Richard was elected to the Australian Senate in the 2010 federal election. Richard became federal parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens in 2015 and led the Greens at the 2016 federal election. A former general practitioner Richard took the lead in the 2015 Regulator of Medicinal Cannabis Bill which many believe would have provided the best model for Medicinal Cannabis Regulation in Australia had it not been hijacked by the Federal Government with the introduction of the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill in November 2016. Richard continues to fight for progress in the medicinal Cannabis space with focus on improving patient access. He has demonstrated this commitment by recently tabling a disallowance motion to the Government’s removal of access to Cannabis for the Terminally ill through Category A of the Special Access Scheme. United in Compassion would like to thank him publicly and formerly for his efforts.