Natasha Stott Despoja
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Natasha Jessica Stott Despoja AO (born 9 September 1969) is an Australian politician, diplomat, advocate and author. She is the founding Chair of the Board of
Our Watch Our Watch, formerly Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, is an Australian organisation that exists to help prevent violence against women and their children. Founded in mid-2013 with Natasha Stott Despoja as founding ...
, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their children, and was previously the Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2013 to 2016. She was also a Member of the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
Gender Advisory Council from 2015 to 2017 and a Member of the United Nations High Level Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents in 2017. She is a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Stott Despoja began her parliamentary career after being appointed to the Senate at the age of 26 serving as an
Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...
Senator for
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
from 1995 to 2008. She went on to serve as the Deputy Leader and Leader of the
Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...
. She holds the record for being the youngest woman to sit in the
Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
and the longest serving
Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...
Senator.


Early life and education

Stott Despoja was born in
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
on 9 September 1969. She is the daughter of Shirley Stott Despoja, an Australian-born journalist and Mario Despoja, who was from
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
(then part of
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
). She attended Stradbroke Primary and Pembroke School and later graduated from the
University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
in 1991. She was President of the Students' Association of the University of Adelaide (SAUA) and the South Australian Women's Officer for the National Union of Students. She then went on to work as a political advisor to Senator John Coulter and Senator
Cheryl Kernot Cheryl Zena Kernot (née Paton, formerly Young; born 5 December 1948) is an Australian politician, academic, and political activist. She was a member of the Australian Senate representing Queensland for the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 199 ...
.


Political career

When John Coulter had to stand down for health reasons in 1995, Stott Despoja was the successful candidate to replace him. Her performance was recognized when she was re-elected not only in the 1996 election the following year, but again in the 2001 election. In 1997 she had been promoted to become the deputy leader of the Democrats from her position as party spokesperson for parliamentary portfolios such as Science and Technology, Higher Education, IT, Employment & Youth Affairs. During the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) legislation in 1999, Stott Despoja, along with
Andrew Bartlett Andrew John Julian Bartlett (born 4 August 1964) is an Australian politician, social worker, academic, and social campaigner who served as a Senator for Queensland from 1997 to 2008 and from 2017 to 2018. He represented the Australian Democrats ...
, split from the party's other senators by opposing the package, which had been negotiated by Lees and prime minister
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
. She said that she refused to break promises made by the party during the election. The party had gone to the election stating that they would work with whichever party formed government to improve their tax package. The
Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...
traditionally permitted parliamentary representatives to cast a
conscience vote A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamentary ...
on any issue but, on this occasion, close numbers in the Senate placed greater pressure than usual on the dissenters. In 2004, Stott Despoja took 11 weeks' leave from the Senate following the birth of her first child before returning to full duties as Democrat spokesperson on, inter alia, Higher Education, Status of Women, and Work and Family. During her political career she also introduced 24 Private Member's Bills on issues including paid maternity leave, the Republic,
genetic privacy Genetic privacy involves the concept of personal privacy concerning the storing, repurposing, provision to third parties, and displaying of information pertaining to one's genetic information. This concept also encompasses privacy regarding the abi ...
, stem cells, captioning and same sex marriage. Stott Despoja regularly attends the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. On 22 October 2006, after undergoing emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, she announced that she would not be contesting the 2007 election to extend her term beyond 30 June 2008. She was the Australian Democrats' longest-serving senator. Her retirement coincided with the ending of her party's federal parliamentary representation; the Democrats' support had collapsed after 2002 and they won no seats at the 2004 and 2007 half-senate elections.


Party leadership

Stott Despoja became the leader of her party on 6 April 2001. The preceding leader
Meg Lees Meg Heather Lees (née Francis, born 19 October 1948) is a former member of the Australian Senate from 1990 to 2005, representing the state of South Australia. She represented the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 2002, and was her party's le ...
left the party in the following year. Stott Despoja faced criticism with calm resolution from Democrat senators and the general public, but she opted to resign on 21 August 2002 after 16 months. She had been faced with little alternative after four of her six colleagues - the so-called "Gang of Four" - forced a ten-point reform agenda upon her. The agenda was proposed by John Cherry and she was opposed to its content. She announced her resignation in a speech to the Senate, concluding with a "pledge to bring the party back home to the members again", and referring to her colleagues' attitude towards her. She was replaced as leader by Bartlett following a membership ballot interval during which
Brian Greig Brian Andrew Greig OAM (born 22 February 1966) is a former Australian politician. Grieg was an Australian Democrats member of the Australian Senate from 1999 to 2005, representing the state of Western Australia. Early life Greig was born in ...
acted in the position.


