Samantha Shantini Ratnam (Tamil: சமந்தா இரத்தினம்; born 1977) is a British-Australian social worker and politician. She was the leader of the Victorian Greens between 2017 and 2024, serving as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council in the Northern Metropolitan Region. Prior to this she was a councillor and mayor for the City of Moreland.
Greens – Samantha Ratnam loses seat of Wills in Victoria.
Wills
ALP retain
Wills
ALP retain
Preference count
| Party / Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| ALP
KHALIL, Peter |
51.6% | 45,935 |
| GRN (VIC)
RATNAM, Samantha |
48.4% | 43,122 |
-7.45%
Swing against ALP
Swing is based on the percentage change in voter support for the two preferred candidates between now and the previous election.
First preference
| Party / Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| ALP
KHALIL, Peter |
35.9% | 32,126 |
| GRN (VIC)
RATNAM, Samantha |
35.4% | 31,705 |
| LIB
KIDNEY, Jeff |
12.6% | 11,272 |
| SAL
BOLTON, Sue |
8.4% | 7,507 |
| ON
STEVENS, Bruce |
3.4% | 3,027 |
| HMP
GLOVER, Margee |
2.6% | 2,370 |
| SOPA
MILLER, Owen |
1.0% | 877 |
| LTP
VERSTEEGEN, Rachel |
0.8% | 705 |
Samantha Ratnam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Samantha Ratnam | |
| Leader of the Victorian Greens | |
| In office 12 October 2017 – 23 April 2024 |
|
| Deputy | Nina Springle (2017–2018) Ellen Sandell (2018–2024) |
| Preceded by | Greg Barber |
| Succeeded by | Ellen Sandell |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Northern Metropolitan Region | |
| In office 19 October 2017 – 8 November 2024 |
|
| Preceded by | Greg Barber |
| Succeeded by | Anasina Gray-Barberio |
| 15th Mayor of Moreland | |
| In office November 2015 – November 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Meghan Hopper |
| Succeeded by | Helen Davidson |
| Councillor of the City of Moreland for South Ward |
|
| In office 1 October 2012 – 11 October 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Josephine Connellan |
| Succeeded by | Jess Dorney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1977 (age 47–48)[1] England, United Kingdom[1] |
| Nationality | Australian Sri Lankan (revoked) British (renounced) |
| Political party | Greens |
| Spouse | Colin Jacobs[2] |
| Children | 1[2] |
| Residence(s) | Brunswick East, Melbourne, Victoria[2] |
| Education | Mullauna College[3] |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | · Social worker
· Politician |
| Signature | |
| Website | Samantha Ratnam website |
Samantha Shantini Ratnam (Tamil: சமந்தா இரத்தினம்; born 1977) is a British-Australian social worker and politician. She was the leader of the Victorian Greens between 2017 and 2024, serving as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council in the Northern Metropolitan Region. Prior to this she was a councillor and mayor for the City of Moreland.
Early life
Born in England and raised in Sri Lanka,[4] Samantha Ratnam and her family left the country after the ‘Black July‘ 1983 riots in Colombo that gave rise to 30-year Sri Lankan Civil War between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Tamil separatist group. The family eventually settled in Australia in 1989 after spending time in Europe and Canada.[5]
At the time of settlement in Australia, she held both British citizenship (by birth) and Sri Lankan citizenship (by registration). She became an Australian citizen in 1992, resulting in an automatic loss of her Sri Lankan citizenship under Sri Lankan laws. She then continued to hold both Australian and British citizenships until she renounced her British citizenship in March 2016.[6]
From 1995 to 2001 Samantha Ratnam completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) from the University of Melbourne. In 2014, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy, titled ‘Young people and global citizenship: New possibilities for civic participation’, also from the University of Melbourne.[7]
Ratnam has worked in various roles in assisting migrants and asylum seekers including at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, in the fields of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, mental health and international development.[5]
In April 2014, Samantha Ratnam explained in The Indian Sun, an online publication for the Australian-Indian community how she is a product of diaspora and her motivations for entering politics.[8]
