: Thank you for coming along. I'll make a short statement and then take a few questions.
Today, I'm resigning from the Australian Greens to join the Labor Party to sit as a Labor Senator as part of the Albanese Government.
It is not a decision I've taken lightly. I'd like to acknowledge my former colleagues. I've appreciated the opportunity to work beside them, particularly as the first Aboriginal woman in WA to serve in our national Parliament. But the time has come for me to pursue a new direction.
As a matter of the record, I was a member of the ALP before I joined The Greens. I have reached a conclusion after deep and careful reflection that my values and priorities are more aligned with Labor than the Greens.
I am in public life to make real change and deliver lasting and tangible outcomes for Australians. I've worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled. But recently I've lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this.
I want to work with a united, cohesive team building a better future for all Australians. I feel reassured with my experience, my skills and my knowledge, I can continue to collaborate and build on the existing relationships with an already amazing team of Labor MPs across the country.
I am very, very grateful for this opportunity and I want to thank the Labor team for welcoming me. And I've spoken to the Prime Minister about the work I would like to do in the future as a member of a party of government.
I will continue to be focused and committed to the work in my home state of WA. And I look forward to serving as a proud Labor Senator in the 48th Parliament. Thank you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much, Dorinda. And good afternoon, everyone. It's great to be back here in Western Australia where my Cabinet will meet here tomorrow. The first Cabinet meeting outside of Canberra since our re-election on the 3rd of May. And it will be important for us to continue to engage in here in Western Australia with the Cook Labor Government across the areas of infrastructure, health, resources development, job creation, economic growth, skills development through Free TAFE, making sure that we continue to work right across the board.
I would like to welcome Senator Cox back to the Australian Labor Party and to our Labor Government. As Senator Cox has just said, she wants to be part of a team that's delivering progress for this country by being a part of a government that can make decisions to make a difference. I know she's looking forward to working in a united, cohesive team, building a better future not just for the people of Western Australia, but for the people of Australia.
I want to thank voters in WA for backing the Labor team on the 3rd of May. We were successful not just in holding all of our seats, but of course, adding additional seats in Moore and Bullwinkel to the Labor team. It was a tremendous result here and we are humbled by the support. And I think by bringing the Cabinet here just one month, literally it will be since the 3rd of May when we meet tomorrow, that is a sign of how important we take our engagement with Western Australia. This, of course, is my 35th visit now, I think it is, as the Prime Minister to Western Australia.
And I do want to say that this afternoon I want to welcome Senator Cox once again. Dorinda Cox is someone who's a former police officer. She's someone who has a lot to offer in terms of policy development, her commitment that she has to the people of Western Australia across a very broad range of policy issues that she's engaged in as a Senator and previously as someone who has been involved in public life in different forms here in Western Australia. We're happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: Who approached who here? Is this at Senator Cox's instigation?
PRIME MINISTER: Senator Cox approached us recently. I engaged very constructively with Senator Cox after that approach was made.
JOURNALIST: Was there anything that she asked of you to secure her coming across?
PRIME MINISTER: No, not at all. What it was about was, as Dorinda has said, she had come to a view that the difference that she wanted to make in the Senate and as a West Australian, we're better served by being a member of the Labor Party. She has been a member of the Labor Party in the past. I must say that Dorinda and I have had more discussions in recent days than we had in previous years, and that's the nature of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Canberra. Senator Cox didn't ask for anything, just asked for this to be considered. The National Executive Committee of the Labor Party met yesterday afternoon and Senator Cox will be admitted to the Labor Party as a member tomorrow to the Western Australian branch as a result of that decision that will be made through the National Executive facilitating that.
JOURNALIST: Have you spoken to Larissa Waters at all about this?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I haven't.
JOURNALIST: Some within the Greens have criticised Senator Cox. There's been historical allegations around bullying and so on. What steps have you taking to satisfy yourself that there's nothing to see there?
PRIME MINISTER: We examined everything that had been considered in the past. Those issues were dealt with appropriately. My Government has established very clear guidelines, meaning that any issues relating to workplaces and making sure that workplaces are safe are properly examined. They were all dealt with in Senator Cox's case and dealt with appropriately.
JOURNALIST: Does this signal a step towards bold reform for closing the gap?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I think Senator Cox has had long-term engagement in Indigenous issues. She is very proud of the fact that she's the first Indigenous woman to be elected from Western Australia to the national Parliament. But importantly as well, Senator Cox's political and policy interests aren't just confined to that. She, of course, is a former police officer. She's someone who's been very active across a range of community issues in Western Australia and in the national Parliament. And I expect that she will make a good policy contribution as a member of the Labor Caucus. And of course, by being a member of a government caucus, if you make decisions and have an impact, you can make a direct impact on what a government does, rather than wait for government to make a decision and then decide whether you're going to support it or not.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask the Senator a question? Did you make this decision lightly? And following on from that, what can you do with Labor that you couldn't have done with the Greens?
