She was elected with Greens support – but now Dorinda Cox is a Labor senator

🌿 A Greens senator just switched sides

Western Australian senator Dorinda Cox — until recently a member of the Greens — has officially defected to Labor, joining Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a press conference just weeks after the federal election.

Cox’s move stunned both political observers and members of her former party. She was just involved in the Greens’ internal leadership vote last month, which followed their loss of party leader Adam Bandt in the election. And now — she’s gone.

This raises an age-old question in Australian politics: are voters electing the person, or the party?

🕒 A 90-minute heads up

Cox told Greens leader Larissa Waters of the defection just 90 minutes before it was made public. 

Waters argued that Cox could have been more effective by continuing to work within the Greens, especially since the party will likely hold the balance of power in the Senate this term.

For many Greens voters — especially those who helped elect Cox — that point might sting.

👮🏽‍♀️Who is Dorinda Cox?

Cox is a Yamatji-Noongar woman who began her career as a police officer in WA, later working in roles focused on violence prevention and Indigenous issues. She was elected to the Senate in 2022 and is set to serve until 2028.

Her time in office has not been without controversy. Around 20 staffers resigned over three years, with official bullying complaints lodged against her. Cox has denied the allegations, and Prime Minister Albanese says the matter has been considered.

🗳️ Who are voters actually voting for?

In the House of Representatives, where MPs often build direct, personal relationships with constituents, there’s a stronger argument that voters are choosing the individual.

But in the Senate, it’s a different story. Outside of high-profile exceptions like Pauline Hanson or Jacquie Lambie, voters tend to back the party, not the name on the ballot.

That’s why Cox’s move is being seen by many as controversial: she was elected with Greens support, but will now spend three more years as a Labor senator.

🤔 Suddenly she leans Labor?

Cox’s justification is that her values now align more closely with Labor than the Greens. But this realisation came just days after the election.

And in a twist of irony, just days before her defection, according to the Guardian Cox criticised Labor over its decision to extend a gas project off WA’s coast out to 2070.

Now she’ll sit with them in the Senate.