Richard Di Natale

Di Natale was born in Melbourne to Italian immigrants. His mother was born in San Marco in Lamis, Apulia, while his father was born in Syracuse, Sicily.{{cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Senators_Interests/CitizenshipRegister |title=Citizenship Register |publisher=Parliament of Australia |access-date=5 December 2017}} Di Natale attended Parade College, graduating in 1987, and Monash University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1993.{{cite web |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=53369 |title=Senator Richard Di Natale |website=Parliament of Australia |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |access-date=6 May 2015}} He later obtained Master of Public Health and Master of Health Science degrees from La Trobe University.

Prior to entering parliament, Di Natale was a general practitioner and public health specialist.{{Cite web|last=Ireland|first=Judith|date=3 February 2020|title=Greens leader Richard Di Natale quits leadership, will leave Senate|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/greens-leader-richard-di-natale-quits-leadership-will-leave-senate-20200203-p53x6a.html|access-date=3 November 2020|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}} He worked in Aboriginal health in the Northern Territory, on HIV prevention in India and in the drug and alcohol sector.

Di Natale joined the Victorian Greens in 2000.{{cite web |last1=Di Natale |first1=Richard |title=Green government is no longer a pipe dream |url=https://greens.org.au/magazine/richard-di-natale-december-2022 |publisher=Australian Greens |access-date=13 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250504132710/https://greens.org.au/magazine/richard-di-natale-december-2022 |archive-date=4 May 2025 |date=December 2022}} He was as a Greens Senate candidate in 2004.{{cite web| url = http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/elections/2004/gvt/2004VICGVT.pdf| title = 2004 Election Results| publisher= Australian Electoral Commission| year = 2004| access-date =14 November 2007}}{{cite web | first = Ben | last = Doherty | date = 22 November 2007 | title = A natural Labor man – but he's not | work = The Age | access-date = 11 July 2008 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/a-natural-labor-man-151-but-hes-not/2007/11/21/1195321865897.html | archive-date = 25 June 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625055645/http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/a-natural-labor-man-151-but-hes-not/2007/11/21/1195321865897.html | url-status = dead }}

Di Natale also ran for the position of Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 2004, coming second to the elected John So.{{cite web | url = http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/MelbourneResult2004.html| title = Melbourne Result 2004 | publisher= Victorian Electoral Commission | year = 2004| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060906054020/http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/MelbourneResult2004.html | archive-date= 6 September 2006}}

In both 2002 and 2006, Di Natale was narrowly defeated in the seat of Melbourne in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, almost unseating ALP health minister Bronwyn Pike. He received 48% of the two-party preferred vote in both elections.{{cite web| url = http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/stateresults.html| title = State Results| publisher = Victorian Electoral Commission| year = 2007| access-date =14 November 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100203211029/http://vec.vic.gov.au/stateresults.html| archive-date = 3 February 2010| df = dmy-all}}{{

cite web | date=6 November 2006 | title= Seat of many faces, many landmarks |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/seats-to-watch/2006/11/06/1162661617891.html | work = The Age | publisher = Faifax | access-date = 11 July 2008}} Di Natale acted as health spokesperson for the Greens in Victoria and in 2002 spoke about the Greens' support for harm reduction policies to manage illicit drug use.{{

cite web | date=18 July 2006 | title=Greens offer heroin in rehab plan | work = The Age

| url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/greens-offer-heroin-in-rehab-plan/2006/07/17/1152988472787.html

