Giz’s family moved from the UK to Western Australia in the mid-60s. She was involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement in the early ‘70s and then later undertook direct action protests to support the Campaign to Save Native Forests. During this time, she also trained groups in nonviolent direct action.
Giz became a registered builder and ran her own business. She joined the newly formed Greens (WA) in 1990 and acted as Co-convenor from 1993-95 and 2013-15. She has been a delegate to the Australian Greens since 2019.
In 1997, Giz Watson was elected to the Legislative Council for the North Metropolitan Region and was re-elected in 2001, 2005 and 2008. At the State election in 2013, Giz ran for the South West Region but was unsuccessful. She has stood as a candidate 11 times.
Giz was the first openly lesbian parliamentarian in Australia and championed gay and lesbian law reform. She was the Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations and a member of seven other committees between 1997 and 2009.
In this interview undertaken by the WA Parliament in 2015-16, Giz discusses the role of the Legislative Council and the Greens (WA) and the wider environmental and conservation movement. She also talks about the Greens position on the ‘One Vote One Value’ legislation, proportional representation and their commitment to consensus decision-making.