Geelong-based criminal lawyer Simon Northeast is the Greens candidate for Corangamite in the May 18 federal election, running on a platform focused on climate change. He has told constituents that this single issue will decide the future of the planet.

He also has been targeting federal governments of both sides for accepting donations from big companies. He says these kinds of support leads the governments to be beholden to the donor’s corporate interest.

He was born in Cobden in Victoria’s southwest, before moving to Melbourne to attend Monash University. He graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy and Anthropology) and a Bachelor of Law.

In 30 years in the legal profession, Northeast has specialised in criminal law, with a self-described emphasis on social justice. He has worked at Victoria Legal Aid for 15 years and been a case work advocate at Fitzroy Legal Service. Possibly his most high-profile work was as part of the defense team for Robert Farquharson, who infamously drove his car into a dam in 2005, drowning his three sons.

In 2008, he was elected to the Surf Coast Shire council, being the first Greens candidate to do so. This was followed by two unsuccessful state election bids in 2010 and 2014.

He lives in Fairhaven with his wife and two daughters, and runs his own criminal law practice in Geelong. He volunteers with the Fairhaven Surf Lifesaving Club and with the local CFA branch.