Rebecca Vassarotti
Rebecca Vassarotti is an Australian politician who was deputy leader of the ACT Greens between March and December of 2024, and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly for Kurrajong from 2020 to 2024.
Background
Vassarotti was born and raised in Canberra. Her mother was a teacher and is an advocate for public schooling.Vassarotti spent ten years with the YWCA in Canberra, including as executive director. She worked as a consultant in the not-for-profit sector, and was director on the board of numerous companies. She was a finalist for the ACT Australian of the Year. She is also an advocate for a reduction in the access to poker machines and has been the Greens spokesperson on that issue.
At the 2020 ACT election, Vassarotti won one of the five seats in Kurrajong, taking the seat from the Liberals' Candice Burch. Following agreement between Labor and the Greens that the latter have three ministerial portfolios, Vassarotti was appointed Minister for Environment and Heritage, Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services, and Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction.
At the 2024 ACT election, Vassarotti lost her seat to Thomas Emerson, the leader of Independents for Canberra.