Post-political career

Stott Despoja has been a casual host on ABC 891 radio, a guest panellist on Channel 10's '' The Project'' and a columnist for the Australian business news website '' Business Spectator''. She was a board member of non-profit organisations the
South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...
(SAM) from 2009 to 2013; the Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD) from 2010 to 2013; and the Advertising Standards Board (ASB) from 2008 to 2013. She was a deputy chair at
beyondblue Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses. The organisation works in p ...
(Australia's national depression initiative). She has been an ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia (OCA), The Orangutan Project (TOP);
Cancer Australia Cancer Australia is the lead cancer control agency to the Government of Australia. The organisation was founded to raise cancer awareness to support those affected by cancer within Australia and its territories. The main focus of the organisat ...
; secondbite; and the HIV/AIDS anti-stigma campaign, ENUF, (along with her husband
Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...
). She was on the board of the
Burnet Institute The Burnet Institute is an Australian medical institute that combines medical research in the laboratory and the field, with public health action to address major health issues affecting disadvantaged communities in Australia, and international ...
(Australia's largest virology and communicable disease research institute) from 2008 until December 2013, when Foreign Minister
Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...
announced the appointment of Stott Despoja as Australia's new Ambassador for Women and Girls, a role she held until 2016. This involved visiting some 45 countries to promote women's economic empowerment and leadership and to help reduce violence against women and girls. Stott Despoja has also been an election observer for the US-based
National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...
(NDI) in Nigeria (2011); visited
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
for
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
(2012); and went to
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
(2011) and Burma (2013) with The Burnet Institute. She was mentioned in June 2014 as a possible replacement for
Kevin Scarce Rear Admiral Kevin John Scarce, (born 4 May 1952) is a retired Royal Australian Navy officer who was the 34th Governor of South Australia, serving from August 2007 to August 2014. He was succeeded by Hieu Van Le, who had previously been his li ...
as the next
Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-gene ...
, however
Hieu Van Le Hieu Van Le, ( vi, Lê Văn Hiếu; born 1 January 1954) was the 35th governor of South Australia, in office from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2021. He served as the state's lieutenant-governor from 2007 to 2014. He also served as chair of the ...
was chosen. In July 2013, Stott Despoja was the founding chair of
Our Watch Our Watch, formerly Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, is an Australian organisation that exists to help prevent violence against women and their children. Founded in mid-2013 with Natasha Stott Despoja as founding ...
, originally named Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children. She left the position in July 2021, and was appointed life patron in August 2022. Our Watch is a joint initiative of the
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
n and
Commonwealth Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
s, based in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. It is an independent non-profit organisation that is now jointly funded by all
states and territories of Australia The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing p ...
, after the
New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
was the last state government to join the organisation in 2019.


Continuing roles

On 21 July 2015, Stott Despoja returned to the Burnet Institute as a Patron. she is still a columnist for '' The Advertiser'' and an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at The University of Adelaide. In 2010, she taught winter school at The University of Adelaide with former Foreign Minister,
Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...
, "The Practice of Australian Politics". Stott Despoja is on the Advisory Board of the Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) and the Global Women's Institute Leadership Council. In November 2020, Stott Despoja was elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, becoming the first Australian member in 28 years.


Writing

Stott Despoja has authored a large number of essays, reports and non-fiction works on a range of topics, both during and since her political career. In March 2019 she published ''On Violence'', with the publisher's
blurb A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust jacket of a book, and are now also fou ...
asking "Why is violence against women endemic, and how do we stop it?". Stott Despoja posits that
violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often consi ...
is "Australia's national emergency", with one woman dying at the hands of her partner or someone she knows every week. This violence is preventable, and that we need to "create a new normal".


Honours and accolades

In 1999, she was appointed a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
(WEF). Despoja was awarded a
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in June 2011 for her "service to the Parliament of Australia, particularly as a Senator for South Australia, through leadership roles with the Australian Democrats, to education, and as a role model for women". She is listed as one of the "Gender Equality Top 100" by the UK organisation Apolitical. In June 2019 Despoja was appointed as an
Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for her "distinguished service to the global community as an advocate for gender equality, and through roles in a range of organisations".


Personal life

Stott Despoja is married to former
Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
advisor,
Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...
and has two children.


Bibliography


Books

* ''Giving Generously'' (Artemis, 1996) * ''DIY Feminism'' (Allen and Unwin, 1996) * ''Collective Wisdom: Interviews with Prominent Australians'' (Clown, 1998) * ''Free East Timor: Australia's Culpability in East Timor's Genocide'' (Random House, 1998) * ''Goodbye normal gene: Confronting the Genetic Revolution'' (Pluto Press, 1999) * ''What Women Want'' (Random House, 2002) * ''Time for a Change: Australia in the 21st Century'' (Hardie Grant, 2006) * ''Mother Who? Personal Stories and Insights on Juggling Family, Work and Life'' (Big Sky, 2007) * ''On Violence'' (Melbourne University Press, March 2019)


Essays and reporting

* 'Higher Education in Perspective', ''Current Affairs Bulletin'', 1996 * 'Personal and Private','' Alternative Law Journal'', 1997 * 'Policy forum: the Junior Pay Rates Inquiry', ''Australian Economic Review'', 1999 * 'Leadership', ''Sydney Papers'', 2001 * 'Terror in the USA', ''The Asia-Australia Papers'', 2001 * 'The Human Genome Project: how do we protect Australians?', ''Medical Journal of Australia'', 2000 * 'ANZUS? ANZ who?' (with Senator Andrew Bartlett), ''Australian Journal of International Affairs'', 2001 * 'Towards a National Interest Commissioner', ''CEDA Bulletin'', 2001 * 'If I were Attorney-General', ''Alternative Law Journal'', 2003 * 'The first in human genetics regulation', ''Australasian Science'', 2005 * 'A brief look at the history of privacy', ''Australian Quarterly'', 2007 *


References


Further reading


Natasha Stott Despoja
in ''The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth Century Australia'', entry by Nikki Henningham. (Includes links to selected other resources)


External links


Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stott Despoja, Natasha Members of the Australian Senate Australian Democrats members of the Parliament of Australia Australian people of Croatian descent Australian people of English descent Australian republicans Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia People from Adelaide University of Adelaide alumni Women members of the Australian Senate 1969 births Living people People educated at Pembroke School, Adelaide Delegates to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998 20th-century Australian politicians Members of the Order of Australia Leaders of the Australian Democrats 20th-century Australian women politicians 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians Officers of the Order of Australia