Jessica Beckerling is an Australian politician and environmental campaigner. A member of the Greens (WA), she was elected to the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, Legislative A ...

in 2025. Beckerling has been instrumental in shaping

environmental policy Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem ...

in Western Australia, particularly through her leadership in the campaign to end native forest logging.

Early life and education

Beckerling became involved in conservation work as a teenager, participating in forest blockades across the south-west of Western Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science from

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its ...

, with a focus on ecology and sustainability.

Environmental advocacy

WA Forest Alliance and grassroots activism

Beckerling served as Convenor and Campaign Director of the WA Forest Alliance (WAFA) for 13 years. Under her leadership, WAFA played a central role in advocating for the protection of native forests, culminating in the WA Government’s decision to end native forest logging by January 2024. The campaign was recognised with the United Nations Association of Western Australia’s Environment Award in 2022. Her grassroots approach, often involving community blockades and citizen action, helped to mobilise public support and elevate forest protection to a statewide policy issue.

Conservation Council of WA

In late 2023, Beckerling was appointed Executive Director of the

Conservation Council of Western Australia The Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) is the umbrella body for conservation groups and organisations in Western Australia. It has been the co-ordinator, publisher and guiding body for issues of woodchipping in the South West of ...

(CCWA). Upon stepping into the role, she emphasized the urgency of improving WA’s climate and environmental performance and committed to rebuilding a strong, collaborative environmental movement through CCWA.

Recognition

Beckerling has received several awards for her contributions to environmental protection: * United Nations Association of WA Environment Award (2022) – awarded to WAFA *

Bob Brown Foundation Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is an Australian former politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasm ...

Environmentalist of the Year Award (2021) * Bessie Rischbieth Conservation Award – Conservation Council of WA (2015) * Inducted into the Western Australian Women's Hall of Fame (2023)

State Parliament (2025–present)

Beckerling was elected to the Legislative Council in the 2025 state election, representing the Greens (WA). Following the election, Beckerling and three other Greens MLC's will hold the balance of power in the Legislative Council, significantly strengthening the party's influence on legislation. In Parliament, she advocates for strong

climate action Climate action (or climate change action) refers to a range of activities, mechanisms, policy instruments, and so forth that aim at reducing the severity of human-induced climate change and its impacts. "More climate action" is a central demand o ...

forest protection Forest protection is a branch of forestry which is concerned with the preservation or improvement of a forest and prevention and control of damage to forest by natural or man made causes like forest fires, plant pests, and adverse climatic con ...

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

, and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

Political positions

Beckerling supports: * Ending native forest logging and restoring forest ecosystems * Accelerating the transition to

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

and phasing out fossil fuels * Protecting biodiversity and natural habitats * Community-led

environmental action Environmental Action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit environmental advocacy organization in the United States. Founded in 1970 by environmental activists at the first Earth Day, it operated until 1996 but was then rebooted in 2012 as part of the Publi ...

and participatory decision-making *

Climate justice Climate justice is a type of environmental justice that focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change on marginalized or otherwise vulnerable populations. Climate justice seeks to achieve an equitable distribution of both the burdens of clima ...

and equitable sustainability policies

References

External links

Greens WA profile

Facebook page

Parliament of WA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckerling, Jess Living people Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians