Cassy O'Connor | |
---|---|
Leader of the Tasmanian Greens | |
In office 12 June 2015 –13 July 2023 | |
Preceded by | Kim Booth |
Succeeded by | Rosalie Woodruff |
Member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council for Hobart | |
Assumed office 4 May 2024 | |
Preceded by | Rob Valentine MLC |
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Clark | |
In office 21 July 2008 –13 July 2023 | |
Preceded by | Peg Putt |
Succeeded by | Vica Bayley |
Secretary to Cabinet | |
In office 21 April 2010 –11 November 2010 | |
Minister for Human Services | |
In office 11 November 2010 –17 January 2014 | |
Preceded by | Nick McKim |
Succeeded by | Rebecca White |
Minister for Community Development | |
In office 11 November 2010 –17 January 2014 | |
Preceded by | Nick McKim |
Succeeded by | Lara Giddings |
Minister for Climate Change | |
In office 12 May 2011 –17 January 2014 | |
Preceded by | Nick McKim |
Succeeded by | Lara Giddings |
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs | |
In office 12 May 2011 –17 January 2014 | |
Preceded by | Nick McKim |
Succeeded by | Lara Giddings |
Personal details | |
Born | Canberra,Australia | 1 April 1967
Political party | Greens |
Spouse(s) | Stephen Lees (1st) Nick McKim (2nd) |
Cassandra Stanwell O'Connor (born 1 April 1967) [1] is an Australian politician,who was a Tasmanian Greens member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2008 to 2023,representing the electorate of Denison which was renamed to Clark in September 2018. Since the 2024 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election,she has represented the electorate of Hobart. O'Connor was the first female Greens minister in Australia,serving in the Giddings ministry intermittently from 2011-14. In 2015,she became leader of the Tasmanian Greens following the resignation of Kim Booth.
She became well known in Tasmania as the face of the "Save Ralphs Bay" campaign. This community campaign began in March 2004,when Sydney-based developer Walker Corporation announced its intention to construct Tasmania's first canal housing estate in the Ralphs Bay Conservation Area east of Hobart. [2] [3] In June 2010 the legal confirmation of the Ralphs Bay Conservation Area as being 171 hectares came into effect,therefore preventing Walker Corporations proposed canal housing estates. [4]
O'Connor finished second on the Tasmanian Greens Denison ticket in 2006 with 3.6% of the primary vote. She received 70% of Tasmanian Greens Leader Peg Putt's preferences and eventually reached almost half a quota before being excluded. She first won the seat of Denison on a countback of votes on 21 July 2008 after the sitting member and leader of the Tasmanian Greens Peg Putt resigned earlier in the month. [2]
Cassy O'Connor was re-elected at the 2010 election,receiving the highest number of first preference votes in Denison with 16.2%. [5]
On 19 April 2010,Labor Premier David Bartlett appointed Ms O'Connor as Secretary to Cabinet. In November 2010 she was promoted within the Bartlett cabinet,holding two portfolios. O'Connor and Nick McKim are the first Greens in Australia to hold Cabinet positions. [6]
In 2011 O'Connor was given full Ministerial responsibility for Human Services,Community Development,Aboriginal Affairs and Climate Change. Elements of Community Development include Multicultural Affairs,Seniors,Women,Youth and Gambling. Her colleague Tasmanian Greens Leader Nick McKim MP was Minister for Education,Sustainable Transport,and Corrections and Consumer Affairs. [7]
On 16 January 2014,Premier Lara Giddings announced that the power sharing arrangement with the Tasmanian Greens was over,and that O'Connor and McKim would be replaced by Labor MPs,effective 17 January. She said that the ALP would not govern with Greens in the cabinet in future. [8]
In a speech to parliament in November 2017,O'Connor implied that Greg Geason had been appointed to the Supreme Court of Tasmania because of his friendship with Premier Will Hodgman. Hodgman said that Geason's appointment had been made by an independent selection panel,and the Tasmanian Bar Association issued a statement calling O'Connor's remarks an attack on judicial independence that had "the potential to undermine public confidence in the Supreme Court and the administration of the law in Tasmania". [9]
O'Connor is a critic of Chinese government influence in Australia. [10] [11] [12]
On 13 July 2023,O'Connor announced her resignation as leader of the Tasmanian Greens,and from her seat of Clark in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. O'Connor also confirmed she would be seeking preselection to run for the Greens in 2024 for the division of Hobart,in Tasmania's Legislative Council. [13]
O'Connor was elected to the Tasmanian Legislative Council following the 2024 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election. [14] psephologist Kevin Bonham called her win three hours after the counting had started,due to her maintaining around 40% of the first preference votes,whilst the largest of the other candidates hovered around 18%. [14] O'Connor is the first Tasmanian Greens member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. [15]
In November 2024,O'Connor stood by claims she had made that president-elect of the United States,Donald Trump,and Prime Minister of India,Narendra Modi were "fascists" and "toxic to life on earth". [16]
In July 2009,O'Connor confirmed she was in a relationship with fellow MP and leader of the state Greens party,Nick McKim. [17] She was previously married to Stephen Lees and has four children born prior to the relationship with McKim. [18]
The Tasmanian Greens are a political party in Australia which developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania,including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the Franklin Dam campaign. They form a part of the Australian Greens.
