Celeste Liddle

Not to be confused with Catherine Liddle.

Celeste Liddle
Liddle at a Melbourne rally in February 2022
Born1978 (age 46–47)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Alma materLa Trobe University
University of Melbourne
Monash University
Occupation(s)Writer and unionist
Political partyGreens (2021-2023)
WebsiteRantings of an Aboriginal Feminist

Celeste Liddle (born 1978) is an Aboriginal Australian unionist, writer, and Indigenous feminist of the Arrernte people of Central Australia. Having first risen to prominence via her personal blog, Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist, Liddle has written opinion and commentary for several media publications and anthologies.

Early life and education

Liddle was born in Canberra, Australia, in 1978. She moved to Melbourne with her family in 1992,[1] when she was 14.[2] Her paternal grandmother Emily Liddle (nĂ©e Perkins) was a member of the Stolen Generations and lived at Jay Creek settlement for a period.[3]

She has an honours degree in arts from La Trobe University, a graduate diploma from the University of Melbourne and a masters in communications and media studies from Monash University.[4] In 2020, Liddle undertook a master's degree at Monash.[5] and in 2021 was awarded the Academic Medal for Excellence.[6]

Career

Writing and broadcasting

Liddle hosted the IndigenousX program from 19 June 2015.[7]

She has been a regular columnist for Eureka Street since 2017, having written her first opinion piece for them two years earlier. She has also been a columnist and featured writer for Daily Life,[8] The Saturday Paper,[9] and The Guardian.[10] She has also provided commentary for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).[citation needed]

In addition to opinion writing, Liddle has been published in a number of anthologies, including Black Inc's Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia,[11] Pan McMillan's "Mothers and Others" and Hardie Grant's "Better than Sex".[citation needed]

She has been involved in several major literary events, including the All About Women Festival,[12] Melbourne Writers Festival,[13] the Antidote Festival,[14] The Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair[15] and the Bendigo Writers' Festival.[16][citation needed]

Activism and unionism

As of 2023, Liddle works as National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).[17] She was instrumental in ensuring that the NTEU vocally supported the campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Australia.[18]

Politics

In May 2021, Liddle was preselected by the Victorian Greens for the seat of Cooper in the 2022 federal election.[19] Cooper is the Melbourne electorate where she has lived for over 20 years. Her campaign set out to include dental into Medicare, enhance workers' rights, increase renewable energy in response to the climate emergency, and work towards truth and treaty for First Nations people. Liddle was also a strong advocate for the Greens policy to tax billionaires and for Melbourne's live music and arts scenes.[20]

In the 2022 election, Liddle received 27.7% of the primary vote, coming second to the incumbent Labor member Ged Kearney. Liddle increased the Greens primary vote by 6.43% while Labor's decreased by 5.5% on the previous election.[21]

Liddle left the Greens in February 2023.[22]

Recognition

In 2017, Liddle was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.[23][24]

Personal life

As of 2024, Liddle is in a relationship with schoolteacher Tara Burnett, who succeeded her as the Greens candidate in Cooper for the 2025 federal election.[25]

References

  1. ^ "About Celeste Liddle". Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Celeste Liddle, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organiser", National Tertiary Education Union, archived from the original on 20 August 2016, retrieved 18 January 2017
  3. ^ Liddle, Celeste (2 December 2016). "Aboriginal workers still slipping through the gaps". Eureka Street. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Celeste Liddle", Bendigo Writers Festival, archived from the original on 28 June 2015, retrieved 18 January 2017
  5. ^ Liddle, Celeste (29 October 2020). "Higher education should be for everyone". Eureka Street. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. ^ "I'd just like to inform the person who hides behind the @IndigenousUoM account, and who tried to make out that I was stupid a few weeks back only to have it backfire spectacularly, that I have just found out I have been awarded the Academic Medal for Excellence by Monash🖕🏾". Twitter. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Five Questions with Celeste Liddle", IndigenousX, 2015, archived from the original on 20 August 2016, retrieved 18 January 2017
  8. ^ "Celeste Liddle". The Age. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Celeste Liddle". The Saturday Paper. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Celeste Liddle". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  11. ^ Growing up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss. 6 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Blak Matriarchies". Sydney Opera House. 2020. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  13. ^ "EVENT - Melbourne Writer's Festival". liminalmag.com. 11 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Antidote". Sydney Opera House. 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  15. ^ "August 2015". Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  16. ^ "2023 Bendigo Writers Festival by Bendigo Venues and Events - Issuu". 7 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander". NTEU. 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  18. ^ "NTEU National Executive passes motion in support of raising the age of criminal responsibility". NTEU. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Indigenous activist to run for Greens in Ged Kearney's inner-Melbourne seat". Sydney Morning Herald. 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Missing Melbourne's music scene". 3 May 2020. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Cooper (Key Seat) - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  22. ^ Liddle, Celeste (26 June 2023). "I remain undecided on the Indigenous voice to parliament. And I'm exhausted". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Women's Honour Roll Receives 25 New Inductees". Victorian Premier. Premier of Victoria. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  24. ^ "NTEU congratulates Celeste Liddle". NTEU. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  25. ^ Kelly, Cait (20 October 2024). "'I want to make history': the relief teacher targeting a Labor stronghold to become Australia's first trans MP". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 20 October 2024.