Hannah Thomas
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Hannah Thomas is an Australian lawyer, activist, and former political candidate for the Australian Greens. In the 2025 election, she contested the federal seat of Grayndler, the seat held by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. In June 2025, she garnered significant media attention after she was assaulted and severely injured by NSW police at a pro-Palestine protest.
Early life and education
[edit]Thomas was born and grew up in Malaysia and moved to Australia in 2009 as an international student.[1] Her father, Tommy Thomas, is a former attorney-general of Malaysia.[2] Her paternal grandmother, Dr Vijayamma Thomas, was an award-winning researcher in the faculty of medicine at the University of Malaysia.[3] Her paternal grandparents migrated to Malaysia from the Indian district of Pathanamthitta after World War II.[4]
Political career
[edit]In the 2025 federal election, Thomas received 25.11% of first-preference votes in the Division of Grayndler, located in inner-Sydney.[5] This was a positive swing of 4.18% and the Greens' second-ever highest result in the electorate. She ultimately received 33.14% of the two-candidate-preferred result against Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Activism
[edit]Thomas received significant media attention in June 2025 whilst protesting outside SEC plating in Belmore, Sydney, alleging that the company was manufacturing components used in F-35 fighter jets in Israel.[6] She was originally arrested on charges of hindering or resisting a police officer and refusing to comply with a direction to disperse.[7] During her arrest, Senior Constable Christopher David punched Thomas in her right eye, causing immediate bleeding and swelling. It was later alleged by her lawyer that this strike ruptured her eyeball and fractured her eye socket.[8] She required three rounds of surgery, and suffers permanent eye damage.[9]
Three months after the incident, the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped all charges against Thomas.[8] She was subsequently awarded $22,000 in legal costs in response to these decisions.[10] In June 2026, it was conceded by NSW that her treatment by police constituted both battery and false imprisonment, and the state accepted that she was entitled to damages and offered to pay her medical costs.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Meet the candidate taking on Anthony Albanese | Australian Greens". greens.org.au. 20 February 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "Hannah Thomas, daughter of former Malaysia AG, taking on Australian PM in federal polls". The Straits Times. 27 April 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (3 August 2026). "Sandosham Medallist 1983: Assoc. Prof. Dr Vijayamma Thomas" (PDF). MALAYSIAN SOCIETY OF PARASITOLOGY AND TROPICAL MEDICINE (MSPTM.ORG). Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Wilson, Jaison (30 April 2025). "Woman with Pathanamthitta roots to take on Australian PM in May election". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Australian Electoral Commission, Canberra. "House of Representatives division information". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Injured former Greens candidate vows to fight on after police charges". ABC News. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Godsell, Oscar (29 June 2025). "Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warns 'no one is above the law' after former Greens candidate injured at protest". Sky News Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 Beazley, Jordyn (10 June 2026). "Hannah Thomas: NSW admits to police 'battery and false imprisonment' of pro-Palestine protester". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ McGowan, Michael (9 June 2026). "Police admit 'harm and damage' to Hannah Thomas after protest arrest". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Beazley, Jordyn (19 September 2025). "Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas injured in pro-Palestinian protest awarded $22,000 in legal costs". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Stewart, Anna (11 June 2026). "NSW government admits battery of Hannah Thomas". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)