Robin Howard Chapple (born 11 February 1947) is an Australian politician. From 2001 to 2005 Chapple represented the Mining and Pastoral Region for the Greens. He was defeated in the 2005 state election but was re-elected in the 2008 election, serving until his retirement in 2021. Chapple was the Greens spokesperson for Aboriginal issues, energy and climate change, local government, mines and petroleum, nuclear issues, pastoral issues, ports, racing and gaming, regional sustainability, state development and industry, and waste management.

Early life

Chapple was born in Wheathampstead, England in 1947. In his youth, he worked as a junior stockbroker at the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

, as a qualified automotive mechanical engineer in the British sports automotive industry, and in industrial farming industries in England. He later travelled to work with

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...

in what is now Bangladesh. Chapple emigrated to Australia in 1974 and worked throughout the

Central Desert Deserts cover about , or 18%, of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain, it is practically desert. Collectively known as the Great Australian desert, they are primarily distributed throughout ...

area and northern Australia in a number of engineering and surveying roles, living and working with remote Indigenous communities. He briefly worked for the state Water Authority and then eventually moved to

Port Hedland A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

to work for

BHP BHP Group Limited, founded as the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, is an Australian multinational mining and metals corporation. BHP was established in August 1885 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. As of 2024, BHP was the world� ...

Politics and activism

Chapple served as a town councillor on Port Hedland council for seven years from 1986 to 1993. Whilst on council, he served as a delegate to both the state Municipal Association and the Country Shire Councils Association. Chapple was the co founder of LEAF (Local Environment Affinity Force) of Hedland, a local environment group who took an active role in

paper recycling The recycling of paper is the process by which waste paper is turned into new paper products. It has several important benefits: It saves waste paper from occupying the homes of people and producing methane as it breaks down. Because paper fibr ...

, tree planting and commenting on environment and development issues in the region. He established Chapple Research, a consultancy firm, to provide the local community, authorities and industries with environmental and social impact information and advice. He has also participated in campaigns for the protection of the

Murujuga The Burrup Peninsula, previously known as Dampier Island, is a former island of the Dampier Archipelago that is now connected to the mainland via a causeway. The peninsula and islands together are also known as Murujuga. The peninsula is locat ...

or Burrup Peninsula and the surrounding Dampier Archipelago from encroaching industrial and processing developments, and against uranium mining, uranium ore transportation and nuclear waste storage in Western Australia and in particular the proposed

Pangea Pangaea or Pangea ( ) was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia (continent), Siberia during the Carboniferous period ...

international nuclear waste dump, having served as the co-ordinator of the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia. He is also an advocate for the introduction of limited

voluntary euthanasia Voluntary euthanasia is the purposeful ending of another person's life at their request, in order to relieve them of suffering. Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been the focus of intense debate in the 21st century, ...

, having introduced bills to legalise the act in state parliament in 2002 and 2009 which were both defeated. Chapple served as a member of the Department of Minerals and Energy's Minerals Environmental Liaison Committee (MELC) and on the state government's mining industries annual "Golden Gecko Environmental Excellence Award" program, as a conservation representative on the technical review and assessment panel. Before entering parliament, Chapple worked as a research officer for Greens MLC Giz Watson.

Legislative Council (2001–2005, 2009–2021)

During his time in the Legislative Council, Chapple was a strong advocate for climate action, Indigenous rights, and environmental protection. He campaigned extensively against uranium mining and nuclear waste proposals in Western Australia, particularly the planned Pangea international nuclear waste dump. Chapple introduced bills seeking to legalise voluntary euthanasia, and consistently called for government accountability on environmental and social issues. As a Greens (WA) spokesperson, Chapple worked across a range of portfolios including Aboriginal affairs, energy and climate change, mining and petroleum, regional sustainability, and waste management. His parliamentary efforts focused on promoting sustainable development and protecting cultural heritage sites such as the Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula).

References

External links

Website of Robin Chapple MLCGreens WABiography and Speeches at the Parliament of Western Australia Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapple, Robin 1947 births Living people Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Wheathampstead English emigrants to Australia Western Australian local councillors 21st-century Australian politicians