Larissa Waters believes in the goodness of humanity. She lost a little faith after this

2 weeks ago 4

Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This time, he speaks with Larissa Waters. The federal Greens leader, 48, was the first Greens senator for Queensland when she entered Parliament in 2011. A former lawyer, she was named Australian Young Environmental Lawyer of the Year in 2010.

we’ve got to have our full f---ing faces on and be appropriately attired.”

RELIGION

Did you have a religious upbringing? We’re not a religious family and my folks gave me an exemption from religious education in schools. I’ve never thought terribly much about the other [side] and what happens later; I just try to find reverence in the things around me now. Respect for nature – and awe of nature – is a real driving force for me.

When was the last time you lost your faith in something or someone? I have a real belief in the goodness of humanity but sometimes that takes a beating. I was pretty dismayed by [Labor’s] new climate target [a 62-70 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2035]. It’s a flagrant failure to not accept science and to have this bullshit political target that satisfies the coal and gas companies.

When was the last time you had your faith restored in something or someone? Every time I come back from a parliamentary sitting week and I have a meeting with a stakeholder – usually, a not-for-profit charity. Meeting people who are doing something good for others never fails to restore my confidence in humanity. They’re good people, shameless idealists seeking neither glory nor recognition, just doing the hard work to help the world.

It’s human to doubt, but it can often be perceived as a liability if you’re a politician. Do you doubt yourself? If so, how do you manage that? Well, I’ve always valued conviction in politics. I think other people value that, too. But as a professional woman – and as a human, of course – I feel doubt. I struggle with that and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. I try to have an openness to being persuaded by the strength of an opposing argument. But I wouldn’t call that doubt: I’d call that looking at the evidence and having a fair approach to things.

What sin are you most susceptible to? I don’t think I’d call myself a glutton, but I love food and eat way too much salt – and I won’t stop. Oh, and swearing: I love to swear.

SEX

You’re Gen X. What was your sex education like? So bad. The only thing I can remember is a really embarrassing grade 4 camp. I think there was a banana involved. There was no mention of pleasure, no mention of connection and certainly no mention of consent.

If you could get in a time machine and talk to teenage Larissa Waters, what would you want to tell her? You can’t consent when you’ve been drinking. And your own worth should be driving your decisions.

What do you envy and not envy about younger generations when it comes to sex and relationships? I love how sex-positive this generation is: I love that people are far more accepting of the queer community and just far more accepting generally of how other people want to be. I love that acceptance. I don’t applaud the rise of angry, right-wing pushback towards gender norms and patriarchy and the impact that’s having on young women, in particular. And the fact that we now have really dodgy, deep-fake AI porn is, frankly, abusive and damaging.

The #MeToo movement happened while you were in Parliament. There were also reckonings in Canberra driven by the likes of Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame. How have gender dynamics changed – and not changed – in Parliament since? It feels so much better these days. We’ve got gender parity in the Senate; in fact, women are in the majority now. We’ve also got far more people of colour, more people with disabilities. It’s slowly starting to feel like the community we’re meant to represent. We’re still not there, but it’s so much less pale, male and stale than it was when I started. We’ve now got an independent complaint system; that wouldn’t have happened without Brittany. Credit to young women everywhere for having the courage and paving the way for so much reform.

What hasn’t changed? Well, sweaty blokes still rock up [to Parliament] in their football gear. Women don’t do that: we’ve got to have our full f---ing faces on and be appropriately attired. So there are still those kinds of unwritten rules.

What’s sexy about the work that you do? You get to represent your values. Equality. Sustainability. Justice.

What’s unsexy? Getting up in the mornings and doing media! [Laughs]

Larissa Waters with her baby, Alia, in Parliament in 2017.

BODIES

Is a political career compatible with good health? No, it’s not. I still haven’t worked out how to fit exercise into my schedule. If I go for a run, I feel infinitely more joyful and able to cope with the stresses of the day, but it’s been three weeks now …

You made global headlines in 2017 as the first woman to breastfeed in Parliament. I know. Crazy, right?

Did you welcome the attention? I found it … perplexing. When you’re a parent and if you’re able to breastfeed, that’s what you do – because your baby’s hungry and they’re going to scream the f---king house down if you don’t feed them. I was also really proud to show that young women belong in Parliament. Even if they’re juggling other responsibilities, they can and should still represent the community. So I feel really, really proud that I’ve been able to give women the strength to do that, wherever they are. The message I hope that it sent is that you belong wherever the f--- you want to be: just go for it.

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