Re-elected Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young seeks water protection and women’s caucus for next term

Protecting South Australia’s water assets and a reignited push for a women’s caucus will be top of Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s agenda in the next Parliament.

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Protecting South Australia’s water assets and a reignited push for a women’s caucus will be top of Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s agenda in the next Parliament.

After a tumultuous year in Parliament, a defamation case, and experts calling her an underdog in the Senate race, the re-elected Australian Greens Senator has a reason to smile.

Senator Hanson-Young, who doubled her first preference vote to 11.8 per cent, has attributed it to the party’s strong campaign against drilling in The Bight.

“People here in South Australia are really worried about these issues and wanted someone to stand up for them and our state,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“We came from a really low base, and we were the underdog, and we’ve turned that around.”

Tackling that contentious issue is the first item on the Senator’s agenda in the 46th Parliament, by introducing legislation to stop oil drilling in The Bight and to heritage list it. She also plans to this week extend an invitation to Liberal MP Nicolle Flint, if she is re-elected, to work together on the issue.

“I’ll introduce the legislation in the Senate and she can co-sponsor it and she can put her party’s last minute commitment into action.”

The move also reinforces her push to unite female politicians through a women’s caucus.

The Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young has doubled her first preference vote. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“I’ve spoken to a number of Labor and Liberal women, and independents about it over the last couple of months and I look forward in the Parliament to trying to get that off the ground,” she said.

“I think it’s a really important positive step forward to have a women’s caucus where female representation … whatever their political persuasion, is supported.”

After what the Senator described as a tough 12 months, publicly condemning and legally fighting behaviour from then-senator David Leyonhjelm, she said: “I’ve ended up on top and I’m feeling stronger and more positive than ever before”.

She will also continue to call for change to the management of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and for Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce to be kept away from the water portfolio.

Despite looking certain to have won a spot in the senate, Labor’s second candidate on the ticket, Marielle Smith, is biding time.

The public policy adviser and mother of one said if she was lucky enough to get in, education was an area she wanted to help develop policies.

The Liberals look set to gain the sixth spot in the senate, installing former Adelaide City councillor Alex Antic.