Tasmanian Greens chose 50-year-old Vanessa Bleyer to replace retiring Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, the ‘surfing senator,’ who steps down in October 2025 after over a decade citing environmental threats.
Bleyer runs a Launceston law firm and has fought forest logging, the Tamar Valley pulp mill, and evictions, earning praise as a ‘legal powerhouse’ for Tasmania’s ecosystems.
The announcement highlighted ‘lutruwita/Tasmania,’ sparking pushback from those unfamiliar with the palawa kani Aboriginal term, while some questioned her opposition to a wind farm project.
