Kerry Nettle - Early Life

Early Life

Kerry Nettle was born 24 December 1973, in Sydney, New South Wales, to Edward and Beverley Nettle. She grew up in the suburb of Marsfield, and received her primary education at local government schools, and secondary education at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon where she was elected school vice captain in her final year. Following graduation from high school in 1991, Nettle enrolled at the University of New South Wales, where she obtained a degree in environmental science and was active in student politics, caucusing with the group known as the Non-Aligned Left (the predecessor of the Grassroots Left). She worked as office coordinator for The Greens (NSW) and then as a youth worker. She joined the Australian Greens in 1998 and was elected to the Australian Senate for New South Wales in November 2001, joining Senator Bob Brown until her term expired on 30 June 2008.

Nettle is a social liberal and an environmentalist. She believes in Government ownership of essential services, which include banking, airlines, telecommunications, health and education, and other areas privatised in the last two decades in Australia. She argues that private ownership of these assets is "social theft."