Barrister Varun Ghosh made history by becoming the first Australian Parliament member of Indian descent to take an oath on the Bhagavad Gita. The Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council selected Varun Ghosh from Western Australia to represent the Australian state in the Senate of the Federal Parliament, making him the newest senator, reported ANI.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed Ghosh and wrote on X, “Welcome to Varun Ghosh, our newest Senator from Western Australia. Senator Ghosh is the first-ever Australian Senator sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita. I have often said, when you're the first at something, you've got to make sure you're not the last.”
She added, “I know Senator Ghosh will be a strong voice for his community and for West Australians.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also tweeted, "Welcome Varun Ghosh, our newest Senator from Western Australia. Fantastic to have you on the team." The Legislative Assembly of Western Australia said, "The Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council have chosen Senator Varun Ghosh to represent Western Australia in the Senate of the Federal Parliament."
Who is Varun Ghosh?
Perth-resident Varun Ghosh relocated from India at the age of 17. He holds degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Western Australia and was a Commonwealth Scholar in Law at the University of Cambridge.
Earlier, he worked as a finance attorney in New York and as a consultant for the World Bank in Washington, DC. Ghosh’s political journey began when he joined Australia’s Labor Party in Perth, following his parents’ move from India in the 1980s. Despite being fifth on the Australian Labor Party’s Senate ticket in Western Australia in the 2019 federal election, Ghosh was not elected.
He returned to Australia in 2015, working with King & Wood Mallesons, handling legal matters for banks, resource companies, and construction companies. Born in 1985, Ghosh moved to Perth in 1997 and attended Christ Church Grammar School.
"I have had the privilege of a good education and believe strongly that high-quality education and training should be available to everyone," Varun Ghosh said in a statement to ANI.In the 2019 federal election, Ghosh was placed fifth on the Australian Labor Party's Senate ticket in Western Australia but was not elected.
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