Jana Stewart

Jana Naretha Anne Stewart 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.

Senator
Jana Stewart
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
6 April 2022
Preceded byKimberley Kitching
Personal details
Political partyLabor
Alma materLa Trobe University
OccupationFamily therapist
University lecturer
Policy adviser

Personal life

Stewart is an Indigenous Australian from the Muthi Muthi and Wamba-Wamba peoples.[1] 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.[2]

Stewart grew up in Melbourne and Swan Hill, Victoria.[3] She is the oldest of six children and experienced family violence as a child. She attended "at least a dozen different schools before she started high school" and was the only Indigenous student at her high school to finish year 12.[2] She completed a master's degree in clinical family therapy at La Trobe University.[4]

Prior to entering politics, Stewart worked as a family therapist, university lecturer, and policy adviser on Aboriginal affairs and child protection.[4] She worked for Victorian state Aboriginal affairs minister Natalie Hutchins on treaty negotiations.[2] She was a later a deputy secretary of the Victorian Department of Justice focusing on Stolen Generations reparations.[5]

Politics

Stewart is a member of the Labor Unity faction and is associated with the Transport Workers' Union.[5] She ran in the House of Representatives seat of Kooyong at the 2019 federal election. 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.[6]

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.[7]

Senate

In March 2022, Stewart was nominated to fill a casual vacancy in the Senate caused by the death of Victorian senator Kimberley Kitching.[5] She also won ALP preselection for the Senate ticket at the 2022 federal election.[8] She was officially appointed to the Senate at a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament on 6 April 2022.[9] She would fill the remainder of Kitching's term, which expires on 30 June 2022. However, as the Senate would not sit before the federal election in May, she would not officially take her seat in parliament during the remainder of the term.[1]

References
  1. "Indigenous woman Jana Stewart confirmed as Kimberley Kitching's Senate replacement". SBS News. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  2. Cross, Hannah (8 May 2019). "ELECTION SPECIAL: Jana Stewart's proving stereotypes about Aboriginal women wrong". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. Ilanbey, Sumeyya (6 April 2022). "'History-making opportunity': Jana Stewart sworn in as Kitching's Senate replacement". The Age. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  4. "EMILY'S LIST AUSTRALIA ENDORSED CANDIDATES FOR THE 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION". Emily's List Australia. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  5. "Labor's Victorian Senate selections unopposed". The Australian. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  6. "Kooyong". ABC Elections. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  7. "Jana Stewart emerges as frontrunner to replace the late Kimberley Kitching". Herald Sun. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  8. "Labor finalise crucial election candidates". 7News. 28 March 2022.
  9. "Legislative Assembly Daily Hansard" (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. 6 April 2022. p. 133. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
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