& Murray Darling Basin. During July 2016, Bob Brown, a former Leader of the Australian Greens, called on Rhiannon to resign citing the "need for renewal". Brown labeled Rhiannon as a member of the "old guard" who caused the Greens' vote in New South Wales to lag behind in the 2016 Federal Election. Following the announcement of the 2016 Senate election results, other Senators negotiated, against Rhiannon's objections, to allocate her a three-year rather than a six-year Senate term. In June 2017 Rhiannon was suspended from the Federal Greens party room following an internal dispute over her opposition to the Federal Greens' support for the Turnbull government education funding changes. Most reports suggested the dispute centred on the manner of Rhiannon's dissent from the party position and the broader implications for the processes of decision making. The Greens New South Wales subsequently issued a statement reiterating its support for Senator Rhiannon and support for public education. In the lead up to preselection for the Greens NSW Senate position in 2017 it was reported that Rhiannon had breached party rules by using her Sydney electorate office as a point of contact for supporters. The allegations were contested by Rhiannon's supporters. She subsequently lost the first position on the Greens NSW Senate ticket for the 2019 Australian federal election to NSW Greens MLC Mehreen Faruqi. On 25 May 2018, Rhiannon announced she would resign as a senator in mid-August, with Faruqi to be nominated to fill the resulting casual vacancy. Rhiannon gave her valedictory speech in the Senate on 13 August 2018, warning the Greens to "resist careerism, hierarchical control, bullying behaviour and associated leaking and backgrounding". She formally resigned her Senate position on 15 August 2018. Post-parliamentary life In 2018, Rhiannon was elected as a committee member of the SEARCH Foundation, the legal successor of the old CPA. In 2019 she held talks at the Marxism 2019 conference about the anti-nuclear movement and the Prices and Incomes Accord. Rhiannon attended the Blockade IMARC protests in October 2019. See also Left Renewal References External links NSW Greens Homepage Australian Greens Homepage lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au – official website Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Lee Rhiannon on TheyVoteForYou.org.au 1951 births Living people University of New South Wales alumni Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Women members of the Australian