| access-date=11 July 2008 }}

In April 2007, Di Natale spoke out about the health implications of climate change,{{cite web|first=Carol|last=Nader|date=28 April 2007|title=Health costs of global warming|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/health-costs-of-global-warming/2007/04/27/1177459981956.html| work=The Age|access-date=9 August 2008}} and later that year voiced concerns about terror laws in relation to the then suspect Muhamed Haneef.{{cite web|date=4 August 2007|title=Rally calls for terror laws to be repealed|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/rally-calls-for-terror-laws-to-be-repealed/2007/08/04/1185648198822.html|work=Age|access-date=11 July 2008}}{{cite web|work=Sunday Times|location=Perth|url=http://www.news.com.au/national/rallies-call-for-overhaul-of-terror-laws/story-e6frfkp9-1111114109677|title=Rallies call for terror law overhaul|date=4 August 2007|access-date=11 July 2008|archive-date=19 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519000149/http://www.news.com.au/national/rallies-call-for-overhaul-of-terror-laws/story-e6frfkp9-1111114109677|url-status=dead}}

Di Natale was nominated as the Australian Greens' lead senate candidate for Victoria for the 2010 federal election. Greens leader Senator Bob Brown labelled Di Natale as the Greens' "next strongest hope" at this election.{{cite web|first=Carol|last=Nader|date=19 July 2010|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/a-challenging-relationship-for-the-greens-whoever-wins-20100719-10g8o.html|title=A challenging relationship for the Greens, whoever wins|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=6 August 2010}}

At the 2010 election, Di Natale won a Senate seat representing Victoria.{{Cite web|title=Richard Di Natale|url=https://greens.org.au/vic/person/richard-di-natale|access-date=3 November 2020|website=Australian Greens Victoria|language=en}} His term began on 1 July 2011. Upon taking up his seat in the Senate, Di Natale became the Greens' federal spokesperson for health. His other portfolios include sport and multiculturalism.

Di Natale was elected unopposed as parliamentary leader of the Greens party room on 6 May 2015 following the resignation of Christine Milne from the position.

The Greens achieved mixed results at the 2016 federal election. The Party targeted several House of Representatives seats, but did not win any additional seats despite achieving large swings. The party also lost a senator. Di Natale argued that the Greens' election strategy had been successful, with voters now seeing them as a major party.{{cite news|last1=Middleton|first1=Karen|title=The parties' spin on the 2016 election result|url=https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2016/07/16/the-parties-spin-the-2016-election-result/14685912003500|access-date=23 December 2016|work=The Saturday Paper|date=16 July 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Murphy|first1=Katharine|title=Richard Di Natale tells Greens not to air their election result grievances|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/02/richard-di-natale-tells-greens-not-to-air-their-election-result-grievances|access-date=23 December 2016|work=The Guardian|date=2 August 2016}}

Di Natale has written in favour of legalising cannabis and against the war on drugs, as well as his support for a universal basic income.{{cite web |url= https://greens.org.au/magazine/legalised-cannabis-peoples-bank-ubi-big-ideas-upend-status-quo |title= Legalised cannabis, People's Bank, UBI: big ideas to upend the status quo |last= Natale |first= Richard |date= 20 April 2018 |website= greens.org.au |publisher= Australian Greens |access-date= 27 April 2023}}

File:Bob Brown and Richard Di Natale DSC 2958.JPG in Melbourne during the 2010 federal election campaign]]

At the 2010 federal election, the Australian Greens achieved a shared balance of power in the House of Representatives and the sole balance of power in the Senate. In the Senate, they were in a shared balance of power position after the 2007 federal election and the 2013 federal election.

Di Natale secured almost $5 billion towards Medicare-funded dentistry,{{Cite web|title=Greens announce $5.8b dental policy|url=http://richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au/articles/greens-announce-58b-dental-policy|access-date=3 November 2020|website=richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au|language=en}} which he described as "laying the foundations for Denticare" – the Greens' policy of universally available Medicare-funded dentistry.

