Earlier this week, WA Greens Senator Dorinda Cox announced she would join the Labor Party.
Cox is in the middle of her six-year Senate term, and was not up for election at the 3 May poll.
Explaining her decision, Cox said her values are now “more aligned” with Labor. Greens leader Larissa Waters said she was “disappointed” by the move.
While it’s common for people to leave political parties to sit as independents on the crossbench, moving from one party to another is rare. Here’s why.
Defections
In politics, a defection is when a politician leaves the party they were elected to represent, but stays in Parliament.
Over the past 30 years, defections have typically been from the major parties (Labor, Liberal, or Nationals) to the crossbench.
From there, some have created their own parties. This includes former Labor Senator Fatima Payman, who started ‘Australia’s Voice’, and ex-Nationals MP Bob Katter, who founded ‘Katter’s Australian Party’.
Defecting from one party to another is “mercifully rare” in Australia, according to Australian National University
professor and political historian Frank Bongiorno.
In 1997, the leader of the now-defunct Australian Democrats party, Senator Cheryl Kernot, switched to Labor to contest a lower house seat.
Before yesterday, a federal Greens MP or Senator had never joined Labor while in Federal Parliament.
Is it allowed?
Australia’s Constitution does allow for anyone to change party allegiance without needing to face another election or material consequences.
However, Bongiorno said defections do risk creating a “democratic deficit,” pointing out that Cox was elected as a Greens representative, not Labor.
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Cox’s defection won’t change the process for Labor to pass legislation in the Senate. The Government will still need to negotiate with either the Greens or Coalition to get a bill over the line.
Dorinda Cox
Cox entered Parliament as a Greens Senator for WA in 2021, replacing retiring Senator Rachel Siewert. She won her seat at the 2022 election, beginning a six-year term.
Cox is a Yamatji and Noongar woman, and had been the Greens’ First Nations spokesperson since 2023.
Now, Cox will join the Labor Party formally. She was a member several years ago before she joined the Greens.
Cox has faced accusations of bullying, with Nine newspapers revealing in October that 20 staff members had left her office over three years.
Cox denied bullying her staff, saying she had taken steps to address issues raised with her.
When asked about the bullying claims, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters they had been “dealt with” by the parliamentary workplace authority.
Greens response
Waters said she was “disappointed” by Cox’s defection.
“Senator Cox would have had more chance of effecting change by continuing to work with the Greens in the sole balance of power.“
Speaking to the ABC this morning, Waters said the decision “wasn’t entirely unforeseen”.
Cox said she told Waters about an hour and a half before making the announcement yesterday.
