constituency_mp nationality birth_date residence term_end alma_mater profession term_start image name otherparty deputy predecessor parliament birth_place party office partner website successor religion article_title birth_name
denison australian 27 december 1944 hobart 15 1993 june 2012 13 april 2012 12 february 1993 university of sydney physician , politician 1 1989 -lrb- `` de facto '' -rrb- july 1996 28 november 2005 4 january 1983 bob brown profile.png dr. bob brown tasmanian greens -lrb- 1983 -- 1993 -rrb- christine milne '' new position '' norm sanders none tasmanian oberon , new south wales australian greens -lrb- 1996 -- present -rrb- senator of the tasmanian greens for tasmania leader of the australian greens leader paul thomas -lsb- http://www.bobbrown.org.au/ bobbrown.org.au -rsb- peter whish-wilson christine milne peg putt christine milne lapsed presbyterian bob brown
 robert james brown
bob brown

robert james `` bob '' brown -lrb- born 27 december 1944 -rrb- is an australian former politician , medical doctor , environmentalist , former senator and former parliamentary leader of the australian greens .
brown was elected to the australian senate on the tasmanian greens ticket , joining with sitting greens western australia senator dee margetts to form the first group of australian greens senators following the 1996 federal election .
he was re-elected in 2001 and in 2007 .
he was the first openly gay member of the parliament of australia , and the first openly gay leader of an australian political party .
while serving in the tasmanian parliament , brown successfully campaigned for a large increase in the protected wilderness areas .
brown led the australian greens from the party 's foundation in 1992 until april 2012 , a period in which polls grew to around 10 % at state and federal levels -lrb- 13.9 % of the primary vote in 2010 -rrb- .
from 2002 to 2004 , when minor parties held the balance of power in the senate , brown became a well-recognised politician .
in october 2003 brown was the subject of international media interest when he was suspended from the parliament for interjecting during an address by united states president george w. bush .
on 13 april 2012 , brown resigned as leader of the greens and indicated his intention to resign from the senate in june .
this occurred on 15 june 2012 .