Di Natale campaigned against the Future Fund's holdings in tobacco funds, a campaign that was ultimately successful with the Fund divesting the entirety of its tobacco holdings (approximately AUD $250 million) in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-28/future-fund-drops-tobacco-investment/4545328|title=Future Fund drops tobacco investment|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|last1=Cullen|first1=Simon|date=28 February 2013|access-date=9 February 2014}}

Di Natale also helped establish Senate inquiries into a number of issues of public significance including budget cuts, medicinal cannabis, the emergence of "superbugs",{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Finance_and_Public_Administration/Completed_inquiries/2010-13/jetacar/report/index|title=Progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the 1999 Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance – Parliament of Australia|publisher=aph.gov.au|access-date=9 February 2014}} hospital funding,{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=fapa_ctte/completed_inquiries/2010-13/public_hospital_funding/report/index.htm|title=Senate Committees – Parliament of Australia|publisher=aph.gov.au|access-date=9 February 2014}} air pollution,{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2010-13/airquality/report/output/index|title=Impacts on health of air quality in Australia – Parliament of Australia|publisher=aph.gov.au|access-date=9 February 2014}} pharmaceutical transparency,{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Finance_and_Public_Administration/Completed_inquiries/2010-13/therapgoodsamendbill2013/index|title=Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Pharmaceutical Transparency) Bill 2013 – Parliament of Australia|publisher=aph.gov.au|access-date=9 February 2014}} sports science{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Rural_and_Regional_Affairs_and_Transport/Completed_inquiries/2012-13/sportsscience/report/index|title=Practice of sports science in Australia – Parliament of Australia|publisher=aph.gov.au|access-date=9 February 2014}} and gambling reform.{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/senate_committees?url=gamblingreform_ctte/completed_inquires/2010-13/gambling_sport/report/index.htm|title=Senate Committees – Parliament of Australia|publisher=aph.gov.au|access-date=9 February 2014}} Di Natale conducts ongoing campaigns for improved human rights in Indonesia's West Papua,{{cite web|url=http://richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au/westpapua|title=West Papua | Richard Di Natale|publisher=richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au|access-date=9 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125112917/http://richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au/westpapua|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=dead}} timely access to cost-effective drugs through Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme,{{cite web|url=http://richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au/search/node/pbs|title=Search | Richard Di Natale|publisher=richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au|access-date=9 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=January 2019}} and science-based public health policies in areas such as wind farms{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWH3MBM3u6I |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/iWH3MBM3u6I |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=YouTube – Richard Di Natale – Wind farms, health and science|date=27 February 2013 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=9 February 2014}}{{cbignore}} and vaccination policy.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBzZirSrbWQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/YBzZirSrbWQ |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=YouTube – Senator Richard Di Natale – The Australian Vaccination Network|date=27 June 2013 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=9 February 2014}}{{cbignore}}

Di Natale was the Chair of the Senate Select Committee into the Abbott government 2014 federal budget budget cuts and Deputy Chair of the Senate Select Committee into health. He is the co-convener of the Parliamentary Friends for Drug Policy and Law Reform, the Parliamentary Friends of West Papua and the Parliamentary Friends of Medicine.{{Cite web|url=https://greens.org.au/vic/person/richard-di-natale|title=Richard Di Natale|website=Australian Greens Victoria|language=en|access-date=3 February 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/aiia-authors/senator-richard-di-natale/|title=Senator Richard Di Natale|website=Australian Institute of International Affairs|language=en-US|access-date=3 February 2020}}

