Oz gets first ever South Asian origin senator

Lisa Singh will represent Tasmania in the new Australian Senate

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

38-year-old Lisa Maria Singh has been elected to the Australian Senate, becoming the first person of South Asian origin to enter federal Parliament.

A former minister and member of Tasmanian parliament from the electorate of Denison, Singh bounced back after defeat in the March state elections.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to represent Tasmania at the federal level and to be back serving the people again”, she told Indian Link. “I am particularly honoured to be the first woman of South Asian background. I have always believed in embracing diversity and multiculturalism and I want to be their voice. The entire social fabric of Australia is changing and I do hope more ethnic representatives will be visible in the public arena”.

Of course, it will take much longer and more work needs to be done, she noted.

As well, Lisa is also delighted with the swing in gender perspectives. Interestingly, in the 2010 elections, 50% of the Senate members from Tasmania have been women.

Of Rajput origin, from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Lisa’s great grandfather moved to Fiji in 1902 under the British government as an indentured labourer. Her grandfather Ram Jati Singh OBE rose in ranks to become a member of the Fijian Parliament in the seventies.

Her father migrated to Australia as an international student in the early sixties.

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

“I remember being interviewed on Lok Sabha TV about my ethnic background and role in Australian politics”, she remembered.

Lisa brings to politics, a strong heritage in volunteering and social work.

“Growing up in the inner city suburbs of Hobart, and attending an all-girls Catholic school I became involved in the school’s St Vincent de Paul Society Group, organising events and volunteering in the Vinnie’s Opp Shop in North Hobart that is still there today,” she reminisced. “That focused me from an early age on the disadvantaged in our society, be they the young, unemployed, homeless or the elderly. From that young age I felt that it was not right that some people missed out on basic services and things that most people took for granted”.

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

She carried the same passion forward through the union movement, striving for safety and job security in the workplace. Lisa went on to become the director of the Working Women’s Centre “giving women a voice to be heard on issues such as child care, bullying, discrimination, harassment and paid maternity leave”, eventually joining the Lennon government in 2008. She was Minister for Corrections, Consumer Protection and Workplace Relations.

As an MP, Lisa served on various parliamentary committees and has lobbied for housing, public transport, cultural diversity and reform for the Hobart waterfront. Likewise, as minister, she introduced significant reforms in her portfolio areas, as well as assisting the Premier on Climate Change. Lisa 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.

She has also been actively involved in various community organisations, including the United Nations Association and the Australian Republican Movement.

Since her defeat in March this year, Lisa has been actively establishing a support organisation for asbestos sufferers in Tasmania. She is the current CEO of Asbestos Free Tasmania Foundation.

“I feel truly privileged and humbled that after only four and a half months of losing my seat at the state election, I now have the opportunity to represent Tasmanian interests in the federal sphere,” she said.

Join at the grassroots level, have a vision, be passionate and vocal, show your commitment to causes, understand local issues and work your way up slowly but surely – that is Lisa’s mantra for political success.

“It is at the community level that we build our social capital, where informal networks develop and community groups empower each other,” she observed.

“And throughout my community life, one common thread has been apparent through most things I have done and that is the significance of our human rights”, she stated. She firmly believes in the ideology that whether people are black, white, young, old, disabled, female, sick or injured, they all have basic rights.

As a human rights advocate, she was awarded Hobart Citizen of the Year in 2004 for her role in the Hobart peace movement, especially for highlighting the rights of women and children during wartimes, most notably the Iraq war.

Besides a strong values platform and conviction in one’s beliefs, Lisa also advocates the importance of core leadership skills.

We wish Lisa every success in her prestigious new role.