central to the policy agenda, I feel that the tide is turning – and we are getting closer to genuine self-determination,” she said.
“I hope to pave the way for Blak women to see themselves in positions of leadership, as active participants in our democracy, to speak truth to power and shape politics in this country.
“My work in this portfolio will be grounded in our cultural knowledges, practices and protocols as I reach across the aisles of Parliament to bring everyone on this journey towards truth telling, treaty and voice.”
Last week Cox told the Senate she supported all three elements of the Uluru statement from the heart, saying they will “progress the healing process in this nation”.
Cox takes on the role during a tumultuous time for the Greens in the wake of Thorpe’s departure.
The Greens federal leader, Adam Bandt, said Cox was the right person to help guide the party on First Nations issues.
“At a time when people are demanding treaty and self-determination louder than ever, Dorinda is a fierce critic of how colonial structures have stuck their hooks into policy at all levels of this country,” he said.
“Dorinda will be an excellent advocate for First Nations justice, and I look forward to working with her to advance Truth, Treaty, and Voice.”
Cox initiated a Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children in November 2021, which is due to report back in July.
A former WA police officer, Cox said she was guided by her communities.
“I come from a long line of powerful matriarchs, from the clans of the Kaneyang, Yued, Amangu and Wajarri peoples, and their knowledge and leadership will guide me as I push to make a difference in the lives of our people and of First Nations people across the country,” she said.
