Barbara Pocock

Barbara Ann Pocock AM (born 22 March 1955) is an Australian politician and economist. She is a member of the Australian Greens and has been a Senator for South Australia since 2022. She is an emeritus professor of the University of South Australia and was previously deputy chair of The Australia Institute from 2004 to 2022.

Early life and education Pocock was born on 22 March 1955 in Berri, South Australia. She grew up with her family on a mallee, sheep and wheat farm near Lameroo, 200 kilometres from the South Australian state capital of Adelaide.

Pocock moved to Adelaide in 1969 to attended Wilderness School as a boarding student before moving to Norwood International High School in 1972 to complete year 12. After finishing school, Pocock worked in shearing sheds and on farms in New Zealand for a year, and worked on farms in Australia.

She began studying economics in 1975 and graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1978 with a Bachelor of Economics (First Class Honours). She completed her PhD at the University of Adelaide in 1997 with a thesis titled "Analysis of male power in Australian unions, its effects and how to combat it."

Professional career Pocock was employed by the Reserve Bank of Australia from 1979 as a research officer in the International Department in which she would write briefing notes for the Governor. Her portfolio encompassed regions including Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. It was during this time at the Reserve Bank that Pocock first became more aware of poor working conditions and the need for unionism. She states that she realised the importance of the feminist movement in the workplace after seeing numerous women, including many migrants, working in the low paid part of the Reserve Bank counting money.

After her stint at the Reserve Bank, Pocock began work in 1981 at the Department of Industrial Relations in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley Region as an Equal Employment Opportunity Officer.

Pocock was a Director and Deputy Chair of the Australia Institute between 2004 and 2022.

Politics Pocock was a founding member of the New Left Party. She was a signatory of the Time to Act statement in March 1989 which led to the party's formation and subsequently served on its women's commission.

In December 2018, Pocock won Greens preselection to contest the federal seat of Adelaide. She increased the swing towards the party by six percentage points at the 2019 federal election, recording a primary vote of 16 percent.

Senate Pocock was chosen as the Greens' lead Senate candidate in South Australia in September 2020. At the 2022 federal election she was elected to a six-year term beginning on 1 July 2022.

Following her election, Pocock became the Greens' spokesperson for finance, employment and the public sector. She was chair of the Senate select committee into work and care from 2022 to 2023.

Views and positions Pocock has long been a strong supporter of the feminist movement and the labour movement. As a researcher and academic she has written numerous books and academic journal articles on the labour market, work-life conflict, unionism, low pay, inequality and vocational education. She has focused her research on industrial relations, work and family, pay equity, and inequality in the workplace. Pocock is a strong believer in the importance of trade unions and advocated for equality through fair labour law. Since 2015 she has been a member of 'Mothers for a Sustainable South Australia' (MOSSA), a campaign group of South Australian mothers who have opposed proposals for a high level nuclear waste dump in South Australia, and more recently the disposal of medium and low level waste in the state.

Pocock argues for free University, TAFE, and for the forgiveness of student debt due to the large economic burden placed upon university students. She points to the fact that she has had the advantages of living on a safe planet, enjoying free higher education, access to secure employment and the chance to buy a home through an affordable mortgage - all things unavailable to so many young Australians now." When launching the Greens' student debt policy with New South Wales Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Pocock further stressed the importance of free higher education arguing that "high levels of student debt stand in the way of secure housing for many young people."

Published works