Senator Brown at the Salamanca Market in Hobart (18 December 2004)

Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944), is an Australian Senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasmanian Greens ticket joining with sitting WA Greens senator Dee Margetts to form the first Australian Greens senators following the 1996 federal election, and was re-elected in 2001 and again in 2007.

While serving in the Tasmanian parliament, Bob Brown successfully campaigned for a large increase in the protected wilderness areas. Bob Brown has led the Australian Greens during a period of growth from a party on the political fringe, to one which now polls at around 10% at state and federal level, runs candidates in every federal and almost all state and territory seats, and have won seats in six of the eight states/territories and at the federal level. During the minority Senate between 2002 and 2004, when minor parties held the balance of power, Bob Brown became a well recognised politician. Bob Brown has been known for vocal protest campaigns, which created international headlines on 23 October 2003 when he was suspended from the Parliament for interjecting during an address by the visiting President of the United States, George W. Bush.