Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed to Perth with new senator after Dorinda Cox’s shock defection

West Australian senator Dorinda Cox has quit the Greens to join Labor in a shock defection. She made the surprise announcement standing alongside Anthony Albanese in Perth as the Prime Minister ventured west to host Cabinet on Tuesday. Senator Cox said her decision to join Mr Albanese’s expanding WA team wasn’t taken lightly and followed “deep reflection”. “I’m very, very grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to serving as a proud Labor senator,” she said, adding she wasn’t acting “on the hop or based on emotion” and had sought counsel across the political spectrum. Senator Cox informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her departure only 30 minutes before the press conference. Senator Waters confirmed the brief notice in a statement, adding: “The Greens are disappointed in Senator Cox’s decision to leave. We wish her well.” The defection was understood to be partly driven by fears of losing pre-selection, amid tensions with the WA Greens branch, which had accused her of bullying staff. In October, Senator Cox issued a statement apologising for the “distress”. She then unsuccessfully contested two leadership positions in the Greens’ post-election party room meeting in May, putting her hand up for deputy leader and deputy whip. Despite internal issues, Senator Cox said she was “loyal’ during the Federal campaign, helping re-elect Greens senator Jordon Steele-John. Mr Albanese said Senator Cox had previously been a Labor Party member and welcomed her back to the fold. He said the party’s national executive committee had reviewed her request and the past bullying allegations. She will formally rejoin the WA branch on Tuesday. “We examined everything that had been considered in the past. Those issues were dealt with appropriately,” Mr Albanese said. Senator Cox said she felt Labor better suited her values despite strongly criticising Environment Minister Murray Watt’s provisional decision last Wednesday to approve an expansion of the North West Shelf gas project to 2070. The PM then stepped in to praise her alignment with Labor before swiftly ending proceedings. “The values that Dorinda has are perfectly consistent with the values of the Labor Party,” Mr Albanese said. On Tuesday, he is expected to join Premier Roger Cook and State Treasurer Rita Saffioti to announce Federal support for southern Perth road upgrades, including pitching in $350 million to a $700m Kwinana Freeway widening project. Ms Saffioti said a string of sideline meetings would accompany the Cabinet gathering, giving WA MPs the chance to reiterate the importance of the State as the engine room of the nation. “We’ll again impress on the Federal Cabinet the role WA has in growing the national economy,” she said, adding the PM bringing his team west showed he “understands our unique State”. Mr Cook will attend the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where he’s expected to urge his Federal colleagues to prioritise reforms to Australia’s environmental approvals system. A 2020 independent review led by Grahame Samuel found Australia’s environmental laws were outdated and ineffective. Senator Watt will continue consultation on reforms with “a wide range of groups”, according to a spokeswoman, however, further North West Shelf talks will wait until Woodside responds to his strict approval conditions. While Senator Watt is expected to continue talks with industry, Conservation Council of WA, representing over 80 groups, said it hasn’t yet had an audience with the new minister on any reform. Mr Cook is also expected to push for economic diversification, infrastructure funding, and WA’s GST share protections.