Senator
Jana Stewart
Stewart in 2019
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
6 April 2022
Preceded byKimberley Kitching
Personal details
Born1987 or 1988 (age 35–36)[1]
Political partyLabor
Alma materLa Trobe University
OccupationFamily therapist
University lecturer
Policy adviser

Jana Naretha Anne Stewart (born c. 1987) is an Australian politician and former public servant. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and was appointed as a Senator for Victoria in April 2022, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Kimberley Kitching.

Early life and education

Stewart is an Aboriginal Australian of the Muthi Muthi and Wamba-Wamba peoples.[2] Her great-grandmother Alice Kelly was a custodian of Lake Mungo in New South Wales and was involved in negotiations over the Lake Mungo remains.[3]

Stewart was born around 1987[1] and grew up in Melbourne and Swan Hill, Victoria.[4] She is the oldest of six children and experienced family violence as a child. She attended "at least a dozen" primary schools, and was the only Indigenous student at her high school to finish year 12.[3] She completed a master's degree in clinical family therapy at La Trobe University.[5]

Career

Prior to entering politics, Stewart worked as a family therapist, university lecturer, and policy adviser on Aboriginal affairs and child protection.[5] She worked for Victorian state Aboriginal affairs minister Natalie Hutchins on treaty negotiations.[3] She was a later a deputy secretary of the Victorian Department of Justice focusing on Stolen Generations reparations.[6]

Career prior to Senate

Stewart is a member of the Labor Unity faction and is associated with the Transport Workers' Union.[6]

At the 2019 federal election she was preselected for the House of Representatives seat of Kooyong. She placed third, with 17 percent of the vote on a negative swing of four points, behind incumbent federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Greens candidate Julian Burnside.[7]

In late 2021, Stewart won ALP preselection for the seat of Pascoe Vale at the 2022 Victorian state election. She withdrew following her nomination to the Senate in March 2022.[8]

Senate career

In March 2022, Stewart was nominated to fill a casual vacancy in the Senate caused by the death of Victorian senator Kimberley Kitching.[6] She also won ALP preselection for the Senate ticket at the 2022 federal election.[9]

She was officially appointed to the Senate at a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament on 6 April 2022. However, the Senate did not sit between her appointment and the imminent election.[10][2]

Stewart took her seat after the 2022 federal election. She is the youngest Aboriginal woman to serve in the federal parliament.[1]

Personal life

Jana is partnered with Marcus Stewart, former Co-Chair of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.[11][12]

She and her partner have two children, Jude and Ari.[13][14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Costa, Jedda (31 May 2022). "Forget the 'teal independent wave', the 2022 federal election sees record Indigenous representation". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Indigenous woman Jana Stewart confirmed as Kimberley Kitching's Senate replacement". SBS News. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Cross, Hannah (8 May 2019). "Election Special: Jana Stewart's proving stereotypes about Aboriginal women wrong". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  4. ↑ Ilanbey, Sumeyya (6 April 2022). "'History-making opportunity': Jana Stewart sworn in as Kitching's Senate replacement". The Age. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Australia endorsed candidates for the 2019 federal election". Emily's List Australia. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "Labor's Victorian Senate selections unopposed". The Australian. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Kooyong". ABC Elections. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Jana Stewart emerges as frontrunner to replace the late Kimberley Kitching". Herald Sun. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Labor finalise crucial election candidates". 7News. 28 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Legislative Assembly Daily Hansard" (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. 6 April 2022. p. 133. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  11. ↑ Visentin, Lisa (26 September 2022). "Leaked email reveals Greens staffer 'scared and in shock' after Lidia Thorpe's 'truly awful' outburst". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  12. ↑ L, Maddie (21 June 2022). "Marcus Stewart". First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  13. ↑ Stewart, Marcus [@marcusbstewart] (8 March 2019). "To celebrate #IWD2019 I would like to honour my fearless wife @JanaforKooyong – an incredible mother to our son Jude and a true champion for change & equality in our community as a proud Mutthi Mutthi & Wamba Wamba woman. https://t.co/hEcGORrjZR" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ Stewart, Jana [@JanaStewartVIC] (24 August 2022). "Introducing our newest and littlest love, Ari Stewart ❤️ @marcusbstewart #auspol https://t.co/aBAmwFk0LE" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023 – via Twitter.
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