Nick McKim

A staunch and proud Tasmanian, Nick McKim is an unapologetic defender of the things that make his home state different from the rest of the world.

Nick is a passionate defender of multicultural Australia and an advocate for a humane and compassionate approach towards people seeking asylum.

He is also fighting for a fairer and simpler immigration system and for better protections of people’s human rights.

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Nick is motivated by love for the wild and wondrous beauty of our planet, and a conviction that for future generations to enjoy wellbeing and prosperity we have to live more sustainably today.

He was first elected to the Tasmanian parliament in 2002, and represented the electorate of Franklin in the House of Assembly for 13 years. He was Leader of the Tasmanian Greens between 2008 and 2014.

In 2005 Nick was the first person to introduce marriage equality legislation into any Australian parliament.

In 2010 he became Australia’s first Greens Minister, holding portfolios including Education and Skills, Corrections and Consumer Protection, Sustainable Transport and Climate Change.

The four years of cooperative government between 2010 and 2014 saw the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage extended by over 170 000 hectares, including iconic forests like the Styx and the Florentine.

As Minister, Nick significantly increased funding for Tasmania’s public schools, helped improve literacy and numeracy outcomes, created the Professional Learning Institute to support teachers, set up TasTAFE, opened Tasmania's Sustainability Learning Centre, reformed the prison system, and introduced new public transport services in urban and regional Tasmania.