Footscray’s Greens senator-elect Janet Rice has vowed to be a voice for Melbourne’s west in the nation’s capital.
Ms Rice arrived in Canberra on Tuesday on a bicycle, having ridden through regional Victoria on a two-week ‘listening tour’.
The former Maribyrnong mayor told Star Weekly her time on council would stand her in good stead in a Senate where neither major party holds the balance of power.
She and other new senators will be sworn in later this month.
Ms Rice says her focus will be on bringing attention back to environmental issues and highlighting the need for greater investment in public transport.
“At the moment, about 80 per cent of motorised trips are by private cars,’’ Ms Rice said. ‘‘That needs to come down significantly, and to do that we need a lot more efficient and convenient public transport. We also need to make it safer and easier for people to hop on a bike for local trips, with more dedicated bike and walking paths.”
Ms Rice will be the Greens’ spokeswoman for transport, infrastructure, forests and tourism. She said a recurring theme raised during her ride through Victoria was refugees and the need to celebrate Australia’s multicultural society.
“I loved meeting a Burmese couple growing vegetables in a community garden on the Werribee River flats, and flying coloured balloons with the Bendigo community, proclaiming their support for a proposed mosque.”
The Greens have 10 senators and one lower house MP, Melbourne’s Adam Bandt.
