Richard Di Natale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Di Natale
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Di Natale in 2019
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| Leader of the Australian Greens | |
| In office 6 May 2015 – 3 February 2020 |
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| Deputy | Scott Ludlam Larissa Waters Adam Bandt |
| Preceded by | Christine Milne |
| Succeeded by | Adam Bandt |
| Senator for Victoria | |
| In office 1 July 2011 – 26 August 2020 |
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| Succeeded by | Lidia Thorpe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Richard Luigi Di Natale
6 June 1970 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Greens (since 2000) |
| Spouse |
Lucy Quarterman
(m. 2007) |
| Residences | Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia |
| Education | Parade College |
| Alma mater | Monash University La Trobe University |
| Profession | Politician, public health physician |
| Website | richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au |
Richard Luigi Di Natale was an Australian politician. He was a Senator for Victoria, which means he represented the state of Victoria in the Australian Parliament. He also led the Australian Greens political party from 2015 to 2020.
Before becoming a politician, Richard Di Natale worked as a doctor, focusing on public health. He was first elected to the Senate in 2010. He became the leader of the Greens in May 2015 after Christine Milne stepped down. He led the Greens during the federal elections in 2016 and 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Richard Di Natale was born in Melbourne, Australia, on June 6, 1970. His parents were immigrants from Italy. His mother was from a town called San Marco in Lamis, and his father was from Syracuse, Sicily.
He went to Parade College and finished in 1987. Then, he studied at Monash University, where he became a doctor in 1993. Later, he continued his studies at La Trobe University, earning degrees in public health.
Before he joined parliament, Di Natale worked as a general doctor. He also specialized in public health. He helped with health programs for Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. He also worked on health programs in India and helped people with health challenges.
Political Journey
Richard Di Natale joined the Victorian Greens in the year 2000. He first ran as a Greens candidate for the Senate in 2004.
In 2004, he also ran to become the Lord Mayor of Melbourne. He came in second place, after John So was elected.
Di Natale also ran for a seat in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 2002 and 2006. He almost won the seat of Melbourne, coming very close to defeating the health minister at the time. He received a lot of support in both elections. He also spoke for the Greens on health matters in Victoria.
In 2007, Di Natale talked about how climate change could affect people's health. He also shared his concerns about certain laws related to security.
For the 2010 federal election, Richard Di Natale was chosen as the main Senate candidate for the Australian Greens in Victoria. The Greens leader, Senator Bob Brown, said Di Natale was a strong hope for the party in that election.
Becoming a Senator
In the 2010 election, Richard Di Natale won a Senate seat for Victoria. He officially started his term on July 1, 2011. Once he was in the Senate, he became the Greens' main spokesperson for health. He also worked on issues related to sport and multiculturalism.
On May 6, 2015, Di Natale was chosen as the leader of the Greens party in parliament. This happened after Christine Milne resigned from the role.
In the 2016 Australian federal election, the Greens had mixed results. They hoped to win more seats in the House of Representatives but did not. They also lost one senator. However, Di Natale believed the Greens' plan was successful because more voters started to see them as a major political party.
Work in Parliament
After the 2010 Australian federal election, the Australian Greens had a lot of influence in the Australian House of Representatives and the Australian Senate. This meant they could help decide which laws were passed. They also had this influence after the 2007 and 2013 federal elections.
Richard Di Natale helped secure a large amount of money, almost $5 billion, for dental care funded by Medicare. He said this was a step towards "Denticare," which is the Greens' idea for dental care to be available to everyone through Medicare.
He also campaigned against the Australian Government Future Fund investing in tobacco companies. This campaign was successful, and the Fund sold all its tobacco investments in 2012.
Di Natale also helped start Senate investigations into important public issues. These included government budget cuts, the use of certain plants for medicine, new types of very strong germs, hospital funding, air pollution, and how medicines are priced. He also worked on improving human rights in West Papua, making sure people could get important medicines easily, and promoting health policies based on science.
He was the leader of a special Senate committee that looked into the budget cuts made by the government in 2014. He was also the deputy leader of another special Senate committee focused on health. He helped lead groups in parliament that discussed drug policy, West Papua, and medicine.
On February 3, 2020, Richard Di Natale announced he was stepping down as the leader of the Greens. He also said he would resign from the Senate. He explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Adam Bandt was then chosen as the new leader of the Greens. Lidia Thorpe was selected by Greens members to take Di Natale's place in the Senate. Richard Di Natale officially resigned from the Senate on August 26, 2020.
Personal Life
Richard Di Natale lives with his wife and two sons on a small farm in the Otway Ranges in Victoria. His sister, Deborah, is married to a former Victorian Greens leader, Greg Barber.
When he was growing up in Melbourne, Di Natale played Australian rules football for the Coburg and Oakleigh clubs. He is also a big fan of the Richmond Tigers football team.
