Kottayam (Kerala): A Kerala native Jinson Anto Charls was appointed as a minister in an Australian local government, making him the first Indian to be elected to the position.
A native of Pathanamthitta in Kerala, Jinson won the Australian Northern Territory State Parliament election on the Labour Party ticket and was included in the eight-member cabinet announced in the first phase. He is the nephew of Congress MP Anto Antony, and his appointment to the post signifies a major landmark for the Malayalis on a global level.
Jinson will now look after the sports, arts, culture, disability, multicultural affairs, veterans, and youth welfare portfolios in the parliament. He has been living in Australia since 2011 when he relocated there to work in the nursing sector. He held several top positions, including Director of Top End Mental Health for the government. Later, he joined as an adjunct lecturer at Charles Darwin University, on which he continues.
Jinson lives with his wife Anupriya John, and the couple has two daughters, Aimie Kaitlyn Jinson (11), and Anna Isabel Jinson (5). Meanwhile, his uncle Anto expressed happiness over his win, saying, “Jinson’s success has been a matter of great pride for the Malayali community in Australia."
"It is a proud victory for him considering he arrived there only 11 years ago. He completed numerous management courses and currently holds the position of director at a prestigious hospital,” he said.
The Congress MP also highlighted the significance of Jinson’s entry into the Australian local governance as an advantage for the migrants and the country’s Malayali community.
Reportedly, Jinson has served as unit president of the Kerala Students’ Union at the Little Flower College of Nursing in Angamaly. He has also worked with his uncle during the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections in Pathanamthitta.
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