Milne's life and career highlights

THE LIFE AND POLITICAL CAREER OF CHRISTINE MILNE

* Born in Latrobe, Tasmania, the second daughter of dairy farmer parents.

* Came to public notice in 1983 when she was arrested and jailed during the campaign to save Tasmania's Franklin River.

* Prominent in a successful community campaign to prevent the construction of Wesley Vale pulp mill in late 1980s.

* First elected to the Tasmanian Parliament in 1989.

* In 1993, she became the first woman to lead a political party in Tasmania.

* Elected to the Senate in 2004

* Replaced Bob Brown as federal leader of the Australian Greens in April 2012.

* Resigned as leader on May 6, after deciding not to contest the next federal election due in late 2016.