Ellen Sandell


Ellen Sandell is an Australian politician and environmentalist. She has represented the electorate of Melbourne in the Parliament of Victoria since 2014 as a member of the Australian Greens. She is currently the Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens.
She was a recipient of the Young Environmentalist of the Year Award in 2009 and director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition between 2011–2012.

Education

Ellen Sandell grew up in Mildura, where she attended St Joseph's College. She went on to study at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. She joined the Australian Youth Climate Coalition in 2007, and became director in 2011.

Career

Whilst at university she became involved in student politics and was elected as the environment officer for the University of Melbourne Student Union in 2007. From 2007 to 2009 Sandell was employed as a policy adviser in the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet working on the Brumby Labor Government's climate change strategy and Green Paper. Sandell worked for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition between 2009 and 2012 serving as general manager before becoming the group's National Director. After departing the AYCC Sandell worked as the ACT Greens Party campaign manager for Simon Sheikh's unsuccessful senate campaign in the 2013 Australian federal election. In 2013 she was pre-selected as the Australian Greens Victoria candidate at the 2014 state elections for the seat of Melbourne.
Sandell won the seat of Melbourne in the 2014 state election, against Labor incumbent Jennifer Kanis. She then held the seat against the same Labor opponent on a slightly smaller margin at the 2018 election. Following that election Sandell was appointed deputy leader of a reduced Greens party-room in the Victorian Parliament, serving with leader of the party Samantha Ratnam.

Personal

Sandell has one daughter, who was born in 2017.