Michelle Ananda-Rajah

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Michelle Ananda-Rajah
MP
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Higgins
Assumed office
21 May 2022
Preceded byKatie Allen
Personal details
Born (1972-12-10) 10 December 1972 (age 51)[1]
London, United Kingdom
Political partyLabor
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne (PhD)
University of Sydney (MBBS (Hons))
ProfessionMedical doctor

Michelle Renuka Ananda-Rajah (Tamil: மிசேல் ஆனந்தராஜா; born 10 December 1972) is an Australian politician. Ananda-Rajah was elected for the Division of Higgins in the 2022 Australian federal election as a member of the Australian Labor Party.[2][3] Prior to entering politics, she was a clinician-scientist, and infectious diseases physician.[4]

Early life[edit]

Ananda-Rajah was born in London to Tamil parents who had fled from Sri Lanka in the early 1970s prior to the Sri Lankan Civil War.[5] She lived in Zambia for 11 years until she moved to Australia as a child.[5] Ananda-Rajah became an Australian citizen in 1996. She renounced her British citizenship in 2021.[1]

Ananda-Rajah achieved her bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBBS) in 1997 and her PhD in 2014 from the University of Sydney.[5]

Career[edit]

Ananda-Rajah worked as a clinician-researcher and physician in infectious diseases and general medicine at Alfred Health for 13 years.[6] She is a graduate of USyd with honours and underwent speciality training in Victoria. In 2019, she was awarded a prestigious TRIP (Translating Research Into Practice) fellowship by the Medical Research Future Fund and appointed to JAMA Network Open as a statistical and methods reviewer.[6]

Ananda-Rajah has published over 50 scientific papers and held several editorial roles in medical journals.[7]

Ananda-Rajah is the co-founder of Healthcare Workers Australia, a grass roots advocacy group which has campaigned since August 2020 for improved respiratory protection.[8]

Politics[edit]

Ananda-Rajah was preselected as the Labor candidate for Higgins in July 2021, ahead of the 2022 Australian federal election.[9] She trailed Liberal incumbent Katie Allen for most of the night. However, on the seventh count, the Green candidate's preferences flowed overwhelmingly to Ananda-Rajah. This gave Ananda-Rajah a 2.4% swing in primary vote and a 4.6% swing in two party preferred vote, to win the seat with a two party preferred vote of 52%, or a little under 4,000 votes. By winning, Ananda-Rajah became the first Labor member for Higgins in the seat's 73-year history.[10]

In December 2023 Ananda-Rajah travelled to Israel following the October 7 attacks.[11] Her travel and hospitality were funded by AIJAC.[12]

Personal life[edit]

Ananda-Rajah lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children.[6] She is one of the largest property owners in the Parliament, co-owning four residential/investment properties with her husband.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "QUALIFICATION CHECKLIST" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Labor on track to win marginal seats of Chisholm and Higgins from Liberal Party". ABC News. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Too little too late: voters turn on Morrison in affluent seat of Higgins". the Guardian. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah". Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Sanchayan, Kulasegaram; Dixon, Carl (15 August 2022). "'I represent Australia's migrant story': Tamil-origin MP says diverse parliament benefits all". SBS. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Michelle Ananda-Rajah". Q+A. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  7. ^ "'I represent Australia's migrant story': Tamil-origin MP says diverse parliament benefits all". SBS Language. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah". Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Labor preselects outspoken AstraZeneca critic to run as candidate in Higgins".
  10. ^ "Higgins (Key Seat) - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  11. ^ Knott, Matthew (6 December 2023). "Simon Birmingham, Josh Burns lead cross-party visit to Israel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  12. ^ "The private interests of Michelle Ananda-Rajah MP". Open Politics. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  13. ^ Karp, Paul; Butler, Josh (30 August 2022). "Home advantage: federal politicians' hefty property portfolios revealed in register of interests". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
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