Carina Mary Lindsay Garland (born 1982) is an Australian politician. She has served as a
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
MP for
Chisholm since the
2022 Australian federal election
The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 May 2022, to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Morrison government, Liberal–National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, soug ...
.
Early life and education
Garland was born in
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon ( , ) is a city located in the east of the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the most populous city in the City of Latrobe and the region. The urban population of Traralgon at the was 26,907. It is th ...
.
Her father was a
general practitioner
A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice.
GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...
and ran a practice in Melbourne's south-east with her mother, a nurse. Her maternal grandparents immigrated to Australia from Italy in the 1950s.
Her grandfather was a maths teacher at
Emmaus College in
Burwood.
Garland grew up in
Clayton.
As a child, she performed ballet concerts at the Alexander Theatre in Clayton.
She attended
Sacré Cœur School
Sacré Cœur is a Roman Catholic, Independent school, independent, day school for girls, located in Glen Iris, Victoria, Glen Iris, a south eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia.
Establishe ...
in
Glen Iris Glen Iris may refer to:
*Glen Iris, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
**Glen Iris railway station
*Glen Iris, Western Australia
Glen Iris is a suburb of the City of Bunbury in the South West region of Western Australia.
Glen Iris is located on ...
, where she was a School Prefect.
She later enrolled in an Arts/Law degree at
Monash University
Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...
, being awarded first class honours in English Literature. She received a scholarship to complete a
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in the humanities at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
.
In her early life she experienced insecure work,
which she has described as "the dominant form of employment" that she has experienced.
She said that this experience influenced her advocacy for secure, local jobs and her belief "that people should have jobs they can count on".
Career
Garland worked as an academic at the University of Sydney.
After completing her PhD in the humanities, Garland worked as a parliamentary staffer for
Simon Crean
Simon Findlay Crean (26 February 1949 – 25 June 2023) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2003. He represented the seat of Hotham i ...
.
"Simon was the first person I voted for in any election and my first boss in politics," she said in 2023.
She described him as a "generous boss" who gave her support and advice during her election campaign in 2022.
From 2016 to 2018, Garland was Senior Vice-President of the
Australian Labor Party (Vic).
Garland served as the Assistant Secretary for the
Victorian Trades Hall Council
The Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) is a representative body of trade union organisations, known as a labour council, in the state of Victoria, Australia. It comprises 43 affiliated trade unions and professional associations, and eight regi ...
from 2018 - 2021.
Her responsibilities included the Young Workers Centre and the Migrant Workers Centre. In 2019 she was a witness in the
Victorian Government's Legislative Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Committee Inquiry into sustainable employment for disadvantaged jobseekers, where she advocated for marginalised and migrant workers.
Political career
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, defeating
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist.
* An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
incumbent
Gladys Liu
Gladys Liu (, ; born 6 April 1964) is a Hong Kong-born Australian politician who currently serves as a councillor of the City of Melbourne. She previously represented the Division of Chisholm in Victoria for the Liberal Party from her election ...
.
During the 2022 election campaign, Garland and her supporters knocked on 60,000 doors in Chisholm, phoned 72,000 people and had more than 25,000 conversations with voters in the electorate. Garland was endorsed by Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian diplomat and former politician who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and June to September 2013. He held office as the Leaders of the Australian Labo ...
. Anthony Albanese described her as "a local champion who understands Chisholm and its needs".
In the Labor caucus, Garland is a member of the Labor Left
The Labor Left (LL), also known as the Progressive Left, Socialist Left or simply the Left, is one of the two major political factions within the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It is nationally characterised by social progressivism and democra ...
faction.
Former Chisholm MP, Anna Burke
Anna Elizabeth Burke (born 1 January 1966) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th speaker of the Australian House of Representatives from October 2012 to August 2013, and was Acting Speaker from May to October 2012. A membe ...
, 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."
In Parliament, Garland advocates for education, healthcare, climate change, workers rights, small business, local manufacturing, the arts and multiculturalism. In April 2023 she signed a letter calling for a substantial increase to JobSeeker
Social security, in Australia, refers to a system of social welfare payments provided by Australian Government to eligible Australian citizens, permanent residents, and limited international visitors. These payments are almost always administer ...
. In May 2024 she spoke out about the Federal Government
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
's Future Of Gas Strategy, stating that she believes "the future is renewables" and that she will "always fight for strong, real climate action".
Garland is an advocate for life long learning and building a thriving higher education system in Australia. In September 2023 she made a submission the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report on behalf of the Chisholm electorate. 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 the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) (formerly HECS
Tertiary education fees in Australia are payable for courses at tertiary education institutions. Responsibility for fees in vocational education and training (VET) rests primarily with the state and territory governments, while fees policy in ...
). On 21 March 2024, Minister for Education the Hon. Jason Clare
Jason Dean Clare (born 22 March 1972) is an Australian politician serving as Minister for Education since 1 June 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has represented the Division of Blaxland in Western Sydney since 2007 ...
MP acknowledged Garland's work to raise the issue of HELP
Help may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* Help (2010 film), ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film
* Help (2021 theatrical film), ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film
* Help (2021 TV ...
debt reform during Question Time.
Garland has publicly supported the importance of early childhood education and care. In February 2024 Garland made a submission to the Productivity Commission's review into early childhood education and care. Her submission was based on a survey of her electorate and a public webinar held with Minister for Early Childhood Education and Care Anne Aly MP. In her submission, she advocated for "wages for early childhood educators (that) reflect the importance of their work" and more affordable child care for families.
Garland is an advocate for action to address gendered violence, and has spoken out about the issue of safety on campus. She has said that she has "witnessed first-hand the devastation that sexual violence on campus has wrought on people's lives", and that she does not want "any other generations of women to have to go through that." On 28 February 2024, Minister for Education the Hon. Jason Clare
Jason Dean Clare (born 22 March 1972) is an Australian politician serving as Minister for Education since 1 June 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has represented the Division of Blaxland in Western Sydney since 2007 ...
MP thanked Garland during Question Time for her work advocating for action to address gendered violence on campus.
Garland supports access to affordable, accessible healthcare for all Australians. She has delivered a bulk billing Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Mount Waverley. Garland is also an advocate for mental health support, delivering a headspace centre for Box Hill and securing funding for the headspace centre in Syndal.
Garland's electorate office is in Mount Waverley
Mount Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Mount Waverley recorded a population of 35,340 at the 2021 census.
It ...
.
Personal life
Garland lives in Clayton. She is a member of the United Workers Union
The United Workers Union (UWU) is an Australian trade union. Described as the biggest blue-collar union in Australia, the UWU covers more than 150,000 workers within over 45 industries, including warehousing, defence, hospitality, health, disabil ...
, the Australian Services Union
The Australian Services Union (formally registered as the Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union) is a trade union representing workers in a variety of industries.
The ASU is affiliated with the Australian Council ...
, and the Community and Public Sector Union
CPSU, the Community and Public Sector Union (more commonly known as the CPSU) is a national trade union in Australia. The union came was established on 1 July 1994 with the amalgamation of the Public Sector, Professional, Scientific, Research, ...
.
Garland is a descendant of Mary and Edith Garland, who were suffragists
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
in Victoria who signed the 1891 petition to grant Victorian women the right to vote.
Garland has Italian heritage, and her family credits the Federal Labor Government for transforming their lives.
She is a member of the Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garland, Carina
Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
Living people
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Chisholm
21st-century Australian women politicians
Women members of the Australian House of Representatives
1982 births
Australian trade unionists
Labor Left politicians
People educated at Sacré Cœur School
University of Sydney alumni
Australian MPs 2022–2025