Rachel Siewert

Rachel was Sydney born and moved with her family to Perth when she was 13. She went on to study agriculture at the University of Western Australia.

Her first role after graduating was also the first WA position funded through the new National Soil Conservation Program. In 1983 Rachel researched salinity with the newly formed Jerramungup Soil Conservation District and the Department of Agriculture.

The understanding and bonds built through this pioneering early landcare work never left Rachel. She went onto work, for an impressive 16 years, as Coordinator of the Conservation Council of WA and remained a strong voice for landcare amongst the environment movement.

Rachel was an active member of the Soil and Land Conservation Council, the Natural Heritage Trust’s Joint Steering Committee, the State Salinity Council and the State NRM Council.

She carried her advocacy for landcare into Federal Parliament when she became a Senator, for the Australian Greens, in 2005, and was a strong national voice for community landcare and in Western Australia until she retired from the Senate in 2021.