SENATOR COX: As I said in my statement, I have considered this during some deep reflection, what my values represent as a First Nations woman, as a proud West Australian, what it is that I would like to achieve in my political life. And what you can't do from the crossbench is make change. And being in the Government and alongside the wonderful team that the Prime Minister has, you are able to make change. You are able to do the things that raise up and represent the voice of Western Australia in Canberra. And that's what they elect me to do. So, I will continue to do that in the Labor Caucus.
JOURNALIST: Is it important to have a strong crossbench though? To hold the Government to account? Some would argue that's even more important than trying to do what you are going to do now. Why move from the crossbench?
SENATOR COX: It was a decision that I made and I made that based on, you know, some deep reflection, as I said, around what it was that I wanted to actually achieve. What I think West Australians told me during the Federal Election, and I was out here campaigning, making sure that I was listening to what West Australians were saying. And as the Prime Minister already alluded to, this is his 35th trip here. I mean, that's remarkable that we get the attention we deserve in Western Australia. Quite often we're left out. And the Prime Minister has made that commitment. And I will follow through on that commitment for West Australians to ensure that my voice in the Caucus is being heard.
JOURNALIST: So, you were considering this during the election?
SENATOR COX: I was committed to the work that I was doing in the Greens. I was out campaigning as the support office to Senator Steele-John, and we returned him to the Senate as part of that.
JOURNALIST: So, when did you make this decision then? Because I guess you already did know that you had to be in government to effect change. You knew before the election that the crossbench couldn't affect that change. So, when did you make this decision?
SENATOR COX: Well, I think it's been over a period of time that I've considered this. It hasn't, as I said, been a decision that I've made lightly. There are many conversations, many people that I sought counsel with across the political spectrum. I have many, many friends and colleagues that I sought their counsel in relation to making this decision. It was one that I considered both at a professional level, but also at a personal level. So, this wasn't a decision that I did on the hop or based on emotion.
JOURNALIST: So, to dig down, when did you make that decision?
SENATOR COX: Well, I can't give you an exact time frame. As I said, I considered many things and many elements over a period of time in order to do that. But what I will say is that my loyalty during the time that I campaigned for the Greens was to deliver and return our 11 Senators and our one House of Representative Member.
JOURNALIST: Do you support then the Government's decision to approve the North West Shelf extension?
SENATOR COX: Well, I think that the provisional approval done by Minister Watt, I believe, is still in train and it wouldn't be suitable for me to have public commentary during that stage.
JOURNALIST: I mean, you were quite adamant when you were at The Greens though that there was no way that project should go ahead. So, how do you get behind a government that's now putting forward a path for that to go ahead?
SENATOR COX: Well, again, it wouldn't be for me to make public commentary, particularly during the provisional approval stage. My understanding is that Woodside do need to come back to Minister Watt. And obviously, I will be working with the Labor Government now to ensure that we tread a pathway forward in ensuring that there's a delivery of what's required for the Australian public, particularly for the West Australian public, and to make sure that we are doing that in partnership with them.
JOURNALIST: Will you be listening to traditional owners who say ancient rock art Murujuga will be stripped from them with the extension of this approval?
SENATOR COX: Well again, I would need to look at the provisional approval that's been made by Minister Watt. Again, I wouldn't like to make any public commentary on what those restrictions are, and I think we need to be clear about that before I can actually get into a policy debate about it.
JOURNALIST: When did people like Larissa Waters know this decision? What was that conversation like?
SENATOR COX: I let Senator Waters know my decision about an hour and a half ago. So, I called her, and I had a very good considered conversation with Larissa. I have a good personal relationship with her as the Leader of the Greens, and she wished me well on my future.
PRIME MINISTER: Can I perhaps make a comment as well on the basis of the discussions that I had with Dorinda. It struck me, as we were sitting down having a discussion about this, that the reason why Dorinda has made this decision is the same reason why all those years ago, as a very young man, I made a decision to join the Labor Party. That you want to make a difference. That the way that you make a difference is by being a member of a party of government. That the values that Dorinda has are perfectly consistent with the values of the Labor Party, and I'm sure that she will pursue those as a member of the Caucus. Thanks very much, and I'll see you all tomorrow.
