Cassandra Fernando, an Australian Parliamentarian of Sri Lankan origin, meets with the Speaker.

  Cassandra Fernando, a member of the Australian Federal Parliament of Sri Lankan origin, met the Speaker of the Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. There was an exchange of views on the parliamentary systems of the two countries, and the promotion of good practises for securing democracy was also discussed at length in the meeting. Cassandra Fernando was born in Sri Lanka in 1987 and immigrated to Australia in 1999. She has been elected to Parliament in the federal election of 2022, representing the division of "Holt" in the state of Victoria for the Australian Labour Party (ALP). She is the first political representative of Sri Lankan origin to represent the Australian Parliament. Fernando worked as a chef for Woolworths, an Australian multinational retail and finance company, for about 15 years before entering politics.