Michelle Anne O'Byrne is Australian politician for the Australian Labor Party and since May 2024,the Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
Margaret Ann Putt is a former Australian politician and parliamentary leader of the Tasmanian Greens.
Nicholas James McKim is an Australian politician,currently a member of the Australian Senate representing Tasmania. He was previously a Tasmanian Greens member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly elected at the 2002 election,representing the Franklin electorate from 2002 to 2015,and led the party from 2008 until 2014. On 21 April 2010,he became the first member of the Greens in any Australian ministry. From February 2020 until June 2022,he served as co-deputy leader of the Australian Greens.
Lin Estelle Thorp is a former Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1999 until 2011,representing the electorate of Rumney,and serving as Minister for Human Services (2008–2010) and Minister for Education and Skills,Minister for Children,and Minister for Police and Emergency Management (2010–2011) in the Bartlett and Giddings governments. She was defeated for re-election to her state seat by independent Tony Mulder at the 2011 periodic elections,but was subsequently nominated to a casual vacancy for the Australian Senate in June 2012 caused by the resignation of Nick Sherry. She was defeated from the third position on the Tasmanian Labor Senate ticket at the 2013 federal election,and her term ended on 30 June 2014.
An election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 18 March 2006,the same day as the South Australian elections. The Labor Party led by Premier Paul Lennon,won a third successive majority government term in office,despite predictions the election would result in a minority government. Although there was a small swing against Labor,they finished with 14 seats,and there were no changes in the party composition of the assembly. The Liberal Party led by Rene Hidding gained a small swing and finished with seven seats. The Tasmanian Greens led by Peg Putt suffered a small swing and finished with four seats;meaning no change in seat representation since the last election. Had the Greens lost one of their four seats,they would have lost their status as a major party and would lose financial resources,offices and support staff.
William Edward Felix Hodgman is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the premier of Tasmania from 2014 to 2020 and state leader of the Liberal Party from 2006 to 2020. He later served as High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore from 2021 to 2023.
David John Bartlett is an Australian former politician in the state of Tasmania,serving as the 43rd Premier of Tasmania from May 2008 until January 2011. He was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison from 2004 to 2011 when he retired.
Larissa Tahireh "Lara" Giddings is an Australian former politician who was the 44th Premier of Tasmania from 24 January 2011 until 31 March 2014,the first woman to hold the position. Born in Goroka,Papua New Guinea,she was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin from 2002 to 2018,and was the party's leader during her period as premier,replaced by Bryan Green after her government's defeat at the 2014 state election. Giddings came from the Labor Left faction. As of 2024,she remains the most recent premier of Tasmania from the Labor Party.
The 2010 Tasmanian state election was held on 20 March 2010 to elect members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The 12-year incumbent Labor government,led by Premier of Tasmania David Bartlett,won a fourth consecutive term against the Liberal opposition,led by Will Hodgman,after Labor formed a minority government with the support of the Greens.
Scott Bacon is a former Australian politician. Bacon represented the electorates of Denison and then Clark in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2010 to 2019 as a member of the Labor Party.
The 2014 Tasmanian state election was held on 15 March 2014 to elect all 25 members to the House of Assembly. The 16-year incumbent Labor government,led by the Premier of Tasmania Lara Giddings,sought to win a fifth consecutive term in government,but was defeated by the Liberal opposition,led by Opposition Leader Will Hodgman,in a landslide victory. Also contesting the election was the Greens led by Nick McKim. The Palmer United Party made a significant effort in the election.
The Giddings Ministry was a Cabinet of Tasmania,and was formed on 24 January 2011. Until 17 January 2014,the Cabinet contained two members of the Tasmanian Greens the remainder being from the Labor Party. On 31 March 2014,the ministry was succeeded by the Hodgman Ministry after the Labor Party's defeat at the 2014 state election
The 2018 Tasmanian state election was held on 3 March 2018 to elect all 25 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
Madeleine Ruth Ogilvie is an Australian lawyer and politician. She is a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing the Division of Clark and is a minister in the Second Rockliff ministry
Rosalie Ellen Woodruff is an Australian politician and current leader of the Tasmanian Greens. She has represented Franklin in the Tasmanian House of Assembly since 17 August 2015,when she was elected in a countback to replace Nick McKim.
The 2021 Tasmanian state election was held on 1 May 2021 to elect all 25 members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
The Integrity Commission is a Tasmanian integrity agency established in 2010 to deal with complaints about public sector misconduct.
Vica Bayley is an Australian politician. He is a Greens member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly,representing the electorate of Clark. since 2023 when he was elected in a countback of votes to replace Cassy O'Connor. Since 2024,Bayley has served as Deputy Greens Leader.
The 2024 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election were held on 4 May 2024 to elect three members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The seats of Hobart and Prosser were up for election,with a by-election for the seat of Elwick also held concurrently.