 | This article's subject isstanding for re-election to theAustralian House of Representatives on 3 May, and has not been an MP since thedissolution of the house on 28 March. Parts of the article suggesting incumbency are incorrect during this period. Feel free toimprove it (updates without reliable references will be removed) or discuss changes on thetalk page. |
Carina Garland | |
|---|---|
_%25E2%2580%2594_May_2022.jpg) Garland at a 2022 election forum | |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forChisholm | |
| Assumed office 21 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Gladys Liu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1982 Traralgon, Victoria |
| Political party | Labor |
Carina Mary Lindsay Garland (born 1982) is an Australian politician. She has served as aLabor MP forChisholm since the2022 Australian federal election.
Garland was born inTraralgon, Victoria.[1] Her father was ageneral practitioner and ran a practice in Melbourne's south-east with her mother, a nurse.[2] Her maternal grandparents immigrated to Australia from Italy in the 1950s.[3] Her grandfather was a maths teacher atEmmaus College inBurwood.[4]
Garland grew up inClayton.[5][6] As a child, she performed ballet concerts at the Alexander Theatre in Clayton.[7] She attendedSacré Cœur School inGlen Iris, where she was a School Prefect.[1] She later enrolled in an Arts/Law degree atMonash University, being awarded first class honours in English Literature. She received a scholarship to complete aPhD in the humanities at theUniversity of Sydney.[8]
In her early life she experienced insecure work,[9] which she has described as "the dominant form of employment" that she has experienced.[7] She said that this experience influenced her advocacy for secure, local jobs and her belief "that people should have jobs they can count on".[9]
Garland worked as an academic at the University of Sydney.[10][when?] After completing her PhD in the humanities, Garland worked as a parliamentary staffer forSimon Crean.[11] "Simon was the first person I voted for in any election and my first boss in politics," she said in 2023.[11] She described him as a "generous boss" who gave her support and advice during her election campaign in 2022.[11]
From 2016 to 2018, Garland was Senior Vice-President of theAustralian Labor Party (Vic).[10]
Garland served as the Assistant Secretary for theVictorian Trades Hall Council from 2018 - 2021.[1] Her responsibilities included the Young Workers Centre and the Migrant Workers Centre. In 2019 she was a witness in theVictorian Government's Legislative Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Committee Inquiry into sustainable employment for disadvantaged jobseekers, where she advocated for marginalised and migrant workers.[12]
Garland was preselected to stand in Chisholm for Labor at the 2022 federal election in July 2021, and won the seat with an 8.1-point swing in her direction, defeatingLiberal incumbentGladys Liu.[8][13] During the 2022 election campaign, Garland and her supported knocked on 60,000 doors in Chisholm, phoned 72,000 people and had more than 25,000 conversations with voters in the electorate.[14] Garland was endorsed byKevin Rudd.[15] Anthony Albanese described her as "a local champion who understands Chisholm and its needs".[16]
In the Labor caucus, Garland is a member of theLabor Left faction.[17]
Former Chisholm MP,Anna Burke, is a friend and mentor to Garland, and Garland has said that Burke showed her "what it means to be a really hard-working, active local member of parliament."[14]
In Parliament, Garland advocates for education, healthcare, climate change, workers rights, small business, local manufacturing, the arts and multiculturalism.[4] In April 2023 she signed a letter calling for a substantial increase toJobSeeker.[18] In May 2024 she spoke out about theFederal Government's Future Of Gas Strategy,[19] stating that she believes "the future is renewables" and that she will "always fight for strong, real climate action".[20]
Garland is an advocate for life long learning and building a thriving higher education system in Australia.[21] In September 2023 she made a submission the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report on behalf of the Chisholm electorate.[22] Her submission was based on a survey of the electorate. In her submission, she advocated for financial support for unpaid work placements, improving safety on campus, and reforming theHigher Education Loan Program (HELP) (formerlyHECS).[22] On 21 March 2024, Minister for Education the Hon.Jason Clare MP acknowledged Garland's work to raise the issue ofHELP debt reform during Question Time.[23]
Garland has publicly supported the importance of early childhood education and care.[24] In February 2024 Garland made a submission to the Productivity Commission's review into early childhood education and care.[25] Her submission was based on a survey of her electorate and a public webinar held with Minister for Early Childhood Education and CareAnne Aly MP.[26] In her submission, she advocated for "wages for early childhood educators (that) reflect the importance of their work"[26] and more affordable child care for families.[26]
Garland is an advocate for action to address gendered violence,[27] and has spoken out about the issue of safety on campus.[28] She has said that she has "witnessed first-hand the devastation that sexual violence on campus has wrought on people's lives",[28] and that she does not want "any other generations of women to have to go through that."[28] On 28 February 2024, Minister for Education the Hon.Jason Clare MP thanked Garland during Question Time for her work advocating for action to address gendered violence on campus.[29]
Garland supports access to affordable, accessible healthcare for all Australians.[30] She has delivered a bulk billing Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Mount Waverley.[31] Garland is also an advocate for mental health support, delivering a headspace centre for Box Hill[32][33] and securing funding for the headspace centre in Syndal.[32][34]
Garland's electorate office is inMount Waverley.[35]
Garland lives inClayton.[5] She is a member of theUnited Workers Union, theAustralian Services Union, and theCommunity and Public Sector Union.[36]
Garland is a descendant of Mary and Edith Garland, who weresuffragists in Victoria[37] who signed the 1891 petition to grant Victorian women the right to vote.[4]
Garland has Italian heritage,[38] and her family credits the Federal Labor Government for transforming their lives.[5]
She is a member of theCollingwood Football Club.[36]
Growing up in the south-east and now living in Clayton...
The daughter of a doctor and a nurse, Carland(sic) grew up in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and studied at Monash University.
Media related toCarina Garland at Wikimedia Commons| Parliament of Australia | ||
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| Preceded by | Member forChisholm 2022–present | Incumbent |
