A Dandenong North union organiser has been chosen as Labor’s candidate for Holt at the upcoming federal election.
Cassandra Fernando replaces the outgoing MP Anthony Byrne in the seat that covers suburbs such as Cranbourne, Hampton Park and Narre Warren South.
Ms Fernando was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia in 1999 as an 11-year-old with her family, settling in Dandenong North, where she still lives.
With a Certificate III in Education Support and Diploma of Hospitality, Ms Fernando has put her educational support training to use as a volunteer at AMES Australia (Adult Multicultural Education Services) providing tutoring services for migrants, refugees and youths from non-English speaking backgrounds.
During her time working at Woolworths she was a Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) union delegate before leaving Woolworths to commence working as a union organiser at the SDA’s Victorian branch.
She has been a union organiser at the SDA for almost 5 years.
Mr Byrne announced in March that he would not re-contest his seat at the upcoming election after 22 years as Holt MP, having won the position at a November 1999 by-election.
Last year, at an IBAC inquiry, he blew the whistle on his own and other MPs’ branch-stacking activities within his Moderate Labor faction.
Federal Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said that Labor would be losing “one of its truly dedicated servants” upon his decision.
