Cassandra Fernando Secures Spot in Australian Parliament

WIKIPEDIA … Cassandra Fernando (born 18 September 1987) is a Sri Lankan-born Australian politician and trade unionist who has been serving as the member of parliament (MP) for the Victorian division of Holt since 2022. She is a member of the Labor Party (ALP).

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Cassandra_Fernando

Cassandra Fernando (born 18 September 1987) is a Sri Lankan-born Australian politician and trade unionist who has been serving as the member of parliament (MP) for the Victorian division of Holt since 2022. She is a member of the Labor Party (ALP).

Early life: Fernando was born in Sri Lanka and came to Australia with her parents in 1999 at the age of 11. She grew up in Dandenong North, Victoria, and holds a diploma in hospitality and a certificate in education support.^[1]

Fernando worked at Woolworths in Dandenong Plaza for almost 15 years, including as a pastry chef.^[2] She became a delegate to the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and subsequently worked as an SDA organiser for five years.^[1]

Politics:  In March 2022, Fernando won ALP preselection for the seat of Holt at the 2022 federal election, following the retirement of incumbent MP Anthony Byrne.

She is a member of the SDA faction of Victorian Labor, which was granted the right, under the federal intervention into the Victorian branch which has led to a suspension of democratic processes in the Branch, to preselect the candidate in Holt despite the left faction having larger membership numbers.^[3]

Since July 2022 Fernando has served on the House of Representatives Standing Committee for Employment, Education and Training, the Standing Committee for Migration and the Parliamentary Library Committee. She is the first Sri Lankan born woman to take a seat in the Australian parliament.^[4]

Personal life: Fernando lives in Narre Warren South.^[5] She is a member of the SDA, the Cranbourne Chamber of Commerce and the Cranbourne Historical Society.^[5]

REFERENCES:

1. ^ Jump up to:^ab “ALP’s Byrne replacement chosen”. Star Journal. 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
2. ^“Cassandra Fernando”. Australian Labor Party. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
3. ^Karp, Paul (28 March 2022). “Labor finalises candidates in crucial seats ahead of election”. Guardian Australia. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
4. ^“Sri Lanka born Cassandra Fernando wins seat at Australia election”. Daily News. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
5. ^ Jump up to:^ab “The private interests of Cassandra Fernando MP”. openpolitics.au. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.

In 1995, I have made the decision to leave Germany and also not to accept job offers from US and Germany not because they were not good enough. I was far too impressed by the people in Australia and also the then PM Paul Keating. I quit my job in Germany and took a job in Australia with a salary cut of about 35%. Australia’s population does not like Trump and they will not vote racists in large numbers to the parliament. Both major parties in Australia have their strengths and weaknesses and people switching between them as they feel fit. I feel secure (politically) in Australia lot more than in US or Germany!

The photo is the first Lankan born MP to the Federal parliament (Cassandra Fernando) from Victoria elected for the second time to Australian parliament from the winning party (Australian Labor). Congratulations to her! There were two other strong contenders with Lankan heritage in Victoria. Samanta Ratnam (Green leader) is fighting in Wills (short of about 900 votes) and A/Prof Michelle Anandarajha (who was my MP) switched her candidature to the Senate – so I am still waiting to hear. It is bit disappointing if the Greens did not get a seat in this parliament. They need to be there in my view. I also remember late Jude Perera – the first Lankan born politician to be in the Victorian parliament.