Cassandra Fernando

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.

Cassandra Fernando MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Holt
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2022
Preceded by	Anthony Byrne
Personal details
Born	(1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 37) Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political party	Labor
Occupation	Pastry cook Trade unionist

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, 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

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. "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. "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 Anthony Byrne	Member for Holt 2022–present	Incumbent