Christine Anne Milne (; born 14 May 1953) is an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Tasmania. She was the leader of the parliamentary caucus of the Australian Greens from 2012 to 2015. Milne stepped down as leader on 6 May 2015, replaced by Richard Di Natale. Early life and education Milne was born in Latrobe, Tasmania, the second daughter of Wesley Vale dairy farmers Tom and June Morris. She attended Wesley Vale Area School from 1959 to 1963, St Mary's College, Hobart as a boarder from 1964 to 1969, and completed her final year of schooling at Devonport High School in 1970. She studied history and political science at the University of Tasmania from 1971 to 1974, where she resided at Ena Waite University College and was elected its President. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Australian History, and a Certificate of Education in March 1975. From 1975 to 1984 Milne worked as a secondary school teacher, teaching English, History and Social Science at Parklands High School, Devonport High School and Don College. She first came to public attention for her role in opposing the building of the Wesley Vale pulp mill near Bass Strait in North Western Tasmania on the basis of its environmental impact. She also participated in the ultimately successful campaign opposing the Franklin Dam and was arrested and jailed in 1983. She worked as a research officer with the Australian Bicentennial Historical Records Search from 1987 to 1988. Political career Milne was first elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1989 as a member of the Tasmanian Greens in the electorate of Lyons, one of five Green politicians elected at that election. She was part of the Labor–Green Accord, a political agreement between the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Tasmanian Greens to form government after the 1989 general election had resulted in a hung parliament. When Bob Brown stood down in 1993 to contest the federal election, she became leader of the Greens in the Tasmanian Parliament and the first female leader of a political party in Tasmania. She oversaw a loose alliance between the Greens and Labor after the 1996 general election. During that time, Tasmania saw significant economic and social reform. Measures included gun law reform, liberalisation of gay laws, an apology to the Indigenous stolen generation and support for an Australian republic. In