NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA
Adelaide born and bred, Natasha Stott Despoja graduated with a BA from the University of Adelaide In 1991. She was involved in student representation at school (founding the State’s first State-wide student representative council) and at University. She was President of the University of Adelaide Students' Association in 1991. She has worked as an adviser for Democrat Senators including for Leaders, Senators John Coulter and Cheryl Kernot. In 1995, at the age of 26, Senator Stott Despoja was the youngest woman ever to enter Federal Parliament. In 1997, she was elected as Deputy Leader of the Democrats and, in April 2001, Leader of the Australian Democrats - the youngest person of any party to hold such a position. In 2001, Senator Stott Despoja was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader for Tomorrow. In August 2002, Senator Stott Despoja resigned as Leader of the Australian Democrats.
PARLIAMENTARY SERVICE
In November 1995, after being chosen by her Party and the Parliament of South Australia to represent that State in the Senate following the resignation of Senator Coulter, Senator Stott Despoja entered the Parliament. In March 1996, she was elected to the Senate by the people of South Australia with a quota (14.3%). She is one of only two Democrats to have secured a quota in a half Senate election. She won overwhelmingly her preselection for the number one position on the Democrats' Senate ticket in October 2000, and was subsequently reelected, with a significant personal vote (more than 20,000 people voted for Senator Stott Despoja below the line), at the 2001 election. 68 Senators have been elected or appointed since Senator Stott Despoja entered Parliament. Senator Stott Despoja’s term expires in June 2008.
PARLIAMENTARY PORTFOLIOS & COMMITTEES
In her twelve years in Federal Parliament, Senator Stott Despoja has made a significant contribution to a wide range of policy debates in her capacity as a spokesperson for the Australian Democrats on Higher Education; Science and Technology; Employment; Employment Services; Training; Youth Affairs; Trade; Consumer Affairs; Privacy; the Republic, and other areas.
Her current portfolios include Foreign Affairs; Attorney-Generals (including Privacy); Science, Research and Higher Education; and the Status of Women (including Work and Family).
Senator Stott Despoja is an active member of several Parliamentary committees, including the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, the Human Rights sub committee, the Foreign Affairs sub committee, and the Joint Standing Committee on National Capital and External Territories.
LEGISLATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS
The Senator's key legislative contributions have been focused on: ensuring education is publicly funded and accessible to all; developing a clear regulatory environment for research and development and the commercialisation of biotechnology; securing liveable Government allowances for students and the disadvantaged; ensuring that Australia remains committed to the rule of law, and covenants of international law and justice; fostering Australia’s positive engagement with the region; creating a regime for the protection of personal genetic information and outlawing discrimination on the grounds of genetic information; establishing a regime of paid maternity leave for Australia’s working women; moving towards an Australian Republic, and regulating post-Ministerial Employment.
Senator Stott Despoja has made important contributions to a wide range of policy debates and has introduced a number of significant Private Member’s Bills, including a Taxation Laws Amendment (Scholarships) Bill; a Republic (Consultation of the People) Bill; a Genetic Privacy and Non-discrimination Bill; and a Patents Amendments Bill. Other Private Member’s Bills of consequence include: in May 2002, a Workplace Relations Amendment (Paid Maternity Leave) Bill; a Textbook Subsidy Bill; and, in June 2005, a Transparent Advertising and Notification of Pregnancy Counselling Services Bill.
Among her proudest policy work is the drafting of a private member's bill on stem cell research which helped ensure the passage of a bill to allow therapeutic cloning in Australia. It was a great win for the Democrats and Senator Stott Despoja.
