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Cassandra Fernando

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cassandra Fernando
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Holt
Assumed office
21 May 2022
Preceded byAnthony Byrne
Personal details
Born (1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 37)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political partyLabor
OccupationPastry cook
Trade unionist

Cassandra Fernando (born 2 February 1987[citation needed]) is a Sri Lankan-born Australian politician. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she has been the MP for the Division of Holt since the 2022 federal election.

Early life

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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

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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, 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]

She is the first Sri Lankan born woman to take a seat in the Australian parliament.[4]

Personal life

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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

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "The private interests of Cassandra Fernando MP". openpolitics.au. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Holt
2022–present
Incumbent