Dorinda Cox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorinda Cox
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Cox in 2022
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| Senator for Western Australia | |
| Assumed office 14 September 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Rachel Siewert |
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| Born | 25 May 1976 Kojonup, Western Australia, Australia |
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| Children | 2 |
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Dorinda Rose Cox, born on May 25, 1976, is an Australian politician. She has been a Senator for Western Australia since 2021. Senator Cox is a Yamatji and Noongar woman. She is the first Indigenous woman to represent Western Australia in the Senate. She was first chosen by the Australian Greens party in 2021. This happened when Senator Rachel Siewert resigned. Later, she was elected as the Greens' main candidate for Western Australia in the 2022 federal election. In June 2025, she joined the Labor Party.
Contents
Early Life and Work
Growing Up and Family
Dorinda Cox was born in Kojonup, Western Australia, on May 25, 1976. She belongs to the Yamatji and Noongar peoples. Her family has a history where children were taken from their families. For example, her grandfather was taken from his family when he was a baby. He was raised at a mission, and his name was changed.
Early Career and Community Work
Cox grew up in Perth. She left school in 1994 when she was 17. She became a cadet with the Western Australia Police. She worked as a police cadet from 1994 to 1996. Then, she was an Aboriginal Police Liaison Officer from 1996 to 2002. In this role, she received special training. This training helped her work with families and children, including those affected by family violence.
She left the police force at age 27 to work for Centrelink. In 2008, she was asked to join a national council. This council worked to reduce violence against women. She also served on the board of an organization called Our Watch. This group works to prevent violence. She also advised on child death reviews and family violence cases.
Cox has done a lot of research. This research helps find ways to support First Nations people who have experienced harm. In 2019, she was a leader at the Noongar Family Safety and Wellbeing Council. She also served as a director for the Kooraminning Aboriginal Corporation.
Political Career
Joining the Greens Party
Dorinda Cox first ran for the Greens party in 2017. This was for the 2017 Western Australian state election. She also ran in a federal election in 2018 for the area of Fremantle.
In October 2020, she was chosen as the main candidate for the Greens in Western Australia. This was for the Australian Senate election in 2022. The Senator at the time, Rachel Siewert, decided not to run again. Senator Siewert resigned early, and Cox took her place in September 2021. This made her the first Indigenous woman to represent Western Australia in the Senate. She was also the fifth Indigenous woman in the Australian Parliament.
Work as a Senator
Cox officially became a Senator on October 18, 2021. In her first speech, she talked about important issues for First Nations people. These included cultural heritage, homelessness, and deaths in custody. She also spoke about the need for a national inquiry. This inquiry would look into missing and murdered First Nations women.
In November 2021, Senator Cox helped set up a parliamentary inquiry. This inquiry examines how police investigate cases of missing and murdered First Nations people. This committee is now called the Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children Committee.
Cox was also a spokesperson for the Greens on different topics. In February 2023, she became the party's spokesperson for First Nations issues. This happened after Lidia Thorpe left the Greens.
Moving to the Labor Party
In October 2024, there were reports about staff changes in Cox's office. Some staff members had left. A spokesperson for Cox said that the number of staff leaving was not unusual. They also said it was partly because she took on the First Nations role.
On June 2, 2025, Dorinda Cox left the Greens party. She then joined the Labor Party. Reports said she made this choice because her relationship with the WA Greens branch was difficult. She also said she had experienced racism and bullying while in the Greens. Before joining the Greens, Cox had been a member of the Labor Party.
Political Views
Supporting Indigenous Rights
In 2020, Cox said her main goals as a Senator would be to work for treaties with Indigenous Australians. She also wanted to create a national plan to stop family violence. Cox believes that Indigenous Australian customary law could help the Australian legal system. This could improve outcomes for Indigenous people in the justice system.
Protecting the Environment
Senator Cox has also spoken out about environmental issues. She questioned the approval of the Scarborough gas field project. This project is expected to cause a lot of environmental harm. In November 2021, she spoke against the government giving money to gas projects in the Beetaloo Basin. In 2022, she joined other Greens members in asking for a stop to all new coal and gas projects. She also tried to change laws to stop a government agency from investing in fossil fuel projects.
Personal Life
Dorinda Cox has two daughters.
She has some hearing difficulties and uses a cochlear implant. In 2022, she was named a World Hearing Day Ambassador. This was by the Ear Science Institute Australia.
