Friday, September 10, 2010

Australia`s first “Indian” Senator

The 38 year old Lisa Maria Singh is the first person of South Asian origin to enter the Australian federal Parliament.She was a former minister and member of Tasmanian parliament who bounced back after her defeat in March state elections.

She is of Rajput origin from Gwalior located in Madhya Pradesh in India.Her great grandfather moved to Fiji in the year 1902 under the British government as a labourer.Her grandfather rose in ranks and became a member of the Fijian parliament in the 1970s. Her father had migrated to Australia as an international student.

She is proud of her Indian heritage. She has visited India several times and also as a member of parliament in 2007, meeting the president and fellow Indian parliamentarians.

Community development has been her path of interest throughout her tertiary education. In fact she did her thesis on street kids and petty crime in Hobart CBD, advocating the urgent need for early intervention and prevention.

As a Member of Parliament,she served on various parliamentary committees and has lobbied for housing, public transport, cultural diversity.

She introduced significant reforms in her portfolio areas, as well as assisting the Premier on Climate Change.She reformed workers compensation laws in Tasmania, established a unique whole of government asbestos policy, introduced reforms in the private rental market, vendor disclosure and energy efficiency standards for residential properties, and commenced a ten year reform plan for the Tasmanian corrections system.

We wish Lisa every success in her new prestigious role.

More : http://indianlocal.com.au/blog/latestnews/australias-first-indian-senator/

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