On 3 February 2020, Di Natale resigned as leader of the Greens and announced his intention to resign from the Senate, citing family responsibilities.{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-03/greens-leader-richard-di-natale-to-quit-politics/11759490 |title=Richard Di Natale resigns as Greens leader and plans to quit federal politics |first=Brett |last=Worthington |work=ABC News |date=3 February 2020 |access-date=3 February 2020}} Adam Bandt was elected unopposed to replace Di Natale for the leadership role.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-04/adam-bandt-elected-federal-greens-leader/11924970|title=Adam Bandt elected as new federal Greens leader|last=Dalzell|first=Stephanie|date=4 February 2020|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=1 March 2020}} Lidia Thorpe was selected by Greens members to fill the Senate vacancy caused by Di Natale's resignation.{{Cite web|date=20 June 2020|title=Aboriginal activist Lidia Thorpe to replace Richard Di Natale as Greens senator for Victoria|url=http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/20/aboriginal-activist-lidia-thorpe-to-replace-richard-di-natale-as-greens-senator-for-victoria|access-date=20 June 2020|website=the Guardian|language=en}} Di Natale resigned from the Senate on 26 August 2020.{{cite news |last1=Grand |first1=Chip Le |title=Di Natale bids a less than fond farewell |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/di-natale-bids-a-less-than-fond-farewell-20200824-p55ory.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 August 2020 |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RichardDiNatale/status/1298468119455752192|date=26 August 2020|work=Richard Di Natale|publisher=Twitter|title=My letter to the President of the Senate, formally resigning as a Greens Senator for Victoria.}}{{cite web|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;orderBy=alphaAss;page=1;query=Content%3A%22Senator%20for%22%20CurrentMP%3ANo%20Dataset%3Aallmps%20State_Phrase%3A%22vic%22;rec=7;resCount=Default|title=Biography for DI NATALE, Richard|work=aph.gov.au}}

Di Natale supports legalising recreational cannabis usage, and has admitted to having smoked marijuana before.{{cite web | url=https://happymag.tv/why-its-time-for-legal-cannabis-a-chat-with-senator-richard-di-natale/ | title=Why it's time for legal cannabis: A chat with Senator Richard di Natale | date=8 January 2019 }}

Di Natale, his wife and two sons live on a hobby farm in the foothills of Victoria's Otway Ranges.{{Cite web|date=17 July 2015|title=Richard Di Natale – the party leader living off the grid|url=https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/richard-di-natale-the-party-leader-living-off-the-grid/|access-date=3 November 2020|website=One Step Off The Grid|language=en-US}} His sister, Deborah, is married to former Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber and was a City of Yarra councillor from 2002 until 2004.{{cite news |title=All in the family for Vic Greens |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-11-07/all-in-the-family-for-vic-greens/718850 |newspaper=ABC News|date=7 November 2007 }}

Growing up in Melbourne, Di Natale played Australian rules football for the Coburg and Oakleigh Football Clubs in the Victorian Football Association{{cite web |url=http://richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au/about |title=About Richard Di Natale |last1=Di Natale |first1=Richard |date=18 March 2015 |website=greensmps.org.au |publisher=The Australian Greens party |access-date=6 May 2015}} and is a long time Richmond Tigers fan.{{Cite news|last=Medhora|first=Shalailah|date=6 May 2015|title=Meet Richard Di Natale – new Greens leader is a former GP and AFL tragic|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/06/richard-di-natale-new-greens-leader-after-christine-milnes-shock-resignation|access-date=3 November 2020|issn=0261-3077}}

{{Portal|Australia|Environment|Medicine|Politics|Sports}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://richard-di-natale.greensmps.org.au/ Home Page]
• [https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/victoria/richard_di_natale Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Richard Di Natale on TheyVoteForYou.org.au]

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{{S-ppo}}

{{s-bef

| before = Christine Milne

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{{s-ttl

| title = Federal Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens

| years = 2015–2020

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| after = Adam Bandt

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{{Australian Greens}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Di Natale, Richard}}

Category:1970 births

Category:Living people

Category:People educated at Parade College

Category:Australian people of Sicilian descent

Category:People of Apulian descent

Category:La Trobe University alumni

Category:Monash University alumni

Category:Medical doctors from Melbourne

Category:Australian general practitioners

Category:Australian public health doctors

Category:Politicians from Melbourne

Category:Leaders of the Australian Greens

Category:Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria

Category:Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Australian politicians of Italian descent

Category:Australian LGBTQ rights activists

Category:Coburg Football Club players

Category:Oakleigh Football Club players

Category:Australian rules footballers from Melbourne

Category:21st-century Australian politicians