Giz Watson
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Giz Watson (born 18 January 1957) is an English-Australian politician.
Watson was born in 1957 in Eastleigh, a town in Hampshire, England. She emigrated to Western Australia in September 1967. She studied environmental science at Murdoch University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1981.
Watson was involved in protests in Western Australia against the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. She returned to the United Kingdom in the 1980s, where she was involved with training women to participate in the peace camp outside the Royal Air Force base RAF Greenham Common. The camp protested against the deployment of nuclear cruise missiles at the base, and also campaigned for various women's rights issues. Watson was involved in training participants to conduct non-violent protest. In 1984 Watson attained a trade certificate in carpentry from the City and Guilds of London Institute in London, and from 1985 ran a building and construction business in Western Australia. In 1992, Watson became one of only three women to be registered as builders in Western Australia. During this time Watson also worked as the coordinator for the Marine & Coastal Community Network in Western Australia.
Watson joined the Australian Greens in 1991. Watson was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council for the Greens at the 1996 election, as a member for the North Metropolitan Region. Her term commenced on 22 May 1997.
Watson has been a member of the Standing Committee on Legislation since 26 June 1997, and Deputy Chair of the committee since 24 August 2005. She has been a member of the Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations since 30 June 2005 and the Chair of that committee since 15 August of the same year. She has been an ordinary member of several other committees, including the Select Committee on Advocacy for Children (from 26 June 2003 to 2 July 2004).
Watson has campaigned in parliament on a number of issues, including the banning of uranium mining and radioactive waste disposal in Western Australia.[1] She has also campaigned against female genital mutilation since at least 1998, and in 2004 successfully lobbied the Attorney-General of Western Australia, Jim McGinty, to introduce laws making the practice a crime.[1] Watson has also served on the Ministerial Committee on Lesbian and Gay Law Reform, convened by McGinty, which proposed wide reforms in the area of gay and lesbian rights in Western Australia.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Giz Watson BSc MLC: About Giz. MP and Electorate Office Resource References. Retrieved on April 2, 2006.
- WATSON, Hon. Giz, MLC. Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved on April 2, 2006.
- Giz Watson MLC. The Greens (WA). Retrieved on April 2, 2006.
