Highlights
- Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah arrived in Australia as an 11-year-old
- She defeated the Liberals’ Katie Allen in the south-east Melbourne seat of Higgins
- Dr Ananda-Rajah is a clinician-researcher and physician who has published over 50 scientific papers
In an interview with SBS Tamil, Dr Ananda-Rajah said she was “incredibly humbled and very much honoured” to have won the seat from sitting Liberal member Katie Allen.
“It's significant and historic on multiple levels, and I really do feel the weight of responsibility to now deliver and lead [the people of Higgins] faithfully and represent them faithfully,” she said.
Labor Candidate for Higgins Michelle Ananda-Rajah poses for a photo Thursday, May 12, 2022. (AAP Image/James Ross) Source: AAP
‘I represent the migrant story of Australia’
The new member for Higgins is of Tamil ancestry and her parents fled Sri Lanka in the early 1970s prior to the civil war.
However, she acknowledged that she has a “fairly complex ancestry”.
“My parents are Tamils, but I was born in England. I lived in a country called Zambia in central, southern Africa, for 11 years. And then I came to Australia as a child,” she said.
“It's important to say that my cultural background has, of course, had an impact on my life. No question about that.
But I am a proud Australian and I think I represent very much the migrant story of Australia, and that's really born out through hard work and sacrifice.
Nine per cent of members in the 47th parliament will be of ethnic or Indigenous background.
The number of federal members of parliament with Asian heritage doubled with the outcome of the 21 May election, and Dr Ananda-Rajah said, “Diversity in government means better outcomes for the Australian people.”
‘Politicised in medicine’
Dr Ananda-Rajah has extensive experience as a clinician-researcher and physician.
After graduating from a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBBS) with honours at the University of Sydney in 1997, she went on to complete her PhD at the same institution in 2014.
She was awarded the MRFF TRIP (Translating Research Into Practice) fellowship for 2019-2020 and subsequently appointed as associate professor and co-director of a med tech entity at Monash University.
Dr Ananda-Rajah has published over 50 scientific papers and held several editorial roles in medical journals. Her research includes health services management, invasive fungal infections, artificial intelligence and clinical leadership.
Speaking of her transition from medicine to politics, Dr Ananda-Rajah said, “I actually was politicised in medicine during the pandemic.”
When COVID-19 hit Australia, she was leading a team of frontline healthcare professionals at a Melbourne hospital when she realised the need to ‘educate’ policy makers on the risks such workers face in dealing with the pandemic.
She co-founded ‘’ with Dr Benjamin Veness to advocate for the safety of healthcare workers, publishing numerous articles in scientific and mainstream outlets, and making media appearances.
Dr Ananda-Rajah said it was during this period that she engaged the major political parties to gain their support to address safety issues for healthcare workers.
“I found only one party took the issue seriously. I was not a member of any political party or movements prior to this.
“Our country is facing unprecedented social, health, environmental and economic challenges, hence I decided to stand in the federal election as Labor’s candidate for Higgins,” she said.
Higgins, one of the geographically smaller electorates covering 39 square kilometres in south-east Melbourne, had been a Liberal stronghold since its creation in 1949.
The affluent seat’s first two members - Harold Holt and Sir John Gorton – each served as Liberal prime minister, while more recently Peter Costello enjoyed a 19-year stint as member during which he served as treasurer of Australia and deputy leader of the Liberal party.
Dr Ananda-Rajah said she was helped to victory by a very strong grassroots campaign.
“I had 4,000 conversations with people both at that their doors and over the phone and we had a large volunteer contingent of over 1,200 people really reflecting a groundswell of support for change.
“And honestly, it was that sort of authentic connection one-on-one with people that I think helped win the day.”
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd joins Labor Candidate for Higgins Michelle Ananda-Rajah at a pre-polling booth at St Georges Anglican Church Malvern May 12, 22 Source: AAP
'These things don't happen by accident'
Australia's new federal parliament will welcome more women than ever before when it sits for the first time in July.
Dr Ananda-Rajah is among a record number of 58 women, including 19 first-term members, elected to the lower house.
She said the increased representation has been a long time coming.
It’s a consequence of considered and determined reforms that were made decades ago by the Labor Party towards gender equality at caucus level.
“It's important to say that these things don't happen by accident. You need to have the courage to put in place reforms that lead to these sorts of outcomes,” she added.
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