SHE’S a young female lawyer who lives in the area, making her the direct opposite to Labor’s candidate for the Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith — rock star Peter Garrett.

The Greens announced yesterday that Hannah Robert, 28, would take on Labor’s star recruit.

Ms Robert said she first joined the Greens in 2001 at the time of the Tampa crisis, saying the treatment of asylum-seekers by the main parties made her rethink her politics.

She said while the Greens welcomed Mr Garrett to federal politics, voters should be clear that the former Midnight Oil frontman was now a member of the ALP.

“If you are going to vote Green you are not going to vote Garrett,” she said. “It is yet to be seen whether Garrett will be able to reform the ALP and turn his song lyrics into effective policy. People want to see his policies, not just his dancing style.”

The announcement of Ms Robert’s candidacy came as Chloe Fox, daughter of children’s author Mem Fox, announced she would stand for Labor preselection in the South Australian seat of Boothby, to be decided this Friday.

The marginal seat, in Adelaide’s south, is held by the Liberals’ Andrew Southcott with a margin of 7.4 per cent. But the seat — which has not been held by Labor since 1949 — is perceived as vulnerable because of Dr Southcott’s low public profile, and polling suggests it could be a close fight.

Like her mother, Ms Fox, a former journalist who now teaches at Adelaide’s Loreto College, has a strong interest in education issues.

Also yesterday, former Australian Democrats leader Meg Lees unveiled her expanded Progressive Alliance party, with a Senate candidate in every state.

Speaking at the party’s first anniversary celebrations in Canberra, Ms Lees said a Greens-controlled Senate would be “unworkable”.

Glenn Milne — Page 9