Central Queensland high school teacher and former lawyer Penny Allman-Payne will enter parliament next month as the state's second Greens senator, in a move she says is progressive from a region so heavily reliant on coal.
According to ABC analysis, Gladstone-based Ms Allman-Payne is likely to take up one of the six Senate spots that were up for grabs at the federal election.
Once the Senate results are certified, Ms Allman-Payne will begin her six-year Senate term on July 1.
But just who is Queensland's new senator from Gladstone?
Ms Allman-Payne said she had worked as a high school teacher across Queensland, including in places such as Cape York.
"My [former] legal studies class is incredibly excited about my election," she said.
She said it showed what could be achieved by individuals engaged in the political process.
Ms Allman-Payne also studied law and practised in insurance law for a few years.
Long history with Greens
Ms Allman-Payne said she had embedded herself in the Greens party since joining in 2010.
She ran as a candidate in the 2012 state election and 2013 federal election and worked her way up from being a state convenor for the party to a national convenor.
She has served on campaign committees, spoke at the global Greens conference and has been the convenor for the Asia Pacific Greens Federation; a group that brings together National Greens parties from across the region.
She will be the party's most regionally based federal representative.
"I think it will bring an additional and unique perspective to the federal party room," she said.
"But at the same time, I think having a regional voice in those discussions on a regular basis is something that will add value to our federal party room."
She said it was also an opportunity for people in the regions to see what Greens representation looked like.
Ms Allman-Payne wants to base her senate office out of the regional city.
She said progressive voices were needed in the regions.
"Labor has a senator in far north Queensland [in Nita Green], but I will note I think the Greens are far more progressive than Labor," she said.
"People in central Queensland and the regions are not necessarily as conservative as some of the conservative MPs like to make out."
Ms Allman-Payne will also be the second senator based in central Queensland, behind the LNP's Rockhampton-based Matt Canavan, who was re-elected last month.
She will join Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters on the expanded Greens bench, who along with the ACT's David Pocock and the Jacqui Lambie Network, will hold the balance of power in the Senate.
She is also one of four new Greens representatives from Queensland, with three members elected to the House of Representatives from inner-Brisbane electorates.
Transition to renewables
When a Stop Adani convoy led by the party's former leader Bob Brown travelled through the state in 2019, there was a lot of anger directed towards the Greens from regional Queensland.
In the recent federal election, just 3,218 people — or 4.4 per cent — from the seat of Flynn, which takes in Gladstone, voted for the Greens in the Senate.
More people in the electorate voted for minor right-wing parties, with Pauline Hanson's One Nation receiving 8,659 votes and the United Australia Party receiving 4,112.
Ms Allman-Payne said she wasn't perturbed by the lack of local support.
"My approach has always been to listen to community and I think that that's the approach that the Greens have taken at this election," she said.
"We've listened to what communities want in terms of transitioning their economy. We've listened to them about the need to protect workers, and so we have taken a policy platform to the election to address those issues."
Gladstone is home to a coal-fired power station, as well as energy-intense heavy industry such as alumina smelters.
But there has been a heavy investment in recent years into green hydrogen and renewable energy projects.
During the election campaign Ms Allman-Payne said her party promoted a plan to phase out coal, which included placing a levy on exports.
The levy would then be used to fund energy transition plans and disaster resilience projects.
"We know that if we don't have a plan for the transition away from coal and gas, workers' jobs are at risk," she said in April.
It was a statement at odds with the LNP's Matt Canavan's stance that the Green's and Labor's plan would cost the region jobs.
Ms Allman-Payne is determined that while she intends to be based in Gladstone, she will work as a senator for Queensland to deliver the party's promises.
"Central Queensland is a good place to base yourself because it's easy to go north and south," she said.
"I'm really looking forward to talking to communities right across the state."
