Christabel Chamarette

Christabel Chamarette
Senator for Western Australia
In office 12 March 1992 – 30 June 1996
Personal details
Born	1 May 1948 (1948-05-01) (age 63) Hyderabad, India
Nationality	French Australian
Political party	Greens WA
Occupation	Community worker

Christabel Marguerite Alain Chamarette, sometimes Christabel Bridge (born 1 May 1948) was a Greens Western Australia Senator for Western Australia from 1992 to 1996.^[1]

Personal life

Born in Hyderabad, India in 1948,^[1] Chamarette is of Anglo-Indian ^[2] and French Huguenot ancestry.^[3] Chamarette has worked as a clinical psychologist at Fremantle Prison and as a community worker in Bangladesh.^[3] She has been a member of the Anglican Social Responsibilities Commission, the Aboriginal Driver Training Programme, the Psychologists for the Prevention of War and the Christian Justice Association.^[3] In 1998, Chamarette led an eight-week discussion group called "Conversations for the 21st Century", while working as a psychologist with child sexual abuse cases and completing a doctorate on the psychopathology of politics.^[4]

Chamarette celebrated her 50th birthday by walking the 800 km (500 mi) Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostella, in 35 days.^[4]

Politics

Chamarette was appointed to the Senate in 1992, following the resignation of Jo Vallentine.^[1] In 1995, Chamarette proposed an Export Control Amendment Bill that would ban woodchip exports from old-growth forests.^[5] She was opposed to privatising Telstra^[6] and delayed the Mabo legislation by demanding the inclusion of mineral rights in the compensation package for native title holders.^[7]

She was defeated at the 1996 general election; her term ended several months later on 30 June 1996.^[1] Chamarette said that when working in the Senate, she thought it was the most important work of her life, but she now refers to it as simply "useful experience".^[8]

Chamarette was one of the four members of the Western Australian parole board who resigned in 2005 after the State Government's response to the Mahoney inquiry.^[9] After six months of inquiry, Dennis Mahoney, a retired NSW Supreme Court judge delivered 148 recommendations to improve and retain the parole board.^[9] Premier Geoff Gallop instead announced that the board would be replaced.^[9] Chamarette said in her resignation letter:

"I have been disturbed by the way the Government (including the Premier and Minister for Justice) have not only failed to defend the board but have directly or by omission added to the attacks on the board. I cannot excuse the failure of the Government to inform the public that the Mahoney inquiry found no fault with the board, or any members of it, and recommended that it be granted legislatively enhanced powers, increased resources and financial independence from the Department of Justice."^[9]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Parliament of Western Australia: Biography". http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/TranslateWIPILink.aspx?Folder=BIOGS&Criteria=NAME_ID:SN5%3B. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
2. ^ James Jupp, 2001, The Australian People: an encyclopedia of the nation, its people and their origins, Melbourne, Cambridge University Press, pp. 437, 438.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Who are the Green senators?". Sunday Age. 1993-08-22. p. 6. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Miller, Nick (1998-07-13). "Former senator sees no answers in politics". The West Australian. p. 12. 
5. ^ Boreham, Gareth (1995-11-21). "Greens test forest policy". The Age. p. 6. 
6. ^ Chamberlin, Paul (1996-03-12). "Telstra senate warning". The Age. p. 6. 
7. ^ "The limits of power". The Age. 1993-12-11. p. 19. 
8. ^ Crompton, Helen (2002-11-16). "Vision ends ex-senator's lavender days". The West Australian. 
9. ^ ^{a b c d} Dodd, Mark (2005-12-29). "Parole board members resign". The Australian. p. 5. 

Persondata
Name	Chamarette, Christabel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1948-05-01
Place of birth	Hyderabad, India
Date of death
Place of death