Natalie Louise Bennett (born 10 February 1966) is a British politician and journalist who has led the
Green Party of England and Wales since September 2012. Born and raised in Australia, she began her career as a journalist with regional newspapers in
New South Wales before leaving in 1995 for Thailand, where she worked for
Australian Volunteers International and the
Bangkok Post newspaper over the next four years. Since settling in Britain in 1999 she has contributed to the
Guardian,
Independent and
Times newspapers. Her election as leader of the Greens came six years after she joined the party in January 2006.