Senator Dorinda Cox has defected from the Greens to join Labor as she resumes her role in the federal Senate.
The Western Australian senator made the announcement alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Perth on Monday.
The pair confirmed she initiated the switch, with Albanese saying he had barely spoken to her beforehand, and that she had been considering it for a while.
The shift will see Labor's Upper House numbers boosted to 29, leaving the Greens with 10.
Cox is a Yamatji-Noongar woman and since 2023 has been the only Indigenous member of the Greens' federal cohort, as well as the party's Indigenous Affairs spokesperson.
She also threw her hat in the ring for deputy leadership of the Greens after the May federal election, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
"I am very, very grateful for this opportunity and I want to thank the Labor team for welcoming me, and I've spoken to the Prime Minister about the work I would like to do in the future as a member of a party of government," Cox said on Monday.
“During some deep reflection, what my values represent as a First Nations woman, as a proud West Australian, what it is that I would like to achieve in my political life and what you can’t do from the crossbench is make change."
