Sri Lanka born Cassandra Fernando (35) was the first Sri Lankan to be elected to Australia’s Federal Parliament, Canberra. She was on a visit to Sri Lanka recently.
Cassandra migrated with her parents to Australia at the age of 11 and grew up in Dandenong, Southeast of Melbourne, North Victoria. She worked at Woolworths in Dandenong Plaza for around 15 years, including as a pastry chef.
She was educated at William Angliss Institute and Box Hill Institute. Representing workers in the retail and fast-food industries, Cassandra is currently the Labour MP for the Division of Holt since the 2022 Federal election.
Before taking to politics, Cassandra educated migrants and refugees from non-English speaking backgrounds and raised her voice to enhance the pay and conditions of workers, who worked throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said that everyone is entitled to a fair day’s wage. She said she upholds three values her parents taught her – hard work, commitment, and gratitude.