Pic: of Anna Renolds
Bob Brown and Anna Reynolds, by Karen Brown Photography, www.karenbrown.com.au
The Tasmanian Greens have announced Anna Reynolds as the Greens’ candidate for Denison at the upcoming federal election. Former Greens leader Bob Brown launched Ms Reynolds’ campaign this morning.
“The time is right for Denison to become the Tasmanian Greens’ first seat in the House of Representatives,” he said.
“Anna has the political experience, personality and community spirit to challenge and beat Andrew Wilkie in this contest. Denison is one of the greenest seats in the country.”
Anna Reynolds is a nationally-respected environmental advocate who worked for more than a decade as a climate change specialist for national and international environment organisations, and as a business consultant.
“Anna is one of Australia’s climate change pioneers – I met her in 1996 when she was raising awareness of this issue in the federal parliament. She switched the national environment groups on to climate change before they saw it as a priority and got them to work together,” Dr Brown said.
Anna (45) is the International Advisor to Senator Christine Milne. She lives in South Hobart and has two primary school aged children. She is part of an established Tasmanian family – her mother, Margaret, was a prominent Labor Senator and her father, Henry, is an internationally respected historian.
“At the heart of my professional life has been my role as an advocate – for people and issues. I look forward to being the voice in the Australian Parliament for my community – the people of Denison,” said Ms Reynolds.
“I will dedicate myself to being an effective local member for the people of Denison, while also being part of Christine Milne’s national team that will deliver intelligent and innovative policies for Australia,” Ms Reynolds said.
Dr Brown, who represented Denison in the Tasmanian Parliament for 10 years, said that by voting for Anna Reynolds the people of Denison would get their first federal female MP and first Tasmanian Green in the House of Representatives.
“This election will be a crucial one for Australia and having MPs like Anna in the House of Representatives will be the best way to ensure that the community gets the benefits that the Greens promote – such as new funding for schools, the Greens’ proposed dental care scheme and federal public transport funds, which could deliver the northern suburbs railway in Denison.”
“Protection of Tasmania’s fisheries from super trawlers and protection of superb assets like the Styx, Weld and Upper Florentine forests as World Heritage depend on having Greens in our federal parliament,” Dr Brown said.
