Doctor appointed Greens PNG spokesman
27 June 2011
BY DONALD HOOK
THE GREENS PARTY, which gains the balance of power in the Australian Senate from Friday has created a portfolio responsible for PNG and the Indonesian Province of Papua.
Victorian Senator Richard Di Natale, who has been appointed to the position, is a medical doctor and public health specialist.
Before entering parliament last year, he worked in Aboriginal health in the Northern Territory, on HIV prevention in India, and in drug and alcohol programs in Victoria .
Dr Di Natale is married with two young sons and lives on a small farm in the foothills of the Otway Ranges. He played Australian Rules football in the VFA for six years.
Some 1.6 million Australians voted for the Greens in the 2010 elections and by the end of this week there will be nine Greens in the Senate - an increase of four senators - and one member in the House of Representatives.
The Greens leader, Senator Bob Brown, has split the party's foreign affairs portfolio, creating mini, country-focused responsibilities.
Sounds like a good move. Hopefully Richard reads PNG Attitude. Maybe he would care to contribute?
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He's not in the Senate yet so has not been on our list of parliamentarians. But we'll send him a copy of the latest magazine with an invitation to join in. And watch out for an initial contribution from Andrew Laming MP on the Torres Strait TB controversy to be published Wednesday - KJ
Posted by: Peter Kranz | 27 June 2011 at 03:03 PM