Cox said on Monday, in a press conference alongside Albanese, that her “values and priorities are more aligned with Labor than the Greens”.

“I’ve worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled. But recently, I’ve lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this.”

...

Last week, Cox slammed federal Labor for its approval of the massive North West Shelf gas project extension to 2070 as a “raw and chilling reminder” that First Nations people lack the protection for their cultural heritage rights.

🤔

...

Previously on 'Dorinda Cox defects to Labor'

But the split also follows bullying allegations against the senator that were being investigated by Perth law firm Modern Legal for the West Australian Greens at the time of her departure, despite Cox’s consistent denials.

“It is our understanding that the investigation was still underway at the time of senator Cox’s resignation from the Australian Greens to join the Labor Party,” a party spokesperson said. “We also understand that any further inquiry into the matter will now cease.”

How convenient for Senator Cox

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Her inevitable clashes within Labor will eclipse anything she experienced in The Greens.

Albanese declared the senator’s departure was a sign the Greens had become an unrecognisable party after they blocked housing bills last term and focused heavily on the war in Gaza.

And yet she is the only Greens member to have publicly used the slogan "From the river to the sea...".

Regardless of one's stance on Gaza politics, Albo is being disingenuous. He is merely gloating about the defection.

And why gloat? He still needs the Greens on board to pass legislation.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago

Albo is being disingenuous

And so is Cox, considering her very vocal statements about recent Labor climate policy.

But I can't get past what a terrible look it is for a party to accept with open arms someone fleeing bullying accusations.

[–] ziltoid101@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Thorpe and now Cox... they really dropped the ball on vetting senators in 2022 it seems.

This is tangential, but it feels kinda weird where the "R word" is atm, seems like we can't decide if it's genuinely offensive or not. I have some social circles where saying it would be almost like saying homophobic/racist slurs, but other social circles that throw it around as a synonym of "idiot/lunatic". I'm almost afraid to ask at this point what the correct answer is/should be, but I think humans will be joking around about mental cognition for many generations to come, R-word or not.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

Grossing up in the 90s and early 00s, saying “that’s gay” for something that sucked/was bad, and “that’s retarded” for something stupid/nonsensical were just common phrases amongst millennial kids.

Not saying that either should be acceptable nowadays (especially the former), but having a brain-fart and reverting to a phrase from Torre childhood can happen. Best we can do in that situation is to apologise, and move on.

[–] Gronk@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

Yeah it's a weird one, I'd take offence if the context was actually towards someone with a disability.

But shit, Pauline Hanson is genuinely fucking stupid if I had a dollar for every time I've heard her called a retard I could pay for a fortnight's of groceries.

Now I'm having a laugh about that time she wore a burqa into parliament and was ridiculed to oblivion..

..maybe I should be offended on this one.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago

seems like we can’t decide if it’s genuinely offensive or not. I have some social circles where saying it would be almost like saying homophobic/racist slurs, but other social circles that throw it around as a synonym of “idiot/lunatic”

I don't think it's a lack of decisiveness. It's just some people are very slow to adapt. Like some people still used "that's gay" as an insult into the 2010s...or worse, used the f-slur in much the same way the r-slur is being used here. Heck, a prominent player of one of my favourite games used the f-slur in that way in just 2020. It was a relatively big scandal and I think he was briefly banned from streaming sites, but frankly as far as I'm concerned being that far behind the general public in adapting to that sort of change indicates a degree of homophobia that should not be considered acceptable.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Senator Dorinda Cox called One Nation leader Pauline Hanson a “f---ing retard” in a text message leaked after she defected to Labor, showing the depth of anger toward her in the Greens

That's petty of the Greens.

[–] MisterFrog@aussie.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Because of when I grew up, my mind simply doesn't register this as an ableist slur, even though intellectually I know it is. It's like the greens don't know that trying to smear their defector doesn't actually make them look good.

I tire of how bad at politics the greens are. Since they're the furthest left party with any seats currently, it would be nice if they knew how to play the game better.

If they took her defection in stride, simply pointing out that she must not really have the same values, could have come across a lot better.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

We wouldn't be surprised by such behavior from the conservatives (they gave up on Christ-like behavior long ago) but we hold this mob to a higher standard - let's hope they hear the disgust from their constituents and pull their heads in.

Bonus points if "conservative" voters for their part would start criticizing their politicians for actually being extremists.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

Maybe a bit, but it's much less problematic than quitting a party because that party is investigating you for accusations of bullying. And it's no less petty than quitting because your fellow party members voted for someone else as party leader, deputy leader, & whip.