Kerry Nettle
Encyclopedia
Kerry Michelle Nettle is a former Australia
n Senator
and member of the Australian Greens
in New South Wales
. Elected at the 2001 federal election on a primary vote of 4.36 percent with One Nation and micro-party preferences, she failed to gain re-election at the 2007 federal election, despite an increase in the Green primary vote to 8.43 percent, due to insufficient preferences.
, and received her primary education at local government schools, and secondary education at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
in Croydon
where she was elected school vice captain in her final year. Following graduation from high school in 1991, Nettle enroled at the University of New South Wales
, where she obtained a degree in environmental science
and was active in student politics, caucusing with the group known as the Non-Aligned Left (the predecessor of the Grassroots Left). She worked as office coordinator for The Greens (NSW) and then as a youth worker. She joined the Australian Greens in 1998 and was elected to the Australian Senate
for New South Wales in November 2001, joining Senator Bob Brown
until her term expired on 30 June 2008.
Nettle is a social liberal
and an environmentalist. She believes in Government ownership of essential services, which include banking, airlines, telecommunications, health and education, and other areas privatised in the last two decades in Australia. She argues that private ownership of these assets is "social theft."
in January 2006 in opposition to the Australian Government's detention of 43 West Papuans that landed on Cape York
in January 2006. She has expressed similar concern for the 83 Sri Lankan refugees that are being held in Nauru.
Nettle also fervently campaigned to bring David Hicks back to Australia. For six months, every day that the Australian Senate sat, she filed a motion to bring David Hicks back to Australia.
When United States
President George W. Bush
visited Canberra
on 23 October 2003, Nettle and Brown took their opposition to the war in Iraq
to the point of interjecting during his address to a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament. They wore signs referring to David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib
, two Australian citizens who were then being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
, following their apprehension by United States forces in either (this is disputed) Afghanistan
or Pakistan
. Both Habib and Hicks have since been released.
Bush accepted the interjections with good humour, but the Speaker of the House, Neil Andrew
, formally "named" Nettle and Brown and they were suspended from the Parliament for 24 hours. Nettle tried to hand Bush a letter from Habib's wife but was stopped by Liberal
MPs and Senators who jostled her and prevented her from approaching Bush. Liberal Senator Ross Lightfoot
allegedly told Nettle to "Fuck off and die."
and the Palestinian territories
in January 2007, where she examined "what impact the construction of the separation wall and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has on communities in Palestine and Israel". Nettle spoke with both Israelis and Palestinians in an effort to understand and ameliorate conflicts between both groups.
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Senator
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
and member of the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Elected at the 2001 federal election on a primary vote of 4.36 percent with One Nation and micro-party preferences, she failed to gain re-election at the 2007 federal election, despite an increase in the Green primary vote to 8.43 percent, due to insufficient preferences.
Early life
Kerry Nettle was born 24 December 1973, in Sydney, New South Wales, to Edward and Beverley Nettle. She grew up in the suburb of MarsfieldMarsfield, New South Wales
Marsfield is a suburb on the Northern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marsfield is located 16 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Ryde.-History:...
, and received her primary education at local government schools, and secondary education at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
in Croydon
Croydon, New South Wales
Croydon is an affluent suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon is located 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Burwood Council and the Municipality of Ashfield.The...
where she was elected school vice captain in her final year. Following graduation from high school in 1991, Nettle enroled at the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, where she obtained a degree in environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
and was active in student politics, caucusing with the group known as the Non-Aligned Left (the predecessor of the Grassroots Left). She worked as office coordinator for The Greens (NSW) and then as a youth worker. She joined the Australian Greens in 1998 and was elected to the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
for New South Wales in November 2001, joining Senator Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
until her term expired on 30 June 2008.
Nettle is a social liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
and an environmentalist. She believes in Government ownership of essential services, which include banking, airlines, telecommunications, health and education, and other areas privatised in the last two decades in Australia. She argues that private ownership of these assets is "social theft."
Policies
Immigration and human rights
Nettle strongly supports the right of political refugees and asylum seekers to have a fair process and hearing in Australia. She visited Christmas IslandChristmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
in January 2006 in opposition to the Australian Government's detention of 43 West Papuans that landed on Cape York
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in January 2006. She has expressed similar concern for the 83 Sri Lankan refugees that are being held in Nauru.
Nettle also fervently campaigned to bring David Hicks back to Australia. For six months, every day that the Australian Senate sat, she filed a motion to bring David Hicks back to Australia.
Iraq War
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
visited Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
on 23 October 2003, Nettle and Brown took their opposition to the war in Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
to the point of interjecting during his address to a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament. They wore signs referring to David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib
Mamdouh Habib
Mamdouh Habib is an Egyptian born Australian Muslim best known for his extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism....
, two Australian citizens who were then being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, following their apprehension by United States forces in either (this is disputed) Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
or Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Both Habib and Hicks have since been released.
Bush accepted the interjections with good humour, but the Speaker of the House, Neil Andrew
Neil Andrew
John Neil Andrew, AO , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1983 to October 2004, representing the Division of Wakefield, South Australia...
, formally "named" Nettle and Brown and they were suspended from the Parliament for 24 hours. Nettle tried to hand Bush a letter from Habib's wife but was stopped by Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MPs and Senators who jostled her and prevented her from approaching Bush. Liberal Senator Ross Lightfoot
Ross Lightfoot
Philip Ross Lightfoot is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate from 1997 to 2008, representing the state of Western Australia....
allegedly told Nettle to "Fuck off and die."
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Nettle visited IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
in January 2007, where she examined "what impact the construction of the separation wall and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has on communities in Palestine and Israel". Nettle spoke with both Israelis and Palestinians in an effort to understand and ameliorate conflicts between both groups.
Education
Nettle remains an ardent advocate of increased public education and higher education funding. Specifically, she has also "identified the need for $7 billion in public education spending across the lifelong spectrum of education, from preschool through to university and TAFE tertiary education."Women's rights
Nettle supports gender equality, as well as a women's reproductive rights. During a debate on the abortion drug RU486 in February 2006, she wore a t-shirt into parliament bearing the slogan "Mr Abbott get your rosaries off my ovaries", in reference to the Catholic faith of Health Minister Tony AbbottTony Abbott
Anthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
.
See also
- Members of the Australian Senate, 2002-2005Members of the Australian Senate, 2002-2005This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2005.This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2005....
- Members of the Australian Senate, 2005-2008Members of the Australian Senate, 2005-2008This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2008.This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2008....
- Women in the Australian SenateWomen in the Australian SenateThere have been 80 women in the Australian Senate since the establishment of the Parliament of Australia. Women have had the right to both vote and sit in parliament since 1902 and all states and territories have been represented by a woman in the Senate...
- Australian federal election, 2007
- List of Old Girls of PLC Sydney