Steph Hodgins-May

Senator

Steph Hodgins-May
Hodgins-May in 2023
Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens
Assumed office
30 September 2026
LeaderDavid Shoebridge
Preceded byMehreen Faruqi
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
2 May 2024
Preceded byJanet Rice
Personal details
Born (1985-08-23) 23 August 1985 (age 41)
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
RelationsWilliam Hill (great-great-grandfather)
OccupationPolitical activist
Lawyer
Websitegreens.org.au/vic/person/steph-hodgins-may

Steph Hodgins-May (born 23 August 1985) is an Australian politician and environmental lawyer who has been the deputy leader of the Australian Greens since 2026. She has been a Senator for Victoria since 2024. She was a Greens candidate for the House of Representatives four times.

Early life

Steph Hodgins-May was born on 23 August 1985 in Ballarat, Victoria. She was raised in Blampied in rural Victoria on a farm. Her father, Rod May, was a mayor of Hepburn Shire. Her mother was a teacher in Ballarat.

Hodgins-May is the great-great-granddaughter of William Hill, who was a founding member of the Country Party.

She studied at Deakin University.

Early career

Hodgins-May worked in property law before working in the Australian mission to the United Nations.

After the 2019 election, Hodgins-May became Greenpeace's Head of Pacific. In this role, she pushed for Australia to do more to stop climate change and to help the Pacific Islands with the challenges that climate change causes.

Political career

Hodgins-May first ran for elected office at the 2013 election for the division of Ballarat, a safe Labor seat. She won 9.5% of the vote.

At the 2016 election, Hodgins-May ran for the inner Melbourne seat of Melbourne Ports, a seat held by Labor since 1906. Hodgins-May won 23.79% of the primary vote.

Hodgins-May was the Greens candidate for the division of Macnamara, for the 2019 federal election. She lost to Labour candidate Josh Burns.

Hodgins-May was again picked for the Greens in the Melbourne seat of Macnamara for the 2022 election. She finished second in primary votes behind Labor.

Senate

In 2023, Hodgins-May was picked by The Greens to replace Janet Rice after Rice's retirement. She was appointed to the Senate in a joint sitting of the Parliament of Victoria on 1 May 2024. In May 2026, Hodgins-May chaired a Senate Select Committee on the Taxation of Gas Resources.

On 30 September 2026, in the Greens leadership election, after the resignation of leader Larissa Waters and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi, Hodgins-May ran for deputy leader of the Australian Greens. She was elected 6–5 in a two-candidate vote against Tasmanian Senator Vanessa Bleyer. David Shoebridge was elected leader.

Personal life

Hodgins-May lives in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood with her partner Ogy Simic. She has a son.

Hodgins-May's mother died in the 2009 Samoan tsunami while on vacation. In 2017 her father, Rod May, was killed in motorcycle crash.

References

  1. ↑ "Senator Steph Hodgins-May". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Meet our campaigners". Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  3. 1 2 "Daughters break down as they remember former mayor killed by dangerous driver". ABC News. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  4. ↑ "Ballarat school mourns teacher taken by tsunami". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  5. ↑ "Her great-great-grandfather helped create the National Party. Now she wants to 'bury it'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2026-10-03.
  6. ↑ Willingham, Richard (2015-09-25). "Labor confident of holding Melbourne Ports, despite Liberal and Greens challenge". The Age. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  7. ↑ "Biden Summit: Charities and churches call on PM to halve emissions by 2030 | Media Oxfam Australia". media.oxfam.org.au. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  8. ↑ McCulloch, Daniel (2020-07-24). "States to handle environmental approvals". Bega District News. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  9. ↑ Green, Antony. "Ballarat - Federal Election 2013". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  10. ↑ "First preference count for the division of Melbourne Ports (VIC)". Australian Electoral Commission. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  11. ↑ Green, Antony. "Macnamara (Key Seat) - Federal Election 2019". abc.net.au. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  12. ↑ Douglas, Carly. "Steph Hodgins-May back in the ring". www.australianjewishnews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  13. ↑ "Greens winnable Macnamara federal electorate candidate announced: Sonya Semmens | Australian Greens". Victorian Greens Party. March 2024.
  14. ↑ Green, Antony. "Macnamara (Key Seat) - Federal Election 2022". abc.net.au. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  15. ↑ Carmody, Broede (30 November 2023). "'Enormous shoes to fill': Ex-Greenpeace boss to replace retiring Greens senator". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Joint Sitting of Parliament Legislative Council Wednesday 1 May 2024" (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. 1 May 2024. p. 93. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  17. ↑ corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Committee Membership". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 2026-07-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Breaking: David Shoebridge named new Greens leader after three-way contest". ABC News. 2026-09-30. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  19. ↑ Dhanji, Krishani; McIlroy, Tom; Butler, Josh (30 September 2026). "David Shoebridge says 'we're here to replace Labor' in first remarks after being elected new Greens leader". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Steph Hodgins-May, Greens Candidate for Macnamara". Steph Hodgins-May, Greens Candidate for Macnamara. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  21. ↑ Jackson, Andra; Andrew, Darby (2009-09-30). "Surprise beachside holiday turns into tragedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-11-18.

Other websites

Media related to Steph Hodgins-May at Wikimedia Commons